Re-Mission Possible

Last week at The Fellowship Conference in Atlanta, I discovered that radical inclusivity and sexual literacy have way more in common than I ever could have imagined.

As hundreds of mostly African American LGBT faith leaders from all over the nation convened to celebrate the radically inclusive love of Jesus Christ, I witnessed the emergence of a movement that is already dealing a powerful blow to the “church as usual” mentality which fractures people and communities.

I saw more clearly than ever that those who have hijacked religion and God himself by being exclusionary of lgbt people and others are seriously mistaken. And their mistakes are doing exactly what Jesus warned about—promoting the false idea that God’s love is only for the deserving…..constructing in so doing the category of “those who are not deserving”….and there are many of us, perhaps more than the alleged “deserving” themselves. 

As Bishop Yvette Flunder powerfully argued—we cannot continue to patch up this brokenness in the church…. The church is sick and in need of help, and we have a duty to do something about it and do it with unconditional love.  We have the duty to create a grand re-missioning of the church, to tear down the exclusion and hatred and closets and get back to God’s original intention of everyone loving their neighbors as themselves—His most powerful commandment.

Radical inclusivity seeks to bring people who live at the margins (lgbt people, people living with HIV/AIDS, formerly and currently incarcerated people, drug and alcohol addicted, sex workers, adulterers etc….) back into the category of “the deserving”….where all people, not just some people are allowed to experience the love of God and loving God should they so choose.

Similarly, sexual literacy seeks to radically (and yes, this is still radical in the year 2009) include all people— of all ages, faiths, abilities, racial/class/gender backgrounds, immigration status etc…. Sexual literacy is already dealing a powerful blow to “sexuality education, research and policy as usual” by promoting the radical notion that sexuality education must be lifelong and community led to be effective, that it must include pleasure and the positive aspects of sexuality rather than treating sexuality always within the disease, disaster and dysfunction model….that once communities begin to envision what healthy sexuality looks like for themselves, the rates of disease and dysfunctions will lessen. Unlike much of today’s sexuality education, sexual literacy includes faith because not doing so promotes the fracture of people as whole and makes our work less effective than it should be. We need to work out our religio-phobia to become better professionals....

Radical inclusivity and sexual literacy….not quite the unlikely bedfellows most would think them to be…. Both offering an opening, a starting place for new dialogues and action that seeks to embrace people, all people, as the whole beings they are and can be.

Minister Carl Madgett made history at this Fellowship Conference by being the first transgender person to ever deliver a sermon there. He argued powerfully that people stop walking around half dead and be who they are—that we resurrect ourselves and our spirits to make ourselves whole…that we trust God enough to have the strength to do so….every day and in every way, especially when most uncomfortable. He also argued that the church is losing out as it excludes people who bring special, unique and important contributions to their faiths….that often transgender people are seen as angels—unhindered by gender and that message can provide possibility and courage for many.

Harry Knox of the Religion and Faith Program at the Human Rights Campaign called this re-missioning of the church a “4th Great Awakening”—one in which all people at the margins, including LGBT people will be embraced, celebrated and made whole within their faiths. Harry argued that it is wrong that people be made to feel abused in the name of Christ—as that is the opposite of what God’s intention was to begin with—and that there is much healing to be done and we have a duty to do it.

In his discussion, Harry outlined “4 Elements of A Spirit Filled Movement for LGBT Equality”: 1) a spirit led justice movement will be established by courage—the acknowledgment of fear and acting anyway, 2) in a spirit led movement, progress is not linear it is spherical—it is not about timelines, deliverables, outcomes but consistent grassroots education and the changing of people’s hearts, minds and votes one person at a time, 3) in a spirit led justice movement we must offer grace commensurate with the grace we are given—we must advocate for ourselves at all times because the act of doing so is a gift in itself and 4) in a spirit led justice movement, we will give grace to ourselves when we make mistakes because we will make many….and as Harry said…”God will honor who you are, doing the best you can, within the seat you are sitting”.

For me, the most powerful lesson Harry shared with us is that of learning to “love people to the other side” no matter what. It is easy in life to separate ourselves from those who are not like us, do not believe as we do….because it is uncomfortable….but when we feel that uncomfortability, we need to embrace it and not give up on those people—we need to be the ones to talk to them and convince them to see that there is a different way (even if they do not follow it themselves)….and never expect someone else will do it.

In the same way that The Fellowship is re-missioning faiths across the nation, sexual literacy is re-missioning sexuality education, research, and policy. Two peas in a pod….working together for justice, faith and the radical notion that people be who they are, whole and courageous individuals who can love beyond political, religious, and other differences…..and have the tools to do so everyday.

NSRC is looking forward to working with The Fellowship’s health ministry to respond to what is needed most in terms of sexuality resources and training. We also look forward to The Fellowship working with us to educate those in the field of sexuality why including faith in their work is critically necessary for health, well being, wholeness and happiness.