Saline Group to Screen Film that Examines Christianity, Homosexuality

A film examining and refuting the widely held impression that Christianity and homosexuality are at odds with one another will be screened at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 23, in the Liberty School auditorium, at 7265 N. Ann Arbor Rd., in Saline.

The Saline community group, et al, will host a public screening and discussion of For The Bible Tells Me So. The screening is open to the public.

"We are screening this film as part of our mission to educate,” said Ian Reed Twiss, a member of et al and the pastor of in Saline. “Given how loud the bullhorn in our culture can be for religious views that see homosexuality as sick or sinful, we want people to know that there is another opinion out there—an authentic, Biblically-informed way of being Christian that embraces different sexual orientations—and that there are folks in this community who hold that other view.”

A World Premiere in competition at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, For The Bible Tells Me So was also honored with Audience Awards at the 2007 Seattle and Provincetown International Film Festivals and The Kathleen Bryan Edwards Award for Human Rights at the 2007 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival. Through the experiences of five very normal, very Christian, very American families – including those of former House Majority Leader Richard Gephardt and Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson – the film documents how people of faith handle, or sometimes tragically fail to handle, having a gay child. Informed by such respected voices as Bishop Desmond Tutu, Harvard's Peter Gomes, Orthodox Rabbi Steve Greenberg and Reverend Jimmy Creech, For The Bible Tells Me So is said to offer healing, clarity and understanding to anyone caught in the crosshairs of scripture and sexual orientation.

Et al is a group of citizens concerned about the current climate of intolerance towards Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered and Queer or Questioning (LGBTQ) people in Saline and elsewhere in Michigan. Founded a year ago, in the wake of the Saline School Board’s decision not to add “sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression” to its non-discrimination policy, the group’s mission is “to create an inclusive and affirming environment for LGBTQ individuals and families in the Saline Community through education, legislative advocacy and support.” Local clergy who belong to the group will be on hand to facilitate the discussion following the film.

For more information, contact Ian Reed Twiss at ian@holy-faith-church.org.

(This press release was sent by et al)