SUNY Benefit Concert for Other Sheep in Uganda

SUNY (State University of New York) student Sam Colbert:  "You can’t affect change politically if you can’t affect change socially and vice versa."

 

by Rev. Stephen Parelli

Executive Director of Other Sheep

March 6, 2013

Bronx, New York

 

Sam Colbert, perfroming
at the  March 2, 2013
benefit concert.
Photo by Steve Parelli

On March 2, 2013, Rev. Steve Parelli and Jose Ortiz of Other Sheep were the honored guests of a benefit concert put on by the SUNY (State University of New York) Geneseo faculty and students, and guest artists Rochester Gay Men’s Chorus.

 

Sam Colbert, the SUNY student who led in organizing the event, in an interview with Geneseo’s student newspaper The Lamron, reported that the proceeds of the benefit concert will go towards Other Sheep’s book distribution in Uganda.  Other Sheep distributes The Children Are Free, a scholarly lay-person’s guide to what the Bible does and does not say about homosexuality.

 

Colbert told The Lamron, “I think it’s a really interesting project because it’s targeting a social root of the issues. “  He added, “You can’t affect change politically if you can’t affect change socially and vice versa. I think it’s really important to change people’s minds on a social level.”
 

From the event poster, by
artwork designer Raymond Ferreira,
SUNY student

 

"We've made a lot of progress in the gay rights movement [in the United States]," Colbert told The Lamron.  "We don't really focus on international issues as much and I think it's still important . . . especially in countries where it's illegal to be gay . . . to focus our attention there."

 

Assistant professor of music Pamela Kurau, who performed at the concert, help Colbert with organizing the Saturday eveing 8 p.m. benefit concert.

 

Held in the Wadsworth Auditorium of the Geneseo SUNY (State University of New York) campus, the benfit concert was preceded by a 4:30 p.m. lecture, also held in the Wadsorth Auditorium, delivered by Luzau Balowa, chairperson of African Rights Activists Group, a Nevada/Washington DC based organization.  Balowa, according to The Lamron, was incarcerated in the Congo and in Uganda for his pro-LGBT activism.  

 

Equality Uganda at Geneseo SUNY.  Left to right:  Rev. Steve Parelli of
Other Sheep, assistant professor of music Pamela Kurau,
organizer of the event Sam Colbert, Jose Ortiz of Other Sheep,
and Luzau Balowa of African Rigts Activists Group

The two events, the Balowa lecture and the benefit concert for Other Sheep, were billed “Equality Uganda” and was sponsored by the Provost’s Office, Music Department, Women’s Studies Department, Office of International Programs, Black Student Union Pride, and Pride Alliance.

 

The SUNY Geneseo campus is situated in western New York state, south of Rochester.

 

 

SUNY (State University of New York) Students Hear Other Sheep Presentation

At an Other Sheep presentation on LGBT Christians in Kenya and Uganda, SUNY (Statue University of New York) students of Geneseo hear an activist lawyer comment on how “human rights” is not grasped in developing countries where the Bible is believed to be the final authority in all things

by Rev. Stephen Parelli

Executive Director, Other Sheep

Bronx, NY

March 4, 2013

Rev. Parelli speaks on why "religion" is so important to the work of human rights for LGBT people in countries like Uganda
 

Rev. Stephen Parelli,  Executive Director of Other Sheep, speaking on the topic of religion and homosexuality in Uganda, told a group of thirty plus students attending the Pride Alliance February 28 meeting at State University of New York (SUNY) at Geneseo in western New York, that the rational for Other Sheep could be found in a quote taken from Religion, Conflict and Democracy in Modern Africa (2012):  “. . . what you fellows don’t understand is that you must get at a man through his religion and not yours” (emphasis is Parelli’s from his PowerPoint presentation).

Parelli, quoting from Gerrie ter Haar’s How God Became African (2009), said “The extreme attention to the Bible as the authoritative and infallible word of God is another notable point of distinction between African Christians and most of their Western counterparts.”   Parelli was quick to note, however, that according to Mark Noll, The New Shape of World Christianity, a “key mark of evangelicalism,” whether in the United States or Africa, is “the Bible as ultimate religious authority.”  Parelli remarked that the book The Children Are Free, the book that Other Sheep distributes which is on what the Bible does and does not say about homosexuality, addresses the topic of homosexuality from the evangelical perspective, that is, that the Bible is the final authority in all that it addresses, and therefore speaks to the African through his religion.

Following Parelli’s presentation, a local activist lawyer from Rochester, who presented briefly about a film he is making on a developing country and homophobia, commented that “human rights” is not a principle that developing countries recognize when talking about equality for gays.  Instead, he said, you must talk to them about what God is or is not saying, referencing the Bible.  What God may or may not say about homosexuality trumps any idea of human rights, according the lawyer.  The activist lawyer went on to say that the ministry of Other Sheep, in countries like Uganda, is exactly what is needed.

David Kato (left) with Steve Parelli, Uganda, 2007.

Parelli commented that “liberty of conscience” addresses the idea of human rights in the specific context of religion, that is, that each person is at liberty to follow the dictates of his or her own heart in the matter of what the Bible does or does not say about homosexuality without the interference of the state or church.  Parelli commented that David Kato, when learning about “liberty of conscience” for the first time in a discussion with Parelli, asked Parelli, “Where can I get more information about liberty of conscience.”

Parelli’s presentation focused on Other Sheep’s work in Uganda and Kenya since 2007.  Other Sheep, which began in 1992 in Latin America, is an ecumenical Christian organization that empowers LGBT people of faith worldwide.  Parelli became Executive Director of Other Sheep in 2005 and since then, with his husband Jose Ortiz, has visited countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Jill McPherson and Sam Colbert of SUNY Geneseo Pride Alliance invited Parelli to speak to the SUNY students in conjunction with his being on campus as the honored guest of the March 2nd benefit concert for Other Sheep.

 

Talking Points

Talking Points What you need to know and say when they say: “But the Bible clearly condemns homosexuality!” Compiled and written* by Rev. Stephen Parelli June, 2012, Bronx, New York   For this paper in word document format, click here

*Throughout this paper, the writing presented here is largely, but not entirely, in the words of the authors cited in brackets with some alterations in some instances, and in some cases the statement attributed to the author is actually a paraphrase or summary statement of what the author, cited in brackets, wrote.

Introduction

This paper is a digest (in kind) of what some theologians, scholars and other notables have written on the Bible passages traditionally used to condemn homosexuals: Genesis 19; Lev. 18 and 20; Romans 1; I Cor. 9 and I Tim. 1; and Jude 7.

The intended use of this paper is to provide “talking points” that serve to support the proposition stated under each of the six topics presented. The outline is in four parts and is repeated per text(s) discussed: (1) Topic (heading), (2) In Point of Fact (stated proposition), (3) Talking Points (in support of the stated proposition) and (4) Conclusion (summary).

The object of this paper is to equip the reader (or, seminar participant as the case may be) with “talking points” so that he or she can succinctly speak in support of each In Point of Fact.

Contents 

Topic #1: The erroneous use of the word “sodomite(s)” in the 1611 King James Bible (KJV; also known as the AV – Authorized Version)

 

Topic #2: “The Gen. 19 notorious story of Sodom and Gomorrah [is] irrelevant to the topic” of homosexuality

 

Topic #3: Modern Bible versions that use the word “homosexual(s)” or “homosexuality” in its translation of I Cor. 6:9 and I Tim. 1:10 are “driven more by ideological interests in marginalizing gay and lesbian people” than by scholarship

 

Topic #4: Romans 1, probably the passage most often used to condemn homosexuals, isn’t about homosexuality

 

Topic #5: Once the context is understood, it is clear that Lev. 18:22 and 20:13 – that a man should not lie with a man – is not a blanket condemnation of homosexuality

 

Topic #6: The reference in Jude 7 to Sodom and Gomorrah “going after strange flesh” is perhaps best understand in light of a first century legend

 

Books and Web Sites Cited

 

This paper was first presented in Kampala, Uganda, in July of 2012, by the author, at two separate conferences. Copies of the paper were made available to conference attendees

'Liberty of Conscience' is Focus of Kampala Other Sheep Conference

By Rev. Stephen Parelli
Kampala, Uganda
July 12, 2012

A local pastor who attended the recent two-day Kampala conference on "Religious Freedom in the Context of Theological Diversity and Human Sexuality" told the attendees that he was especially impacted by the workshops on 'Liberty of Conscience.' The pastor said that in spite of the contemporary alternative view, as taught by the presenters, that Sodom and Gomorrah is about inhospitality, social oppression and rape, and not, therefore, a condemnation of gay love, he still believes the Biblical destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is a condemnation of all gays. The pastor went on to say, however, that because of 'Liberty of Conscience' he now understands it is not parliament's place to write anyone's religious views or interpretation of 'Sodom and Gomorrah' or any part of the Bible into civil law.

The workshops on 'Liberty of Conscience' covered the origins of religious freedom in the West with an emphasis on 17th century Roger Williams' teaching on 'Liberty of Conscience' and its development and practice in the British colonies in America, and its present day application to Uganda. Rev. Stephen Parelli of Other Sheep, the workshop presenter, said the single greatest contribution of the 17th century to the advancement of human rights was the teaching of 'Liberty of Conscience.' Rev. Parelli said human rights cannot be sustained without 'Liberty of Conscience.'

In reference to Barak Obama's support for gay marriage, Rev. Parelli, citing a quote from Obama's book The Audacity of Hope, said Obama understands and supports the concept of 'Liberty of Conscience.' Obama, said Parelli, wrote: "Our argument [over gay marriage] is less about what is right, [and more] about who makes the final determination - whether we need the coercive arm of the state to enforce our values, or whether the subject is one best left to individual conscience and evolving norms."

Quoting again from Obama's book, Parelli said Obama sees the evangelicals in America today as out of touch with the evangelicals of 18th century America who understood the separation of church and state and wrote it into the Bill of Rights. Parelli said the evangelicals in America and the evangelicals in Uganda have both set aside the principle of 'Liberty ofConscience' and are using the government to make their religious beliefs the laws of parliament. Parelli said the Iowa Supreme Court's 2009 decision in favor of gay marriage discusses at length the unconstitutionality of the use of religious ideologies as the basis or motive for arguing for anti-gay legislation.

Other Sheep Coordinator Mr. Jose Ortiz, speaking on "A Theology and Ethics for Human Sexuality" said discrimination against sexual minorities thrives when all males must prove their manhood, and when all people in general must prove their worth.

Attendees in the workshops on "Talking Points (What you need to know and say when they say: 'But the Bible clearly condemns homosexuality!)," interacted with the presenters and one another in lively discussions around the paper "Talking Points."

Copies of the papers on 'Liberty of Conscience' and "Talking Points" were made available to conference attendees.

A complimentary copy of the book The Children Are Free: Reexamining the Biblical Evidence on Same-sex Relationships was presented to each attendee.

The conference, held on July 6 and 7 in the greater area of Kampala, was initiated, organized and sponsored by Uganda Victim Support Organization a faith-based NGO of Uganda. 31 people, including clergy, lay leaders, and human rights activists attended the conference.

Introducing St.Paul’s Reconciliation and Equality Centre of Uganda

Posted by Rev. Steve Parelli, May 21, 2012

by The Rt. Rev. Dr. D. C. Senyonjo.

Executive Director /Founder and Head of Mission

from the St. Paul's Reconciliation and Equality Centre website

Bishop Senyonjo, Uganda

On May 14th, 2001, after counseling couples and people with human sexuality concerns since 1998, I wrote a document entitled MINISRTY OF RECONCILIATION. My church to which I belong , the CHURCH OF UGANDA ,missed out on my call to the marginalized people: What was demanded of me was to condemn them , But I believed my call was to help the oppressed (LUKE;4:18) and to include and be hospitable to the Marginalized (GAL;3:28).

To this day as a bishop who was diocesan for 24 years (1974-1998), I believe that am called to bring Straight and GAY people together in alliance. What is needed , is to talk and understand each other in the spirit of compassion. Any draconian laws are destructive and against humanity itself, when they target to eliminate the marginalized people who would need protection by the law.

Therefore, St. Paul’s Reconciliation and Equality Centre is to foster programs and activities to alleviate the suffering women, the poor, and the marginalized and discriminated people in our country Uganda.

Brutal Murder of Gay Ugandan Human Rights Defender, David Kato

For Immediate Release: Wednesday, 26 January 2011
Press Release by Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG)

Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) and the entire Ugandan Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Intersex Community stands together to condemn the killing of David Kato and call for the Ugandan Government, Civil Society, and Local Communities to protect sexual minorities across Uganda.

David was brutally beaten to death in his home today, 26 January 2011, around 2pm. Across the entire country, straight, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex Ugandans mourn the loss of David, a dear friend, colleague, teacher, family member, and human rights defender.

David has been receiving death threats since his face was put on the front page of Rolling Stone Magazine, which called for his death and the death of all homosexuals. David's death comes directly after the Supreme Court of Uganda ruled that people must stop inciting violence against homosexuals and must respect the right to privacy and human dignity.

Sexual Minorities Uganda and the Ugandan Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Intersex Community call on the Police and the Government of Uganda to seriously investigate the circumstances surrounding David's death. We also call on religious leaders, political leaders and media houses to stop demonizing sexual minorities in Uganda since doing so creates a climate of violence against gay persons. Val Kalende, the Chair of the Board at Freedom and Roam Uganda stated that "David's death is a result of the hatred planted in Uganda by U.S Evangelicals in 2009. The Ugandan Government and the so-called U.S Evangelicals must take responsibility for David's blood!"

As United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon recently declared, "I understand that sexual orientation and gender identity raise sensitive cultural issues. But cultural practices cannot justify any violation of human rights. . . . When our fellow humans are persecuted because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, we must speak out. . . . States bear the primary responsibility to protect human rights advocates. I call on all States to ensure the freedom of expression and the freedom of assembly that make their work possible. When the lives of human rights advocates are endangered, we are all less secure. When the voices of human rights advocates are silenced, justice itself is drowned out."

David's life was cut short in a brutal manner. David will be deeply missed by his family and friends, his students, and Human Rights organizations throughout Uganda and around the world. Speaking about what the death of David means in the struggle for equality, Frank Mugisha, the Executive Director of Sexual Minorities Uganda said, "No form of intimidation will stop our cause. The death of David will only be honored when the struggle for justice and equality is won. David is gone and many of us will follow, but the struggle will be won. David wanted to see a Uganda where all people will be treated equally despite their sexual orientation."

Burial arrangements are underway for Friday 28, 2011 at 2PM at his ancestral home in Namataba, Mukono District.

Press contacts:
Frank Mugisha: +1 646 436 1858
Email. fmugisha@sexualminoritiesuganda.org

Val Kalende: +1 857-247-1184
Email. kalendenator@gmail.com

Pepe Julian: +256 772 370 674
Email. jpepe@sexualminoritiesuganda.org

From The New York Times: "National Prayer Breakfast Draws Controversy" (over Uganda); and Other Sheep's vital interest in Uganda

Following is an Excerpt of The New York Times article "National Prayer Breakfast Draws Controversy"

"The objections are focused on the sponsor of the breakfast, a secretive evangelical Christian network called The Fellowship, also known as The Family, and accusations that it has ties to legislation in Uganda that calls for the imprisonment and execution of homosexuals.

The Family has always stayed intentionally in the background, according to those who have written about it. In the last year, however, it was identified as the sponsor of a residence on Capitol Hill that has served as a dormitory and meeting place for a cluster of politicians who ran into ethics problems, including Senator John Ensign, Republican of Nevada, and Gov. Mark Sanford, Republican of South Carolina, both of whom have admitted to adultery."

Above photo, left to right:  Bishop Carlton Pearson, Moses of Uganda, Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, February 2, 2010, The American Prayer Hour press conference, Washington, DC. Photo by Steve Parelli

Other Sheep is a sponsor of The American Prayer Hour.

Other Sheep is vitally interested in the Anti-Homosexuality Bill of Uganda.  Other Sheep has had a presence in Uganda since 2008 with  the creation of Other Sheep Uganda by Ugandan participants of an all-day seminar on the Bible and homosexuality.  Other Sheep Uganda is led by Chairperson  WAMALA DENNIS denkross@yahoo.com.  You can read his blog at Denkross' Life in Uganda. 

Other Sheep first visited Uganda in 2007.  The R. Rev. Bishop (Anglican) noted the Other Sheep visit indirectly by writing " . . . the sexual minority people whom some other sympathizers call the other sheep,"  Homosexuality:  Perspectives from Uganda, 2007, p15.

Other Sheep East Africa website is a feature of  the Other Sheep website.

Above photo: Jose Ortiz, Coordinator for Africa, teaching a seminar in Kisumu, Kenya, 2008, just days following the seminar given in Kampala, Uganda

Other Sheep works worldwide for the full inclusion of LGBT people of faith within their respective faith traditions by connecting people with people and people with resources. 

Moses of Uganda says thanks "Steve and Other Sheep" at The American Prayer Hour press conference

by Rev. Steve Parelli
Bronx, New York

Photo Below:  Moses of Uganda with paper bag to hide identidy with Rev. Steve Parelli, Other Sheep Executive Director;
The American Prayer Hour press conference, The National Press Club, Washington, DC, February 2, 1010

Yesterday, at the press conference at The National Press Club in
Washington, DC where key religious leaders announced the
formation of The American Payer Hour, Moses of Uganda, in his

address, publicly thanked "Steve and Other Sheep."

What is the link between Moses and Other Sheep? Moses is an
example of Other Sheep's motto at work: "...connecting people
with people and people with resources..."

Last fall (2009), Moses was sponsored to come to the USA for a
conference related to his work. That trip became his opportunity
to seek asylum in America as a gay Ugandan.

When he arrived in the USA he phoned me, and told me his story
and his desire to not return to Uganda.

Steve put Moses in touch with Emmanuel Kamau who is Other
Sheep co-Coordinator for Africa. Emmanuel is from Nairobi,
Kenya. Not too long ago, Emmanuel received asylum in the USA. He is now working full time, earning a living in Texas where he
resides. Emmanuel housed Moses and put him in touch with
organizations that could help Moses with asylum.

Yesterday, listening to Moses speak, I was transported back to
our (Jose and me) two summers in East Africa (2007 and 2008).
Hearing Moses' voice was like hearing the many, many stories of  LGBT East Africans during our travels. His narrative was the familiar for me. I was at home listening to him. Following the press conference he greeted me with a tight embrace, his arms wrapping tightly around me. I felt his thankfulness in that hug, a kind of "I've-been-rescued-thank-you-for-your-part" hug.

At lunch, I asked Moses how he first heard of Other Sheep. He said he was doing a search for Metropolitan Community Church on the Internet while still in Uganda and came across Other Sheep.

After lunch, Moses, Mike Nichols (a friend of Moses who drove Moses to and from the press conference, a two/three day trip) and I drove around DC visiting some of the sites.

They dropped me off at Union Station around 6:30 PM. I took the 188 NE back to New York City, returning the way I came earlier that day. It had been a long, wonderful, memorable day, meeting
at last, in person, Moses, a Ugandan whom Other Sheep had a small part in helping. I say a small part, but to Moses, that phone call he received from Other Sheep in response to his urgent email to me was, at the time, his life line.

Can Rev Tim Keller of NYC Redeemer Church (PCA) have it both ways? Can he be considered a true Christian and ostracize gays? Not if he listens to himself.

by Rev. Stephen Parelli, Other Sheep Executive Director, Bronx, NY

[Recently, Tim Keller's statements on homosexuality as reported by Joseph Hooper in the New York News & Features, Nov 29, 2009,  became the subject of on-going back-and-forth comments over the Internet during the weeks that followed the article's publication. Tim Keller is pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church (PCA) in New York City and author of the New York Times Bestseller, The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism. * * * *  Personally, in 1997, as a gay evangelical Christian in reparative therapy with Dr. Joseph Nicolosi, I attended a couple sessions of Redeemer's church-sponsored support group for dealing with issues around human sexuality. You can see my paper on my personal experience and evaluation of reparative therapy on the Other Sheep website.]


In his 2001 statement on "The Need for a 'Missional' Church," Tim Keller wrote that when "Christendom" dominated society, culture incorporated certain Christian morals [such as sex only in marriage and the condemnation of same-sex sex – Keller's own examples]. He goes on to say, the problem with "Christiandom" is that it is "morality without gospel-changed hearts" ["changed hearts" is the essence of true evangelical conversion, or true Christianity]. 

Keller asserts it was "Christiandom" over the centuries and not true Christianity that

"often led to cruelty and hypocrisy. Think how the small town in 'Christendom' [wrongly] treated the unwed mother or the gay person [for lack of a 'gospel-changed heart']. Also, under 'Christendom' the church was silent against abuses of power of the ruling classes over the weak."

It would appear to me, then, that Uganda, an evangelical country by all accounts (see Miranda K. Hasset, Anglican Communion in Crisis; see Mark A Noll, The Shape of World Christianity), is pseudo-evangelical, not having that essential evangelical mark-of-conversion, a "changed-heart." As per Tim Keller's descriptive example of the real, genuine evangelical Christian heart, Ugandans, if truly converted, would not treat gay Ugandans with the "cruelty and hypocrisy" of execution and life imprisonment, as their current Anti-Homosexulaity bill provides, and similarly would not be "silent against abuses of power of the ruling classes over the weak [in this case, the marginalized homosexuals]." Evidently, according to Tim Keller's overview of Western church history as "changed-hearts" verses unchanged-hearts, Uganda has never been converted to true Christianity, and is, instead, a product of mere "Christiandom."

So then, being consistent with Tim Keller's example of "cruelty and hypocrisy" towards a "gay person" as indicative of the unbeliever, it would appear that in our own part of the world, as in Uganda, evangelicals fail at true conversion. Many evangelical gay Christians, here in the United States, have suffered "cruelty and hypocrisy" within their own evangelical families, churches, schools and colleges.

The Ugandan brand of evangelical "cruelty and hypocrisy" is but one kind of brand of "cruelty and hypocrisy." Here in America, the evangelical "cruelty and hypocrisy" is ostracism. David G. Myers and Letha Dawson Scanzoni, in their book What God Has Joined Together: The Christian Case for Gay Marriage, show how ostracism is an "emotional abuse" and "a terrible, terrible weapon to use," whether by society-at-large (civil unions, a form of ostracism) or smaller unites like familes and churches (family reunions and holidays denied a gay family member; opportunities of service denied, or excommunication of the gay church member).  

Marc Adams, in his book The Preacher's Son, shows how a gay student at Jerry Falwel's school, upon dismissal for being gay and acting upon it, committed suicide when his church and family totally ostracized him. Marc Adams lays the blame of the suicide squarely at the feet of Liberty University for failing to counsel the parents or pastor against ostracism prior to dispelling the student.

Again, according to Tim Keller, none of this "cruelty and hypocrisy" of ostracism should be happening within the evangelical world, not if they've really had a "changed heart." And that's just what my non-evangelical gay Christian friends tell me: "How is that Christianity?" I guess evangelical Tim Keller would agree with them.

And so then, who is Christian? What is Christianity? Who needs a change of heart? Evangelicals in Uganda and America? Or, is there even really such a thing as a "change of heart" evangelical-gospel-wise-speaking? Or, is it more about enlightenment, and our common humanity that calls us to consider our actions as just or unjust towards one another, gay or straight? Is that the good news? Is the situation more about our lack of understanding cultural norms and social conditioning, that hinder and hold us back? What really drives us in one direction or the other? Keller's evangelical "gospel-changed hearts" doesn't seem to be working. Not in Uganda, not at Jerry Falwel's university, and not in the untold stories of the silenced minority of evangelical gays who suffer "cruelty and hypocrisy" at the hands of their own God-fearing parents, siblings, churches and schools.

Does President Museveni of Uganda and his wife's Christian beliefs justify, for him, his criminal hate-acts against homosexuals?

By Rev. Steve Parelli, Bronx, NY

Mark A Noll, in his new book The Shape of World Christianity, has a chapter on "The East African Revival" in which he states "the current Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni was deeply touched as a young man by the East African revival, and his wife, Janet, remains identified with evangelical causes" [page 182].

It can now be said, that in Uganda at least, "revival" and "evangelical causes" equate the death sentence for homosexuals who meet certain conditions, unless the president of Uganda and his wife go on record as denouncing the bill. Not likely. Museveni has a long record of hate-speech against LGBT people.

As early as 1998, "President Yoweri Museveni made several strong antihomosexuality public statements." Again, in 1999, he "spoke out strongly, calling for the police to find and arrest, and jail homosexuals" [Anglican Communion in Crisis, by Miranda K. Hassett, page 84, 85; interestingly enough, the author further states on page 85 that "The Anglican archbishop of Uganda proclaimed his full support for Museveni's antigay position."].

I've often asked myself if the Old Testament stories from the King James Bible may have shaped Museveni's image of himself as president of Uganda. Is he modeling himself after the Old Testament king who, heroically and unlike his father-king before him, "took out of the land" "the remnant of the sodomites"? [Sodomites is an unfortunate abusive rendering of the Hebrew text here which should more accurately be translated 'male or female temple prostitute;' the Hebrew word sodomite is not in the text (I Kings 22:46, KJV).] Does Museveni emulate this heroic Biblical king who put-out-of-the-land-the-sodomites [i.e., temple prostitutes] as an example to follow?

It could easily be so, after all, President Yoweri Museveni "was deeply touched" by the East African revival and his wife "remains identified with evangelical causes" (Mark A. Noll). Evangelicalism and the literal reading and high veneration of the Bible, such as daily Bible readings, scripture memorization, and Bible preaching, are one and the same.

This evangelical excessive love for the Word of God can border on bibliolatry which is the worship of the Bible (although evangelicals would deny they ever worship the Bible). When this is the case (which happens, at times, with evangelicals on a subconscious level, I would argue), instead of a Trinity, an evangelical would now have a Quad-unity, with the Bible as the fourth person of the Godhead.

I would suggest that this is the present probable evangelical spirit in Uganda where the spirit of love and toleration towards a people-group defined by a different sexual orientation is axed by a spirit of hate and legalism which are justified enough, for religious Ugandans, by the reduction of the Bible to mere black ink on white paper (for example, "the Bible clearly says"), and thus, ironically, the elevation of the Bible to the status of a god (bibliolatry, by which one can now justify the execution of homosexuals). All this hate, grounded in a type of idolatry as I have opinioned, is the by-product of the work of zealous Bible-believing evangelical missionaries and the historic East African revival.

The sad part - in the supposed case of President Museveni modeling his presidency after the afore mentioned Old Testament king - is this: the King James Bible (if that is the version he uses, which was, no doubt, the version originally brought to Uganda) utterly fails him here by its erroneous translation. (In Rwanda, during our 2008 seminar, where we had the Bible in the language of the people, the same error in translation was noted. Evidently, in the Rwandan language, the translation was brought over from the King James Bible word sodomite and not from the Hebrew text temple prostitute.)

Queer Christians are partial towards another model to emulate -- the one who said to those of his society who marginalized certain people groups by openly treating them as less than and unwelcome, "Love thy neighbor as thyself" and "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

Perhaps the gift queer people bring to the world at this time is this: the need to learn to love those who are seen as different and as not belonging to society. Would the world could learn to love like this.

So, What Purpose is Driving Rick Warren? Here's a clue: Newsweek reports Rick Warren refuses to denounce the Ugandan Anti-Homosexulaity bill

By Rev. Steve Parelli, Bronx, NY

This week I received an email from a Christian in Uganda asking for study materials to give to a pastor who is asking questions about the Bible and homosexuality. I sent him the link to the material we presented in Kampala in 2008 at our full day seminar on the Bible and homosexuality attended by 40 plus gay Christians.

Rick Warren is at the opposite end of the spectrum of the work Other Sheep performs. Other Sheep presents information on homosexuality and the Bible from a scholarly approach and shows how scripture does not condemn mutually committed same-sex relationships.

Evidently, Rick Warren is of the opinion that his religion is the only religion that should be discussed in Uganda - after all, according to a Newsweek article, he has refused to denounce the Anti-Homosexuality bill which, among other things, would have zero tolerance for any speech seen as promoting homosexuality. Under this bill Rick Warren could return to Uganda and say whatever he wanted to about homosexuality. Other Sheep could not. So much for free speech in Uganda. So much for Rick Warren's sense of American fairness, free speech and the scholarly pursuit of Biblical studies. So, what purpose is driving Rick Warren?  I think we know. 

Columnist David Gibson discusses the question If Uganda Executes Gays, Will American Christians be Complicit?  Well, at least one American has already shown himself complitict - Rick Warren.

Photo:  Monument to Uganda's Independence, Kampala, Uganda.  By Steve Parelli

Society of Biblical Literature member charges religious publisher with anti-gay hate speech

Blatant hate speech against homosexuals in Zondervan's Africa Bible Commentary cited at Society of Biblical Literature 2009 Annual Meeting

Panel respondant reports churches in South Africa "are hungry" to know what the Bible realy says about homosexuality
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISANNA - November 23, 2009

by Rev. Steve Parelli, Other Sheep Executive Director

The African Biblical Hermeneutics Section of the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) featured a paper today at the SBL annual meeting centered around the "Lot and Abraham Story" from the Africa Bible Commentary (Zondervan, 2006). The respondent to the paper, Gerald O. West of Kwa-Zulu Natal University, in his remarks, made a brief reference to the Africa Bible Commentary's featured article entitled "Homosexuality," found in the Romans section of the single volume commentary, to illustrate how the "Lot and Abraham Story" of the Africa Bible Commentary is predisposed to the evangelical anti-homosexual position.

During the open discussion that followed the papers, Rev. Steve Parelli, Executive Director of Other Sheep, said the publisher, Zondervan, was guilty of "hate speech" against homosexuals. Parelli said the Zondervan Africa Bible Commentary article quotes uncritically a so-called common-enough view held in Africa that "homosexuals are worse than beasts." The Africa Bible Commentary article further states, said Parelli, that "the Anglican Church in Africa has rejected Bishop Tutu's call for tolerance and acceptance of homosexuals." Parelli said, because the Africa Bible Commentary article links, uncritically, the two statements that "homosexuals are worse than beasts" and that "the Anglican Church rejected Tutu's call for tolerance" that the article is hate speech against homosexuals, that the evangelical Nigerian author of the article, because he is uncritical of the quotes he uses, owns the quotes as his own viewpoint.

Parelli said Rick Warren of the United States, John Stott of England, and Douglas Carew of Nairobi, Kenya, have all endorsed the Africa Bible Commentary.

Parelli, citing Uganda as an evangelical country, tied the evangelical view of homosexuality to the current criminal Anti-Homosexuality Bill of Uganda that calls for the death sentence and life imprisonment of homosexuals who meet certain conditions.

Another attendant of the SBL session, sitting at the rear of the room, who did not identify himself when he spoke and who left early, thanked the audience for their comments on the Africa Bible Commentary and said that the "insensitivities" of the Africa Bible Commentary as noted in this meeting would be taken into consideration. Apparently, from his remarks, the gentleman is somehow associated with Zondervan, but that notion was not confirmed.

West, in his final reply to the audience as the respondent, thanked Parelli for his comments on the Africa Bible Commentary and related his own disappointments with the volumn. In addition, West gave an account of how religious groups within South Africa are forming meetings around the study of the issue of homosexuality and the church in Africa in order to discuss seriously the Biblical texts traditionally associated with homosexuality. West said South Africans "are hungry" to really know, and not assume, what the Bible does and does not say about homosexuality especially in light of the very really present situation that their

South African constitution provides for the right of same-sex marriage.

Robert Wafula, Drew University, and Robert Wafawanaka, Virginia Union University, each gave a paper and West responded to each paper separately. Elelwani Farisani, University of South Africa, presided. In 2008, Parelli and his same-sex spouse, Jose Ortiz, conducted Other Sheep seminars on the Bible and homosexuality in Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda.

Ford Foundation program officer tells Ugandan Civil Society Coalition that Other Sheep helps liberate sexual minorities through Bible interpretation

Reporting: Dennis Wamala, Other Sheep Uganda Chairperson, Kampala, Uganda.
October 28 & November 4, 2009.

Dennis Wamala (photo at left), chairperson of Other Sheep Uganda, reports that the Civil Society Coalition on Human Rights and Constitutional Law meeting in Kampala "gave a special mention and thanked [Other Sheep] for the support it is providing during these trying times." In an email, Dennis says "Today (October 28, 2009) . . . the director of Akina Mama wa Africa - the organization spearheading the coalition - thanked Other Sheep." In a second email, Dennis says, "Today (November 4, 2009) . . . Willy Mutunga, program officer at the Ford Foundation Kenya expressed content [sic] with the work Other Sheep Kenya is doing. He said, 'Other Sheep has some very interesting interpretations of the Bible. This can be very useful in our struggle to liberate sexual minorities.' Willy also acknowledged the fact that he was aware that Rev. Michael Kimindu and John Makokha are working for Other Sheep in Kenya."

Other Sheep Press Announcement: PRA joins Other Sheep in calling on Rick Warren to denounce Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill

BRONX, NEW YORK
October 29, 2009
by Rev. Stephen R. Parelli, Other Sheep Executive Director

Political Research Associates (PRA), in an eNews they released yesterday calling on "Rick Warren to Denounce Proposed Antigay Law in Uganda," effectively joins Other Sheep in calling on evangelicals to stop the Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009. PRA reports: "In March 2008, U.S. evangelical leader Rick Warren told Ugandans that homosexuality is not a natural way of life and thus not a human right."

Other Sheep, in its eNews of October 19, called upon evangelicals Rick Warren (USA), John Stott (England), Douglas Carew (Kenya) and the Association of Evangelicals in Africa (AEA) to accountability for their part in inducing inhumane and hateful attitudes of Africans towards homosexual Africans.

On January 6 and on October 19 of this year, Other Sheep reported that an article on homosexuality in Africa Bible Commentary, published by AEA and endorsed by Warren, Stott and Carew, says homosexuals "are worse than beasts" and should not be tolerated; homosexuals are "abnormal, unnatural and a perversion." The article also asserts: no view on the morality of homosexuality other than the evangelical view is to be given consideration; the common denominator of same-sex sex is coercive sex; and to be homosexual is sinful. Africa Bible Commentary, published in 2006, is a commentary on the Bible by 70 African evangelical Bible scholars. The featured article on "Homosexuality" is authored by evangelical Nigerian Tusufu Turaki.

Other Sheep is an ecumenical Christian ministry that works worldwide to empower LGBT people of faith. Other Sheep Uganda, a committee made up of Ugandan lay leaders, was organized in 2008 for the purpose of distributing literature on the topic "What does the Bible really say about homosexuality?"

Correspondance with a Nairobi evangelical Bible teacher on issues that spring from the Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009

A letter in which it is shown that evangelicals in America and Africa, denying basic human rights, are courting the state in order to make laws and amend constitutions in order to limit same-sex relationships according to their evangelical take on the Bible.

Dear Steve of Other Sheep:

I am a vocal anti-homosexual activist. I am a Bible teacher from Nairobi, Kenya. I am able to show you from scripture why I believe you are wrong, and everyone like you. I can show you, from the Bible, what is the natural divine intention that God purposed in human sexuality. I do not support the execution of homosexuals anywhere in the world (a reference to the Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality bill of 2009). But I do believe this problem has a spiritual solution.

It was great knowing you, but I am sorry that our friendship cannot continue. I have removed you as a friend on Facebook. I will pray for your salvation. Our relationship must be an impersonal relationship. Please unsubscribe me from the Other Sheep eNews.

Pastor and Bible Teacher [name withheld], Nairobi, Kenya
Email dated Tuesday, October 27, 2009


Dear Pastor of Nairobi:

I believe we must build a society where my understanding of the Bible and your understanding of the Bible does not mean that I infringe upon your civil liberties, and that you infringe upon mine. Regarding the question of policing same-sex relationships (as in the Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009 and as in the amending of state constitutions in America), it is my opinion that evangelicals have become the new inquisition, the new archbishop that all must follow, the new state regime where the laws of the evangelical Bible are to be written into state constitutions. This is obviously true in America where the civil liberties of sexual minorities have been limited by amending state constitutions, won, in large part, by the efforts of evangelicals. The same can be demonstrated now in Uganda where evangelicals play a significant role in society and where the Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009 has been recently introduced.

The basic human right to believe according to the dictates of one's conscience without harassment from any religious or secular body, state or church, is being challenged today in America and Africa by the intersecting of the Bible, homosexuality, and society. In civil society, the citizen chooses freely to submit, or not submit, to the evangelical understanding of the Bible, or whatever the sectarian view. In a free society, the state does not impose upon its citizens an evangelical understanding of “the natural divine intention” of God.

Marriage is a civil institution. Not a religious institution. My civil right to a same-sex marriage does not infringe upon anyone’s civil right to an opposite-sex marriage. Why do evangelicals need to limit my civil rights in order for them to freely enjoy their civil rights? Why do evangelicals ask the state to restrict my options in marriage to that which is unnatural (that is, it is unnatural for me to marry the opposite-sex), while heterosexual evangelicals enjoy the state’s protection in marriage to what is natural for them? Should I not, naturally, be given the same right to marry according to my nature, too?

No homosexual, in order to enjoy the rights and privileges of marriage, should have to marry the opposite sex. That would be contrary to his or her nature and would serve only to disrupt the order of society where unnatural unions (homosexuals with heterosexuals) result in broken lives due to unfilled emotional and physical needs. How unnatural, therefore, for a homosexual to be joined in marriage with a heterosexual. How unnatural for intellectual society to reject a homosexual who would naturally refuse to marry a heterosexual.

The Reformation taught us this: The state must forever be the state. And the church must forever be the church. The one should not rule the other, directly or indirectly. What evangelicals may call unnatural in context of its own code of morality, the state may rightly call natural in terms of its moral responsibility to uphold the civil liberties of all, i.e., marriage between two consenting adults for all, not for some. The state and the church must be free to function without bowing to the other. Same-sex marriage is a civil question. Consenting same-sex adults, therefore, are not “worse than beasts” as Nigerian evangelical Yusufu Turaki gives credence to in his article on “Homosexuality” (page 1355, Africa Bible Commentary). Same-sex couples do naturally what opposite-sex couples do naturally: they make a life together. Both should be granted marriage and protection from the state.

At the very core of my being I am same-sex oriented, just like most evangelicals are opposite-sex oriented. I believe God smiles upon the joining together of two individuals who complete and complement one another. For a heterosexual evangelical to marry the opposite sex completes and complements him or her. For me to be married to my same-sex husband (August 25, 2008) completes and complements me. Ironically, in terms of sexual orientation, it is not opposites that attract, but sameness: heterosexuals attract heterosexuals and homosexuals attract homosexuals.

Evangelicals need to stop and back off and be the church again, allowing the state to be the state, both in Africa and in America. The evangelical church will actually win laurels from society, and rightly so, when they realize that same-sex marriage is a civil question and not a religious question and that LGBT people are a valid minority that need the same rights and protection under the law like any two heterosexual adults who consent to marriage.

Sincerely,

Rev. Steve Parelli
Other Sheep Executive Director
Metropolitan Community Church clergy
October 27, 2009. Bronx, NY

Open Letter to Dr. Douglas Carew vice chancellor of Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology

Other Sheep eNews containing Open Letter

Posted from the BRONX, NY, October 24, 2009.

The following is an Open Letter to Dr. Douglas Carew from John Doner, Other Sheep Latin America Coordinator

Dear Dr. Carew:

Do you believe homosexuals should be imprisoned for life? Do you believe homosexuals who repeatedly participate in same-sex activities should be put to death? Do you think persons who support lgbt organizations which simply are seeking their human rights should be put in prison?

I didn't think so, but such legislation is currently being considered in the Ugandan Parliament, the Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009. And evangelical Christians in Uganda are likely to be turning a deaf ear to such demonic, unChristian legislation, influenced by the Africa Bible Commentary which you endorsed in 2006. That commentary has an article on homosexuality, written by Yusufu Turaki. Turaki's article contains the following anti-homosexual remarks:

(a) Turaki's use of the words "abnormal, unnatural and a perversion" in reference to homosexuals; (b) his uncritical use of the quote that "homosexuals are worse than beasts" tied in with (c) his uncritical statement of the African Anglican church's rejection of Archbishop Tutu's call for tolerance, as well as (d) his one-sided account of African "coercive sexual relationships" as his example of "varied" African same-sex sex; (e) an uncritical censorship of all views of homosexuality that are not in keeping with his views ("Our views of homosexuality should not be derived from human sources but from the Word of God"), and (f) his expressed theological view that to be homosexual is sinful (a view not held by evangelicals in the West).

Turaki's article effectively dismisses the church from its responsibility to speak out against the violence in Africa against lgbt people (lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender). His article could be used by African evangelicals at this time as an argument for the endorsement of the Ugandan bill.

I am aware that, for the most part, evangelicals worldwide view same-sex sex between consenting adults as immoral. Nonetheless, I cannot believe that evangelicals can stand silently by and watch the Parliament of Uganda vote this inhumane bill into law, especially since evangelicals are so vehemently vocal on the issue of homosexuality.

Therefore, I urge you to openly denounce this bill and to state that Yusufu Turaki's inflexible and dogmatic article on "Homosexuality", in the Commentary that you endorsed, should not be misused by any evangelicals in Africa as an argument for the endorsement of the inhumane Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009.

In Christ's love,

John P. Doner
Latin America Coordinator
Other Sheep - Multicultural Ministries with Sexual Minorities
Mexico City
October 22, 2009

Tell Rick Warren, John Stott and Douglas Carew to tell the Association of Evangelicals in Africa (AEA) to Denounce the Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill

Other Sheep Press Announcement

BRONX, NEW YORK, USA. October 19, 2009
In an Other Sheep e-newsletter, Rev Stephen Parelli, Executive Director of Other Sheep, called upon evangelicals worldwide to tell the Association of Evangelicals in Africa (AEA) to denounce the Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009.

"Uganda is largely evangelical," Parelli said. "Uganda's hateful stance against homosexuals is very Bible based, so they think. Therefore, evangelicals worldwide cannot look on and watch the Parliament of Uganda enact laws against homosexuals that are, as this bill is, criminal, without speaking out. The evangelicals of Africa and from outside of Africa must address their fellow Christians of Uganda and tell them they must, in the name of God, stop this inhumane bill from becoming law."

The newsletter gives a sample letter to use and the contact information of the AEA Executive Board members and AEA Ethics, Peace and Justice Commission.

In addition, Rev. Parelli called upon Pastor Rick Warren of the United States, John Stott of England, and Douglas Carew of Kenya, all recognized evangelical leaders, to denounce the bill. "Warren, Stott and Carew," Parelli said, "have endorsed the 2006 widely acclaimed Africa Bible Commentary in which Nigerian religious leader Yusufu Turaki's featured Homosexuality article effectively dismisses the church from its responsibility to speak out against the violence in Africa against LGBT people (lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender). Turaki's article could be used by African evangelicals at this time as an argument for the endorsement of the Ugandan bill."

The Other Sheep newsletter provides contact information and a sample letter to Warren, Stott and Carew urging them to speak out against the bill.

Other Sheep is a multi-cultural ecumenical Christian organization that works worldwide for the full inclusion of LGBT people of faith within their respective faith traditions.

News article says new bill in Uganda means homosexuals will face death penalty

"I fear for Uganda, or any state, when the church, by how it acts, might as well be parliament, and parliament, by how it acts, might as well be the church." - Rev. Stephen R. Parelli

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Today by email, I received the above news article from a more recent contact in Uganda. The young gay man wrote that because of this bill in the parliment of Uganda he has decided finally to leave his country.

I ask: Where is the voice of the churches in Uganda, that voice that should be raising moral objections to this bill? I believe, sadly, you are hearing the voice of the churches in Uganda as you read this bill. Mary Nyangweso Wangila in her book Female Circumcision: The Interplay of Religion, Culture, and Gender in Kenya quotes John Mbiti as describing Africans as "notoriously religious" by explaining "Wherever the African is, there is his religion: he carries it to the fields where he is sowing seeds or harvesting a new crop; he takes it with him to the beer party or to attend a funeral ceremony; and if he is educated, he takes religion with him to the examination room at school or in the university; if he is a politician, he takes it to the house of parliament."

Some in the church need to arise and say to the church, "Wait! The Bible is not at all that clear on the topic of homosexuality. We have drawn our conclusions without doing our homework on the Biblical passages and we have, therefore, judged our brother perhaps without cause." Some in parliament need to arise and say to parliament, "Wait! We are in danger of making our laws on the basis of religious teaching rather than civil rights for all. Do we enact laws that copy ecclesiastical codes, or do we enact laws that protect the equality and justice of all?"

I fear for Uganda, or any state, when the church, by how it acts, might as well be parliament, and parliament, by how it acts, might as well be the church.

May God save the parliament of Uganda from this bill of civil injustice and social inequality.