I received an email the other day about getting together a group of gay Church of Christ members or former members. I know that some of you have found my blog through my posts on being gay in the Church of Christ, and so I know that some of you grew up in the church or are still in the church and might be struggling with being gay and a member. Matthew 18:20 says, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” I've always advocated a regular group of gay Church of Christ members but have found little interest, though I still think it is worthwhile. Hebrews 10:24-25 says, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”
If you are interested in being in such a group, please contact me and I will put you in contact with the person who emailed me.
4 comments:
I grew up in the Church of Christ in East Texas, but spiritually and ecclesiastically I have wandered far from there over the last forty years.
Given the congregational structure of the CofC, I have wondered why someone has not gathered a gay or gay-and-gay-friendly group together to pursue their desire for shared worship and fellowship? Perhaps they have done such a thing and I just never heard of it.
Even in the town/small city where I grew up in the 1950s and 1960s, there were three Church of Christ congregations who were not fully in communion with one another. The differences among them would have seemed trivial to an outsider, but to the true-believers in each group, constituted enough conflict to render complete union impossible. At any rate, each group called themselves Church of Christ, and who was to say nay? (Although there was a tendency to say, "I belong to the Church of Christ -- not the Southside Church of Christ or the little on out on Possum Walk, but the one downtown.")
At any rate, good luck to those who are attempting to put together this group you mention. "Where two or three" as you say.
There was a such a group back in 1980's and even a GLBT affirming Church of Christ congregation was formed in Montrose neighborhood of Houston. I don't know what happened to A Capella Chorus and the Montrose Church of Christ. Perhaps some members left to join denominational churches, maybe divisions emerged with these fellowships or perhaps the devastation of the HIV/AIDS epidemic was a factor. http://www.houstonlgbthistory.org/Houston80s/Misc/Churches/Church%20of%20Christ-A%20Cappella%20Chorus80-86.compressed.pdf
As the previous post notes, our tradition values the autonomy of local congregations. There are a number of sub-groups within the Churches of Christ. You have the non-institutional Churches of Christ, the legalistic conservative faction and the "one cup" congregations (which still adhere to a tradition of pacifism once prevalent among those of our tradition). Then you have the more moderate and even some congregations which label themselves progressive (although not in the same sense as the more theologically liberal denominational churches).
Most Churches of Christ especially in rural areas and most small cities are still legalistic and ultra-conservative. My guess is that the great majority will remain that way. In some larger cities and college towns, you do have some congregations which are more liberal (at least by COC standards). Some of these congregations are moving toward a more egalitarian approach to gender and would tend to be less exclusionary of GLBT individuals (maybe even welcoming) although not affirming. My guess is that some of these congregations will evolve into a more affirming stance over time.
I am very interested!
I am extremely interested! Email me about it!
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