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We believe the global rise of both secularism and fundamentalism leave
people searching for answers; our theologies can provide hope by
creating pathways through which people can bring their conversations and
questions about spirituality and God to the table. Creating a safe and
constructive place for people to engage in "God-talk" makes room for a
process where answers can be discerned, consensus can be achieved and
where individuals can be free to more fully experience the breath and
depth of God as God reveals God’s Self to God’s people.
Led by Chair Kharma Amos (Fairfax, Virginia), the MCC Theologies Team of
Belva Boone (Raleigh, North Carolina), Jim Burns (Denver, Colorado),
Skip Chasey (Los Angeles, California), Edgard Danielsen-Morales (New
York, New York), Axel Schwaigert (Stuttgart, Germany), and Mona West
(Sarasota, Florida) were supported by staff members Robert Griffin (Fort
Lauderdale, Florida) and Connie Meadows (Sarasota, Florida) and academic
advisers Bob Goss (North Hollywood, California) and Marcella
Althaus-Reid (Edinburgh, Scotland).
During four days of intensive meetings, the MCC Theologies Team drafted
a statement of purpose, brainstormed numerous topics of interest, and
discussed next steps. "It's exciting to be working with such a
theologically diverse team," Skip Casey said. "Our task is both exciting
and humbling, and as we prayerfully drafted our Statement of Purpose and
Guiding Principles, it was obvious that the Holy Spirit was already at
work. Such grace!"
In considering ways in which the work of the MCC Theologies Team can be
shared with the denomination, the Team expressed several possibilities,
including discussions at upcoming regional conferences, collecting and
disseminating theological resources, surveying the denomination, and
planning a theological conference for 2009. As a Team, we are clear that
our task is not to define what MCC’s theology is, but to encourage
and facilitate the process of engaging in "holy conversations."
Our time together was informative, instructive and inspiring and plans
are now underway for our next gathering in late 2008. "This meeting
reminded me of our potential as a movement to energetically explore the
many places where our unique theological imagination is needed in the
real world," said Kharma Amos. "I left feeling encouraged and optimistic
about the meaningful and dynamic conversations this team will facilitate
both within and outside of our larger body. The fact that we had so much
fun was a bonus!"
MCC Theologies Team Statement Of Purpose,
Core Values & Guiding Principles
Statement of Purpose
Put simply, "theology" is "God talk." Since our beginning, MCC has
been talking about God as we have claimed that one can be "gay" and
Christian. As MCC enters into its fifth decade, the need for theological
discussion, both within and outside of the church, has never been
greater. While language can never fully capture the mystery of God,
careful thinking and speaking about God can increase our
understanding.
Metropolitan Community Churches have always been ecumenical in
nature, drawing together people from diverse theological backgrounds. We
believe that our theological diversity is one of our greatest strengths.
In a world increasingly divided by claims of theological orthodoxy and
religious fundamentalism, our ability to intentionally engage our
differences within a context of unity is one of the God-given gifts we
have to offer the world. In a world increasingly bereft of hope due to
indifference and secularism, MCC bears witness to the life transforming
nature of God's inclusive love. Indeed, MCC's theological mission is to
tear down walls and build up hope.
Our founders began MCC's theological work in the early days of our
movement through the Faith Fellowship and Order Commission, which sought
to promote theological conversations within MCC and published "The Six
Questions" - core questions that dealt with the mission and ministry of
MCC. (See note at end of statement.) There is no time like the present
for MCC to be engaged in theological work. Because issues of sexuality
and spirituality continue to be debated in religious communities
worldwide, and because of the increasing interest in the academic study
of sexual identities, it is time to renew our call to articulate the
many theologies that are present in our experience as God's LGBT people
lived in shared community with our straight friends and allies.
The MCC Theologies Team seeks to create opportunities and provide
resources that will enable "holy conversations" within our denomination
about our various beliefs concerning the integration of sexuality and
spirituality, the nature of Jesus, baptism, communion, LGBT people's
unique place on the margins of society, and the priesthood of all
believers, among other things. Our experience in MCC is that theological
labels and characterizations can be hurtful and misleading. Our hope is
to build bridges across our theological differences and empower all
people to do theology.
This team will also strive to articulate the unique theologies of MCC
to the larger religious world, the academy, and our partners in social
justice and human rights action.
Core Values & Guiding Principles
MCC's Core Values As Articulated In MCC's Strategic Plan:
Inclusion - Love is our greatest moral value and
resisting exclusion is a primary focus of our ministry. We want to
continue to be conduits of faith where everyone is included in the
family of God, and where all parts of our being are welcomed at God's
table.
Community - Offering a safe and open community for
people to worship, learn and grow in their faith is our deep desire. We
are committed to equipping ourselves and each other to do the work that
God has called us to do in the world.
Spiritual Transformation - Providing a message of
liberation from the oppressive religious environment of our day or to
those experiencing God for the first time is what guides our ministry.
We believe that when people are invited to experience God through the
life and ministry of Christ, lives will be transformed.
Social Action - Working to talk less and do more, we
are committed to resisting the structures that oppress people and
standing with those who suffer under the weight of oppressive systems,
being guided always by our commitment to Global Human Rights.
Additional Guiding Principles:
"Priesthood of All Believers." We believe that the work of theology
belongs to the whole people of God and is not reserved for ordained
professional ministers. Both lived experience and theological education
are essential resources for this work.
"Sacredness of the Body." In many parts of Christian tradition, the
body has been ignored and denigrated, while other parts of the tradition
have been intentional about honoring the sacredness of embodiment. We
are committed to re-integrating sexuality and other forms of physical
experience with spirituality.
"No Talking About Us without Us." We aspire to include in our
theological conversations the people most directly affected by the work
we are doing. For example (and this is by no means a complete list), if
we are talking about people of color, people of color will be
participants in our conversation. If we are talking about HIV/AIDS, we
will actively seek out the personal testimony of people
infected/affected with HIV/AIDS. If we are talking about women, we will
prioritize the information we hear from women about their lived
experiences. If we are talking about transgender issues, we will include
transgender persons in our conversation. If we are addressing the
concerns of youth or the elderly, we will listen for the voices of
children and youth, or older people.
"Global Accountability." We are a global movement. We will include
people from around the world in our theological work. We are aware of
the cultural and contextual nature of all theologies.
"In the Margins, We are Blessed." We learn from the Biblical story of
salvation and our own experiences that God is profoundly present in the
margins. We commit ourselves to being attentive to where the margins are
as they shift according to history and context. We will be aware of the
privileges granted to people based on race, sex, gender, and physical
ability. We call ourselves to be accountable to the lived experience and
needs of society's most vulnerable and marginalized. The birth of MCC
resulted directly from our marginalization as queer people, and our
charisms as a movement flow from that experience.
"Personal Ability and Responsibility." As articulated in MCC's
strategic plan, "We believe in everyone's holy privilege to work out
their own salvation." We seek to empower every person to engage in
intentional theological reflection and discovery that flows from the
reality of their own experience of the divine mystery. We will listen to
and honor the convictions of one another, believing that we come to know
more about God and God's movement in the world through shared insights
than conclusions made in isolation. The willingness to live and worship
amidst the tensions of our differing theologies speaks to our desire to
encounter the mystery of God and transcends the need to be "right."
"Respect for Theological Diversity." MCC's vision statement proclaims
that "While we are a Christian church who follows Jesus, we respect
those of other faith traditions and work together with them to free all
those who are oppressed by hate, disregard, and violence." We recognize
and affirm that people have many different names for God and many
different paths to God that are as true for them as ours are for us.
This recognition does not require that we leave behind our own beliefs,
identities, or commitments.
"Theological and Practical Integration." We understand that theology
does not exist for its own sake. The fullest measure of our faithfulness
lies in how well we put our theologies into practice through our ethical
actions and in our relationships with ourselves and one another.
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THE SIX QUESTIONS
- What is Theology? How does it relate to the Christ Story?
- What is the theological task of the Universal Fellowship of
Metropolitan Community Churches?
- How do we define the community to which we are called to
minister?
- How might we focus or bring to bear the Christian Gospel on the
needs of the community we have defined?
- How might we reflect or manifest that focusing task in our
worship?
- What is the unique emphasis of the Christian ministry of the
Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches?
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