I am looking forward to the May 5th symposium in Washington DC, hosted by the APA at their annual conference involving Bishop Gene Robinson, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President, Al Mohler, Past-President of the Association of Gay and Lesbian Psychiatrists, David Scasta, Harvard psychiatrist John Peteet and me. Here is a rebuttal to a critical article from Wayne Besen about the symposium and brief coverage of the event by Citizenlink.
Category: Religion and sexuality
Some responses to the Golden Rule pledge
I suggested on this blog that perhaps parents and students should consider pledging the Golden Rule on the upcoming Day of Silence instead of staying home as some very conservative groups have suggested. The response has been mixed. A facebook group has formed to promote the idea and some college groups are implementing the idea in a variety of ways. You can read more about that on this page.
Here are three recent assessments of the idea:
ExGayWatch, six11ministries, and Wayne Jacobsen’s Lifestream blog.
Photographer who refused lesbian wedding fined
The New Mexico photographers who refused to take pics at a lesbian nuptual have been fined. The Alliance Defense Fund will appeal.
Read this photography blog for comments and reactions from professionals.
Make way for the Evangelical center
Here is a review of a new book that is going on my after-the-semester-is-over reading list: The Future of Faith in American Politics by David Gushee.
I agree with this assessment by Gushee:
I think there are some fractures emerging among the people who identify themselves as Religious Right. I think some are starting to deemphasise partisan politics to a certain extent. Others are attempting to reframe their message. I think the new book by Tony Perkins and Harry Jackson (mentioned above) is a reframing effort. A lot of the things I critique in my book, they say ‘you’re right we need to work on those things.’ Things like disentangling from the Republican Party, having a more positive and less negative kind of tone, emphasising a broader range of issues. I think there is a feeling on the Religious Right that those things are a problem for them.
Glenn Stanton and Patrick Chapman debate anthropological arguments
Not new news, but noteworthy nonetheless; Glenn Stanton of Focus on the Family and anthropologist Patrick Chapman debate Glenn’s recent article on marriage over at Box Turtle Bulletin.
First Patrick Chapman had a go at the Stanton article that started the conversation and then Stanton had his turn.
Followed by a lively and ongoing discussion…