Why have gays and lesbians in the church been subjected to unrelenting spiritual abuse? Because the struggle for LGBT inclusion has become a proxy battle in which LGBT Christians and their allies have become the scapegoat for modernity, for historical-critical exegesis, for the purveyors of rationalism who would question the literalism of the gatekeepers [those who exclude LGBT people from Christian community especially ministry & especially those in committed partnerships] -- all complex influences that threaten a simple faith. The resistance to LGBT inclusion is merely the latest instance of a cultural / religious struggle that dates to the Renaissance and Reformation. It is supremely ironic that supposed heirs of Luther, Calvin, Knox, Hooker, and Wesley now retreat behind hoary old tradition to fend off the reforms of this era and to allay their fears of modernity, they would have the reformed church cease reforming....The gay-bashing of the gatekeepers is not about gays -- instead, it is a visceral, frightened reaction to the march of time (R. W. Holmen, _Queer Clergy_ (2013) p. 107). Jeffrey Hoffman, Kay Higuera Smith, Arlene Michelle Sánchez Walsh, Ryan Bell, R Scott Okamoto, Darren McDonald, Susan Van Bemden this passage reminds me of each of you & insights shared in conversation or writing
Posted on: Mon, 01 Sep 2014 15:35:41 +0000
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