Religious Freedom for Christians and Jews in Muslim Countries

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THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2016 / THE GRAND RAPIDS PRESS Michigan minister protests denomination’s policy against clergy oﬃciating same-sex marriages Pastor,gays‘outinthecold’

By Julie Zauzmer The WashingtonPost About the time the Rev. Michael Tupper was chasing his windblown tent across halfamile of Iowa grain fields, he might have started questioning his mis- sion from God. God called him, he believes, to sleep in atent for 175 days to protest the fact that his church does not allow him to perform gay marriages. The temperatures outside his tent — and the reactions from his fellow Methodists — have ranged from warm to sub-freezing. And now, with less than 50 days to go in his sleep-out, his end is in sight: the global conference at which the United Methodist Church will soon vote whether to change its stance on gay marriage. From May 10-20, the United States’ second-largest Protestant denomination will consider legislation at its General Conference that would allow all clergy members to perform same-sex weddings if they choose and would allow openly gay men and women to serve as clergy members. That legislation would reverse the long-held positions that have led the church to discipline and even defrock ministers in the past for performing gay weddings and for coming out as gay. Michael The General Conference, held every The Rev. Tupper has set up a tent outside the United Methodist Church in Fulton, Maryland. He is pictured with his daughter, four years, sets policy for all churches in Sarah Tupper. (Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post) this mainline denomination worldwide. The topic of homosexuality first came up Tupper reached a sort of out-of-court church’s position needs to change. the church. in 1972. settlement in the United Methodist That’s where the idea of the tent came Sarah sent emails to 30 pastors at simi- “That whole ‘40 years in the wilder- Church’s judicial system. He knew when in. The church, Tupper said, has left gay larly conservative churches near their ness’? Really, it’s been 44 years,” Tupper he agreed to officiate that he might Christians “out in the cold.” home. said. “Hopefully, we’re close to the prom- be defrocked for it — the Rev. Frank Inside the Baltimore-Washington “There are definitely denominations ised land.” Schaefer, of Pennsylvania, was barred Conference headquarters, Erik Alsgaard, that are welcoming. We would be giving And then he breaks off, mid-sentence, from ministry by the church after officiat- the managing editor of the church’s offi- up something in our own theology and and turns to his daughter. The tent he ing at his gay son’s wedding, then rein- cial publications, looked out on Tupper’s how we want to raise our children to has been sleeping in for 122 nights, in stated on appeal. tent pitched on the office’s lawn for the believe,” she said. “That’s the trickiness states scattered across the country, is But Tupper was cleared to continue night and employed the same metaphor, of being someone who’s conservative and threatening to blow away again, this time ministry at his church near Kalamazoo. to different effect. evangelical and gay.” in the patch of grass where he has staked “I’m sure there are people who agree She did not get a single response from it in front of the office of the Baltimore- TRIAL NEVER CAME with Mike. There are people who dis- those 30 pastors. Washington Conference of his church. Then, he performed his second agree with Mike. And that’s one of the “It made me cry. I was shocked, really. “Sarah, could you get the tent?” gay wedding, that of a fellow United nice things about the United Methodist There’s no space for us.” She was joining him in his camp-out Methodist minister who was banned Church,” Alsgaard said. “We are the Tupper hopes the General Conference protest for the first time but, in some from his pulpit when he came out as gay. church of the big tent. There’s room for will make space in the United Methodist sense, she has been there all along. She Tupper expected, after he helped officiate everyone.” Church. The conference votes on hun- was the inspiration for his activism — and Benjamin Hutchison’s wedding, he would Sarah Tupper, 29, objects to that char- dreds of proposals sent in by members the first lesbian bride he married. face a church trial. acterization. She has felt, time and again, worldwide. This year, many of them After he officiated his daughter’s But the trial never came. And Tupper, that Christian churches do not make relate to homosexuality. wedding two years ago, the church 57, started praying on the subject, think- room for her. Some want to open the church to allow charged him with violating its rules for ing perhaps he should demonstrate She and her wife met at the preeminent gay marriages and gay ministers. Others its ministers. in some other way that he thinks the evangelical university Wheaton College. want to enforce the current prohibitions The couple started dating during their even more strictly, such as automatically The Rev. Michael freshman year. Sarah said both of them defrocking any minister who performs Tupper has been lost friends who stopped associating with two gay marriages. sleeping outside them once they found out they were les- When the proposal comes up for a vote in a tent for more bian. She said they faced pressure from in May, Tupper will end his sleep-out. He than 120 days, to deans, who said they would kick them also will prepare for retirement. symbolize the LGBT out of the school if they could prove they Regardless of the outcome, he thinks people ostracized were in a homosexual relationship. his demonstration has been worthwhile. by his church. He But both kept their evangelical faith. “My little bit of discomfort doesn’t com- performed the They joined a conservative church in pare to what Sarah’s had to experience in same-sex marriage Baltimore, where they now live. her life,” he said. of his daughter, even Sarah points out that others have had though his denomi- CONSERVATIVE, EVANGELICAL AND GAY far worse experiences than she has had. nation forbids it. When members found out they were While she was at Wheaton, she said, two (Marvin Joseph/The married, suddenly, the pastor was pray- students believed to be gay committed GrandWashington Rapids Post) Press - 04/14/2016 Copy Reduced to 80% from originaling weekly to fit about letter the page sin of homosexual- suicide. Page : B01 ity. Sarah’s wife no longer was welcome Tupper, sitting outside his tent, goes to teach Sunday school. The couple left quiet. He murmurs, “Lord help us.”

INTERFAITH INSIGHT ReligiousfreedomforChristiansandJewsinMuslimcountries

By Rev. Richard Killmer erance and bigotry. It should across the Muslim world, par- Law, asserting Islam requires ing conference. It included pre- reedom of religion is be said that attacks in Muslim ticularly Christians in the Middle the protection and full citizen- sentations from leading Muslim Fimportant to Americans nations often are carried out by East. The declaration came at the ship rights of religious minorities scholars and the formal drafting and is guaranteed by the independent terrorist groups, as end of the three-day conference in Muslim nations. Organizers and signing of the declaration. Constitution. No one should be dangerous to those governments in Marrakesh and is rooted in hope to encourage Muslim The conference went a long prohibited from worshipping as and other Muslims as they are to the Medina Charter, the Prophet nations to adopt the declaration way to encourage Muslim they wish. Christians and Jews. Similarly, Muhammad’s law establishing a as formal Islamic law. nations to ensure they protect It is wrong that people in hate groups in the U.S. pose multifaith society in Medina. The It calls for the “full protection the rights of religious minorities, any nation of threats to the welfare of us all. conference was sponsored by for the rights and liberties of all including Christians and Jews. the world are These groups are very difficult King Mohammed VI, of Morocco, religious groups in a civilized The next steps include urging prohibited from for governments to eradicate. and the Forum for Promoting manner that eschews coercion, Muslim nations to codify the worshipping and On Jan. 25-27, Muslim lead- Peace in Muslim Societies. bias and arrogance.” It states “it Marrakesh Declaration. Nations, living out faith ers from many countries met is unconscionable to employ reli- such as Tunisia, included such as they choose. in Marrakesh, Morocco, to NEW CONTRACT, OLD ROOTS gion for the purpose of aggress- guarantees in its new constitu- Consequently, we determine how to guarantee the “Today, there are unfortunate ing upon the rights of religious tion. It can be done. wish religious rights of religious minorities in circumstances for religious minorities in Muslim countries” At the same time, it is impor- prosecution, usu- Killmer Muslim-majority countries. minorities in Muslim major- and calls for “restoring our tant to welcome Muslims in our ally of religious Muslim scholars, jurists, reli- ity countries,” said Shaykh Bin shared trust that has been erod- country, ensuring that they do minorities, would end in all of gious leaders and government Bayyah, president of the forum. ed by extremists using acts of not face anti-Muslim bigotry. the countries of the world. officials approved the historic “For this reason, we put forth a terror and aggression.” It certainly has been true that Marrakesh Declaration on safe- new contract with old roots that More than 250 Muslim lead- — The Rev. Richard Killmer the rights of Christians and other guarding the rights of religious will respect their private lives and ers, representatives of histori- is a contract staff person for the religions have not always been minorities in Muslim nations. The under which they can enjoy the cally persecuted religious com- Office of Social Justice of the protected by Muslim-majority declaration was motivated by the freedom to practice their faiths.” munities, interfaith allies and Christian Reformed Church. nations, just as Muslims and increased violence and persecu- The Marrakesh Declaration government officials convened in — Contact Interfaith Insight at Jews in the U.S. have faced intol- tion faced by religious minorities draws on traditional Islamic Marrakesh for this groundbreak- [email protected].