That's what this story in The Advocate reports.
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National Coalition for the Homeless said gay, lesbian, and transgender youths make up at least 20%—possibly as much as 40%—of the total number of homeless and runaway youth, a fluid population that experts have estimated at 575,000 to 1.6 million each year. ''The national response to this epidemic has been nothing short of disgraceful,'' Matt Foreman, NGLTF executive director, told reporters during a teleconference.
What is the body of Christ doing to reach these young people? If they're out of the closet, I dare say the mainline denominations are doing more to create the problem than resolve it. The encouragement families receive to condemn their kids if they even show tendancies toward being gay or lesbian succeedes in sending a lot of young lives into a downward spiral, and not all of them pull out of it.
See, when fundamentalists say, "hate the sin, love the sinner," the hate usually overwhelms the love. Most humans are not good enough to actually pull that off and make someone feel loved. Hate, however, we're pretty good at.
Jesus, on the other hand, just loved. So should we.
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This phenomenon goes hand in hand with a parallel problem (both in terms of prevalence of and obliviousness toward): gay teen suicide.
ReplyDeleteIf it is not intrusive or rude to inquire, which church does your wife, Brenda, pastor?
ReplyDeleteMy daughter, Jen Chapin-Smith and her wife Alexi Chapin-Smith were married under the care of Adelphi Friends Meeting March 2006.
I'd like to know other chrches that would welcome them.Thanks,
Peace,
Robalee Chapin macbunky@yahoo.com