By: Michael Badriaki on March 7, 2015
One day I received a call from one of the leaders of a group people comprised of scholars from a conservative evangelical university, a prominent abbot and Buddhist priest and a key activist from the LGBTQI community in Portland Oregon. They asked me to consult with them about their need to respectfully communicate to a…
By: John Woodward on March 6, 2015
Honestly, it seemed so much simpler forty years ago. Sexual topics were little discussed in the church and there was wide spread consensus on many of the issues back then. With the coming of the sixties, issues concerning gender, sex and family were thrust into the forefront of the church’s attention and today have become…
By: Stefania Tarasut on March 6, 2015
About two years ago I sat across the table from one of my college students when he says this, “I have to tell you something. I’m gay. I know I’m going to hell for feeling this way, but I’ve known since I was in 6th grade. I know I’m choosing hell over heaven, but I…
By: Mitch Arbelaez on March 6, 2015
What I love about all of the books we are reading, is that we are exposed to and learning about the other sides of conversations that too often homogeneous Christians have only had with themselves, either choosing to ignore or simply being ignorant that there even is another side. It seems that we continue to…
By: Bill Dobrenen on March 6, 2015
All of our readings have been important in this LGP program. Some have been easier than others and some have been more helpful than others. I will re-read some of these texts, and I will sell others. However, this week’s readings have a unique place all their own. Even as I am writing this early-morning…
By: rhbaker275 on March 6, 2015
I struggled to work my way through Adrian Thatcher’s book, God, Sex, and Gender: An Introduction. I am sure the cover of the book is some magnificent piece of artwork, although I could not find any credits in my copy; it was not a book I wanted to leave visible either on the computer screen…
By: Jon Spellman on March 6, 2015
For me or for the masses? Sometimes we do things for the greater good, in support of a cause that reaches farther than our own little “first place” environments. Other times, we do things simply because it’s what we want to do, because it makes us better or, at least, to feel better. So, while…
By: Travis Biglow on March 6, 2015
Counter culture to the Cave March 5, 15 I am in love with the “Rebel Sell” it reaches the reality of what some people think about the normalcy of how things are done. It is amazing how it is so easy to accept the way things are done and how things are handed to you.…
By: Julie Dodge on March 6, 2015
Gender. Sex. Sexuality. Sexual identity. Gender identity. I taught this class last week. Really. I did. Every time I do, it prompts deep debates. How are men and women different biologically? Is my biological identity the same as my gender identity? Is gender a social construct? Why does the topic of sex freak us out?…
By: Dawnel Volzke on March 6, 2015
Potter and Heath’s book, The Rebel Sell: Why the Culture Can’t Be Jammed, takes an interesting look at North American culture. The authors argue, “Decades of countercultural rebellion have failed to change anything because the theory of society on which the countercultural idea rests is false.” [1] In other words, they assert that there is…
By: Carol McLaughlin on March 6, 2015
Scripture, the word of God has a way of reading us, perhaps even more than we read it. Scripture is not reserved within the content of a book, it is expressed; it is sharper than a two-edged sword. I have yearned to live a life in accordance with God’s word. It seems that God has…
By: Brian Yost on March 5, 2015
In their book The Rebel Sell: Why the Culture Can’t Be Jammed, Joseph Heath and Andrew Potter address some of the myths surrounding the countercultural movement. They state, “traditional political activism is useless”[1], giving numerous example of how the very attempt to force the system or cultural to change actually became part of the system…
By: Ashley Goad on March 5, 2015
We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord, We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord, And we pray that all unity may one day be restored. Refrain And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love, Yes, they’ll know we are Christians…
By: Dave Young on March 5, 2015
I imagine Heath and Potter may have lost some of their left-leaning friends as they attempted to expose how the anti-consumerism, counter-cultural movement since WW2 didn’t live up to its billing and in fact likely added to the furtherance of consumer capitalism. It’s important to understand their thesis: “. . . that counter cultural movements…
By: Deve Persad on March 5, 2015
Labels are interesting things. We don’t necessarily like them for ourselves, but we would lost during the course of a day, if everything else didn’t have them. Labels do primarily two things. One in large print, where they identify the object and secondly, in smaller print, it will likely tell you about their contents, that…
By: Liz Linssen on March 5, 2015
“All God needs are willing hearts to extend his unconditional love for all of his children – gay and straight. This is our blessing. This is our bold calling. This is our orientation.” [i] I have to admit, when I picked up Marin’s book, Love Is An Orientation, I did not have high expectations. What…
By: Telile Fikru Badecha on March 5, 2015
“Some people think same sex marriage is wrong,” said my one of the student in Peace and Justice class at GFEF a couple of years ago. This person spoke confidently and passionately as someone who cares for all kinds of social justice issues. I was shocked, not simply because I disagree with the students claim…
By: Mary Pandiani on March 5, 2015
Today, starting with the first of three field research interviews this month, I start with an introduction in order to ask a question, “When I was young, I wanted to look older. Now that I’m older, I want to look young. Why does it feel so good to have someone tell me, ‘Oh my, you…
By: Nick Martineau on March 5, 2015
While in South Africa I was determined to bring home some good gifts for my family. With the Waterfront Shopping Center just a couple minutes walk away I knew I would have plenty of options. During my first walk through the Waterfront I was amazed to see all the similar stores that I’d find back…
By: Phillip Struckmeyer on March 5, 2015
While Joseph Heath and Andrew Potter tell an entertaining tale of the emergence and ultimate reverse-effect of the Counterculture and anti-mass society movements of the 1960’s thru today, it seems many a cheap shot was taken at those who have actually been on the playing field, addressing and attempting great social change, by a couple…
