Thursday, July 22, 2010

Sunstone, August 4-8, 2010

This year at the Salt Lake Sunstone Symposium, there will be an unusually large number of sessions dealing with the issue of homosexuality.  I'll be participating in four sessions, either as a presenter or as a chair:


#173 (Thursday, August 5, 4:45 - 6:15 p.m.), "Some SAHD Stories."  This isn't a gay-themed panel!  But I'll be one of a number of presenters, in my capacity as a "Stay At Home Dad"!

#313 (Saturday, August 7, 8:45 - 9:45 a.m.), "Church, Priesthood, and the Gay/Lesbian Journey Toward Spiritual Maturity."  This is the one session where I'll be the primary presenter.

#352 (Saturday, August 7, 2:15 - 3:15 p.m.), "The Epistle of Paul: Homosexual Spirituality and the Redemption of Pleasure."  Paul Toscano is the main presenter at this session; I'll be chairing.

#363 (Saturday, August 7, 3:30 - 4:30 p.m.), "Two Loves: Documenting Gay Mormons' Stories."  Two Loves is a 25-minute documentary film exploring the stories of gay Mormons.  Michelle Ripplinger will be presenting and discussing the film; I'll be chairing the session.

Other sessions addressing the issue of homosexuality and the Church include #225, "Same-Gender Marriage & Religious Freedom: A Call to Quiet Conversations and Public Debates"; #251, "Responses to the Documentary 8: The Mormon Proposition"; #275, "Developments from the Community of Christ 2010 World Conference" (in this session a paper will be presented on the Community of Christ's Section 164, which provides for the full participation of gay and lesbian individuals in the life of the second largest Mormon denomination); #332, "The Gay Mormon Literature Project"; #351, "Mobilizing the Saints: Behind the Scenes Strategies on SSM"; and #371, "Gay and Mormon on the Stage and Screen".


Of course, there will be lots of sessions having nothing to do with same-sex attraction.  I'm particularly interested, as a teacher of American religious history, in some of the history-themed panels, and plan to make as many of those as I can.

If you're planning to attend Sunstone and/or be in the Salt Lake and/or Provo/Springville areas during that time, let me know!  I'll be staying with my brother Joe and his wife in Provo, and commuting to Salt Lake for the Symposium.  I'd love to see if we could plan some kind of Sunstone Mohos and Friends get-together.  (Maybe Scott and Sarah are already organizing/planning to organize one of their meet-ups to coincide with this weekend, which I'm usually never able to attend living here in the Great White Northern antipodes of Mormonism?)

If we can't organize a formal get-together, I hope to see some of you at least informally in the sessions and/or in the hallways of the Salt Lake Sheraton!

Westward ho!

8 comments:

  1. Wish I could make Sunstone this year! Maybe next year. I hope you have a great time!

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  2. I will be there and am looking forward to your presentation. I'll come up and say hi, especially if a get together doesn't materialize. I'll be staying in Sandy with my parents.

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  3. Cool! I'm really looking forward to it.

    Maybe I'm the one who needs to make a get-together happen... I have some friends in Salt Lake who might be willing to host a soiree...

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  4. You are a busy boy, now, aren't you! Best wishes in presenting and chairing these sessions!

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  5. I'll have to check into it. Sounds interesting.

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  6. whoops- I just found your mail. I will drop you a line. :)

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  7. John, I am curious about the time- could the 313 Session be from 8:45-9:45 AM and NOT PM? Would you be kind enough to just clarify this for me?

    I live in the area and may show up to the Sunstone symposium. If so, I hope I get the chance to meet you and speak with you in person. Over the past almost 2-years that I have been reading and following your blog, I have learned SO much and have been so truly touched with your insights, love, and kindnesses. My life has been forever bettered because of you. Thank you!

    Hope to see you this coming week. :)

    Happy night. Love and respect, always. slp

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  8. SLP - whoops! You are correct! The time is 8:45 A.M., not 8:45 P.M. I've corrected it in my blog post now... I hope folks will be relying on the Sunstone Symposium program, and not on my faulty blog...

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