October 16-18 2005: Holy Realationships: A Conference on Theology and Sexuality

The God & Sexuality Conference is proud to announce our co-sponsoship of Holy Realationships: A Conference on Theology and Sexuality on October 16th thru 18th in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The event promises to be informative, meaningful, and ground-breaking. Join us at this event by registering at www.holyrelationships.org

As Christian churches and our nation struggle with definitions of marriage and civil unions, many religious voices are affirming the possibility of Holy Relationships for all sexual orientations. The Buchanan Group, an ecumenical body of Christian clergy, scholars, and lay people concerned about the one-sided pronouncements and lack of dialogue on sexuality and theology in both church and society, is sponsoring a three-day ground-breaking event: Holy Relationships: A Conference on Theology and Sexuality (www.holyrelationships.org).

“Hate-mongering in the name of Christ is not acceptable,” says the Rev. Jill Russell, moderator of the group that conceived the conference to be held in New Brunswick, NJ, on October 16-18, 2005. “We have brought together biblical scholars, theologians, ethicists, pastors, bio-social psychologists, and historians who are standing for, not against, the inclusion of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community in sanctioned partnerships and ordination in our churches. This conference will provide the education and theological dialogue needed by many churches and individuals struggling to respond faithfully to the lives and ministries of gay Christians.”

The conference begins Sunday evening, October 16, with worship and an address by Mel White (founder of Soul Force) entitled “A Call to Resist Spiritual Violence NONVIOLENTLY.” Other major speakers include Rita Nakashima Brock, Miguel De La Torre, John Selders, Virginia Ramey Mollenkott, Dave Myers, Letha Dawson Scanzoni, and Judith Hoch Wray. A number of local church leaders will highlight practical concerns and methods for advancing effective pastoral care and justice action.
Fifteen conference workshops will be offered in four categories: Journeys into Sexuality and Gender Identity, Discussions for a Faithful Church, Explorations into Intimacy and Relationships, and Foundations of Theology and Ethics. Leaders and participants will explore ethical frameworks for personal and intimate relationships appropriate to any sexual orientation and engage questions and answers about faith, gender, sexuality, and social responsibilities. Time for worship, discussion, reflection, celebration, story-telling and personal sharing are integrated into the conference.

The conference is proudly co-sponsored by Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York, Marble Collegiate Church, Middle Collegiate Church, West End Collegiate Church, Fort Washington Collegiate Church, MCC Christ the Liberator in North Brunswick, NJ, Park Avenue Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in NYC, and the God & Sexuality Conference of Bard College. Several other congregations and organizations are considering adding their names to the list of co-sponsors.

Registration forms and complete information about the conference can be found at www.holyrelationships.org or
call 1-800-284-0142

7/1/2005