To see this queering of the passage of Galatians chapter one in parallel format along side of the King James Version, click here |
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Dear Other Sheep Friend,
While returning home by bus from the National Equality March and reflecting on Galatians chapter 1, I queered the passage. When I was in my freshman year of Bible college (1971-1972), I had memorized most of Galatians to "battle" my same-sex attractions. Here, Galatians chapter 1 has become gay-friendly for me. What a difference that makes.
 Rev. Steve Parelli MCC Clergy
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To live as he lived
1 We who strive for the equal rights of LGBT people are sent ones - not because some pro-LGBT organization has enlisted us - but because Jesus Christ - his earthly ministry to the oppressed and marginalized - has called us to do, at this time, what he did then in his day. We are sent by him and the life-giving Creator with the good news of liberty for all. 2 We are not alone in this mission, for there are many with whom we work and who work with us. Now, it is to the churches at large in the United States that we write this letter. 3 We begin with this greeting: Grace and peace to everyone from God the Creator and from Jesus our Lord 4 who lived for the oppressed in society to such an extent that he died at the hands of those who hated his mission; he gave his life in the pursuit of delivering us from a world where men do evil to other men; he died for a just world for all - a world as God originally intended it to be. 5 For this sacrifice we give him the glory for ever and ever. Amen.
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That the church has mistaken the "good news" as something else
6 Dear churches in the United States: We are extremely surprised that you have removed yourself from this despised and rejected Jesus (this Jesus who has called you, as he has called us, into this freedom for all) unto another message of "good news" so-called 7 - which, to tell the truth, is not another message of the same kind, but another message of a different kind altogether. And by doing this - teaching this message of "a different kind" - you destroy the "good news" of liberty and justice for all the oppressed. |
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You see how important it is to keep the message in focus
8 Now, why would you want to do that? No, you would not wish to destroy the good news that has come to the marginalized of society even if an "angel from heaven" were to pretend that you should do so. Even if we ourselves, for some unknown reason, were to ask you to tell forth a message different than what we have been saying right along - that Jesus is the liberator of all the oppressed in society. If we were to change the "good news," than by all means tell us that we have corrupted the message. 9 You see how important the "good news" is. |
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We know what we are about
10 We are writing not because we need to persuade any one, or even God the Creator, of what we are about. Both men and God know: we are about the good news of setting the captive free, that is the marginalized - the despised and rejected of society. Obviously this is not about pleasing society which would keep the oppressed in their place. This is about being the servants of Christ by doing what he did. 11 Yes, indeed, this good news that Jesus came into the world to show us how to live for one another (which we do tell to everyone) is obviously - not at this time - the way of humanity (but it is "the way" of Jesus). 12 Society so often fails to model before us this message of good news, and therefore, we did not receive it from observing society or any institution, but instead learned it from observing Jesus, the one who teaches us to give to others the rights, privileges and freedoms we would grant ourselves. |
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Sadly, we have destroyed our own daughters and sons
13 Dear churches of the United States: You know, no doubt, that we, who are a part of you, were, like you presently are, persecutors of the marginalized - especially those who openly said they are gay or lesbian or bisexual or transgender. We, like you, persecuted them and destroyed them by our message that God rejected them, so much so that many of them committed suicide, or lived in despair and personal ruin - and these were our own daughters and sons in our own churches. |
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A religion of "living-by-the-Bible" for profit
14 We profited financially, religiously and politically in this religion-of-rejection, even above other institutions-of-oppression. And why did we profit so much? Because we were, like you still are now, living by the "traditions of our fathers" who gave us the "law" of Sodomy, and we said we were "Biblical" and we used that for our profit, being more zealous about this "living-by-the-Bible" than anyone else. |
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We have entered into this wonderful "calling" of reveling the rejected and despised Jesus
15 But God, even before we were born as it were, had his hand upon us, 16 that we would become messengers of his love for all the marginalized, by reveling in us his rejected and despised servant Jesus, who suffered for the oppressed, so that we would tell this good news of love to all those who know it not; - well, we gave it not a second thought, but immediately entered upon the work of preaching this good news. |
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A time to grow in knowledge; a time to speak out from that base of knowledge
17 Though we had this renewed awakening to the knowledge of who and what Jesus did for all, we did not immediately turn to those having religious authority; instead we entered into quiet places where we could think and learn and grow and understand better the what and how of this message of God's inclusive love which we had come to embrace; 18 and then after that, we went to some of the denominational seats of power, those we felt might have sympathy, and we spoke at first just with them, often hours at a time. 19 There were other religious leaders whom we felt (or at least hoped) would be sympathetic, but we did not at this time speak with them. 20 Everything I'm telling you is the truth. This is how it happened. |
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That the LGBT Christian might see Jesus, the friend of the oppressed
21 After speaking some with the recognized religious leaders about God's inclusive love, we turned to places where we knew LGBT Christians could be found. 22 These LGBT Christians had not yet seen us in person 23 but had heard about us that though the church had persecuted them for centuries in the name of God, there were those right now who were of the church preaching the faith of inclusion, a message that was formerly being destroyed. 24 And they gave praise to the Jesus they found in us. | |
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