Transgender bishop

Kerry Eleveld of Daily Kos reported that the GOP has drawn a “red line” on repealing any aspect of the 2017 tax scam. But since Biden wants his infrastructure and jobs bills to be paid for, the GOP is now saying we should raise user fees, which come mostly out of the pockets of the poor and middle class. Alas, several Democrats like that idea. Eleveld wrote:

That is about the dumbest position Democrats could adopt as a message heading into 2022. Well, we wanted to raise taxes on those who could afford it to create jobs but instead we raised taxes on those who couldn't afford it.

Since it is also politically the dumbest thing Republicans have said, this can be a gift for Democrats heading into the 2022 election. Joan McCarter of Kos explained a bit more. One thing she explained is user fees are such things as a gas tax and toll roads. Biden has repeated he will not raise taxes on people making less than $400,000 a year. Rep. Pramila Jayapal tweeted:

An ultra-millionaire wealth tax would raise $13.3 BILLION from Bezos, Musk, and Zuckerberg alone. With that, we could invest in schools, infrastructure, renewable energy, and more. But don’t worry, they’ll still have $431 billion left between the 3 of them to buy super yachts.

That comment about yachts is that Bezos is soon to take delivery of a super yacht worth a half billion and is the length of one and a third American football fields. It comes with a support yacht which has the helipad. In all the bad news about the GOP bullying transgender people with onerous laws here is some good news. The Sacramento region of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America has elected Megan Rohrer, a transgender person to serve as bishop. The term is six years. Aysha Qamar of Kos reported that Carlette Duffy, a black woman, received appraisals of her home for $125K and $110K. Duffy thought these were way low, so had a white friend’s husband pretend to be the owner’s brother. She also erased herself from the house decorations. That appraisal came in at $259K, more than double. Duffy filed a complaint with HUD alleging race discrimination against the mortgage lenders and appraisers.

"It's almost when people see Black neighborhoods, they see twice as much crime than there actually is. They see worse education than there actually is," said Andre Perry, a senior fellow for the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program. "I think this is what's happening when appraisers, lenders, real estate agents see Blackness. They devalue the asset. They devalue the property."

This is another reason why black people have a much harder time accumulating wealth than white people do.

Another gay bishop

The ELCA Lutheran Church (the progressive ones) have elected a gay bishop to a six year term serving in the Los Angeles area. That's pretty cool, considering the denomination permitted gay pastors only 4 years ago.



Fingers are pointing in all directions about the failure of marriage equality in Illinois. I won't go into details. I wonder what is going on behind the scenes because the Democrats have 71 seats in the state House and the couldn't get the needed 60 votes.

Yeah, I know Illinois politics is strange, so I have no idea what to make of the latest development. The Illinois House Speaker extended the deadline for approval of the bill to August 31. Which means if the governor calls the chamber back into session for unfinished business (like pension reform) over the summer marriage equality could be taken up too. Maybe we won't have to wait for the regular session in November.

Breaking up is so hard to do

At a meeting of about 400 Anglican Bishops in Africa have met to discuss their future. Rowan Williams, the head of all Anglicans was in attendance. The Africans have had enough. The Anglican Church, they say, has already split. All that's left is the paperwork. The African Church, they maintain, has been the only ones to hold true to the Bible, especially on teachings on homosexuality and perhaps it's time for Africans to send missionaries to Europe and America.

Williams was his usual spineless self, trying to appease the Africans to get them to stay in the worldwide Communion. Though, by the end, he conceded that perhaps the split is for the best. What was missing, however, was an effort to state why the African position was wrong. If the Africans are going to leave no matter what you do, why not do what's right?

In other church news, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) has allowed non-celibate gays to serve as pastors. Now leaders of 18 congregations (out of over 10,000 in the denomination) who have left the ELCA will soon vote whether to form a new denomination, the American Lutheran Church, one that will "follow scriptures more faithfully." Over 300 other congregations have, or soon will, complete the necessary actions to secede from the ELCA.

An improvement that isn't good and one that is

I've developed quite a backlog, so some topics I'll only touch on briefly.

Some conservative Christians no longer accuse gays of causing hurricanes or the end of Western Civilization, no longer shout at us, or no longer declare we're a menace to children. It's even cloaked in kind and gentle language, such as saying, "We're sinners too." While this is a vast improvement, it still isn't good. The problem is they still see homosexuality as a sin. They assume that gays share their beliefs about being gay, such as "homosexuality is acting out on ungodly temptation to sin."

These same Christians are surprised when we don't thank them for this insight. We're not gay because we do gay things. We're gay because we are inherently drawn romantically and sexually to people of the same sex. Christians respond by saying, "We say we're sinners too! What more do you want?"

We want you to acknowledge it isn't a choice, it isn't a sin, we aren't required to a life of celibacy, and our loves are as vital as yours. That's how you can be tolerant, accepting, and compassionate.



Cool! The Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) has abolished all of its anti-gay policies, effective immediately. This includes reinstating pastors who were fired for being gay. All of the votes were overwhelmingly in favor and there were no drawn out public battles where each side tried to depict the other as sub-human. Now for the rest of the mainline denominations…

It takes time to assimilate changes in the world

Michael Rinehart is a bishop in the branch of the Lutheran Church that recently allowed local churches decide if they will call a gay pastor. His district includes Houston, where he lives. He read email from an angry member concerning the gay issue -- at the same time his wife is reading through letters from her recently deceased father. That certainly put things in perspective. Rinehart shares some thoughts.

Ultimatums are about control. Pastors should not neglect what is right when threatened with losing a member. Refuse to be drawn into an ultimatum and they won't be used anymore.

The old line that "It's in the bible, that settles it" only shows how ignorant many Christians are of the bible. There are many things in the bible that Christians most definitely do not believe and they make no distinction why one and not the other. Also in Leviticus is a prohibition to eating shrimp.

Going through a dead family member's things is hard. It is hard to let go. That is true for many people. The world has changed. The "hyper-patriotic, euphoric" post-WWII is gone. Some people grieve the loss. Some times people need time to assimilate changes. Sometimes the reaction to change is fear. Alas, people are rarely clear exactly what it is they fear.

Families stay together because love unites us more than issues divide us.

Don't split in a huff, let's do it sensibly

In their weeklong conference, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) approved two important issues. By a healthy margin they approved a resolution to allow, but not require, congregations to bless same-sex unions.

Then they voted to allow gays and lesbians in lifelong monogamous same-sex relationships to serve as ministers in those churches that choose to call them.

It didn't take long for Lutheran CORE (Coalition for Reform) to issue a press release that makes a distinction between "Lutheran" and "faithful Lutheran." Only the faithful ones are invited by CORE to a conference in September in Indianapolis to decide how to "collectively plan for a common future." In other words, don't split from the denomination in a huff. Come to our conference so we can decide how to sensibly split away as a group. In the meantime, don't send any more money to the national office. Send it to us instead.

Smiting through meteorology

I've written about the conference of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America being held in Minneapolis this week. A few of the issues to be voted on are gay related.

On Wednesday, a tornado came through Minneapolis, causing minor damage to the roof of the convention center where the Lutherans are meeting and also to the steeple of the Central Lutheran Church. Shortly afterward the assembly passed a statement with exactly the 2/3 required vote which said the denomination cannot agree on the issue of homosexuality and therefore churches will not be punished for blessing same-sex relationships.

Showing he doesn't understand Christianity at all Rev. John Piper of the Bethlehem Baptist Church in town declared the tornado to be a "gentle but firm warning" that God, who controls the wind, won't take kindly to a church that does nice things for gay people.

Gay issues have become ordinary?

The Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) begins a weeklong meeting on Monday in Minneapolis. The newsworthy item on the agenda is whether gay clergy in committed relationships should be allowed to be pastors. Another denomination wrestling over gay clergy? How -- humdrum. The liberals have a good chance of winning this one as recently happened in the Episcopal Church. Yes, there is still opposition. But the anti-gay forces are getting tired and want the battle over. There are already plans to form a conservative sub-group in the church with its own constitution, education system, and rules for clergy.