Bible as Interactive Art Piece Inspires Storms of Controversy

Posted 1 year, 1 month ago at 6:20 pm. 2 comments

As the Gallery of Modern Art in Glasgow planned an exhibition exploring faith and sexuality, they decided to invite religious organizations representing the LGBT community to contribute concepts.  Members of  The Metropolitan Community Church, Quest, Al Jannah Muslim Group and individuals from a range of faiths responded, and the result is  Made in God’s Image, which opened June 25.  It’s part of the sh(Out) programme developed by GOMA to promote LGBT rights.  Artists Anthony Schrag and David Malone were asked to help bring the resulting ideas into fruition.  Almost all of the contributing artists are out gay.

One of the exhibits, the brainchild of Reverend Jane Clarke of MCC, has already worked up a heated reaction from members of mainstream religious organizations including the Church of Scotland and the Roman Catholic church.  Untitled 2009 consists of an oversized Bible, an assortment of writing utensils, and an invitation to creativity.   “If you feel you have been excluded from the Bible, please write your way back into it.”  Clarke’s idea was that people might write their names in the margins, to indicate their feeling of marginalization.  Gallery visitors responded enthusiastically.

To some, the impulse to go further was irresistible.  The Times, with uncharacteristic sensationalism, screamed, “Gallery’s invitation to deface the Bible brings obscene response.”  The article repeats a few choice bits of supposed sacrilege such as “This is all sexist pish, so disregard it all.” and “I am Bi, Female & Proud. I want no god who is disappointed in this.”  “Skywalker” has been added to the title of The Gospel of Luke.

Andrea Minichiello Williams, director of the Christian Legal Centre, focused her criticism on the metaphorical impact of the artwork: “This is symbolic of the state of our broken and lawless society.”

Clarke has distanced herself somewhat from the results, claiming “The Bible should never be used like that.  It was our intention to reclaim it as a sacred text.”  But she doesn’t regret it, because after all, “For many of the visitors to the Gallery this will be the first time in a long time that they have actually opened a Bible.”

Exhibit producers have been compelled to consider removing some of the more offensive pages of the Bible — I suppose they mean those with the most offensive graffiti on them.  Please contact the Museum to let them know what you think.

Among the other works is a video by Roxanne Claxton featuring a young woman ripping pages out of the Bible and stuffing them in her underwear and in her mouth.  As Schrag describes it, “Roxanne gave a performance where she ate a Bible and it became part of her.”

Made in God’s Image runs through August 22, and admission is free.

Untitled 2009

Anthony Schrag, photo by James Glossop for The Times

Kelvin Holdsworth, High-Ranking Scottish Priest, Comes Out

Posted 1 year, 1 month ago at 9:19 am. 0 comments

Things are heating up in the Church of Scotland.  The Reverend Scott Rennie, openly gay, sparked protests after he was appointed minister at Queen’s Cross Church in Aberdeen.  400 other ministers signed a petition of protest and the Archbishop of Rochester, Michael Nazir-Ali, called on homosexuals to “repent and be changed.”  Now the Very Reverend Kelvin Holdsworth, Rector and Provost of the Cathedral Church of St Mary the Virgin in Glasgow, has spoken publicly about being gay himself.  In a lengthy interview with Scotland on Sunday Holdsworth responds to the archbishop, “I wish he wasn’t making the comments he makes and the only thing I can do is wish him a blessing of peace.”

Holdsworth says his fellow priests and his congregation have long known of his homosexuality, but have been supportive.   And he says he’s not alone.  “For all my time in the Church I have always known there were gay men, and more recently gay women, working in the priesthood.  Anyone who knows the clergy of the Church, anyone who sits in the synod of the Church is sitting with gay people and has been doing so for a long time.”

The recent controversies compelled him to speak out to the public. Although he once opposed same-sex marriage, the forward-thinking clergyman now favors it even for two priests.  “I don’t know how long it will take before clergy can have a same-sex marriage ceremony that is acknowledged by the whole church, but I do believe it is far more likely to happen in Scotland rather than England.  I think in some ways Scotland is a more grown-up society than England.”

The Very Reverend Kelvin Holdsworth

Stephen Purcell, from Glasgow Council to the Top

Posted 1 year, 3 months ago at 5:05 pm. 0 comments

Glasgow Labour Council leader Stephen Purcell is on the ascent from his local base of support to a national role.  In 1996 at age 23 he became one of the youngest-ever councillors and just four years later was leader of the city.  In 2006 he announced he was gay, but the news hasn’t dimmed his political star.  Recently, he played a key role in bringing the 2014 Commonwealth Games to Glasgow.  Read More

Stephen Purcell

Reverend Scott Rennie appointed minister of Scotland’s Queen’s Cross church

Posted 1 year, 3 months ago at 10:58 am. 0 comments

Reverend Scott Rennie, 37, told his former congregation that he was gay and in a committed relationship with a man.   Now religious conservatives angry at Rennie’s appointment as minister of Queen’s Cross church have challenged the appointment.  Read More