A Conversation with the Log Cabin Republicans

Last night I was invited to speak with the Log Cabin Republicans of Austin, to share about our inclusive God, to listen and answer questions, to be a part of what Martin Luther King Jr. called that Beloved Community, maybe to even help build it.  I was joined with the Rev. Alycia Erickson of MCC Austin.  For those who don’t know, Log Cabin Republicans are LGBT Republicans and their allies.

Personally, I was thrilled to join such a conversation!  What a chance to build common ground!

As many of you know, the Texas Republicans had quite a convention this summer, and passed a party platform that was alarming, even terrifying, to those who believe in full inclusion of all people.  And for LGBT, the platform advocated for the use of Reparative Therapy, which is extremely damaging and hurtful.  I have yet to meet anyone who chose to be gay.  Ludicrous!  I instead believe that we are all beautiful children of God and our sexuality is a gift.

Not only did the platform anger those who fight for full inclusion, but the Texas Republicans also would not let the Log Cabin Republicans have a booth!

As distressing as this sounds, Jeff Davis, president of the Log Cabin Republicans, shared that as their group were deciding what to do about all this, even leaning on doing nothing, he was encouraged that both the Liberty Caucus and the Young Republicans reached out to share their displeasure about the platform and their willingness to fight it.

And further, many in the religious community came out strongly against it.  The Log Cabin Republicans realized they had allies they didn’t know anything about.  Their experiences with religious folk in their own party was quite hostile, and so they were pleasantly surprised and deeply grateful to know people of faith supported them.  And so they felt strongly they should try to build more bridges with these religious allies and learn more.

Like many people on the margin of organized religion, they were unaware there is a great variety of religious expression.

And so we talked.

When it comes to the Christian faith, most people’s views about Gay Rights are tied to their understanding of the Bible.  Ever heard, “God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve?”  They take it all literally.  It’s God’s Word, after all; you should be able to depend on it.  But I certainly don’t take it that way, for I believe God’s Word is much more wonderfully rich and complex, often holding seemingly contradictory concepts.  The bible has and can be used to justify slavery, ethnic cleansing, subjugation of women, the beating and killing of children.  Indeed, the Nazis used religion to justify the holocaust.

Now I could almost see the point of a literal understanding of the bible if people followed all of it instead of picking and choosing those passages which only support their point of view.  What about the sermon on the mount, loving your enemies, giving away all of your possessions?

And then you have Jesus, who often spoke in parable and metaphor.  Not only that, he found fault with the bible thumpers of his day who he thought we’re missing the point of faith and would never receive the grace God offers.  If anyone is using the bible as a sledge hammer to hurt and wound others, they are nothing but a Pharisee.

Now as the bible relates to homosexuality, there are 7 verses which speak against it, most in the Hebrew or Old Testament, a couple from Paul.  Now for me, context is everything and you have to understand the culture in which these were written.  Though we have the Geneva conventions today and we like to think warfare can be more civilized today, back in the Old Testament times when armies fought or sacked a village, the men would often rape the losing soldiers.  They weren’t gay; we’re not talking about a loving relationship.  And you know what, God said male rape was wrong.

You could say the same thing about lust or even promiscuity, which all have their hurtful consequences.  I do not believe those verses (so often quoted out of context)  in the bible speak of love between two people, love to build a life upon, a life partnership, which can happen regardless of whether the two people are of the same gender.

It was a great privilege to have this conversation with the Log Cabin Republicans!  If you would like to learn more about their chapter, click here to visit their website.

Ron Trimmer is pastor of Hope United, a new church in Georgetown, Texas.  Click here to visit Hope United’s website.

Supporting our Schools

As pastor of a new church start, I feel strongly that a church should be about mission—outward focused.  Quite honestly, many become church planters because they get frustrated with local congregations who seem so stuck, especially when they are stuck on themselves.  From my experience, it doesn’t matter of a church is a year old or 300 years old—if a church is not outwardly focused, if all it does is concern itself with itself, then it is dying.  I have seen older congregations, perhaps even small in size, vibrant with God’s activity.  Why?  Because they claimed the power of God’s transformational work through Jesus Christ!  They were mission oriented, and they reached out to people outside their doors.

I celebrate that Hope United has done much for our community, especially given our young age and small size!  And yet, I feel God moving us to consider even more ways to reach out, to work on an area of justice, to live out our faith.  When sharing this with our leadership team, we feel the Spirit leading us in the direction of education—to focus on this issue as a congregation.

So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. -Genesis 1:27

Train children in the right way, and when old, they will not stray. -Proverbs 22:6

Created in the image of God, we recognize God’s gift of learning and how education can help one to be a better steward of one’s gifts.  We have covenanted to:

• Support our local community schools
• Educate ourselves about the issues
• Advocate on behalf of our children

Please understand that we are taking this interest in community education because of our faith.  We know that God loves all of God’s children.  And for those who are poor or who lack choices in their lives, we know that education can be the step ladder to a better life.  Not only has God blessed us with a keen intellect and creativity, but it is our responsibility as good stewards of God’s blessing to nurture the gift of learning so that we can be all that God wants us to be.

Here are some things you can do to help:

Pray for our schools.  We have partnered with Annie Purl Elementary, but perhaps there is another school that is closer to you.  Pray for our students and their families.  Pray for our teachers, aides, and administrators.  Pray for everyone who helps—custodians, counselors, lunch crew, nurse, and volunteers.

Collect School Supplies.  Hope United is currently collecting school supplies for local elementary students at Annie Purl.  In addition to the standard supplies needed by each student, we are also collecting supplies for the Art and Counseling departments.  In lieu of donating items, you can make a donation to Hope United and we will purchase supplies for you.  Simply note that your contribution is for “School Supplies.”  Click here todownload a school supply list at Annie Purl Elementary.  And if you don’t live in the area, perhaps there is another school you can help.

Mentor a Child.  For those children without a good role model, this is vital to a child’s self-esteem.  Every person should know someone cares about them!  Click here to learn aboutmentoring a child in Georgetown.  Or find out how you can mentor in your school.

Support a teacher or classroom.  Every teacher needs help in his or her classroom for those extra events that make learning so special, including special needs.  Also, please let our teachers know they are appreciated.  Write a short note, offer a card or small gift; let those who are taking care of and educating our children that they are doing important work!

Advocate for increased funding of our community schools.  Education is an investment our nation and state cannot live without!  Make your voice known!

In the weeks and months ahead, I will return to this Focus on Education, letting you know other ways to help.  We’ve begun by collecting school supplies, but there will be other opportunities for service, support, and advocacy in the future!

Ron Trimmer is pastor of Hope United, a new church in Georgetown, Texas.  Click here to visit Hope United’s website.