An open letter from Rev. Otis Moss III to the Black Clergy Re: Obama's Support of Same Sex "Marriage"

by Gloria Dulan-Wilson

Hello All:

On May 15, I posted "President Obama's Stand on Same Sex "Marriage" in my Blog www.gloriadulanwilson.blogspot.com. This evening I received this email from one of my Oklahoma Homies in response to that posting. President Barack Obama's support of same sex "marriage." has caused consternation, controversy and jubilation - depending on the person and their persuasion. There have been many - particularly the ecclesiastical community - who have threatened to withdraw their support from the President; while others have now seen it as a reason to back him.

I thought it might be of interest to you, as well. Per my classmate, Reverend Otis Moss III is the "young brother took over from the Rev. Jeremiah Wright(see below for more info)*. Nuff said".

That being said, this is what the Rev. Otis Moss III says in reference to President Obama's stand:
An open letter from Rev. Otis Moss III to the Black Clergy (In Culture, Politics on 15/05/2012 at 10:02):

The follow words are from the Reverend Otis Moss, Senior Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, Illinois concerning President Obama’s recent public endorsement of Gay Marriage. The content of the letter is posted in its entirety.
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"My Brother:
"Tell your brethren who are part of your ministerial coalition to “live their faith and not legislate their faith” for the Constitution is designed to protect the rights of all. We must learn to be more than a one-issue community and seek the beloved community where we may not all agree, but we all recognize the fingerprint of the Divine upon all of humanity.

"There is no doubt people who are same-gender-loving who occupy prominent places in the body of Christ. For the clergy to hide from true dialogue with quick dismissive claims devised from poor biblical scholarship is as sinful as unthoughtful acceptance of a theological position. When we make biblical claims without sound interpretation we run the risk of adopting a doctrinal position of deep conviction but devoid of love. Deep faith may resonate in our position, but it is the ethic of love that forces us to prayerfully reexamine our position.

"The question I believe we should pose to our congregations is, “Should all Americans have the same civil rights?” This is a radically different question than the one you raised with the ministers, “Does the church have the right to perform or not perform certain religious rites.” There is difference between rights and rites. We should never misconstrue rights designed to protect diverse individuals in a pluralistic society versus religious rites designed by faith communities to communicate a theological or doctrinal perspective. These two questions are answered in two fundamentally different arenas. One is answered in the arena of civic debate where the Constitution is the document of authority. The other is answered in the realm of ecclesiastical councils where theology, conscience and biblical mandates are the guiding ethos. I do not believe ecclesiastical councils are equipped to shape civic legislation nor are civic representatives equipped to shape religious rituals and doctrine.

"The institution of marriage is not under attack as a result of the President’s words. Marriage was under attack years ago by men who viewed women as property and children as trophies of sexual prowess. Marriage is under attack by low wages, high incarceration, unfair tax policy, unemployment, and lack of education. Marriage is under attack by clergy who proclaim monogamy yet think nothing of stepping outside the bonds of marriage to have multiple affairs with “preaching groupies.” Same-gender couples did not cause the high divorce rate, but our adolescent views of relationships and our inability as a community to come to grips with the ethic of love and commitment did. We still confuse sex with love and romance with commitment.

"My father, who is a veteran of the civil rights movement and retired pastor, eloquently stated the critical nature of this election when speaking to ministers this past week who claim they will pull support from the President as a result of his position. He stated, “Our Ancestors prayed for 389 years to place a person of color in the White House. They led over 200 slave revolts, fought in 11 wars, one being a civil war where over 600,000 people died. Our mothers fought and were killed for women’s suffrage, our grandparents were lynched for the civil rights bill of 1964 and the voting rights act of 1965…my father never had the opportunity to vote and I believe it is my sacred duty to pull the lever for every member of my family who was denied the right to vote. I will not allow narrow-minded ministers or regressive politicians the satisfaction of keeping me from my sacred right to vote to shape the future for my grandchildren.”

“The institution of marriage is not under attack as a result of the President’s words.”

"Gay and lesbian citizens did not cause the economic crash, foreclosures, and attack upon health care. Poor underfunded schools were not created because people desire equal protection under the law. We have much work to do as a community, and to claim the President of the United States must hold your theological position is absurd. He is President of the United States of America not the President of the Baptist convention or Bishop of the Sanctified or Holiness Church. He is called to protect the rights of Jew and Gentile, male and female, young and old, gay and straight, black and white, Atheist and Agnostic. It should be noted the President offered no legislation, or executive order, or presented an argument before the Supreme Court. He simply stated his personal conviction.

"If we dare steal away from the noise of this debate, we will realize as a church we are called to “Do justice, live mercy and walk humbly with God.” Gay people have never been the enemy; and when we use rhetoric to suggest they are the source of our problems we lie on God and cause tears to flow from the eyes of Christ.

"I am not asking you to change your position, but I am stating we must stay in dialogue and not allow our own personal emotional prejudices or doctrines to prevent us from seeing the possibilities of a beloved community.

"November is fast approaching, and the spirits of Ella Baker, Septima Clarke, Fannie Lou Hammer, Rosa Parks, A. Phillip Randolph, James Orange, Medgar Evers and Martin Luther, King Jr. stand in the balcony of heaven raising the question, “Will you do justice, live mercy and walk humbly with our God?” Emmitt Till and the four little girls who were assassinated in Alabama during worship did not die for a Sunday sermonic sound bite to show disdain for one group of God’s people. They were killed by an evil act enacted by men who believed in doctrine over love. We serve in ministry this day because of a man who believed in love over doctrine and died on a hill called Calvary in a dusty Palestinian community 2,000 years ago. Do not let the rhetoric of this debate keep you from the polls, my friend.

Asking you to imagine a beloved community, your brother and friend,
Otis Moss, III, Senior Pastor, Trinity UCC {Chicago, IL}"

*Rev. Moss received his Bachelor of Arts in religion and philosophy from Morehouse College and a Master of Divinity from Yale University. He has done extensive research in the areas of African American culture, theology, and youth development. His essays, articles, and poetry have appeared in The African American Pulpit, Sojourners, and Urban Spectrum, and he is the author of Redemption in a Red-Light District (Four-G Press). In 2006, Pastor Moss co-wrote the book, The Gospel Remix: Reaching the Hip Hop Generation (Judson Press).The African American Pulpit named him one of the “Twenty to Watch” ministers under forty, who are positively affecting the future of the African American church. Rev. Moss is a sought-after speaker across the globe for his expertise in the study of the Post-Soul generation and hip hop.

As my friend stated in forwarding this letter to me, "nuff said." Forward this to your ministers, congregation, friends, and any who would debate that the President has stepped away from his path. It's not true, never has been true, and as I stated in my recent posting: President Barack Obama has done more for us in four years - even with the challenges of the devastation of an economic downturn, massive unemployment, foreclosures rendering millions homeless - than the last three presidents combined.

And to continue his good work and complete his mission, he, and we, need Four More Years!

Stay Blessed &
ECLECTICALLY BLACK
Gloria Dulan-Wilson