Those Conservative Christians Sure Pick Nice Ties!!

An experiment:

Go to this page http://www.beesondivinity.com/templates/cusbeeson/details.asp?id=25215&PID=109040&mast=

and take a gander at the faculty of Beeson Divinity School.

Then go take a gander at the Unitarian Universalist leadership -- say, a photo taken at General Assembly within the past ten years.

Who do you take more seriously as contenders in the religious dialogue of the United States of America?

Yea, I thought so. But you know, for most UU's, it's all about comfort -- and public image is just two bad words in the same sentence. A tie is an instrument of the patriarchy, after all.
To own an iron is also to collude with the systems of oppression.

When a recent visitor to my own church said, "I notice that your people dress up," I wiped a tear of gratitude from me eye. Yes they do, bless their Puritan-descended little hearts.

I found Beeson from a big ad for their Pastors School in The Christian Century, which looked to be a good summer conference to me. It's called "Stay At Your Post" (from I Timothy) which I thought could be good stuff about pastoral renewal and all.

I noticed right away a dearth of chicks on the roster of speakers, but I thought they might still be okay Christian folks and went to their website to investigate. It's located in Birmingham, Alabama (cool) and... ooh. Oh. Southern Baptist. Every single faculty bio of a man makes dern sure that they mention a wife and kids. I don't think my queer-loving Wiccanish-Christian Yankee blue state self is going to be so welcome among this gathering.

But I ask you: is that not a swanky web site? Would you know just from looking at it that these are very likely some of the Bible Thumpin' Maddogs who want to keep Terry Schiavo in a persistently vegetative state until the Rapture, and who think that every pregant woman in America ought to become a mother by law of the state, no matter what?
(Does it kill you that their latest legislation prohibiting anyone other than the parent to accompany a minor to obtain a safe and legal abortion in another state is called the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act?? Hey fellas, let me clue you in: if she's pregnant, she's not a CHILD. 'Kay? Here. Read what Ellen Goodman says about this in the Boston Globe today: http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2005/05/01/abortion_and_the_age_of_reason/
)

No, you wouldn't know. It's an impressive, attractive, lovely website that projects professionalism, order, aesthetic harmony and care for the reader, along with a religious life that seems enthusiastic but not overly-fervent. If I didn't know any better, I'd think I was very welcome at this place.

Interesting, no?
Why do you think their churches are growing so fast?

NICE ties, boys.