NoelHeikkinen.com

Two Experiences

Sep 28, 2007 Print This Post

.:mood:. Thinking
.:itunes:. Gone Daddy Gone by Gnarls Barkley

Yesterday I had two experiences that I thought were worth sharing.

Dan and I went to Grand Rapids to see the premiere of a play called Seven Passages: The Stories of Gay Christians at Actors’ Theatre. Here’s the Writer / Director’s description of the play:

“We are not all ONE in our opinions. We are not even two or three. As a group we are a motley mix, with a common goal – telling these stories with justice in a good piece of theatre.”
-Director Stephanie Sandberg

Basically, the play is the result of a hundred or so interviews with gay and lesbian people and their interaction with Christianity throughout their lives. It was a powerful play because the script was entirely comprised of the content of these interviews.

They told their stories and incorporated passages of Scripture that address homosexuality. While I don’t agree with the interpretation that was put forward on these passages, one thing really struck me: putting the Scripture next to the individual stories humanized the whole issue of homosexuality. That piece was very well done.

After the play and a short discussion time, Dan and I got a chance to sit down and have a beer with someone who is very closely connected to the show. She shared with us that they had invited over 600 different churches and Christian organizations to come view the premiere.

One of the most common responses she got from churches was “hate mail.”

This was from churches.

Then, she shared with us her own personal story and how she was publicly shamed by a clergy member during a church service when she was in high school. She has never been back. I’m sure the “hate mail” she received really made her want to give church another chance.

It struck me that this play, in many ways, was the gay and lesbian community reaching out to the church to start a dialog.

And the church’s response was “hate mail.”