The Seminary Explores

Dr. Elizabeth Viti, Professor emeriti of French Language and Literature at Gettysburg College discusses the life and times of Simone de Beauvoir, the French writer, intellectual, philosopher, and activist of the 20^th century. Beauvoir’s life was vibrant. Viti notes Belvoir’s long-time friendship with Jean-Paul Sartre. Beauvoir was a prolific writer with numerous publications that span various areas.  Her book, The Second Sex, published in 1949, places her as an important figure in women’s’ rights and feminism.  In fact, it has become a classic in feminist literature. Viti notes that Beauvoir’s work continues to be important for our time as we struggle with women’s and human rights. When one considers what might be Beauvoir’s legacy, Viti is emphatic on the Beauvoir’s concern about gender.

Pastor Andrew Geib, Associate Pastor, St. James Lutheran Church in Gettysburg, identified nine top stories in religion for the year 2019: ELCA Church Sanctuary issue, United Methodist possible split, Women in the Church, Collapse of Christianity, the burning of Notre Dame in Paris, and more. While the stories were mostly grim, he ends with word of hope for listeners.

Ron Couchman, a 52-year member of the Gettysburg College staff was the former Registrar and is currently working in Special Collections and College Archives, shares his personal story of coming out as a gay man with the help of therapy and his congregation, St. James, Gettysburg.

With the leadership of a task force of which he is a member and the support of the pastors, the congregation has adopted Reconciling in Christ which emphasizes welcome, equality, and justice. The task force holds a celebration of “Reconciling” each January. He recommends a helpful resource, “ReconcilingWorks,” as a way for congregations to build community beyond itself.

Carla Christopher returns to carry on our discussion about having difficult conversations. In this episode we explore the terminology surrounding gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation.  Society often perceives these topics as very binary, you are male or female, you are attracted to men or to women.  The reality is much more complicated.  Carla skillfully guides us through the terminology and how it is used and misused.  She also explains personal pronouns and why he/she and his/hers are not the only options.

Guest host Carla Christopher spent time with Michael and Zach Zakar, authors of Pray the Gay Away, a book that chronicles their experience of coming out to their Christian Iranian mother and their own personal experiences during this process of self-discovery. They are advocates for LGBTQIA+ rights and offer support to youth who are coming out through their mobile app, My Twins Chat.

This deeply personal and at times humorous discussion will make you laugh and make you stop and think.

Carla Christopher, a student at United Lutheran Seminary and a former Poet Laureate of York, Pennsylvania, talks about how we can have difficult conversations around challenging topics by creating a safe space where people can engage with one another and feel safe to be human. Conversations about race, diversity, and a gender can be difficult, but there are resources available to help any group or organization, no matter how small, to begin to share their life experiences with one another.

Learn more about Carla at carlachristopher.com and communityartsink.org.

Shirley Armstrong, Psychological Counselor and Peer Education Advisor at Gettysburg College describes the goals of The Reconciling in Christ (RIC) Program is for congregations, synods, colleges, seminaries, and other Lutheran organizations. RIC recognizes Lutheran communities that publicly welcome lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender believers.  She discusses the need for churches to make a statement on the subject, but stresses that the main objective is to get people talking with each other, not simply taking votes.