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Christmas 2012 / January 2013
Jesus in Love Newsletter
LGBT spirituality and the arts
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In This Issue
Queer baby Jesus
Gay Nativity in Columbia
Nameless nude
John of the Cross
Pope blessing gay marriage?!
Christmas offering
A queer new year


glbt spirituality & arts
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Vision statement

Jesus in Love supports lesbian, gay, bi trans and queer  (LGBTQ) spirituality, with an emphasis on art and literature. It promotes artistic and religious freedom and teaches love for all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. It is based on these beliefs: God loves all people, including sexual minorities. The creative process is sacred. The queer visions, especially the gay Jesus and LGBT saints, will free people to experience the divine in new ways and lead to a more just world.

 

Jesus in Love was founded by lesbian Christian author Kittredge Cherry as her personal gift to the world.  

 

Dear ,
Merry Christmas

from Kittredge Cherry and Jesus in Love


Rainbow Star by Andrew Craig Williams



Love came down at Christmas,

Love all lovely, Love divine;

Love was born at Christmas;

Star and angels gave the sign.


-- Christina Rossetti, queer writer of carols and poetry


Have a merry Christmas, joyous Yule, happy Hanukkah, jolly Kwanzaa, wonderful Solstice or enjoy another mid-winter festival of your choice!  Soon the days will grow longer and the Bridge of Light will lead us to a new year.

(Credit: "Rainbow Star" by Andrew Craig Williams)
Queer baby Jesus comes out on billboard 
 Time for Jesus to come out billboard from St. Matthew-in-the-City  

A gay baby Jesus with a rainbow halo lights up a new billboard for an Anglican church in New Zealand.  "It's Christmas. Time for Jesus to come out," says the billboard. This year the church invited discussion on the sexual orientation of Jesus. More info

 

(Credit: Billboard by St. Matthew-in-the-City)

Gay Nativity in Columbia debated   Gay Nativity scene from Columbia

 

A gay Nativity display in Columbia was condemned by the national Catholic Church as "sacrilege" while thousands of Columbians criticized it on social media. A gay couple set up the manger scene with two Josephs in hopes of helping their country move toward marriage equality. More info 

Seeking the gospel's nameless nude
Stripped of Linen, Stripped of Lord by Eric Martin

 

Gay artist Eric Martin devoted himself to learning about and depicting the "naked young man" who ran away when Jesus was arrested in Mark's gospel. Scholars speculate that the nameless nude was the "beloved disciple" of Jesus -- and maybe even his gay lover. More info 

 

(Credit: Detail from "Stripped of Linen, Stripped of Lord" by Eric Martin)

John of the Cross: A gay soul's dark night

John of the Cross by Robert Lentz"The Dark Night of the Soul," a spiritual classic with homoerotic overtones, was written by 16th-century Spanish mystic Saint John of the Cross. Like other mystics, he used the metaphor of erotic love to describe his relationship with Christ. More info

 

More info in Spanish

 

(Credit: "Saint John of the Cross" by Robert Lentz)

 

Pope blessing a same-sex marriage?!

Pope blesses gay marriage in PowerShop billboard

The Pope blessing a gay marriage?! This startling image is the newest ad for a New Zealand power company. It points to a whole different kind of power: the sacred power of love to overcome religious bigotry.  

 

The two happy grooms make a handsome interracial couple as they exchange rings over an open Bible with a Papal blessing. More info 

 

(Credit: "Same power, different attitude" ad from PowerShop)

Christmas offering for Jesus in Love

Kittredge Cherry with Xmas message

I am collecting a Christmas offering to support my work at Jesus in Love for LGBT spirituality and the arts. I still need $646 for the annual budget.

 

Click here to give to my Christmas offering

Many thanks to the 8 people who gave $315 so far.
Greet the New Year with Bridge of Light 
Bridge of Light candles

Welcome the new year with Bridge of Light, a new winter holiday honoring LGBT culture. People celebrate Bridge of Light by lighting 6 candles, one for each color of the rainbow flag, on New Year's Eve - or one candle per day from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1. More info 

 

Click to see recent highlights from the Jesus in Love Blog:

 

Patron saints for straight allies of LGBT people:
Adele Starr of PFLAG and others

 

Queer Lady of Guadalupe: Artists re-imagine an icon

 

A Visit to Alma Lopez' art studio:
Finding lesbian saints, mermaids, revolutionaries and goddesses

December Poem: What If the Sea Told Us

 

Christmas favorites from years past

�Feliz Navidad! San Juan de la Cruz es el primer santo en mis nuevo blog en espa�ol Santos Queer:

San Juan de la Cruz: Noche Oscura del Alma Gay

I wish all the peace and joy of the season to you and your loved ones!

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Kittredge Cherry
Publisher, Jesus In Love Newsletter
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May Jesus, the Lover of our Souls,
 Fill Our Hearts
with an Abundance of Grace
 This Holy Season

Scott 'n Eric

 

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