Reconciling Ministries Network

The Car That Did Not Just Drive By

by Joey Heath

Yesterday I went out for a run. It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon, that is until some person for whatever reason felt the need to drive by us and turn at the next corner and then yell back towards us “you run like F*@#$ Faggots”. Then he sped away. Honestly I was in a bit of shock at first, caught completely off guard. I wasn't even sure what that meant other then it was meant to be insulting. As we continued running and those words began to sink in, I found myself becoming angry and a little hurt too if I am being honest. We were minding our own business running down the road enjoying the afternoon and this person felt the need to say that. I found it hard to be Jesus in that moment. I wanted him to drive back so I could yell back at him and tell him what an ignorant fool he is, tell him that LGBTQ people are an intentional part of God’s beautiful and diverse creation and I do not care about his backwards way of thinking. After a few minutes it occurred to me that I should be sad for him not angry because it speaks a lot about his life that he needs to do such a heinous thing to make himself feel good.

This serves as a reminder of the inequality of the world we live in. Reminds me that heterosexuality in many places is still lifted up and anything else is just deviant. It reminds me of all the work that still needs to be done. I sometimes forget about all that needs to be done still. I go to a seminary that is very welcoming and affirming of LGBTQ people. I attend congregations who embrace all people unconditionally and who march in Pride parades just so people might see that God does love them. I forget sometimes there is a world outside this bubble that is far less accepting. Even in my own denomination, the United Methodist Church, there is so much work left to be done. We still prevent some people from becoming clergy, prevent people from becoming members, and attempt to humiliate individuals to prove they are practicing homosexuals. All of this occurs because of sexual orientation. Thankfully we have the many dedicated members of the Reconciling Ministries Network, who work tirelessly for the full inclusion of all people into the life of the church. If you are interested in working for full inclusion of all people then a great place to start is at the Sing A New Song convocation at the Sawmill Creek Resort in Huron, OH Aug. 25 – 28. It is here that we will plan for the upcoming 2012 General Conference and how we will be a witness of God's inclusive love, encouraging the delegates to vote in favor of inclusive policies for the church. Today we still live in a world where for some it is acceptable to yell obscenities out your window, but together we can change that. Every step we take toward inclusion is another step toward a world where all are equal. Will you join us?

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Joey Heath is a 26 year old life long United Methodist. He is currently a graduate student at Wesley Theological Seminary completing his Masters in Divinity. Once an ordained pastor, Joey hopes he will be able to bring real change to the UMC on the issues of sexuality and gender identity at the broader church level, but also with individuals, so that one day the church will truly be a place that is inclusive of all people.

Unconditional Love

by Joey Heath

Wake up Church, Wake up! It is time to really know the love of God and to know we are covered by the love of Jesus. I love you and there is nothing you can do about it.

Maybe I should back up a bit and put this into a little context. As part of my seminary degree I am required to do something where I immerse myself in another culture. For my immersion trip I am in Houston, Texas with twelve of my classmates and we immersing in the culture of the homeless. We are doing this through a church called St. John's UMC. This church is amazing because it is truly living out the mission of the gospel. They house 200 homeless people everyone night seven days a week. They feed two meals a day seven days a week which works out to be about 12,000 meals a month. They work with the Houston food bank and every Wednesday distribute nine tons of food to people in need. This church is amazing.

 But they aren't just amazing because of those things I just mentioned. What really amazes me is their ministry of love. They really love people at St. John's. The staff is one that everyday seeks to love on anyone and everyone who walks in or even just near their doors. Pastor Rudy calls it a love revolution. As he says it is a revolution that was begun 2000 years ago by a man named Jesus. Jesus loved unconditionally. Since Jesus loves unconditionally, so does St. John's it is that simple.

Now I know a lot of churches talk about loving unconditionally but not all live it so let me tell you what it looks like at St. John's. At St. John's they reach out to any on the margins of society. If you are homeless they welcome you in and say we love you. If you have just been released from prison they welcome you in and say we love you. If you HIV/AIDS they welcome you in and say we love you. If you are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer they welcome you in and say we love you. It does not matter who you are, where you are in life, or what you have done in the past they welcome you in and say we love you and even more God love's you. Imagine it, a church where all they care about is that you know that you are loved by God and by the church. Let me tell you it is a successful model. I watched about 30 people baptized and another 20 or so join the congregation on a single Sunday. They are growing faster than you would believe and is all because they live the love the Jesus taught us to love.

So when I say wake up church I mean let's wake up to what it means to love. God welcome's all into God's church and into the body of Christ. Jesus loved all, particularly those rejected by society. Jesus spent a lot of time with those on the margins and he spent that time loving them. If we are seeking to follow the example of Jesus then we need to do the same. We need to fling open the church doors and say all are welcome no exceptions. We need to stop making judgments about who is good enough to be in the church and remember that all are created and loved by God and so we must do the same. We must speak out for those who are oppressed and for those pushed to the margins. We must reach out to the margins and invite people in. All are welcome and all are loved by God. So again I say wake up church and remember what it means to love.  

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Joey Heath is a 26 year old life long United Methodist. He is currently a graduate student at Wesley Theological Seminary completing his Masters in Divinity. Once an ordained pastor, Joey hopes he will be able to bring real change to the UMC on the issues of sexuality and gender identity at the broader church level, but also with individuals, so that one day the church will truly be a place that is inclusive of all people.

The Oppressed Majority

by Joey Heath

I have to say I am deeply concerned as I hear over and over again how the heterosexual Christian majority is being oppressed by the LGBTQ equality movement. It is interesting to me the disconnect that seems to exist between the reality and the rational of some of these individuals. For example I have recently been accused as a seek of LGBTQ equality of trying to silence others. It is interesting because according to these same people we at best make up 3% of the population (though I believe it to be much higher). The accusation is that when I say “what you say is harmful you need to stop because it is harming people” what is heard apparently is “sit down and stop talking cause I don't want to hear it”. Now these are two very different statements. One is attempting to speak to the humanity of another and point out how what they are doing is hurting others so that they would themselves choose to stop saying or doing those things. There is no force here just appealing to the spirit of Christ that is in all Christians. The second statement however is attempting to silence another and is something I would never use because I do not believe just making those I disagree with stop talking will bring change. It merely masks the problem.

As I opened up with I believe it is a disconnect and one that confuses me. It seems that many who oppose equality for the LGBTQ community see it in response to their own situation and only their situation. They miss the fact that what they believe has adverse consequences for others and seem to only focus on “they (LGBTQ equality supporters) do not want me to say what I believe”. It is very focused on what is happening to ones self and not what is happening in the broader world. It seems to be an attempt to side step any negative affects or consequences of words and actions by pointing out that “its not fair you don't want me to share what I think”. I just can not get past how self-focused this is. As Christian where is your concern for others? Where is your concern for goodness and righteousness?

I think on both sides of sexuality and gender identity issues need to focus on the harm in the world. We need to focus on our responsibility for that harm. Then we need to look at what we can change to end that harm. It should be less focused on what is being done to me and more focused on what I can do to help others to know and experience the love of God.

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Joey Heath is a 26 year old life long United Methodist. He is currently a graduate student at Wesley Theological Seminary completing his Masters in Divinity. Once an ordained pastor, Joey hopes he will be able to bring real change to the UMC on the issues of sexuality and gender identity at the broader church level, but also with individuals, so that one day the church will truly be a place that is inclusive of all people.

Epidemic of Intolerance

by Joey Heath

For years we have been talking about agreeing to disagree. That for the time being this is the best we can do. Well I have to say that I am really wondering if we can afford to do this for much longer. This week I have heard about four different instances of bullying/harassment of LGBTQ young people (or assumed LGBTQ) that have led them to commit suicide. I also heard of one other instance where a young man who is a cheerleader was teased and called gay and had his arm broken. This bullying/harassment is an epidemic. I am sure you would not have to dig very deeply to find countless stories like this from all over the country. The fact is we are failing these individuals. We are allowing them to feel so worthless that that they end their own lives. As Ellen DeGeneres said today “being a teenager and figuring out who you are is hard enough without someone attacking you”. It is intolerance and ignorance taking the lives of these individuals and we as a society are allowing it to happen by overlooking it because we do not agree on the issues of sexuality and gender identity. My heart breaks for the lives lost unnecessarily, for the families left grieving, for the friends left wondering if they could have done more. We all can do more and we must.

We as the church are especially responsible. We are supposed to be a place of solace for the hurting, a place for the hopeless to turn to. Yet we are not. We can not even decide if LGBTQ individuals are truly of sacred worth. We are too busy being concerned about whether it is a sin to be gay to help those that are hurting, those that feel hopeless. The message this sends is that at best we are uncertain about about welcoming and wanting those hurting. That is not what the church should be. The church should be affirming the sacred worth of all individuals as beloved children of God. We have to figure out how to do this because I can not accept knowing that we as the church, as the people of God, could have done more and did not. Kids are dying and we must do something because the Jesus I know and love would never sit by and let this happen.  

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Joey Heath is a 26 year old life long United Methodist. He is currently a graduate student at Wesley Theological Seminary completing his Masters in Divinity. Once an ordained pastor, Joey hopes he will be able to bring real change to the UMC on the issues of sexuality and gender identity at the broader church level, but also with individuals, so that one day the church will truly be a place that is inclusive of all people.

Life is Not Fair

by Joey Heath

I can remember as a kid learning about fairness. As children we often believe that the world operates on a system of fairness, that life should be fair. That right should be uplifted and wrong should be condemned. Sadly as we grow up we come to know that life is not fair. We learn that sometimes doing right is overlooked or simply forgotten and doing wrong is sometimes glorified and celebrated. We live in a world in which hurt, harm, and pain exist. Unlike the world of childhood it is a world that is unfair. There are those that attempt to use biblical law to condemn others like our LGBTQ brothers and sisters. This unfairly does harm. This pushes them away. This is unfair and is an example of the unfairness of the world creeping into the church.

Thankfully we have a God who is fair. God is not fair because we deserve it. God is fair because even though we are all sinners, all equally imperfect creatures, God offers us grace, grace that covers all sin. This is not to say that the law is not important, actually I would say the opposite. The law provides us with a guide to knowing right from wrong. This means the role of law is like a compass pointing us in the right direction and not meant to condemn. When the law overshadows grace or even pushes grace out of the picture we see the unfairness of the world. As one of my seminary professors says “A church without grace is a church without the Gospel”. Of course applying to much law is also not only way we can see unfairness in the church. we also see the unfairness of the world in the complacency we often are guilty of on issues of justice. Sometimes we would rather keep the peace than raise issue that will cause discord. This is unfair as well cause it leave those suffering oppression, in that place of oppression all in the name of ourselves sitting comfortably.

Will we be a church filled with grace/gospel or filled with law? Even worse will we be a church that chooses to step around major issues like sexuality and gender identity forgetting those that are suffering injustice until a more “convenient time” when we can more easily come to an agreement. Will we be a church that believes that Jesus came to offer us grace or will we be so constrained to what we believe is law that we completely miss grace. Jesus came so that we might better know our creator and know true love because that is what Jesus came for. Jesus came to show us love and grace. Let us remember the greatest commandment “Love the your God with all your heart, mind, and soul and love your neighbor as yourself”. Remember our LGBTQ neighbors who suffer under the injustice of a system that is unfair and treats them as second class members of the kingdom of God. Remember that all have fallen short of the glory of God and none are worthy but in the ultimate act of fairness the playing field is leveled and all are forgiven and invited to into the family of God. This is grace and grace is for all. Will you extend grace to the hurting of the LGBTQ community? Will you be like Jesus and be fair in faith?

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Joey Heath is a 26 year old life long United Methodist. He is currently a graduate student at Wesley Theological Seminary completing his Masters in Divinity. Once an ordained pastor, Joey hopes he will be able to bring real change to the UMC on the issues of sexuality and gender identity at the broader church level, but also with individuals, so that one day the church will truly be a place that is inclusive of all people.

The end of the beginning...

by Joey Heath

What a victory for the equality of all people especially lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (lgbtq) people. Judge Walker has ruled that it violates the US Constitution to discriminate against lgbtq people by denying them access to marriage. This ruling says there is not “gay marriage” or “straight marriage” only marriage which is open to all people and can not be denied to anyone. It says that in no way are lgbtq couples inferior to heterosexual couples. This is such a momentous step and it could be the beginning of dominoes toppling. I can see it coming. First the overturning of this discriminatory law is upheld and then equality begins to pick up momentum. Before long another discriminatory marriage law is struck down and then another and then another just like dominoes each one leading to another falling until finally all the laws discriminating against lgbtq people are gone. What a time to be alive, to see equality become a reality. But we are not there yet.

I believe it was Winston Churchill who first used the phrase “the end of the beginning”. This is where I believe we are, moving from the beginning of our struggle to the middle. We are not at the end and those who oppose equality are only going to push back harder. We can not get complacent and assume victory will come because if we do then the progress we are making will be lost. Celebrate our victory today and then tomorrow get up and continue the struggle. There is still so much work to do before we will have full equality for all people.

Then of course we can not forget that even as it looks like there will be equality under the law we still do not have equality in the United Methodist Church. Membership. The Book of Discipline still contains the discriminatory and untrue language that states “homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teachings”. In 2012 we will meet again for General Conference this time in Tampa and I am sure we will once again bring the issue of equality to the table. This means we have a little less than two years to help shape the way the General Conference will vote on the issues of equality and inclusion. This is a huge task but one that is not beyond our reach if we spend the next two years telling our stories and speaking out for the cause of inclusion. Talk to the people in your congregation, talk to your neighbors, talk to your co-workers, talk to everyone, and tell them about God's inclusive love and why it is so important for us as the church to be open and welcoming to all people. The world is changing and it is an exciting time to be alive. Let us pray that as the world moves forward so the church will also.

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Joey Heath is a 26 year old life long United Methodist. He is currently a graduate student at Wesley Theological Seminary completing his Masters in Divinity. Once an ordained pastor, Joey hopes he will be able to bring real change to the UMC on the issues of sexuality and gender identity at the broader church level, but also with individuals, so that one day the church will truly be a place that is inclusive of all people.

UMC Don't Ask Don't Tell

by Joey Heath

With all the talk recently about the possible repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell, it got me to thinking about the United Methodist Churches stances. Currently the UMC Book of Discipline states that “The practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching. Therefore self-avowed practicing homosexuals are not to be certified as candidates, ordained as ministers, or appointed to serve in The United Methodist Church” (UMC Book of Discipline 304.3). This is an interesting stance for a church that claims “Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors” because it does not seem very open.

What this policy does is it takes those who are seeking ordination or are currently ordained and who also identify as Lesbian, Gay, or Bisexual (we currently have no policies concerning being transgender though sadly this means we have no protections either) and forces them into a church don't ask don't tell policy. Basically by coming out and living with integrity those called by God are denied their calling. How can we do this? How can we turn away those called by God? If God approves of an individual enough to call them into God's service how can we deny them? What makes this stance even more interesting is that we know there are LGB pastors in the UMC who are forced to hide. We have already recognized their gifts and calling to the ministry and taken them all the way through our very long and complicated process for ordination. They are succeeding in ministry but only at the cost of their integrity.

You would think that we would want our pastors to live with integrity as this is a Christian value, but I guess in the UMC we do not. We would rather our pastors lie about who they are. We would rather them lie about who they love. We would rather them deny their own families. This forces our pastor to choose between a Holy calling and living lives with integrity. Who are we to force individuals to make this choice? Sadly many are making this choice and too many are choosing to live with integrity and leave our denomination. We are losing many of our best and brightest. This not only does a disservice to those individuals affected by our policies; we are also hurting ourselves as the church by turning away qualified and talented individuals.

There is hope though. The Book of Discipline states in our social principles that “we affirm that all persons are individuals of sacred worth, created in the image of God” (UMC BOD 161H). We would do well to remember that we believe all people including LGBTQ persons are created in the image of God. Maybe then we would begin to realize how destructive our currently policies truly are and we would begin to repent of our past and move towards a future that is truly inclusive of all of God's beloved creation.

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Joey Heath is a 26 year old life long United Methodist. He is currently a graduate student at Wesley Theological Seminary completing his Masters in Divinity. Once an ordained pastor, Joey hopes he will be able to bring real change to the UMC on the issues of sexuality and gender identity at the broader church level, but also with individuals, so that one day the church will truly be a place that is inclusive of all people.

Call to Truth

by Joey Heath

I have just finished my first year of seminary. One-third of my theological education is now behind me and what a journey it has been so far. The passion I had for social justice has been magnified ten-fold. If I have taken anything from this semester it is that we as Christians must live out social justice and we must reach out to the oppressed and needy in all the ways we can. This is our calling “we love because he first loved us. Those who say 'I love God' and hate their brothers and sisters are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, can not love God whom they have not seen.” (1 John 4:19-20). This is our truth from Jesus Christ “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27). The message of the Gospel is love and redemption two things I very much believe in. So in that spirit I have written this call to truth.

We are called to be a witness to that which we believe to be truth. Truth may cost us but that is what is demanded for the practitioners of faith. It is this push that may result in a violent push back but in that push back the victory is already won. Jesus came and was crucified in an act of violent push back. At first glance this may seem to make Jesus weak. As the story goes the powerful Roman Empire has destroyed the Savior who meant to bring redemption and if that was the end of the story it would be it would be defeat. But that is not because Jesus rose again on the third day. Jesus gave us the model for witness to truth and now we are called to witness. The time of sitting just back in our pews on Sunday mornings is over. We must continue to push back as the vocal minority until we find ourselves in the majority. Changing hearts and minds will not happen overnight but it will happen if we continue to speak up and speak out. If we truly begin to Believe Out Loud.

Today there is a powerful change underway, with a great amount of push back against inclusion of the LGBTQ community. But people of faith are coming together and saying enough is enough, our LGBTQ brothers and sisters have been treated as second class citizens for far too long. We all must join the chorus of voices crying this message. So I implore you, Speak Out. Come Out. Tell your stories. Because I tell you this truth, if we stand in solidarity we can and will create change and bring the world just a little closer to looking like the Kingdom of God it was intended to be.

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Joey Heath is a 26 year old life long United Methodist. He is currently a graduate student at Wesley Theological Seminary completing his Masters in Divinity. Once an ordained pastor, Joey hopes he will be able to bring real change to the UMC on the issues of sexuality and gender identity at the broader church level, but also with individuals, so that one day the church will truly be a place that is inclusive of all people.

Called by God - Part 2

by Joey Heath

As part of my seminary education I am required to do two academic years of intern placement in ministry setting. Since I plan to seek ordination and hopefully will enter into local parish ministry I have been looking at several churches as possible options for my placement. One of the questions that is asked by the pastors I am interviewing with is about my call story or why I feel called to ministry and why I want to be a pastor. It is a question that I have spent a lot of time thinking about before coming to seminary and one I still think about as I continue to discover my call.

My call story really begins in 2008 at the UMC General Conference. I was there with the Reconciling Ministries Network to be a witness to the General Conference delegates and the wider UMC about the need for full inclusion of all peoples in the life of the church. Seeing the UMC at there reminded me of why I love this church and why I am proud to call myself a United Methodist. But as the church voted on issues of inclusion, my heart broke. I had personally been hurt by my own denial of membership. When the vote on church membership occurred and went against inclusion it broke my heart to know that there would still be those denied membership to our community of faith. That though we claim to have open doors not all congregations mean it. It was in the broken heart and stream of tears that I heard my call. In that moment God spoke to me and said that I am calling you to be a leader for the next generation aiding my church in becoming the church I desire it to be. God used that moment to show me just how far we have to go as church and that it will not change on its own, but through the work of our pastors and lay people working to create a change that reflects the diversity of God's creation and the inclusive love of Christ.

My understanding of God's call becomes clearer as I learn and one of the things I am certain of is the need for the church to change. The next generation will quite possibly determine whether the UMC dies or continues to be a representative of Christ on earth. I am being called to be at the forefront of this change as a pastor that reminds the youth and young adults that the church is not a place of hate, rejection, and condemnation but is rather a place to find God's open and accepting arms waiting to pour grace on us.

I believe one of the keys to energizing and revitalizing young people will be to reverse our current policy on homosexuality. A recent study by the Barna Group stated that a majority of young Christians and young non-Christian identified individuals believe the church is anti-gay. This is a real problem because this means many young people who have peers who are LGBTQ see the church as not a place for their friends. When this occurs they are less likely to attend church as well. We need to reverse this image and show that the church welcomes all people regardless. Period. This is what I feel called to. I am called to the margins and to the neglected and pushed. I am called to show that God loves all individuals and wants all to come and that all are welcome in God's church. I am called to show that God's church is place not of hate but a place of love. A place to come and find redemption and salvation in God's loving embrace.

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Joey Heath is a 26 year old life long United Methodist. He is currently a graduate student at Wesley Theological Seminary completing his Masters in Divinity. Once an ordained pastor, Joey hopes he will be able to bring real change to the UMC on the issues of sexuality and gender identity at the broader church level, but also with individuals, so that one day the church will truly be a place that is inclusive of all people.

Created by God

by Joey Heath

It is a momentous time in the movement for equality for LGBTQ people. Marriage Equality has now reached the US capital Washington, DC. The Soulforce Equality Ride is on the road again bringing a message of affirmation for LGBTQ people where that message might not be heard. What a time it is to be involved in the LGBTQ rights movement. So much work is being done but so much more is left to do and as such I wanted to start my next post based off of a post a friend of mine made on the Gay Christian Network. My friend (Matthew, a seminary student at BU) posted this:

“My sexuality is an expression of the diversity that God created into nature. Diversity is not a result of sin. It is all part of God's plan. As for myself I believe God made me gay in a fallen world and he would have made me gay in a hypothetical non-fallen world. I believe that it is homophobia and hate that are results of the sin of the world. Those are the things that come from sin”

There is much more to his post then just this quote but this is what really struck me. I hear so often people say that homosexuality is the result of our fallen world. They make it sound as if the sexual orientation of a segment of the population was just an accident. Well I am standing up today and saying this is wrong. The sexuality and gender identity of LGBTQ people IS NOT an accident. God created us each to be diverse individuals. People come in so many different ways, shapes, sizes, hair color, eye color, skin color, etc. So why is it so hard to believe that sexuality and gender identity would be part of that beautiful diversity?

In Jer. 1:5 God say “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Now this was a message to Jeremiah calling him to be a prophet but I think it also speaks to the idea that God knows us even before we are born and that God puts us together,creating us into a unique creation. This means my sexuality can not be an accident because it is a part of who I am, a God created part of my identity. This idea that God would rather all of the world be heterosexual but because of sin coming into the world this accidental sexuality exists is based on a heterocentric worldview and denies the very creation of God. Look throughout the animal kingdom, this diversity of sexuality also exists there. So the next time someone is trying tell you that this homosexuality is the result of fallen humanity kindly remind them the it is homophobia and hatred that are the result of sin and that sexuality and gender identity are a part of the beautifully diverse creation of God.

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Joey Heath is a 26 year old life long United Methodist. He is currently a graduate student at Wesley Theological Seminary completing his Masters in Divinity. Once an ordained pastor, Joey hopes he will be able to bring real change to the UMC on the issues of sexuality and gender identity at the broader church level, but also with individuals, so that one day the church will truly be a place that is inclusive of all people.