By Rev. John Makokha
Other Sheep Kenya held a one day workshop for clergy and laity drawn mostly from the Anglican Church at hotel Naselica in Kisumu, Kenya on July 18, 2009. The theme of the seminar was “Religion and Sexuality in our African Context.” A total of 12 participants attended the seminar.
These seminars have been supported by the grant from Uhai- Eashri (East Africa Sexuality, Health Rights Initiative).
Rev. Michael Kimindu (Anglican/MCC clergy and Other Sheep East Africa Coordinator) facilitated the seminar on “Religion and Homophobia” and stated that the hate on same sex relationships is due to ignorance, intolerance, bigotry and fear. Said Kimindu, “When the church promotes homophobia, it negates our call since salvation is for all" (Isaiah 56: 7-8).
Kimindu continued that the gospel is not about hate, isolation and exclusion, but it is about reconciliation, repentance and renewal. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither male nor female and there is neither heterosexual nor homosexual.” He emphasized that we are all one in Christ.
Moreover, Kimindu recognized that there are thousands of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) persons who believe God hates them because of their sexuality. Negative reaction without in-depth research or study of sexual orientation issues has made things worse. Church leaders have repeated the negative spiritual messages instead of what God teaches: love.
Kimindu suggests that “Our politicians and church leaders have used the weapon of homophobia to get votes into positions of power and influence and have continued to reinforce this negative message through inaction and failure to protect the rights of all.”
Rev. John Makokha (UMC minister and Other Sheep Kenya Coordinator) facilitated “African Culture and Sexuality” and stated that Africans do not like talking openly about issues of sex. However, the traditional African dancing styles are full of sexy tones and styles. The best example is Isukuti dance among the Luhyias and the Bukusu songs that are very sexy. “Sex is sweet and it should be discussed openly without fear in both our communities and religious institutions. I would love to see a minister preaching a message and teaching about sexuality in the church”.
Makokha argued that we need to understand the cultural world of the bible before using clobber passages to condemn the LGBTQ in our society and religious institutions. "Let us understand the historical and cultural context of these inspired biblical books and our diverse interpretations. We are not living in the times of the Jewish Code of Holiness, but during the time of the grace and love of Christ”.
Makokha also stated that Other Sheep Kenya will peacefully spread the message of inclusiveness and love of Christ for the LGBTQ community in their respective faith institutions in Kenya. Discrimination and isolation is sin. “We cannot win the total war on HIV/AIDS in Africa if we cannot holistically address the issues of LGBTQ through advocacy and affirmative action.”
There are certain African cultural practices that are very close to gayism. Among the Akamba and Luo in Kenya, when a woman is barren and her husband dies without having children, the widow will marry another woman and traditionally pay dowry. This relationship is referred to as “husband and wife.” The “wife” will be free to get children from any man, but the children born are for the “widow/husband”.
A participant gave an example of a female teacher whose body was still in the mortuary due to some legal tussle over her traditional burial place. She was a lesbian and got married to a man to please her family, society and the church. However, she left the marriage since she lacked happiness and love from a same sex partner. She then found a same sex partner who was a lesbian and business lady. When this woman died later on, she was living with her female spouse beforehand and the traditional customary law--and Kenyan law--does not recognize her as a spouse, and therefore she cannot be allowed to bury her.
Mrs. Anne Baraza (Riruta United Methodist Women President and Other Sheep Advisory Counselor) said that discrimination on the basis of race, tribe, religion and sexual orientation is unethical and unacceptable: “We have to learn tolerance for diversity in our religious institutions and society.”
Baraza is clear in her stance that pastors should know that they have an ethical and moral obligation to address gay and lesbian issues in an affirming manner. It is the responsibility of any counselor to take necessary steps to eliminate any forms of stigma and isolation since some youth have committed suicide due to their sexual orientation.
She said that many people think homosexuals need to be cured. This is not possible, since various international researches done by reputable organizations have shown that sexual orientation cannot be changed even through therapy.
Her work experience with Parents, Friends of Lesbian and Gays (PFLAG) shows that LGBTQ persons struggle to “come out” and mostly decide to live in the closet due to fear and stigma. Even family members can be a nightmare to LGBTI persons, since they feel their family lineage can be stigmatized. Religious institutions have been on the forefront of propagating homophobia by using the weapon of clobber passages.
A female participant, a Counseling teacher in one of the schools in Kisumu, stated that the seminar was an eye-opener since teachers in Kenyan schools are ill-equipped to handle LGBTQ students. A male student came to her reporting a case of a colleague who was gay. She counseled the gay student and told him to pour cold water on his genitals whenever he felt an erection attracted to same-sex relationships. She advised the gay student to make a difference by performing excellently in his academic work. The gay student broke an academic record by scoring high grades. He joined one of the top national schools in Kenya. His career ambition is to be a neurosurgeon.
Peter Wanyama (Anglican, Other Sheep Kenya Treasurer) said that Other Sheep Kenya will continue contacting seminars on capacity building for the clergy and laity on issues of religion and LGBTI issues in Africa. He requested that society, church and individuals stop oppression prejudice and hate crimes against LGBTI: “We need religious and social justice for all.”
Reconciling Ministries Network mobilizes United Methodists of all sexual orientations and gender identities to transform our Church and world into the full expression of Christ’s inclusive love.
From "Open Hands" to "Open Doors"
By Peter L. DeGroote
It started well. The proposal for the publicity campaign was to be “Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Hands.” Asserting that an openness to religious experience results in an openness in our thinking, which then leads to an openness in our behavior.
It was good, Wesleyan theology, and it was an organic metaphor equal to those of Paul. The clarity of its logic demonstrated the connections between the three stages while leaving us to meditate on how a change in one leads to changes in others.
It may have started well, but as Wesley might have said, it ended in a shipwreck. The final result was “Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors.” What happened? Bureaucracies are the same everywhere. Church agencies are like government agencies: they leak. The leaked details were a little fuzzy, but it seems that someone in the UMC bureaucracy noticed the magazine Open Hands, published by the Reconciling Congregation Program, the previous name of RMN.
This won't do! We need a substitute for “open hands!” The openness of our feelings to the Presence of God cannot lead to opening our minds to the acceptance of LGBT people and then to our reaching out our hands to welcome them!
The decision was to replace “open hands” with “open doors,” thereby sabotaging purpose, clarity, and effectiveness. Church doors were already open; the question was (and is) how people were treated once they got inside. “Open hands” dealt with human community, “open doors” with public access to a building (the corrupting influence of mixed metaphors!).
The original theme of "open hands" would have been a gentle but effective challenge to the way local congregations greet, meet, and incorporate new and different people into their community. Instead, by substituting “open doors,” the theme became an after-the-fact theology of why nearly anyone could walk through our church doors, even if they are ignored. No longer a stimulus for change, the theme became a self-justifying explanation of the way things were.
The rejection of “open hands” was also a rejection of Wesleyan tradition. The metaphor's origins lie in a verse from 2 Kings 10:15: "Is your heart as true to mine as mine is to yours? .... If it is, give me your hand" (NRSV). Taken from a context of warfare, we might not use it in the same way today. However, it was the scripture for John Wesley’s seminal sermon The Catholic Spirit (Catholic meaning universal). The first line of that sermon states, "It is allowed even by those who do not pay this great debt that love is due to all mankind, the royal law."
It had already been determined that love was not due to those LGBT people who had already been invoking the Wesleyan tradition through the name of their magazine. It then became "necessary" for the church--who was supposed to represent the Wesleyan tradition--to depart from it and to ingore what Wesley called "the royal law." The result? A hollow theme; a sound bite changing little.
Posted in Author: Peter DeGroote, Biblical Commentary, Reconciling Process, Wesleyan Theology | Permalink | Comments (5)
Digg This | Save to del.icio.us | |
|