Yeah this is going to work

[map_of_the_world]

So there's a post over on neurotheologythat says:

Between May 17 and June 28, 2009, groups of LGBT and allied people around the country will attend worship services at the church of their choice wearing a lapel button that reads “gay? fine by me.” For less formal churches we also have a t-shirt with this message. The lapel button (or t-shirt) serves as a conversation starter – opening dialogue with people in the church about faith, sexual orientation, and gender identity. When that visible act of courage is paired with adequate training, then transforming hearts and minds becomes a bona fide possibility. That’s why we’ve designed this web page, as well as a three-part teleconference course that covers the essentials of Nonviolent communication, Media talking points, and What both the Bible and science really say about homosexuality. Those training teleconferences will be held on April 19, April 26, and May 3 at 4pm CST and are open to all our volunteers for this project. We hope you will consider organizing a Sundays of Solidarity project in your area. It simply involves choosing a church in your area that could benefit from an SOS visit, using your contact list to recruit others to join you, attending the teleconference training sessions, and then organizing your group to take action on a date, time, and church location of your choosing.

The training starts in a few days, don't miss it! If you haven't signed up yet, visit http://www.soulforce.org to sign up.

and I actually think this is an outstandingly bad idea. Going into a community that you don't belong to and telling them that they are doing things wrong is just going to royally piss people of and entrench their positions. It is also going to make them feel attacked and so feel that they are righteous in their prejudice. This really, really isn't going to work.

I really firmly believe that you can only change communities from the inside, if you try to do it from the outside you trigger a siege mentality, which means it is up to me and people like me who are either queer Christians or Christians who are queer allies to change things in the church. its going to be a long haul and its going to be hard work, but we absolutely have a responsibility to do it.

Comments

[kathie-d.livejournal.com]

At first I thought it meant Christians wearing a lapel badge when attending their normal church, which sounds fine and quite like something I'd like to take part in, actually.

But... going into a Church you are not a member of, and stirring? Organising a large group of people to go do this with you? Hmm.

I know in my old church, if a bunch of randoms turned up in t-shirt saying 'fine by me', it would NOT make me leap up, and scream "OH MY GOD NOW I AM LIBERATED, AND CAN COME OUT AT LAST." Personally I would feel like I didn't need their pity, or them outing me.