The following
are emails from Paul Barby and Phillippe Beaudette,
in response to the Daily Oklahoman's
editorial Religious
Left Balks at Open Debate. Posted by permission.
(Posted 3-7-02)
This
letter below from a young gay man, Phillippe, to Rev.
Kersh at Village Baptist Church reveals what
spiritual violence is. (This is
posted as a response to that hateful piece about the
Religious Left Balks at Open Debate.) Spiritual
violence is not about what someone believes the
Bible says. It is about how they use that
belief to destroy the lives of others.
I certainly respect the right of each person to his
or her personal beliefs BUT I strongly oppose the use
of that belief to deny the rights of others and
to destroy their lives. Spiritual
terrorists use their interpretation of scriptures to
justify the violence they perpetrate towards gay
persons. They believe without question all the
"wild" things they "know" about
gay persons which feeds their hate towards gays and
the demonizing, based upon their righteousness from
their scriptures. That to me is sinful and not
like anything that Jesus taught. Whomever wrote
that hateful piece about the religious left not
wanting to engage in "open debate" has the
facts wrong. Open debate is the very thing that
Soulforce in opposition to spiritual violence is
asking for. Discussion, not necessarily
debate because that suggests trying to change minds.
The discussion that is being sought is to engage
those on the other side so that they many know us and
what our thoughts are. Gays, too, read
and study the Bible. No one has a corner on
that market. But more than scripture are the
facts involved in human lives. Those who
perpetrate spiritual violence, using their
scriptures, deny gay persons their humanity as
they pass judgment. I recall that there is a
great deal of emphasis in the Scriptures about
judging others. Read Phillippe's letter below
to get a grip on this spiritual violence that some
want to excuse as acceptable.
Paul
Barby
Woodward,
OK
CD6
--------------------------------
Dear
Rev. Kersh,
Greetings,
and peace to you! I know you've received and
trust that you've prayerfully considered the letters
sent to you by Karen Weldin, Eric Reitan, and Ken
Jennison. My hope is that you'll read this
letter and understand this issue for another point of
view: that of a young gay man who perhaps has the
idealistic view that what I do can change the world!
Three months
in a row, I've stood outside your beautiful church
and watched people come and go - I've seen friends,
acquaintances, and people I've worked with.
I've frozen in the cold with my new friends from
Soulforce, and I've prayed until tears come to my eye
- not tears of despair, but tears of hope. You
see, Dr. Kersh, the most important thing to me about
the Soulforce experience is that I've gotten in touch
with who I am a little better! I know you've
received letters telling you what we hope you will do
- meet, study material, form committees; but I'm not
sure you've received letters telling you what WE will
do. So today I'd like to make a commitment to
you, a man I've never met. Sir, I commit to
pray for you and your church - not that you may
change your mind about this issue, but for the
success of the rest of your ministries! I want
you to know above all that we don't view you as an
enemy - we view you as someone with a different
opinion - and we want you to continue to shepherd
your flock! We want you to grow your church,
and we want you to continue to be the pastor we know
you have been; one of sensitivity and prayer.
Just because we disagree on this issue doesn't mean
we want anything but the best for you and your flock. Rev Kersh,
for years I was church musician; I even spent a
summer with Dr. Bill Green at the Baptist Building
helping him to organize a Baptist All State Youth
Choir and Orchestra trip to San Antonio. Since
then, a lot has changed. I've struggled with
the fact that the church I was growing to love saw no
place for me unless I "changed" something I
feel is an integral part of who I am, my sexuality.
I've cried, I've prayed, I've studied, I've even
tried to kill myself because of the despair I felt.
Through the grace of God, I survived the experience,
and while in the hospital I took the first steps
towards learning to love who I am... ALL of who I am!
I learn that I'm a good person not in SPITE of my
sexuality, but including it! I don't
believe for a minute that I'm alive today because of
good medicine and great therapists - I believe I'm
alive simply because the God of Love looked at me and
said "no, I won't allow one of my good and
faithful servants to die for being the person I
created him to be!" In the past year, I've spoken
with half a dozen young men who struggle with
reconciling their sexuality with that which they were
taught by their churches and families. I cry
for Jeremiah, the young man I'm talking to online who
was put in contact with me by his youth minister - he
truly believes he has to learn to suppress who he is
to stay Christian. And Dr. Kersh - he's a great
kid! He's a powerful witness to all that is
right and good with the world!
I cry for my friend Calvin, who was kicked out of his
house by his mother, a member of VBC, because her
church taught her that her son had no place in the
kingdom of heaven! Church teachings convinced
her that in order to make her son "change",
she has to kick him out of his home until he changes!
Dr Kersh, he's 17 years old, and has been told that
because he is the person that God made him, there's
no place for him in his home. I cry for the
17 year old boy from Mustang High School who killed
himself because he couldn't stand the pressure from
his classmates - the pressure to change who he was;
to make a change that he felt was impossible. And I cry for
my ex-boyfriend who killed himself 5 months ago.
He was 18 years old. I stand outside your church
not to try to browbeat or shame you into changing
your mind, but because I personally have to feel that
I'm doing something for those poor boys. I
stand outside your church in the bitter cold for my
own spiritual healing. Sir, I hope that you don't
view us as activists, or as fanatics - I hope you
view us as people who don't know what else to do.
We must humanize this issue to your
congregation. We must make them
realize that we are their family, neighbors, friends,
and co-workers. I stand outside your church a
frustrated person; someone who has to do this for my
own spiritual healing, and in hopes that someday,
sometime, you'll look into my eyes and see me as a
person. In hopes that you'll look into my eyes
and say "I love you for who you are, and so does
my God. Come into our place of worship and pray
with us, as you are. Pray with us as a devout
gay man."
I have no doubt that the day you say that, you'll
know that our God looks upon you and say "Well
done, thou good and faithful servant." I write this
with nothing but respect and admiration for a man who
holds true to principles he believes to be true - I
hope you realize that I have no choice but to do the
same. I honestly believe that we have more in
common than in difference; can we build upon that and
try to find things we agree on? Perhaps from
that we'll find more and more to agree on, until we
find a position we can all feel comfortable with.
Years ago,
Ronald Reagan stood at Brandenburg Gate and said
"General Secretary Gorbachev, Open this gate!
Tear Down These Walls!" I say the same to
you today, Dr Kersh - Open this gate! Tear Down
these Walls! Let's dialogue!
I hope I can count on the courtesy of a response from
you - I'd like to talk.
Regards,
Philippe
Beaudette
Oklahoma City, OK
