From: GayScribe@aol.com Date: Tue, 5 Nov 1996 20:34:06 -0500 Subject: GS!> SUBMISSION: A Radically Inclusive Pastor ]==================================[ GayScribe ]==================================[ Welcome again to GayScribe -- now also on the Web at... http://members.aol.com/gayscribe Attached is an article for your periodical to consider for publication. (If you are not a publication or wish to be removed from this list, please see the "To Be Removed" section below.) ]==================================[ About This Article ]==================================[ A RADICALLY INCLUSIVE PASTOR For over thirty years, Rev. Cecil Williams has included gay and lesbian people in his ever-growing congregation. It is a part of what is calls his "radical theology." His quotes alone tell the story; the other text just helps them flow along. The article is below -- after a section on how what to do if you want to publish it and a section on how to get off this list. ]==================================[ If You Are Interested ]==================================[ If your publication normally pays for articles and reviews, please contact Gip Plaster, prior to publication at GPlaster@aol.com -- or within a week of publication if you are on a tight deadline and prior notification is not possible. If your publication does not pay, you may be able to publish the piece at no cost. Please contact the author for details. A brief bio is provided for publications that wish to use it: "Gip Plaster is an independent writer for gay and lesbian publications around the country. Reach him on-line at gplaster@aol.com." ]==================================[ To Be Removed ]==================================[ IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO BE ON THIS LIST: This list was selected from lists of people interested in quality gay and lesbian journalism. If you wish to be removed from this list or if you would like future articles and reviews to go to a different address, please write GayScribe@aol.com, and your information will be updated immediately. THANKS FOR YOUR TIME AND COOPERATION. PLEASE OFFER YOUR FEEDBACK AT GAYSCRIBE@AOL.COM. ]==================================[ The Article ]==================================[ by Gip Plaster "Radical" is the word Rev. Cecil Williams uses to describe his view of Christianity, and he says Christians should work to create a radical new community for the twenty-first century. Williams is the pastor of Glide Memorial United Methodist Church in San Francisco. He is an African-American pastor whose church includes over a third white members, about the same number of black congregants and includes Asians, Hispanics and others. "My theology is radical because we always start with those who are hurting most," Williams said, noting they are often those who feel rejected by the church. "If you're going to be radical you have to start at the root of the matter." Williams, a graduate of Perkins School of Theology in Dallas, has included gay and lesbian people, often hurting from the wounds inflicted by family and others churches, in his ever-growing congregation for more than thirty years. He encourages people to present themselves to God as ones proud to be who they are. "Here I am; I come as I am; I am who I am," Williams said. "God says to me, 'Be yourself,' and I'm going to do it!" Williams said religious conservatives do not believe liberal and inclusive churches are led by God. These Radical Right leaders want everyone to agree with their theology because they believe they hold a monopoly on inspiration from God. "I state my theology; I live my theology, but I don't have to twist arms," Williams said, commenting that his life is the example of his theology and the success of his church speaks for itself. He also said some of the passages in the Bible that can be interpreted to condemn gay people may be the result of the writer's bias and not inspired by the spirit of God. "Some of the people who wrote some of the chapters and books that were canonized in the Bible had some problems," Williams said. It is up to individuals, though, to decide what they want to believe. "I'm not threatened by other theologies," he said. "I got my own." Christianity, according to Williams, should be more about deliverance of people from oppression than about the salvation the Religious Right often speaks about. Deliverance, he said, is experienced by someone who knows that God's presence is within them today. "I know that every moment of my life I need the eternal now," he said. Believers who have been delivered then have an obligation to build a better society. "Let's stop trying to go to heaven before we deal with what's on earth," he said. "We must begin to create new communities of faith that will withstand any test." They should be communities of unconditional acceptance, trust and love, according to Williams. He urged attendees of a conference on inclusion in mainline churches held in Dallas at Cathedral of Hope, the world's largest predominately lesbian and gay congregation, to join him in being activists for the change necessary to build those communities. "I'm taking on the Religious Right," Williams said. "In the new community we must risk everything... We must be willing to go to jail or wherever for our brothers and sisters." ]==================================[ The GayScribe Page: http://members.aol.com/gayscribe ]==================================[ END From Hrccomm@aol.com Fri Nov 22 07:04:32 1996 Received: from casti.com (vector.casti.com [199.181.80.100]) by qrd.rdrop.com (8.6.9/8.6.9) with ESMTP id HAA29303 for ; Fri, 22 Nov 1996 07:02:24 -0800 From: Hrccomm@aol.com Received: from emout09.mail.aol.com by casti.com (8.6.9/NX3.0M) id JAA05930; Fri, 22 Nov 1996 09:57:35 -0500 Received: by emout09.mail.aol.com (8.6.12/8.6.12) id JAA03152; Fri, 22 Nov 1996 09:55:29 -0500 Date: Fri, 22 Nov 1996 09:55:29 -0500 Message-ID: <961122095527_352995948@emout09.mail.aol.com> To: heather.johnson@hrcusa.org cc: "Mark.French@mms.stpaul.k12.mn.us,Marknpark@aol.com,marsh@merece.uthscsa.edu,martyn@hiscompany.com,MaryBoenke@aol.com,MaTsMiTh@aol.com,matt@nyo.com,matthewb@capaccess.org,Mayersky@aol.com,mbritt@pixi.com,McDirk@aol.com,mconway@ppfa.org,mdsluss@suba.com,Medic1741@aol.com,MetroWeek@aol.com,mfranz@gaysource.com,Mike_Cramer@compuware.com,MIKER2143@aol.com,MjjLMT@aol.com,mkehoe@cqalert.com,MKellerCap@aol.com,mlandsman@rauh96.mv.com,mlstc024@panam1.panam., edu@emout09.mail.aol.com, MLuffy@aol.com, mm14@umail.umd.edu, MM7654321@aol.com, MNelson490@aol.com, moconnor@mail.cc.trincoll.edu, ModMajor96@aol.com, mol@hartnet.org, monteleone@gemgrp.enet.dec.com, MOOG@aol.com, MoondanceJ@aol.com, Morabito@en.com, morriw@uf4725p02.washingtondc.attgis.com, mperez@accsct.org, mroberts@brtrc.com, mshar@pluto.mscc.huji.ac.il, mso@bluestone.com.au, Mudshark77@aol.com, muecb@uxa.ecn.bgu.edu, MXx@aol.com, nanette@umich.edu, Neil4@aol.com, news@allout.demon.co.uk, newsroom@advocate.com, NGLTF@aol.com, NHRon@aol.com, njlgc@plts.org, Nlgriswold@aol.com, Nmegglaser@aol.com, nomad@qualcomm.com, ochs@world.std.com, One@aol.com, OPLDJPries@aol.com, OPost@aol.com, oralea@mindspring.com, ORD01@aol.com, outmag@swcp.com, outnews@maine.com, OutVermont@aol.com, panjwani@umich.edu, patrick@shadow.net, patrick_conroy@eor.com, Patrick_K@mindlink.bc.ca, Paul=Allen%Staff%NetwrkNU@nunet.neu.edu, Paul_Waters@msn.com, paula@maine.com, pda@frobnotz.casti.com, PFLAGNTL@aol.com, PHFtoMarry@aol.com, Philattey@aol.com, PLAGALOne@aol.com, PlanetQ@aol.com, PLSelf@aol.com, PM4LAW@aol.com, pmelton@ibm.net, PMROCK@aol.com, preaves@mail.icon.net, PREPSTL@aol.com, pridtype@vnet.net, privacy_fund@eor.com, PROFREEDOM@aol.com, PROGRESSUS@aol.com, Proqueer@aol.com, psmith@merit.edu, QGrrrrl@aol.com, qrd@vector.casti.com, QTodd@aol.com, QUEERFISH@aol.com, quigley@swlink.net, qup@umich.edu, R-MARS@maroon.tc.umn.edu, raemo@well.sf.ca.us, rafael1@gnn.com, rain@glib.org, RAKRON@aol.com, Randirob@aol.com, Randy&David@nycnet.com, RandyCoe@aol.com, rbear@texas.net, rcerise@alleg.edu, rdm3@lehigh.edu, rebis@sirius.com, REEDDAVIS@aol.com, reyj@icon.net, rgwillson@mmm.com, Rhett1@aol.com, RIAllianc@emout09.mail.aol.com Subject: Dornan Loss Official _________________________________________________ NEWS from the Human Rights Campaign 1101 14th Street NW Washington, DC 20005 email: communications@hrcusa.org WWW: http://www.hrcusa.org _________________________________________________ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Thursday, Nov. 21, 1996 DORNAN LOSS OFFICIAL New Congress a "Dornan-Free Zone, and Fair-Minded Americans are Jubilant," Says HRC WASHINGTON -- Bob Dornan, R-Calif., the most anti-gay member of the House of Representatives, has lost his seat in Congress. After counting all absentee ballots, the registrar of voters in Santa Ana, Calif., put Dornan 665 votes behind his Democratic challenger, Loretta Sanchez. Of the 15,000 provisional ballots that remain to be counted county-wide, only 1,300 apply to the 46th Congressional District. Based on these numbers, news organizations have declared Sanchez the winner. "The 105th Congress will be a Dornan-free zone, and fair-minded Americans are jubilant across the land," said David M. Smith, HRC's communications director. "We have had to devote enormous time and resources to fight against Dornan's mean-spirited, vindictive, and often-times obsessive attacks against gay people and people affected by HIV/AIDS. The absence of Robert K. Dornan is a monumental relief." During his 1992 re-election campaign, Dornan made headlines by asserting during an interview that "Every lesbian spear-chucker in this country is hoping I get defeated." Even in this most recent race, Dornan attacked Sanchez as "another Catholic for abortion and sodomy rights." "I'm being fed a dream candidate," he said. "As it turned out, she was his worst nightmare," Daniel Zingale, HRC's political director said at a news conference last week, holding a symbolic spear. "And today, gay people across this nation are heaving a collective sigh of relief, knowing that they will no longer be subject to Dornan's capricious, sinister attacks." Sanchez traveled to Capitol Hill this week to take part in freshman orientation for new House members. On Monday, House staff members decided to move her into Dornan's coveted office space. Dornan, whose temper is notorious, has alleged voter fraud, although he has produced no evidence. He said he plans to meet with the Orange County district attorney to discuss his accusations and asked for an investigation by the House Oversight Committee. "Dornan has lost with the same grace and rancor that marked his 18 years in Congress," said Smith. Throughout his political career, Dornan obsessively launched attacks on lesbian and gay Americans, as well as people with HIV and AIDS. In the last session of Congress, HRC worked with AIDS and veterans groups to repeal a Dornan measure that would have forced the military to discharge service members with HIV and cut off basic benefits to their families. Dornan also provoked the ire of his House colleagues when he launched a vendetta against fellow Republican Rep. Steve Gunderson of Wisconsin, accusing him from the floor of the House of having "a revolving door on his closet. He's in, he's out, he's in, he's out." At the time, Gunderson had not publicly revealed that he is gay. HRC's political action committee contributed $5,000 to Sanchez' general election campaign, the maximum allowed by law. - 30 -