After writing the last post, I noted it on Twitter (I’m bitb) where Martin Kelley (martin_kelley) , a force behind QuakerQuaker picked it up.

To make the dialog short, I have an appeal for Unitarian Universalist Christians reading this. Please note in the comments how you have been affected by “anything but Christian” behavior, and (where appropriate) you have confronted it.

Also, I recall a good bit written about this when the UUCF began to reassert itself a few years ago. Does anyone recall which issues of the Good News had articles on the subject?

Unitarian Universalist Christians use a few terms — Christophobia, cross cringe and ABC (”anything but Christian”) — to describe the reception we get in unfriendly settings.

A posting today at QuakerQuaker shows that the problem — or perhaps a like problem — isn’t uniquely Unitarian Universalist. A shame that. Perhaps, too, an opportunity.

“Liberal Quaker Problem” (QuakerQuaker)

Are there any other Unitarian Universalists interested in forming an online Linux Users Group? The goal could include encouraging principled Linux use among Unitarian Universalists and discovering Linux-based solutions for religious institutions.

If you’re interested please contact me.

Anglican priest and blogger Andii Bowsher (Nouslife) outlines a service of worship conducted around a table, say at a cafe or restaurant. The key is low-volume, shared participation. Which isn’t too strange: people hive off to coffee shops for meeting all the time here.

I don’t know if I’d come up with what he did, but the idea of worship in a shared public space is good theologically and practically, and may be an early way for bootstrapping congregations to get started, when even the cost of a room rental would inhibit it.  If you have experience in this kind of worship — or even practical tips for holding meetings in a restaurant — please comment.

(That said, I’ve preached to congregations in venerable churches that weren’t any larger than a kaffee klatch.)

Oh, but if you do that, plan on spending money on food or drink or both. And don’t forget the waitstaff. ‘Cause you know the difference between Christians and canoes, right?

Canoes tip.

The UUWorld.org General Assembly blog reported the today’s first meeting of the Unitarian Universalist Association Board of Trustees and newly elected UUA president Peter Morales here, here and here.

One episode stands out: a statement, made by trustee Will Saunders (Northern New England) that suggested a uniformity of president-board policy that seems to have bothered other trustees. This prompted moderator Gini Courter to note they had “started weird.”

I feel like I’m missing a piece here — the thrust and tone of the episode — not the least because that there’s a reference to Saunders reading the comments. Did he bring prepared comments? And are the available?

Was anyone else present who can shed some light on this?

The current employment-themed issue of The Onion has an article with a dateline — Boston — and an employer — Beacon Press. Clearly not the Boston-based Beacon Press that’s a part of the Unitarian Universalist Association.

But it’s funny all the same.

“Summer Intern Already Forgotten” (The Onion)

On this day, in 1969, the public phase of the gay liberation movement began with a much-storied Stonewall Riots in Greenwich Viilage. Tons and tons has been written about it. And that’s why most annual gay and lesbian events are usually in stifling hot weather.

It was also the day I due to be born — I was late, and turn forty later this week — so when I think of this movement, I plot it against my own lifetime.

So the public, loud, organizing, sacrificing, activist face of gay liberation has been around longer than I have been. As biblical scholars know, forty is a number that shows everything has changed: forty days of rain, the forty years in Sinai, Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness.

And life, especially related to civil rights, has improved in the last forty years. But for most GLBT people in the United States, there aren’t any protections, especially where it matters most: in housing and employment discrimination, in adoption and immigration, in retirement and survivorship matters, in taxation and — far too often — in personal safety.

It is still possible to build a (Republican) political career in the United States by attacking GLBT people, both because of public bias and pathetic (Democratic) opposing response. For what other group can you do that?

So when gay people, like myself, try to hold President Obama accountable for pushing reforms

• we’re not “stepping out of line”
• we’re not “distracting the President from more important things”
• we’re not “brats”
• we’re not “co-opting [someone else's] civil rights movement.”
• we’re not going to fund those who won’t help us
• we do expect the repeal of disciminatory laws
• we do expect our families to be respected — at least before the law — on par with other families

Enough is enough. I’m not going to wait until I’m eighty.

Stay ready for the fight.

The General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association has been looking like a snooze (from afar; I don’t care much about the presidential politics at hand) until Larger Forces came into play:

The UUA’s “Standing on the Side of Love” banner, which has been hanging this week on the glass entry tower to the Salt Palace, the site of the General Assembly, broke loose during an intense thunderstorm Friday evening, shattering several panes of glass . . . .

This is from Chris Walton, reporting officially. Read the rest.

What’s the message here? (Other than big banners need strong rigging.)

In a slightly more serious tone: I don’t care for the “Standing on the side of love” activism branding. It’s precious and high-handed (is everyone else a hater?) and it evokes that dreadful hymn of the same name. Also, when I hear “side of . . . ” I instinctively think “bacon”. (And “SSLove” makes me think “same-sex love” — an unhelpful ambiguity.)

In practical terms, I’m still not sure what the goal of the campaign is, and that’s after reading the companion site. Much too nebulous. What’s next? Overcoming evil and progressively establishing the Kingdom of God? A great idea, but I’d like to see a business plan first.

If you use Gmail for your church or nonprofit business, just go ahead and review these tips from Google. There’s even a ready-to-print version. (Thanks L. N. for the head’s up)

The newest issue of Liberal Christian magazine has just been published.

This issue includes the Bible, copyright and freedom; a tale of growth or extinction and thoughts about what the Unitarian Universalist Association is.

http://www.liberalchristian.net

The President claims he’s a “fierce advocate” for The Gays. Uh, sure. There has been too little action from the White House over LGBT issues — except for the much-discussed DOJ brief that seems like it was airlifted out of the last Administration.

I’m not keen to wait. American history shows that those who wait die ignored, and often bitter. I’d rather fight.

I’ve heard some say that the President is implicitly forcing the LGBT community (to do list: come up with better name) to force him into action. It galls me, but that’s how the game is played.

So –

• No money for Democrats. I’m talking to you straight allies. No money. And say why. I mean it. This is the time in the process that straight liberals tend to get weak knees. Don’t cave.
• Give money instead to LGBT 501(c)(4) organizations. They’re the ones who can engage in grassroots activism more effectively. Lobbying rules inhibit 501(c)(3) charities, and the (c)(4)s — because donations to them are not tax-deductible — have a harder time raising funds.
• Let’s not expend (too much) political capital on DADT. An unpopular though, perhaps, but that’s something the Administration should be able to do on its own because it has broad popular and increasing military support. Repealing DOMA and LGBT immigration reform is a harder sell.

I made a small donation to the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund, the (c)(4) twin to the (c)(3) National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, and would like you to give money, too.

And then be prepared to call, email and fax your members of Congress and the White House.

Whew! The District of Columbia Board of Election and Ethics (DC BOEE), citing a 2002 amendment to the D.C. Human Rights Act, ruled that there can be no referendum which could repeal D.C. Council-passed legislation recognizing same-sex marriages from other jurisdictions. Imagine that! there can’t be ballot action to remove human rights!

Coverage at DCist and the Washington Blade, which has details on a possible legal challenge.

Oh, happy day. Now, an equal marriage bill is almost certain. I’m very happy. Should I mention I’m credentialed to preform marriages in the District of Columbia?

Blue Avocado — the online newsletter of a coalition of nonprofit management groups — has a good article today about often-retold misinformation about nonprofits. (They say myths but that has a particular religious meaning!) Stuff about lobbying and balanced budgets that you may have heard or told, and these include churches. I’m in the world of nonprofit management, so I knew about most of the these.

All but the last: the economic impact of nonprofits.

But I won’t spoil the article for you. Read Jan Masaoka’s “Alligators in the Boardroom and Urban Legends about Nonprofits”.

Can anyone tell if this is the Dojin (Universalist) Christian Church, in Tokyo? There’s been so little contact between this one-time foreign mission — long independent — and Universalists in the United States, with a language barrier (and I bet a theological barrier) long in evidence.

The known church address is 3-10-9 Mejirodai, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 166-0012. I don’t read any Japanese and would appreciate the help of anyone who can, or — better still — from someone who has visited the church.

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June 14. Link to DCist article with a list of memorial funds.

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum guard Stephen Tyrone Johns died today after being shot. The accused shooter has been identified as James Wenneker von Brunn, himself strongly linked with white supremacist and anti-Semitic causes.

(So tell me why this wasn’t a terrorist act?)

My prayers go to Mr. Johns’s family and the museum staff. News of a memorial fund, if one is established, will go here.

Coverage at DCist

Greetings all: the third issue of the Liberal Christian, the online magazine I publish, will be released on June 22. This is a week later than the scheduled publication date, June 15.

I hope the improved quality justifies the delay and I regret the inconvenience.

Twenty years has been too long. Freedom delay is freedom denied.

Blogging minister (or ministering blogger) and friend Victoria Weinstein — PeaceBang — noted that she posted only a few pictures from her sabbatical visit in Romania because of the cost of bandwidth.

This truth cuts both ways: heavyweight Web sites take a long time to download when the connection is slow. And if the connection is expensive, then you’re costing your readers money. Or, more practically, writing off readers.

If you have a significant readership outside North America — perhaps also Western Europe — or want to, you need to have a site that makes the most of bandwidth, and not assume their service will catch up.

Such a site needn’t be ugly. Indeed, the structure implied in a good low-bandwidth site is more likely to make the site more elegant.

For implementation ideas, I recommend Aptivate’s Web Guidelines for Low Bandwidth.

Haruo  — whose blog blends two of my interests: hymnology and Esperanto — notes a poll of favorite hymns at Semicolon. It ends tonight so I spent some time sorting my favorites so to add my favorites. (She was only asking for the top ten, but this includes everything on my short list.)

1. Guide me thou, O great Jehovah
2. Eternal ruler of the ceaseless round
3. Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the king of creation
4. O strength and stay, upholding all creation
5. God of grace and God of glory
6. O God of earth and altar
7. Let all mortal flesh keep silence
8. Earth and all stars
9. King of glory, king of peace
10. God that madest earth and heaven
11. What wond’rous love
12. Christ Jesus lay in death’s strong bands
13. Unto thy temple, Lord we come
14. Come my way, my truth, my life

What are some of yours?

The tourists are coming to Washington, D.C., and despite the recession I can imagine numbers will be high. Once you’re here and housed, it is a remarkably cheap place to visit with the leading destinations free to the public.

So I have a request of local residents and recent visitors: what would you recommend to other newcomers? What often-missed site would you commend? What resource?

My contribution:

• People miss the FDR Memorial — a shame, but it isn’t close to public transit. If you have reluctant walkers, take a cab from Foggy Bottom or Farragut North Metro and use the FDR Memorial as a jumping-off point to visit the Jefferson Memorial or the Lincoln Memorial.
• The usual tour of the Holocaust Memorial is a long, emotionally-taxing experience, and — I may get some flak here — not for kids. Particularly sensitive souls might consider bypassing the main, time-ticketed exhibit for the children’s exhibit, the remembrance hall and whatever special exhibit there is.
• The Renwick Gallery — near the White House — is an underrated art museum; is a part of the Smithsonian and is free of charge. Be sure to catch the demonstration de jour in Lafayette Square, adjacent.
• The National Building Museum is another fun site: right on the Metro Red Line (Judiciary Square) and a short walk from Chinatown, which offers better food options than the Smithsonian museums.
• When riding Metro, please, please, please stand on the right side of the escalator.

Your ideas?