Film Review: For the Bible Tells Me So
with Ken Wilber and David Riordan

Welcome to our second Future of Christianity documentary film review, featuring Ken Wilber and David Riordan. This week we are reviewing Daniel Karslake’s For the Bible Tells Me So, the winner of the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the Seattle International Film Festival, as well as a Sundance Film Festival selection.

A provocative documentary, For the Bible Tells Me So attempts to reconcile homosexuality and biblical scripture while exploring whether Church-sanctioned anti-gay bias might be based entirely upon a misinterpretation of the Bible's original text.

Dan offers this exploration through the experiences of five very normal, very Christian, very American families—including those of former House Majority Leader Richard Gephardt and the first openly gay Episcopal Bishop, Gene Robinson. We watch how these families of faith relate to the realization of having a gay child. This process is informed by such respected voices as Bishop Desmond Tutu, Harvard's Peter Gomes, and Orthodox Rabbi Steve Greenberg.

Dan’s stated intention with this film is to offer healing, clarity and understanding to anyone caught in the cross-hairs of Christian scripture and their sexual identity. Join us as we explore this film’s perspective on gay rights, same sex relationships and the role of the Christian church in today's world. [+more]

Homosexuality and Gay Rights. Part 1: Growing Up Gay
with Jeff Salzman and David Riordan
written by David Riordan

One night last summer, I attended one of Jeff’s Tuesday night presentations at Boulder Integral. At these gatherings, he takes a cultural topic and "workshops" it from an Integral perspective. For anyone interested in how an Integral perspective can enhance your understanding of current cultural themes, these events are a must-attend.

The topic of the night was homosexuality and gay rights. The current cultural dust-up around same-sex marriage has certainly made Gay Rights a hot topic, but what Jeff shared that night about his own journey as a gay man—and the immense personal value he found in taking an Integral perspective on an issue as complex as this one—was extremely powerful.

The notes I jotted down that night informed the questions I asked Jeff in this Integral Perspective piece. I think you will find, like I did, that Jeff’s candor, humor, and depth of inquiry into the topic of homosexuality and gay rights is an extremely moving and provocative assessment of the “future of love.” [+more]