The Gay Christian Network 2010 Conference

Nashville, TN

January 8, 2010

Dr. Tony Campolo

The Gay Christian Network

Nashville, TN

January 8, 2010

Why I’m Here/ About Tony

  1. This discussion between group A and group B is a discussion that should be going on in the Church.
  2. Tony is an Evangelical which means he believes in the doctrine of the Apostles’ Creed, has a high view of scripture that one becomes Christian by having and intimate transforming relationship with the resurrected Jesus
  3. The secular academic community believes that since Tony is an Evangelical, he should be anti-gay, anti-woman, and anti-war, but he believes in the words of scripture, especially the red letters.
  4. The religious establishment of the ancient Jews had decided that certain people were unacceptable, but Jesus says that they are acceptable and will be favored in his Kingdom. A heretical message for a closed religious community
  5. Peggy and I are carrying on the same discussion
  6. I hate presenting my point of view (in favor of celibacy for gays) because I know if offends and hurts people in group A
  7. Jesus never says “hate the sin, love the sinner.” Jesus says, “Love the sinners and deal with your own sin, then you can begin to talk about the sin in your brother.”

Changing the Attitudes of the Church people

  1. Challenging the myths that gays are pedophiles and that sexual orientation can be changed and the misinformation about causes of homosexuality
  2. Myths: We know the cause of homosexuality, A homosexual can be changed, There are no gays in the church
  3. Story about Roger, the gay guy at Tony’s high school who committed suicide because of gay bashing
  4. Story about Bishop Neumann and Henry Nouwen, great Christians who were in fact gay
  5. Ezekiel 16- The sin of Sodom was that it neglected the poor, forgot the widow and orphan, its people lived in luxury while those who are hungry starved and died

Why coming out is important

  1. Story about the O.T. prophet in Elijah who thought he was the only one, but the Lord says that there are 5,000 more in the neighborhood
  2. There needs to be a community of gays and lesbians who come together to pray with each other, support each other and keep each other from going crazy
  3. You come to believe what the people around you tell you to believe. That’s why church community is so important; people who come around you and affirm you as a person
  4. We must challenge the Church to be rid of its myths and to love;
  5. Story of Jim Dagino’s service for funeral of gay men. The men at the funeral desired scripture, but they felt as though they couldn’t walk inside of the church because the church despises them.
  6. Chaplin of university and lesbian student. The student feared that when her father found out that she is a lesbian, her father would hate her. Chaplain tells her dad how great of a Christian she is, and that she is lesbian.
  7. Love is justice as social policy; there are more than a thousand rights and privileges that gays are denied that heterosexuals have. We can will the battle by asking for justice. Where there is no justice, there is no love.

What is required of gay Christians

  1. Story about Fred Craddock and the man who was called “Ben the bastard boy.” Ben told Fred about the preacher who came to his town and told him who is Father was. The preacher told him that “God is his father and not to ever forget that he is a child of God.” Ben the bastard was actually Ben Hooper, the mayor of Tenn, someone who once thought he was a nobody, but found his identity in God.
  2. After the reformation, protestants have left behind a lot of spiritual disciplines such as centering prayer.
  3. Centering prayer: to become inwardly still/ quiet, and center and focus on Jesus and wait for Him to reach out from the cross to cleanse you. Surrender in quiet, and allow God to absorb the darkness inside of you. Jesus absorbs it and makes it his own.
  4. Jesus is both very man and very God. Because he was God and hung on the cross, he transcended time.
  5. Centering prayer: to become inwardly still/ quiet, and center and focus on Jesus and wait for Him to reach out from the cross to cleanse you. Surrender in quiet, and allow God to absorb the darkness inside of you. Jesus absorbs it and makes it his own.
  6. Jesus is both very man and very God. Because he was God and hung on the cross, he transcended time.
  7. 1 John 1- “If you will confess your sins, he is faithful and he is just, and he will forgive you, and he will cleanse you”
  8. Every morning should be a time of spiritual surrender.
  9. Tony quotes Shaw/Lamott/Durkheim in regards to God in our own image
  10. St Augustine said that “the church is a whore, but she is my mother”
  11. We must live out the Sermon on the Mount; overcome evil with good, love those who hurt you, forgive those who offend you, respond to those who are mean with kindness, forgive as Christ has forgiven you
  12. we must seek to become agents of reconciliation
  13. Tony expresses his opinion on Gay marriage and the church and the state; that state should only guarantee civil rights, the church should officiate marriage
  14. The church’s attitude about homosexuality is changing
  15. Tony tells about his preaching experience at Wheaton and telling them about the thousands of children who starved to death due to malnutrition and starvation overnight and what’s worse is that none of them give a shit. What’s worse is that he people were more concerned that Tony said “shit” than caring about those 35 thousand of children who died
  16. To be Christian is to have your heart broken by the things that break the heart of God
  17. Story about Tony and Peggy’s experience in the UK, where in certain place, the sex trade is abundant
  18. Must go out and serve the community beyond the gay community
  19. The attitudes of Christians are changing, and there is hope beyond the horizon
  20. Story about Tony’s black church- It’s Friday, but Sunday’s coming!

Tags: Apostles’ Creed, homosexuality, myths, Roger, suicide, gay bashing, Bishop Neumann, Henry Nouwen, Ezekiel 16, Sodom, Gomorrah, Elijah, gay, lesbian, community, love, Jim Dagino, funeral, justice, social policy, Fred Craddock, Ben Hooper, bastard, centering prayer, 1 John 1, Shaw, Lamott, Durkheim, St. Augustine, whore, church, marriage, Wheaton, shit, It’s Sunday but Friday’s coming