Sunday, June 22, 2008

EQUALITY IS SEXY

"Equality is Sexy" is another prophetic sermon preached today by that very progressive Presbyterian Pastor, my friend, John Shuck. Excerpts:

"I was thinking about Ruth’s story in light of the Shepherd’s . The Shepherd’s is our safe house in Elizabethton for women who are victims of domestic violence. Domestic violence is not Ruth’s story. However, lack of resources, protection, security, and economic opportunity is Ruth’s story and the story of virtually every woman who enters the Shelter."

"The unfortunate reality is that most of these women go back to these violent relationships. Observers from the outside may wonder why. They may put the blame on the women. But the reality is that there are often few options. Pressures from families and religion, and lack of economic resources are too much for many of these women. Coupled with that, psychological issues regarding self-esteem can make imagining a different future nearly impossible."

"The task involves breaking the silence and becoming educated about the reality and the depth of domestic violence."

"I want to turn to the Song of Solomon. This is erotic poetry. It is really quite beautiful. There is no violence in this book. There is no domination. No forcing. The relationship is mutual, equal, and sexy."

"How different this ancient book is from how sexuality is perceived and portrayed in our society? Women are objectified to sell everything from cars to cameras. Eroticism is equated with domination and control. The church’s attitudes toward sexuality are atrocious. It thinks it has done its job when it controls people and tells them they are dirty for being sexual beings. It has removed the sacred from the body."

"We can begin to make a new ethic. This ethic involves making equality sexy. It is about loving our bodies and respecting the bodies of others including the body of our Mother Earth."

1 comment:

John Shuck said...

Hey John, thanks for the shout out! Well it is General Assembly time. I remember when you went to GA at Syracuse. I remember your report back to the presbytery. You taught us how to pronounce a certain magazine, the LayMAN.

Peace!
j