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Archive
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| Reinterpreting scripture, The 'Gay Church,' and More |
| July 13, 2012 |
Summary: New views of homosexuality in the Torah, Bible and Koran, the founder of the 'Gay Church,' and America’s first gay-friendly denominations. |
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| Homosexuality in the Bible, Torah and Koran |
July 13, 2012 |
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For thousands of years, scholars have interpreted a handful of passages in the Bible, Torah and Koran as clear condemnations of homosexuality. From the “abomination” lines in Leviticus to the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, what God commands seems clear. Now, many liberal scholars are putting these passages into a broader context, and finding that what the scripture “says” is misleading.
Rabbi Meir Fund, leader of Congregation Sheves Achim in New York
Jay Michaelson, author of “God vs. Gay? The Religious Case for Equality”
Dale Martin, author of “Sex and a Single Savior: Gender and Sexuality in Biblical Interpretation”
Imam Daayiee Abdullah, Director of LGBTQ Outreach at Muslims for Progressive Values |
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| Rev. Troy Perry, Founder of the ‘Gay Church’ |
July 13, 2012 |
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It all started on a Sunday afternoon in October, 1968. Twelve people gathered for worship in a living room in Huntington Park, California. It was the first service of its kind – one meant to minister specifically to homosexual persons. The word “gay” wasn’t even in common use then. This would eventually come to be known as the Metropolitan Community Church. We sit down with the man who presided over that worship service 44 years ago, the Reverend Troy Perry.
Rev. Troy Perry, founder of the Metropolitan Community Church |
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| The Pioneers of Change |
July 13, 2012 |
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The Metropolitan Community Church wasn’t the only gay-friendly church in the early 70s. Around the same time, a small crop of churches and synagogues were openly welcoming gay and lesbians to their pews and clergy, including the Unitarian Universalists, the United Church of Christ, and the Reform and Reconstructionist branches of Judaism.
Rev. Rob Hardies, senior minister of All Souls Unitarian Church in Washington, DC |
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