Volume 15, Issue 2

Growing in God

Cover Stories

Disqualified!
By Rev. Candace Chellew
Do not let anyone disqualify you — especially those who try to scare you away from God. Instead, let us refuse to play their zero-sum game and counter their fear with love.

Paying the Toll to the Troll
By Lori Heine
“Pay the toll to the troll — and pay it with your very soul.” But those who make such demands, though they claim to speak for God, speak actually for no one but themselves and those who, like them, are consumed by hate and fear.

The Only One Who Has the Right to Throw Stones at You Chose Not To
By Steve Schmidt
“Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.”

Growing in God
By Rev. Suzie Chamness
True growth in God is never easy. There are deep scars and remembering the pain I have received or that I have caused gives me faith to continue to accept God’s gift of love and to then continue to share with others what God can and has done through me.

Food by the Wayside
By Rev. Vera I. Bourne
Make no mistake — nothing we can say or do can cause either God’s Grace or Love to be withdrawn from our lives. Nothing any person or any church can say can negate the fact that God calls each of us “Beloved”

Flee Toxic Churches and Clergy
By Rev. Dr. Jerry S. Maneker
I strongly urge you to not be taken in by the smug, self-righteous teachers of a false gospel that puts unnecessary yokes of bondage on you.

Growing in God in When Facing Judgment
By Dominica Applegate
God, growth in God, and reaching out to others in love is my focus. I’ve learned that growth in God during seasons of adversity or judgment is not dependent upon anyone but me.

Honest to God
By John H. Campbell
I desperately longed for there to be a God who truly would Love me “Just As I Am.” This was nowhere to be found in what I knew at the time of the Christian Church.

Features

A Momentary Parental Revelation
By Rev. David R. Gillespie
My Father knows my heart, my constitution. He knows I love a man and I’m convinced, by Scripture and experience, that he blesses that love. In this God’s fatherhood is different from Ray’s.

And Now We Boycott Target?
By Dr. Robert N. Minor
We’ll have to go beyond boycotts and directing corporate dollars. We need deeper change.

Dissing God and Gay People
By Don Charles
If these USA Today opinion pieces fully convey the range of attitudes held by our military chaplains, then LesBiGay enlisted are better off seeking their spiritual counseling off-base.

Don’t Defame the Dignity of LGBT People
By Rev. Dr. Jerry S. Maneker
Burlesquing, trivializing, and sexualizing LGBT identity not only fulfills negative stereotypes, but can only serve to alienate potential Straight allies to the cause of full and equal civil rights for LGBT people;

Lonely Reflection
By Dominica Applegate
Loneliness and disappointment grip the soul

Will the U.S. Ever Like Educators?
By Dr. Robert N. Minor
Teachers are responsible for one of our nation’s important resources, our children. But their value to us is reflected in how they’re treated compared to our bankers, armament dealers, informational techs, and corporate executives.

Christianity and LGBT People: A Teaching Summary
By Rev. Dr. Jerry S. Maneker
Far too many propound the gospel of genital placement, rather than the Gospel of Christ; ignore such egregious sins as unjust war, poverty, and disease.

A Leper’s Story
By Rochelle Germany
Heal or kill me but this must end

Letters to the Editor

From the Pulpit

The “Oh, Yeah” …Of Understanding
By Rev. Candace Chellew
The “Oh, Yeah” of understanding is not about getting the right answers, or even asking the right questions — it’s about asking worthy questions so we can find worthy knowledge — things worth knowing.

The “Oh, Yeah” …Of Gratitude
By Rev. Candace Chellew
If your prayers are not changing you in ways you can’t imagine, you haven’t learned the lesson Jesus was trying to teach his disciples. Prayer isn’t about getting — prayer is about doing the divine dance of giving and receiving.

The “Oh, Yeah” …Of Contentment
By Rev. Candace Chellew
Where is your treasure?

The “Oh Yeah” …Of Confrontation
By Rev. Candace Chellew
Those who have the guts to say, “Oh, Yeah?” to the Holy are always rewarded for their faithful confrontation.

Holy Humor

A Pet Centipede

Divorce Attorney in Heaven