Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

VIEWPOINT Who is my neighbor?
by Rev. Stephen Thurston II
2022-01-20

This article shared 2898 times since Thu Jan 20, 2022
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


The notion of functioning as a Good Samaritan is one that transcends any particular faith tradition. The idea of humans treating humans in a humane way sounds so simple, yet history and modernity are replete with scenes and scenarios showcasing just how strenuous of a task this can be.

Growing up, one of my favorite television programs was Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. With a focus on reinforcing the values of empathy and compassion Mr. Rogers framed for his viewers how to be a good neighbor. But even before this Presbyterian minister began molding the minds of young people around the attributes of a good neighbor, there was a biblical messiah who had redefined the notion of a neighbor already.

The Bible records in Luke 10:25-37 the parable of the Good Samaritan, wherein Jesus responds to an inquiry from a scribe (lawyer) about the nature of a neighbor by shifting "neighbor" from object orientation to subject orientation. For those of you who may have skipped that day in English class let me say it another way. Jesus uses this parable to shift the focus of "neighbor" from one who receives love to the one who does the loving. It's my belief that Jesus' overarching goal here was to lead this scribe into developing the capacity for loving people that's not dependent upon the identity of the one being loved.

The parable goes on to highlight two "church people" who were passing along the way when they come upon a man who'd been victimized and is now laying in the middle of the road. These "church people" see a need, but choose to sidestep the need and it's at this point in the parable where the man in the road becomes victimized twice. The robbers hurt him by violence, but the "church people" hurt him by neglect.

The rather forbidding and foreboding analysis of the Christian community is that far too many "church people" are seeing needs within the LGBTQ+ community, yet consciously choosing to sidestep those needs. Such neglect occurs when 35% of Black Q+ youth are dealing with food insecurity and 65% are experiencing depressive disorder, and when 21% of Black Q+ youth attempted suicide in the past year and 47% considered it as an option.

With COVID 19 confining Q+ youth to hostile home environments and 15% of Q+ Americans postponing or avoiding medical treatment due to discrimination we can't continue to sit back and say, "Poor them!" When I consider the fact that "church people" see the victimization then sidestep the victim, I say, "Poor us!"

When I read this parable I wondered: How is it that these church people, these followers of God ,could clearly see a need, but sidestep the need? How could they further victimize someone who'd already been violated? How could they see an opportunity to love, but instead leave? Sadly, I find myself raising the same questions of modern "church people."

At what point will we stop limiting our lens of who our neighbor is and broaden our understanding and inclusivity of whom we label as neighbor? As a cisgender heterosexual Christ follower, I challenge other cisgender heterosexual Christ followers to change the question that we either consciously or subconsciously raise. Instead of asking, "Who's my neighbor?" in an effort to filter out whose needs we'll satisfy and whose needs we'll sidestep, our question ought to be, "Am I being neighborly?"

Margret Thatcher once said: "No one would remember the Good Samaritan if he'd only had good intentions…" So here are some questions I'd like for Christians with good intentions, but poor implementation, to consider: Who's off limits to you? What are the boundaries for who you'll treat lovingly? What are the limits to your love? How far are you willing to go for someone in need? Do you weigh a person's background, worth, sexual identity or orientation before you extend help? Do you view all human beings as God's children/God's creation and thus all deserving of the same kind of love, compassion and care?

The parable of the Good Samaritan is one that depicts mercy, and mercy is nothing more than compassion in action. If we're going to love our LGBTQ+ neighbors as we do our self, if we're going to see needs then satisfy those needs rather than sidestep those needs, if we're going to model the behavior of the Good Samaritan then you and I, as the hands and feet of Jesus here on earth, have to:

1. See our neighbor: We have to look into the eyes, hearts and circumstances of our LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters and not be blinded by our prejudices. Love is proactive and God often places people in our path to show love to. The question is: Will we see them?

2. Sacrifice for our neighbor: When the Good Samaritan decided to help the hurting man, it cost him something. Becoming a voice for the victimized within the LGBTQ+ community will cost us something, too.

3. Stabilize our neighbor: The Good Samaritan didn't just treat the wounds of the man in the road, he followed through and ensured that the man had a proper environment for healing. We must likewise create safe environments and advocate for comprehensive legislation, such as the Equality Act, to create equal treatment in both law and practice. Being neighborly is about touching, lifting and empowering those in need at their most vulnerable moments of weakness.

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood, a beautiful day for a neighbor. Would you be mine, could you be mine, won't you be my neighbor?

Rev. Stephen J. Thurston II is teaching pastor of Salem Baptist Church-House of Hope. He leads individuals and organizations in changing what's within to change what's around.


This article shared 2898 times since Thu Jan 20, 2022
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

VIEWS Mike Johnson: The smiling face of Christian tyranny 2024-02-14
- Mike Johnson wants to rewrite the constitution to make the United States a Christian nation. James Michael Johnson, Republican from Louisiana's Fourth District, is the 56th speaker of the United States House of Representatives. He was ...


Gay News

VIEWS Parents, not legislators, should be making decisions about medical options for children 2024-02-06
By Jeffery M. Leving - No matter the medical issue, when it comes to kids, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said something last December that every lawmaker in the country should realize when it comes to medical decisions for children. "Were House ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Sundance items, Green Day, 'Wednesday,' Queerties, 'The Wiz' 2024-01-26
- At the Sundance Film Festival, Jodie Foster told Variety that the $1.4-billion success of Barbie helps confirm that Hollywood no longer views women directors as too much of a risk. She said, "With a big success ...


Gay News

VIEWS Is the Pope Catholic? Francis faces opposition in steps toward LGBTQ+ inclusivity 2024-01-02
- The recent change in Vatican policy allowing priests to bless same-gender couples has provoked an unprecedented backlash against Pope Francis and his openness to LGBTQ+ people—a backlash that some fear might devolve into a schism in ...


Gay News

Bring Chicago Home: Guess who's saying no again 2023-12-04
Commentary by Bob Palmer and Mark Swartz - Chicago is ushering in an era of change with a new progressive mayor with a vision to invest in communities long ignored and a significant increase in like-minded city council members. We are excited to see ...


Gay News

Pope Francis's community of transwomen 2023-11-28
- It's a rare opportunity to meet the pope. It's even rarer if you're a transgender Catholic. However, on Nov. 19, in Torvaianica, Italy, a community of transwomen, many of them sex workers, were welcomed and seated ...


Gay News

Banning the Banning of Books: Illinois and California lead the way 2023-10-26
- In June, at the Harold Washington Library in Chicago, Governor JB Pritzker signed legislation banning book bans in Illinois public libraries. This legislation, initiated by Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, passed the Illinois House and ...


Gay News

OPINION Renewing state's Invest in Kids program is investing in anti-LGBTQ+ hate 2023-10-23
- In February 2020, Bishop Thomas Paprocki of the Diocese of Springfield warned transgender students in the Diocese's educational system that they "may be expelled from the school" if they live their lives authentically. Lansing Christian School ...


Gay News

Gilbert Baker Foundation reacts to death of shop owner who flew the rainbow flag 2023-08-29
--From a press release - In response to the murder of Laura Ann Carleton over flying the Rainbow flag in her shop in California, the Gilbert Baker Foundation released the statement below. Facebook refused to post the statement as it did not "...meet their standards." ...


Gay News

VIEWPOINT U.S. higher education under siege; freedom of inquiry and speech at risk 2023-07-03
- The Covid pandemic threw a harsh spotlight on higher education in America, exposing forces eating away at the foundations of college and university learning, calling into question the traditional purposes of such education in our post-modern, ...


Gay News

Guest essay by Florida mom Nicole Pejovich: What's Happening to Florida's Public Schools? 2023-06-19
Related video below - A queer Florida parent answers questions about recent laws, how Floridians are coping, and how you can help Books pulled from school library shelves by the dozens. All evidence of inclusivity stripped from classrooms. The politically ...


Gay News

VIEWPOINT For divorced parents, transgender children's health can present tricky dilemmas 2023-06-12
- Over the last few months, issues impacting individuals who identify as transgender and non-binary are getting a lot of attention in the media and among some politicians. Sadly, because it's become a political issue; a lot ...


Gay News

VIEWPOINT War in the 21st Century: mercenaries, private military companies, private armies 2023-05-20
- In 2022, $407 billion of the Pentagon budget—representing half of that year's funding —were obligated to private contractors, of which a significant number were Private Military Companies (PMCs) involved in ...


Gay News

VIEWPOINT Telling the world about my mental health disorders 2023-05-04
- Over the years, coming out as a lesbian hasn't been that hard for me—because I was always too busy hiding something else. Confessing queerness can be a breeze compared to revealing mental illness. But I decline ...


Gay News

VIEWPOINT German bishops endorse blessings of same-sex couples: Ancient rituals retturn 2023-03-31
- This March, at a national meeting of leaders of the German Catholic Church (referred to as a synod), a document titled Blessing Ceremonies for Couples who Love Each Other" received overwhelming support: 176 votes in favor, ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.