Volume 11, Issue 1

Let Us Rise Up and Build: A Ministry of Harvest

Cover Stories

Creating Sacred Cyberspace
By Rev. Candace Chellew
For the past decade Whosoever has strived to carve out a sacred space where we can build Christian community for those who have been rejected by mainstream religion — rejected by those who believe they know the sacred when they see it, and Whosoever’s community builders are definitely not within their definition of sacred.

Building on the Cornerstone
By Lori Heine
Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Christians can well identify with the plight of the rejected cornerstone. We, too, have been rejected by “the builders” – cast aside, outside the walls of the holy city, neglected, rejected and reviled. When I read of the cornerstone – mentioned, actually, several times in Scripture – the story resonates with me in a special way.

Growing Pains
By John H. Campbell
Sometimes in order to get to a better place, there is a lot of serious work that needs to be done, and at times that process can be painful, very stressful and make one wish why on earth they ever voluntarily undertook such a task, but the end result makes us wonder why we ever even thought of giving up halfway through, and very glad we didn’t.

Homospirituality

Know Your Enemy
By Stacy Reynolds
Since I came out, I’ve had many people tell me many times that other Christians are not the enemy. Satan making them believe we are the enemy is our downfall. You would think the enemy of my enemy is my friend, but unfortunately that is not the real way of the world. However, Satan is your primary concern.

Where’s Momma?!
By Lori Heine
The American Right is now in the process of imploding upon itself. How can we know, for certain, that it is about to tumble into a great, black hole of irrelevance and absurdity? Because the “stands” it is now taking run diametrically counter to everything it has ever claimed to hold dear.

Redemption from the Remnant
By Levi Rowland
God has always worked with remnants and small tortured groups. GLBT people, I believe, are that new remnant which will show mercy and love. We are tortured, beaten, disenfranchised and persecuted.

Speaking Silence, Who Cares?
By Wanjiru Kariuki
Clearly, church leaders view heterosexuality as the normative Christian sexuality. In the end, ‘non-heterosexuals’ become silenced and therefore subjugated whether they are Christians or not.

The Original Offering
By Rev. Suzie Chamness
If we share in Jesus’ life we shall be people of God. Sharing in this life means acceptance of a life that radiates outwardly and originates within us. God’s spirit is available within but only through faith in that inward spirit can we recognize and accept God.

The Second Coming: A Sermon of Sorts (Actually, a Short Story)
By David R. Gillespie, M.Div
I can understand why some people want to believe Jesus is coming back to earth. I’m sure it offers them some sense of comfort and gives history, both their own and that of the universe, some sense of purpose and goal and direction. But I also understand that my life, in and of itself, already has purpose.

Features

Exploding the Myths of Jesus, the Bible and Homosexuality
By Rev. Candace Chellew
Jack Rogers’ new book calls the church back to its neo-orthodox roots and challenges the church and its members to again look through that lens of Jesus’ redemptive life and ministry and discover afresh what the church discovered about past controversial issues as it debates homosexuality.

Putting Faith in America
By Rev. Candace Chellew
What do a defrocked Methodist minister, a furniture maker and a former, self-described, homophobic, right-wing bigot have in common? A commitment to ending religious-based discrimination against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. Their weapon of choice? Advertising.

An Open Letter to My Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Brothers and Sisters in Christ
By V. Gene Robinson, Bishop of New Hampshire
Just because the Church lost its courage, just because the Church was willing to sacrifice US for access to a conversation with Anglicans around the world (which they hardly seem ready to engage in themselves), it does NOT mean that God has changed. If you listen carefully, God is STILL saying to God’s LGBT children, “You are my beloved. In you I am well pleased.”

Jesusless: The Church of Conservatism
By Robert S. McElvaine
Coulter and millions of her fellow adherents to ChristianityLite — a “religion” that is the equivalent of a “Lose weight without diet or exercise” scam (“Easy Jesus! Be saved without sacrifice or good works!”) — have aborted Jesus and rewritten his teachings to suit their own selfish desires.

Skewed Perceptions of Christianity
By Rev. Dr. Jerry S. Maneker
Christianity is paying a very heavy price for the indolence of so many in not confronting the legalistic and prejudice-driven perversions of the Gospel. We may expect to see increasing numbers of intelligent, sensitive Christians leave moribund and oppressive churches and denominations to form their own worship communities, free from unjust patriarchal and hierarchical strictures, and free from traditions that make void the Word of God.

Enough!
By Archbishop Bruce J. Simpson, OSJB
It is time to get out of Iraq now — it is another Vietnam, and we still have not learned from the past.

Letters to the Editor

A Decade of Whosoever

My Vision for Whosoever
By Rev. Dr. Jerry S. Maneker
“Whosoever” can and will continue to be as viable and necessary as it has been for the past ten years! It must continue to emphasize that God’s love is unconditional and that God loves all of His children

Finding the Light
By Jean Marsh
This group has become for me, a great light. A place for me to be me. To allow others touch me, and me them, in a way that only we can recognize. To realise that the teachings we had heard, were lies. Jesus’ words to me, that I’ve hung onto for many a year, ‘The Kingdom of God is within you’. Yes it is, and praise Him for those words, for here in this group, all of us so different, yet the same, God’s children, and He loves us just the same as everyone else.

Same-Gender Marriage

Subsidiarity and the Same-Sex Marriage Debate
By Nate Nelson
Is there a conservative argument to be made against an amendment to the U.S. Constitution banning same-sex marriage?

Marriage Amendments Threaten Religious Freedom
By Dr. Robert N. Minor
The Federal Marriage Amendment recently defeated again by the Senate must be put to rest permanently because it is anti-American. Yet, it’s anti-American not only because it would be the first amendment to write discrimination of a group of people into the Constitution.

Transpirituality

True Confession
By Richard Molling aka Rachel Miller
Being attuned to the impact that discrimination had on cross-dressers, I had become increasingly aware of other forms of discrimination. I was especially concerned about discrimination as expressed towards gays and specifically discrimination in regards to same-sex marriage. Over time I became a strong advocate for gay civil rights, and now I wanted to speak out on these issues as Rachel.

From the Pulpit

Engaging Grace Compassionately
By Deacon Erny Phipps
You must understand that compassion isn’t simply having pity on someone or even finding some sympathy for them. As we look deeper into the fullness of the word compassion, we must understand that it is broader than that. It is the act of wearing the shoes of someone else. It is bringing us into a deeper awareness of what pains, hurts, and emotions others must feel, just as Jesus did with the Syro-Phoenician woman.

Bible Study and Inspiration

Jesus’ Prayerbook: A Look at the Psalms | Part 4: Psalm 42
By Tom Yeshua
We, indeed long for the living God, especially when our world crumbles around us, when “enemies” surround to pounce upon us and mock our faith, our reason to hope and trust in God.

Holy Humor

Signs You’re in for a LONG Sermon

A Rare Book