Young Lay Leaders Conference, July 7 - 9, 2011
Day 2, Friday, July 8  - PWDS, Kottavila, Kerala, India
______________________________________

On  
this  
page  


Steve and Jose
INDIA 2011
July 2  - August 12, 2011
Steve & Jose: Asia 2011: INDIA - SINGAPORE - NEPAL
Thursday, July 8, 2011 - Day 2
Young Lay Leaders Conference
  • Sponsors and Theme
  • Friday's Speakers and Schedule
  • Jose Ortiz's Presentation - A News Report
Sponsors:
Trivandrum Theological Forum (TTF)
Amirtham Ecumenical Trust
Other Sheep


Theme:
Church - Beyond Its Boundaries


Friday, July 8, Speakers and
Schedule

Rev. Anilal M. Jose (Presbyter, CSI,
Kollam District)
  • Opening Worship
  • Session V - Church in the
    Context of Communication
    Technology

Mr. Jose Ortiz (Other Sheep
Coordinator for Asia and Africa)
  • Session VI - Psychological
    aspects of relationship within
    the Church

Mr. K. C. Varghese (Writer, activist,
radical lay theologian)
  • Session VI - Redefining the
    Boarders

------Lunch-----

  • Sesion VII - Towards a New
    Humanity and Community in
    Christ

Panel Discussion
  • Session IX - Challenges in the
    local churches (
  • Praveen Raj
  • D. Mano
  • M.D. Vimal Kumar
  • Dr. R.L. Rag
  • Sajin Das

Cultural Program - Music

-------Dinner-------
Jose Ortiz, first row, last person, with speakers and
attendees, 2nd day of the conference, July 8, 2011
On the second day of the Young Lay
Leaders Conference (July 8, 2011,
Kerala, India) sponsored by Trivandrum
Theological Forum, Amirtham
Ecumenical Trust and Other Sheep, Jose
Ortiz, Other Sheep Coordinator for Asia,
spoke on the psychological aspects of
relationships in the Church and how they
apply to the gay Christian and the
Church community.

Citing the psychological research of
Clock and Stark, Ortiz said there are five
dimensions of how people are religious:  
Intellectual, Experiential, Ideological,
Ritualistic, and Consequence
(Behavioral).

Ortiz said his religious expression during
his youth showed greater strength in the
Ideological and Behavioral dimensions,
and that it was later in life, when
confronted with the reality of his sexual
orientation as homosexual, that he
realized he needed to increase the
Intellectual dimension of his religious life.

Ortiz said he was seventeen years old
and soon to enter Bible college to
become a missionary when he first
discovered his attraction to those of his
sex. He said the confusion he
experienced as Christian and gay
conflicted with the Ideological dimension
of his religious life.  He had very little
information on the topic of homosexuality
in the conservative Bible College he
attended.  He said the agony and inner
turmoil of his being gay and Christian
brought on periods of depression and
suicidal thinking.  Ortiz said this is the
case with many gay Christians around
the world.

Concerning the majority view of the
Church towards sexual minorities, Ortiz
said motivation and conformity are two
factors that contribute to the rejection of
homosexuals within the church.  Ortiz
said extrinsically motivated church-goers
are those who are in the church for the
social benefits they derive and are not
generally interested in truth and justice.  
Often this group constitutes the majority.  
Ortiz said research shows that prejudice,
racism and maladjustment factor highly
among those who are extrinsically
motivated.  Quoting Sara Savage of
Cambridge University, Ortiz said pastors
and lay leaders should encourage the
extrinsically motivated to “seek to enable
the healthy, truth-oriented aspects of a
person’s faith to gradually take
ascendancy over any defensive
purposes lurking behind religious faith.”

Ortiz said due to his desire to conform,
he could not, while in Bible college, allow
himself to seriously consider some
literature he had read which called for
the inclusion and acceptance of
homosexuals within the church.  Ortiz
named the six factors that contribute to
conformity within groups and said the
church has all six factors.  

He said studies do show that minorities
can change the view of the majority
through dialogue and by their own
behavior style.  

Ortiz said this is why he and his partner
are here in India dialoguing with
Christians.  Ortiz said the majority will
reconsider its rejection of homosexuals
when they see the homosexual’s face,
hear their voice, and see the love of God
and the peace of God in them.
Young church lay leaders
shown underlying
psychological dynamics of
church bias towards sexual
minorities
by Jose Ortriz and Rev. Steve Parelli
July 10, 2011
Classic Ave Hotel, Trivandrum,
Kerala India
This web page was created July 8-10, 2011,
at the young lay leaders conference grounds
and in Classic Ave Hotel, Trivandrum, India.

Visits to this web page since July 10, 2011:
Counter
Jose Ortiz ,Other
Sheep Coordinator
for Asia, July 8, 2011
Kerala, India

Steve & Jose's Other Sheep
Asia 2011 Ministry
with
India, Singapore and Nepal

Table of Index

India (Index Page)
July 2 - August 12, 2011

Daily Logs:

Major Events:
  • Young Lay Leaders Conference
  • Day 2 - Jose presents
    psychological dynamics of
    church bias towards
    sexual minorities
  • Day 3 - Future projects
    considered

Narratives:

Singapore (Index Page)
August 13 -16, 2011

Daily Log:

Major Events:
  • Steve & Jose present "Is There
    Such a Thing as 'Ex-gay'?"
  • Steve & Jose present a
    Powerpoint on their India 2011
    ministry

Narrative:

Analysis:

Interview:

Rev. Oyoung:

Nepal (Index Page)
August 17 - September 1, 2011

Daily Logs:

Major Events:
  • "Putting a Face on
    Homosexuality" - Meeting with
    area pastors

Narratives:

Nepal Evaluation Report:

Recources:
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________