LIVING OUT LOUD

This week's posting features a young ordained minister by the name of Rev. Tommie Watkins, Jr. in whom I am privileged to call a new friend. After reading this posting and an excerpt from his book entitled "Living Out Loud" you will understand why I am impressed by this young man and why I am featuring him on this blog spot.

The Foreword to Rev. Tommie's book reads:

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. -- Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Living Out Loud is a Black ordained Baptist minister's story of discrimination he experienced from the U.S. Government and his own religious community because of his sexual orientation. Rev. Watkins' life shows by case and example that equality for "non-heterosexuals" IS a civil rights/human rights issue.

Genesis 1:27, 2:25, 3:8-11a (New Revised Standard Version-NRSV-The Bible)

"So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them(1:27). And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed (2:25). They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, Where are you? He said, 'I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. He said, Who told you that you were naked?' (3:8-11a).

This story was the most influential in helping me recognize, accept, and negotiate with various matters in my life, particularly my sexual orientation. The fall of humankind was, as I was taught, a story of original sin, the invention of shame, and how the serpent the Devil, tempted the woman, Eve, to eat the fruit, give it to Adam and they became to know good and evil. They then became ashamed of who they were because before this incident, as the story goes, they existed in the garden totally exposed, naked and felt no shame.

This story also came to have new meaning for me in light of my failed attempt to live without acknowledging my sexual orientation.

"Damn,"I thought, "How can I be gay (the emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual attraction for someone of the same gender) and have a relationship with God, be a faithful member of a congregation and be an ordained minister?"

For me, like Adam and Eve, I was made uniquely and authentically by the Divine Creator, to be and to live a healthy life just the way God made me. Like Adam and Eve, I allowed the logos, or words and opinions of other people to become gods and and superlative to the Logos or Word of God, allowing certain circumstances and people to convince me that I was naked. I believed that I could not be my true authentic self. And again like Adam and Eve, I hid myself among the trees of unhealthy pretentious relationships and friendships, self-righteousness and alcoholism because I was so AFRAID to be who God created me to be: totally exposed, naked, true, open and feeling no shame, never realizing that "playing the game" and manipulation was not required of me.

God said, "Tommie, do you think you can hide from me in the trees? I made the trees and can see through them. Do you think I do not know who you are? Before you were born I created you as well."

Thus began the process of accepting my sexual orientation-the Divinely orchestrated, natural, emotional, mental, physical, sexual and spiritual connection I have with persons of the same gender.

The following story articulates my plight of not allowing society to force me to live my life silently, secretively, deceptively and manipulatively because I am gay and black. The prayer that has been the most liberating and effective for me: "God, please deliver me from the opinion of other people, Amen," has also broadened my relationship with God for now I no longer live by the word or opinions of others, but by the will of God for me. So when I behave in certain ways, I frequently go back to this fundamental request for God's openness and ask myself, "Am I acting out of fear, shame, and/or denial because of other? Am I afraid to be naked and totally exposed? Am I fooling God or trying to fool humankind?

If you would like to read more about Rev. Tommie Watkins, Jr. and perhaps purchase his book, just click on Living Out Loud, by Rev. Tommie under My Favorite Links.

If you have an experience that you would like to share and you would like to have it posted/featured on this site, email son_of_a_bishop3000@yahoo.com This should be healing and a lot of fun. Please let me know your thoughts about this new blog spot by leaving a comment below; I will appreciate your feedback.

WHY ME?

WHY ME?

"One of my sisters started to attend and joined this one particular church in the Allison Hill section of the city of Harrisburg, PA. The membership and attendance of young adults were high in numbers. They were “on fire for the Lord”. For some reason this very apparel conscience, conservative congregation really appealed to my sister. The women could not wear pants (she was use to that) no make-up, no jewelry, they could not expose their elbows or toes, they wore these little white laced tapestries on the top of their hair as a covering for their heads. I was 17 or 18 when I attended this church with my sister for approximately over a year.

I enjoyed praising the Lord with so many other young people around my age. The pastor of this church was very charismatic, clever and just a comical individual who really knew and understood people. He made me laugh. I thought that he was very wise. The same man had the ability to charm you and in the same breathe he would prophesy, rebuke and scare the devil out of you. One Friday night he called out these 2 particular guys who were visiting, he had them to come up-front for what I called an “Open Rebuke Session” He told them that God told him that they were homosexuals… the audience gasped and so did I… I knew that I was next. He did not bother me.

Another time he called-out and stood-up each young adult individually and declared that God told him that they all had lustful spirits. The only 2 individuals that he did not call-out were his future son-in-law and I. I just knew that this would be the moment of truth and that I would be exposed of this homosexual spirit that was nagging at me…

I could not figure out and no one could explain to me why was I given this type of cross to bear. I was never molested by anyone; I did not have any homosexual influences from any of my relatives or friends. I had a good relationship with my mother and my father…as a matter of fact they both declared that I was a blessed child and that God would use me.

I would sometimes get into the special prayer lines during revival services and hope that God would reveal my secret to the evangelist or the preacher. Perhaps they would cast that devil out of me."

This weeks posting are excerpts from the chapter "Why Me?" from (Son of a Bishop, My Testimony) I chose these excerpts to show how desperate one can be to change their sexuality, what is in most cases innate. I also chose these excerpts to display how those intimidating, dogmatic practices from the traditional church can damage your psyche.

Samuel

These scriptures really blesses my heart:

Psalm 139:13, For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
14, I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
15, My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
16, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
17, How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!How vast is the sum of them!

If you have an experience that you would like to share and you would like to have it posted/featured on this site, email son_of_a_bishop3000@yahoo.com This should be healing and a lot of fun. Please let me know your thoughts about this new blogspot by leaving a comment below; I will appreciate your feedback.

Does God Condemn or Love Homosexuals?

This week's posting features an excerpt from DISSENT AT THE ROCK: A Gospel Musical. The playwright Ajamu is someone of whom I had the pleasure of meeting at one of my book signings in New York City, NY.
I think that you will find this quite interesting.

Does God Condemn or Love Homosexuals???

The answer is contingent on who is answering the question. Normally, their answer is based on what they got from their ministerial or personal interpretation of the Bible. What does the “Good Book” really say???

The Bible really doesn’t really say much about homosexuality. Jesus, Himself, said absolutely nothing- about it- which many unenlightened people would find quite remarkable. The subject of homosexuality is not mentioned in the Ten Commandments and there is no prophetic discourse on the subject. Why does the Bible say so little about homosexuality??? Why is this such a controversial subject???

Regarding the Sodom and Gomorrah story. Sodom was destroyed because of the inhospitality of its citizens, idolatry, and injustice. Jesus, Himself, referred to Sodom’s’ inhospitality in the Gospel of Luke the tenth chapter, verses ten through thirteen. He said absolutely nothing about homosexuality when he commented about Sodom.

Amazingly, many don’t realize that prior to the 1946 Revised Standard of the Bible; the word homosexual was never, I repeat NEVER printed in the Bible until then. In addition, NO word for homosexual ever existed in either Greek or Hebrew languages. In fact, the word for homosexual did not come into existence until around the 19th century. When reading, through Genesis, Leviticus, Romans, First Timothy, and other loosely interpreted scriptures it is VERY important to note NONE of these scriptures address same gender romantic love, affection and unions. However, what’s being addressed are certain sinful behaviors associated with both heterosexuality and homosexuality during that time, but NOT in the context of Same Gender love and affection. The so-called homosexuality in Leviticus is biblically condemned as ritually impure. The key to this is that the word abomination does not usually describe something that is intrinsically evil, such as rape or theft; but ritually impure, like eating pork or engaging intercourse during menstruation. The verse is – if a man lies with a man as with a women, both have committed an abomination and they be put to death, but this is not because it is evil; but because the Gentiles do it, and therefore is ritually impure. These were from the Jewish Holiness Codes; under these codes, adultery, incest, round haircuts, tattoos, consulting mediums, dishonoring one’s parents or not keeping the Sabbath holy were all abominations punishable by death. While Christians ignore most of the Holiness Codes, they cite the codes against so-called homosexuality to support their moral position. One is lead to wonder what’s behind the adoption of this probation and casting others away. It’s like those who used the Bible to justify slavery and the repression of women.

I will close by stating that we must learn to worship God and no church leader and no one else, nothing else. I am not suggesting that we throw our Bibles away, but I an encouraging us to take the time to understand the Bible and to embrace it not worship it or read it in a literal sense. In other words, spiritual Christians study beyond the black and white print of the King James Version. The Bible doesn’t take 21st century minds into account-, which is why 14th and 15th century translations cannot be applied to our everyday lives. The Bible is a product of man, not God. The Bible did not fall magically from the clouds. History never had a definitive version of the book. So worship God not the Bible.

Simply put, it does not matter if you’re rich, poor, young, old, male, female, educated, illiterate, black, white, gay, and lesbian or straight, God sees no difference in us as his children.

Remember: God is Love and Love is for Everyone.

This is an excerpt from my new play - DISSENT AT THE ROCK: A GOSPEL MUSICAL.

Ajamu

TO RESPOND: Ajamu10@yahoo.com. .

If you have an experience that you would like to share and you would like to have it posted/featured on this site, email son_of_a_bishop3000@yahoo.com This should be healing and a lot of fun. Please let me know your thoughts about this new blogspot by leaving a comment below; I will appreciate your feedback.