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Our Tribe: Queer Folks, God, Jesus, and the Bible
Sometimes wisecracking and always spellbinding, Rev. Nancy Wilson spins tales from her life in the trenches as senior pastor of the Metropolitan Community Church of Los Angeles. On a mission to radicalize the mainstream church, she passionately proclaims a 'queer theology' that can lead all Christians--gay, lesbian, and straight--into the next millennium.
160 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 1995
2 people are currently reading
75 people want to read
About the author
Nancy Wilson
6 books1 follower[Librarian Note: There are MANY authors named Nancy Wilson.]
The Rev. Dr. Nancy Wilson is the moderator of the Metropolitan Community Churches.
The Rev. Dr. Nancy Wilson is the moderator of the Metropolitan Community Churches.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 11, 2020
This one by Rev. Dr. Wilson was published quite a while ago. And yet, so much of what is in it is still news to our larger culture. Encouraging and at times vulnerable and raw, this invitation to reflect on the theologies of oppression we're taught and build our own theologies of liberation remains timely. Recommended for small group and congregational study.
May 16, 2024
AN MCC LEADER AND PASTOR TALKS ABOUT THE CULTURE OF LGBT PERSONS
Rev. Nancy Wilson is the former Moderator (global leader) of Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC, a position to which she was elected in 2005, following the retirement of Troy Perry. She was ordained in MCC in Dallas, Texas, in 1975, and served as pastor of a number of parishes.
She wrote in the Introduction to this 1995 book, “What does it mean to be a gay or lesbian or bisexual person in this age of rage? It was the poet Judy Grahn who first spoke powerfully to me about an anthropology or sociology of what she calls ‘transpeople’ (a broad category including gay men, lesbians, transvestites, and transsexuals). For a long time I have believed that ‘theological anthropology’ … was the church’s major problem in acceptance of gays and lesbians. Are gay men and lesbians a LOBBY for a certain kind of behavior that we want the church to legitimize, or are we a KIND OF PEOPLE?” (Pg. 7)
She recounts an encounter with New Testament scholar Robin Scroggs: “One of Dr. Scroggs’s theses is that the New Testament simply doesn’t address the situation of contemporary gay and lesbian people because in his opinion, male homosexual relationship were in New Testament times all pederastic… it suddenly occurred to me that he might be suggesting that there were no ancient gay men and lesbians who had mutually consenting adult relationships… ‘How do you know that?’ I asked. His argument was one of silence. I felt this horror and rage in me… How could he just say that there were no people like me, like us, in those times?” (Pg. 14)
She notes, “One of our responses has been to be afraid of children and of interacting with children and of interacting with them…. This has come out as a thinly veiled hostility towards children. I remember particularly in the seventies when we called straight people …’breeders’ and the children were ‘rug rats’ or [curtain climbers.’… In a kind of defensive maneuver, gay men and lesbians insulated themselves from children and from this potential slander.” (Pg. 27)
She observes, “It took a long time for us … really to understand how deep the wounds of internalized self-hatred are in our community. When we are very affirming about being gay or lesbian, or about being made in the image of God, we simply scare ourselves to death. Somehow, when we see our sexuality as part of our connection to the image of God, we feel we will be accused of making God in our image. (Or we accuse ourselves before anyone else has a chance to!)” (Pg. 58)
She suggests, “As hard as this is to say, because I also love the Bible, I believe it is better for [some] people to say ‘F--- the Bible’ than to BELIEVE the c-ap other people tell them about the Bible. And though they rejected the message today, their angry reaction ensures that they will never forget that they encountered a gay or lesbian person who somehow feels there is still something of value in a relationship with the Bible. Perhaps at some future date, when they are ready or are more needy than angry, they may remember and reach out and be able to claim or reclaim a healthy relationship to whatever religious tradition or text is theirs---or make their peace with it and move on.” (Pg. 115)
She argues about ‘the disciple whom Jesus loved,’ “How is it possible to read over and over again about this man whom he loved and not imagine that there might have been as least some dimension of passion and eroticism connected to his feelings? And if gays and lesbians are 10 percent of the population, then 10 percent of Jesus’ followers were gay or lesbian. Ten percent of the twelve disciples! I believe that the most obvious way to see Jesus as a sexual being is to see him as bisexual in orientation, if not also in his actions… I know that saying that Jesus was bisexual in his orientation is really going to send some people into orbit… But it is very important to deshame the fact that Jesus, as part of his humanness, part of the concept of incarnation, was sexual.” (Pg. 146-147)
She states, “The fact that there is not ONE example in the Bible of heterosexuals who express their undying commitment to each other in a way that can be used in heterosexual marriage ceremonies is certainly a major omission! Heterosexuals have ripped off our love stories for too long! I find myself fantasizing about going through every wedding liturgy in every Christian worship book and with m ecu-terrorist scissors and cutting out Ruths words to Naomi. You can’t steal them!” (Pg. 156)
She asserts, “Many closeted gay and lesbian religious authorities harm others in order to protect themselves. They do so because they have what they BELIEVE to be ‘dirty secrets,’ shameful realities about their own sexual lives. Many in church leadership and hierarchies are sick with guilt, shame, and lying. Then they dump this on the rest of us. These are not ONLY gays and lesbians but heterosexuals as well: all those who cannot tell the truth about their own sexual histories, lifestyles, or fantasies and who will persecute others who do!” (Pg. 195)
She concludes, “we are not going away. Not voluntarily and not at all. We are a necessary and essential art of creation and of every people and every culture. Sometimes honored, sometimes vilified, we are very often those who travel first to the enigmatic borders of cultures and millennia. We are often the ‘scouts’ who see the future approaching and who beckon or warn.” (Pg. 279)
This book will be of great interest to LGBT persons, and their sympathizers.
Rev. Nancy Wilson is the former Moderator (global leader) of Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC, a position to which she was elected in 2005, following the retirement of Troy Perry. She was ordained in MCC in Dallas, Texas, in 1975, and served as pastor of a number of parishes.
She wrote in the Introduction to this 1995 book, “What does it mean to be a gay or lesbian or bisexual person in this age of rage? It was the poet Judy Grahn who first spoke powerfully to me about an anthropology or sociology of what she calls ‘transpeople’ (a broad category including gay men, lesbians, transvestites, and transsexuals). For a long time I have believed that ‘theological anthropology’ … was the church’s major problem in acceptance of gays and lesbians. Are gay men and lesbians a LOBBY for a certain kind of behavior that we want the church to legitimize, or are we a KIND OF PEOPLE?” (Pg. 7)
She recounts an encounter with New Testament scholar Robin Scroggs: “One of Dr. Scroggs’s theses is that the New Testament simply doesn’t address the situation of contemporary gay and lesbian people because in his opinion, male homosexual relationship were in New Testament times all pederastic… it suddenly occurred to me that he might be suggesting that there were no ancient gay men and lesbians who had mutually consenting adult relationships… ‘How do you know that?’ I asked. His argument was one of silence. I felt this horror and rage in me… How could he just say that there were no people like me, like us, in those times?” (Pg. 14)
She notes, “One of our responses has been to be afraid of children and of interacting with children and of interacting with them…. This has come out as a thinly veiled hostility towards children. I remember particularly in the seventies when we called straight people …’breeders’ and the children were ‘rug rats’ or [curtain climbers.’… In a kind of defensive maneuver, gay men and lesbians insulated themselves from children and from this potential slander.” (Pg. 27)
She observes, “It took a long time for us … really to understand how deep the wounds of internalized self-hatred are in our community. When we are very affirming about being gay or lesbian, or about being made in the image of God, we simply scare ourselves to death. Somehow, when we see our sexuality as part of our connection to the image of God, we feel we will be accused of making God in our image. (Or we accuse ourselves before anyone else has a chance to!)” (Pg. 58)
She suggests, “As hard as this is to say, because I also love the Bible, I believe it is better for [some] people to say ‘F--- the Bible’ than to BELIEVE the c-ap other people tell them about the Bible. And though they rejected the message today, their angry reaction ensures that they will never forget that they encountered a gay or lesbian person who somehow feels there is still something of value in a relationship with the Bible. Perhaps at some future date, when they are ready or are more needy than angry, they may remember and reach out and be able to claim or reclaim a healthy relationship to whatever religious tradition or text is theirs---or make their peace with it and move on.” (Pg. 115)
She argues about ‘the disciple whom Jesus loved,’ “How is it possible to read over and over again about this man whom he loved and not imagine that there might have been as least some dimension of passion and eroticism connected to his feelings? And if gays and lesbians are 10 percent of the population, then 10 percent of Jesus’ followers were gay or lesbian. Ten percent of the twelve disciples! I believe that the most obvious way to see Jesus as a sexual being is to see him as bisexual in orientation, if not also in his actions… I know that saying that Jesus was bisexual in his orientation is really going to send some people into orbit… But it is very important to deshame the fact that Jesus, as part of his humanness, part of the concept of incarnation, was sexual.” (Pg. 146-147)
She states, “The fact that there is not ONE example in the Bible of heterosexuals who express their undying commitment to each other in a way that can be used in heterosexual marriage ceremonies is certainly a major omission! Heterosexuals have ripped off our love stories for too long! I find myself fantasizing about going through every wedding liturgy in every Christian worship book and with m ecu-terrorist scissors and cutting out Ruths words to Naomi. You can’t steal them!” (Pg. 156)
She asserts, “Many closeted gay and lesbian religious authorities harm others in order to protect themselves. They do so because they have what they BELIEVE to be ‘dirty secrets,’ shameful realities about their own sexual lives. Many in church leadership and hierarchies are sick with guilt, shame, and lying. Then they dump this on the rest of us. These are not ONLY gays and lesbians but heterosexuals as well: all those who cannot tell the truth about their own sexual histories, lifestyles, or fantasies and who will persecute others who do!” (Pg. 195)
She concludes, “we are not going away. Not voluntarily and not at all. We are a necessary and essential art of creation and of every people and every culture. Sometimes honored, sometimes vilified, we are very often those who travel first to the enigmatic borders of cultures and millennia. We are often the ‘scouts’ who see the future approaching and who beckon or warn.” (Pg. 279)
This book will be of great interest to LGBT persons, and their sympathizers.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews