Good Hope MCC Newsletter for December 2011

The Cycles of Life

The United Nations’ conference on climate change which convenes end-November/ beginning-December in Durban, coincides with our church year starting off again with the season of Advent. During Advent we are waiting in expectancy on the birth of Jesus. This birthing process makes us tap into the cycles which are part of life.

Women experience this more intimately within their bodies experiencing monthly cycles as a constant reminder that they are part of nature and come from it. Men can perhaps more easily get estranged from this truth. But as we start a new year cycle within the liturgical calendar, we are all reminded that there’s an inherent cycle to life. It comes and it goes. It’s like the ebb and flow of the tide which comes in and flows out again. This is like a stream flowing through our bodies and into our lives. It ties us into the greater patterns of life and of creation.

With all of us being expectant during the birthing process of Advent, we have chance again to renew our bond with the earth. Beginning-January will take us into Epiphany which allows us to stand still at the appearances of God throughout history and up till this day. As we follow the year cycle it offers us with opportunities for re-birth.

During the new cycle we will allow more time for preachers at Good Hope MCC to preach a series of sermons consecutively and so enable them to develop a particular theme more deeply. We think this will help us to have a better coordinated ministry which will aid in our community’s spiritual growth and encourage church attendance.

We invite you to be part of this – part of the journey. With the freshness which spring brought still fresh in our memory, we are willing to put our feet on the road that another year will take us on (Perhaps it’s more adventurous to take off your shoes on this road and feel the grass underneath!) And we can be assured that the cycles of life will accompany us on the journey. May we tread lightly on the earth as we enter deeper into the heart of God. In the words of St Francis of Assissi:

‘All praise be yours, my Lord, through sister Earth, our mother, who feeds us in her sovereignty and produces various fruits with coloured flowers and herbs’.

(Laurie Gaum)

Meditation on Social Justice

As MCC and as Christians, we are called to "Do justice, show kindness, and live humbly with God". (Micah 6:8)

MCC has a strong history of social justice. In a statement of global need, MCC acknowledges a social justice situation in the world which encompasses among other things: volatility, a gap between the haves and the have-nots, advances in human rights, escalations in violence, violence as commonplace, an escalation in fundamentalism, fundamentalism funding violence, shifting perspectives on gender and poverty and identity, English as pervasive and destabilising, oppressing local cultures.

In the last couple of weeks, we have seen more hateful rhetoric from the religious right. Errol Naidoo issued in part the following:

"Andries Nel, the Deputy Minister of Justice & Constitutional Development announced the national task team on lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans-sexual and intersex (LGBTI) persons.
The deputy-minister described the event as marking "the beginning of a historic partnership between government and civil society in the fight against homophobic crimes in our country."

He added that South Africa's constitution had "globally positioned South Africa as one of the liberal countries that expressly prohibits all forms of discrimination on the ground of sexual orientation".
Homosexual activists are using the rape of lesbians as a springboard to promote their agenda to criminalise all forms of opposition to their sexual preference including silencing the Church.

Rape is already a criminal offense in SA. However, homosexual activists argue the rape of lesbians is a more serious crime and government must do more to protect homosexuals. This obviously means the rape of heterosexual women is considered a lesser crime. 55 000 women are raped annually in SA and the rape of lesbians constitute only a tiny fraction of this horrific crime.

The task team will demand the criminalisation of all criticism of homosexuality including the Biblical injunction against same sex relations. Homosexuals argue the Church’s (Scriptural) condemnation of their lifestyle promotes teen suicides and motivates acts of violence against them.

Nothing can be further from the truth. But the task team’s agenda does pose a serious threat to religious freedom. Sexual violence must end! But never at the expense of the Gospel".

And then we heard from a new source, one Rev Bougardt who said the following: "gays and lesbians are drug addicts and child molesters and Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu will burn in hell for supporting the LGBT community."

It is my mission is to take out all lesbians and gays because they are a bunch of idiots who confuse our children".

The pastor also said that "their lifestyle is an abomination to God and that gays and lesbians should know that they are going to burn in hell".

Bougardt also claimed that gay men are increasingly seducing apparently hapless straight men away from their heterosexual families and wives, insisting that this "is not a rare phenomenon".

With this in mind, I want to highlight the core value of Spiritual Transformation: We proclaim liberation from oppressive religious dogma. Whoever experiences God through Christ, will grow in faith and be transformed. As a church, we need to be taking a stand against messages such as those highlighted above. Besides being completely untrue and ignorant, it wreaks havoc on lives. Those who are already struggling with internalised homophobia and feeling that God does not love them, read such hate and internalise it further.

There is a rise in conservatism in this country and in this city. We should not be complacent in thinking that we are well protected by a progressive constitution and more than this, we should be concerned that this well funded hate campaign deeply affects the lives of people. It fuels homophobia and prejudice, it fuels hate, aggression and violence and plainly put, it gives God a bad name. A God of justice, whose first two commandments speak of love, must weep. Some humans have created God in their own image.

We pray for all our LGBTI sisters and brothers and their families who are exposed to messages of hate. It is the reason that a denomination and church such as ours is important.

(Sharon Ludwig)

Upcoming Services

... at Zonnebloem College Chapel, 18h00

4 December 2011: PEACE - World AIDS day / COP17 - Retha Benade

11 December 2011: JOY - Michelle Bonzaaier

18 December 2011: LOVE - Judith Kotze

25 December 2011: CHRISTMAS - Beaulah Durheim

31 December 2011: NEW YEARS EVE - Dominic Kessell

1 January 2011: NEW YEAR - Dominic Kessell

Library News

Ons voeg deurlopend nuwe titels by die kerk se biblioteekvoorraad – sommige pas uitgegee, terwyl andere nie so nuut is nie, maar wel nou vir die eerste keer beskikbaar is in ons biblioteek vir julle om te geniet. Hieronder is ‘n paar aptytwekkers, so kom gerus en maak gebruik van hierdie gratis uitleendiens.

(Stanley Jonck)

Reclaiming the L-word : Sappho’s daughters out in Africa / edited by Alleyn Diesel; Modjaji Books: Athlone 2011

A collection of stories by South African lesbians in which they tell of their life experiences as lesbians in this country. The range of women included in this collection is wide, ranging across age, ethnic, cultural, economic, social and educational strata and the place in which they find themselves differs too, from those who did not want to be photographed or identified in this publication, to others who have suffered rape and abuse, to some who have adopted children or had in vitro fertilisation. The editor, Alleyn Diesel, is an academic at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Her introduction provides a useful context to the individual stories and the bibliography of recent titles on gay life in South Africa is handy too

Soeker / Pieter Cilliers; Protea Boekhuis: Pretoria 2011

This is the autobiography of Pieter Cilliers. His story is of him being gay and a Christian, and how he struggled through the years to accept himself and come out to family, friends and society. Cilliers was a minister in the Reformed Church in South Africa before he started a career in television - well-known for programs like Carte Blanche, Potpourri, Evita's funigalore, Pasella, SigNature, and Kwela on kykNet. He wrote his autobiography, 'n Kas is vir klere (1997). In this new autobiography, which started out to be a revised/ updated edition of 'n Kas is vir klere, he has included the content of 'n Kas is vir klere, which is followed by readers' responses to his autobiography, and he also tells what some of the different denominations of churches in South Africa's standing currently is on homosexuality and Christianity.

‘n Gelukkige brein : ons pad na ware sukses / Dr. Pierre van der Spuy / Metz Press: Welgemoed 2011; uit Engels vertaal deur Francie Botes ()

Popular psychology presented here in readable non-fiction style by Pierre van der Spuy MD (MBA). BOEKOPSOMMING: Ons ken almal mense wat gelukkig bly, ongeag of hulle reusesukses smaak, of pynlike rampe in die gesig staar. Die rede? Hulle brein het 'n kern van stabiliteit en optimisme. 'n Gelukkige brein bied omvattende, praktiese riglyne oor wat hierdie mense elke dag doen om hulle menslike brein te versterk. Dis die eerste boek vir die leek wat verreikende navorsing op vier gebiede - Kliniese Psigiatrie, Positiewe Sielkunde, Kinder­ontwikkelingstudies en Breinwetenskap kombineer in 'n poging om die menslike staat te verstaan. Dit trek baie van die vooropgestelde idees oor wat ons menslik, gelukkig en waarlik suksesvol maak uitmekaar. Die boek beantwoord veral drie belangrike vrae: Watter stappe kan ons vandag doen om ons brein en daarom onsself gelukkiger te maak? Hoekom beroof 'n obsessie met materiële sukses ons van geluk en ons menslikheid? Hoe beïnvloed ons kultuur en ouerskap in die eerste lewensjare ons geluk en mens­likheid?

Dit is hoe ek wil wees : word God se beste weergawe van jouself / John Ortberg; Christelike Uitgewersmaatskappy: Vereeniging 2011; uit Engels vertaal deur Hester Fourie (The me I want to be)

“Elke mens wonder soms wie hy of sy veronderstel is om te wees. Jy gee voor om een mens te wees, maar dink jy moet iets anders wees. Mense verwag sekere goed van jou en terselfdertyd sukkel jy om dit te wees wat jy dink God eintlik van jou verwag. In hierdie boek bespreek John Ortberg hoe jy die mens kan word wat God jou gemaak het om te wees. Hy kyk na hoe 'n mens jou ware identiteit vind tussen dit wat God jou gemaak het om te wees, dit wat ander van jou verwag en dit wat jy nié wil wees nie. Hy bespreek hoe jy jou gees en gedagtes kan vernuwe, jou verhoudings kan verdiep en jou ervarings kan transformeer.” (ngkmelkbos.co.za)

Daar's 'n gay pastoor in my kop / Philip Liebenberg ; Publisher: Penguin Bks., 2008.

"Liebenberg ontbloot in sy outobiografie sy lewenslange stryd teen homoseksualiteit. Op twintigjarige ouderdom hoop hy dat sy puberhomoseksualiteit hom sou verlaat, maar hy was verkeerd. Sy ware seksuele orientasie het verbete gestoei, maar hy was verlief op die heteroseksualiteit, die kerk en normaliteit. Op 21 is hy getroud. Hy sou enigiets doen om te verhoed dat mense moet dink dat hy 'n moffie is. Jare later is hy 'n suksesvolle AGS pastoor, 'n pa van 'n gesin, maar hy bly ontevrede en onvervuld. Sy storie bereik 'n klimaks toe sy vrou van hom skei, hy sy homoseksualiteit erken en geluk vind in sy verhouding met Johan. Liebenberg se totale eerlikheid beeld die wroeging uit wat 'n gay man in ons samelewing ervaar. Die boek bevat ook waardevolle insigte oor verhoudings, die kerk en geloof in die algemeen." (Protea Boekwinkel Nuusbrief 150, 3/09/08).

Hijab : unveiling queer Muslim lives ; Publisher: The Inner Circle, 2009 ; Added-author: Hendricks, Pepe.

This is the first known collection of South Afica Muslim stories relating to Islam and sexual diversity. The anthology shares real-life stories of people that have struggled, or may still be struggling, to reconcile their spirituality and their sexuality. Although the collection focuses predominantly on Muslim stories, it is universal in its approach in dealing with spirituality rather than religion. The stories are all biographies, or autobiographies, and the writing process was, said to be, a therapeutic one for the authors.

Yes, I am! : writing by South African gay men / compiled by Robin Malan and Ashraf Johaardien; Junkets Publishers: Mowbray 2010

“What Malan and Johaardien have compiled is a laudable and enriching collection of snippets, short, very short stories, insights reflecting not only the gay experience, but the gay experience in SA. Some of the stories reflect our turbulent and painful history, and how this affected gay people in a particularly twisted way because of the race and class battles. But, far from being merely a gay compendium, the compilers have been thoughtful and very fortunate, in that they've been able to include such a rich panoply of contributors – from activists to artists - from Constitutional Court Judge Edwin Cameron to famed actor Nigel Hawthorne, from Pieter-Dirk Uys to Damon Galgut, from the Dean of Cape Town, Rowan Smith, to author Andre Carl van der Merwe." (CT 28/05/10 p15)

The children are free : reexamining the Biblical evidence on same-sex relationships / Rev. Jeff Miner and John Tyler Connoley; Found Pearl Press: Indiana c2008

“This book is one of the best yet for Christians struggling to find a pro-gay understanding of Scripture. Short, clear, and amazingly easy to read, this book does much more than offering loopholes or excuses with regards to the Bible. Instead, the authors combine careful research with a tremendous respect for God's Word, using humor, personal stories, and Biblical examples to make their case.” (www.gaychristian.net)