Thank you to all of you who sent me encouraging emails and prayers for my trip to Omaha in light of the hate mail I received. I'm happy to report that last night went off without incident. There were no protesters (there had been the last time I was out here), over 400 people attended the talk on "sexual morality, justice, and healing", and I received a standing ovation at the end.
It was my first experience with personal security guards. I felt a little like Whitney Houston in The Bodyguard or a politician with secret service agents. I am grateful that they were there, and even more grateful that they had nothing to do but watch me sign books.
The warm response to my talk was yet another reminder of how hungry people are for the message of justice and healing and how there are people of faith every where who support sexual justice. I had the good fortune to meet and have dinner with Dick and Mary Holland who underwrite this lecture series. I asked Dick what he hoped I would accomplish with the talk. He said, "Give them hell."
I was reminded of what early Universalist minister John Murry said about the role of Universalist ministers. He urged, "Give them hope not hell." I tried to do both.
2 comments:
Hi. I attended your presentation last night & got a lot out of it. But it's like you said, that audience already agrees with you. So sorry you were exposed to the hate that is a symptom of the hostility & unrest in our community, but I appreciate that you have the courage to go out & say what you have to say anyway. I brought my 15-year-old cousin with me last night (she is in the OWL class that attended), & she was a little disappointed that she tried to meet you when you were frazzled with meeting all the demands around you at that moment. But she wanted you to know that she enjoyed your talk too. Anyway, she is a voice of reason in her school & among her friends, also with great courage to continue a dialog with people who have different viewpoints, not necessarily to change their minds, but to invite them to think & share with other people. Like you said, and we agree, God is manifested in relationships. Thanks for coming to Omaha again. I look forward to reading your books.
Congratulations!!!
D.
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