Inclusive Orthodoxy Newsletter

July/August 2008

To the saints of Cyberspace who are also faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Updates:

Once again I have fallen behind with the newsletter. I know it is no excuse, but I have been immensely busy this summer. For one, I recieved a grant from the Fund for Theological Education to conduct a project that I devised entitled Sacred Earth: Re-rooting in Nature as Source and Sacrament. In this six-week project I explored the bridges and connections between the Christian faith and a deep reverence for the Earth. As part of this project, towards the end of July I went on a trip to New Mexico where I participated in a "Liturgical Hike" officiated by the Rev. Jon Anderson, an Episcopal priest. Basically, it was the Eucharist celebrated within the context of a hike. More information can be found at http://worshipinthewilderness.blogspot.com/

As most of you know, this month I also released the world's first anthology of poetry by queer Christians, Sanctified: An Anthology of Poetry by LGBT Christians. I have been working on this project for about a year and a half now, and am thrilled that it has come to fruition. More info is provided below in the books section of this newsletter.

Lastly, I have added a new page to Inclusive Orthodoxy entitled "Women in the Church." The homepage of Inclusive Orthodoxy has always read, "...we affirm that there is a place within the full life and ministry of the Christian Church for faithful believers regardless of race, ethnicity, sex, gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation..." yet the rest of the site has focused solely on sexual orientation. Considering that women are barred from priesthood in the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, and many Anglican provinces around the world, obviously a word needs to be said about the inclusion of women in the full ministry of the Church. This page I have added provides a biblically-centered outlook on this important topic, and can be accessed at http://www.truthsetsfree.net/female.htm

LGBT News:

8/8/2008 ~ Anti-gay Christian "family" group folds in wake of founder's affair http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-8648.html

8/7/2008 ~ NY lawyers defend move to recognize gay marriages http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--gaymarriage0807aug07,0,5662805.story

8/1/2008 ~ Asylum granted to gay Christian from Nigeria http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/content.asp?id=61332

For more LGBT Christian news visit http://religion.gaynewsblog.net

LGBT Christian Books/Movies:

A portion from purchases made from these links goes to support Inclusive Orthodoxy’s ministry.

* This summer I released the book Sanctified: An Anthology of Poetry by LGBT Christians (ISBN: 978-1438247854), which is now available on Amazon.com at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1438247850

* There's a new gay Christian DVD released this month! It is a documentary called Camp Out that follows ten Midwestern teenagers as they attend the first overnight Bible Camp for gay Christian youths http://astore.amazon.com/truthsetsfree-20/detail/B0018PH3N8/103-1300089-3585452

* I added a new section in my online bookstore titled Women in the Church, which features books on the ministry of women in the Church: http://astore.amazon.com/truthsetsfree-20/103-1300089-3585452?_encoding=UTF8&node=11

* This past month my Bible study The Bible, Christianity, & Homosexuality was listed on Amazon.com. If you have read it, please head over to the Amazon.com listing and submit a review. The listing can be found at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1438249616

Visit my e-store for over 100 other titles: http://www.Cross.2Freedom.com

Quote for Reflection:

"Love, like truth and beauty, is concrete. Love is not fundamentally a sweet feeling; not, at heart, a matter of sentiment, attachment, or being 'drawn toward.' Love is active, effective, a matter of making reciprocal and mutually beneficial relation with one's friends and enemies. Love creates righteousness, or justice, here on earth. To make love is to make justice. As advocates and activists for justice know, loving involves struggle, resistance, risk. People working today on behalf of women, blacks, lesbians and gay men, the aging, the poor in this country and elsewhere know that making justice is not a warm, fuzzy expereince.” -Carter Heyward

Love in Christ,

Justin R. Cannon, Founder/Director

http://www.InclusiveOrthodoxy.org