Conservatives Contradict Themselves in Foley Scandal

As this report from the San Francisco Chronicle states, there are conservatives who are trying to weasel out of responsibility for permitting sexual predator Rep. Foley to continue unpunished until he was recently outed.

There are conservatives who are saying they feared taking any action against Foley because they would then be labled as gay-bashers. Of course, they are saying that while people like Tony Perkins are gay bashing with the old, inaccurate, correlation between homosexuality and pediopheila.

From the Chronicle report:

"Patrick Sammon, executive vice president of the Log Cabin Republicans, a 20,000-member national group of gay and lesbian Republicans, scoffed at the notion that Hastert and other GOP House leaders dragged their feet on the Foley case because of the gay-bashing issue.

"These anti-gay groups should be ashamed. They're trying to use this horrible situation to advance their own agenda. It's despicable,'' said Sammon, who decried Foley's conduct. "This is a personal and political scandal. It should not be used to denigrate gay and lesbian Americans.''

Hopefully voters will remember that in November.

Judge's Nomination Held Up Due to Committment Ceremony

Notoroius anti-gay senator Sam Brownback (R-Kansas) is holding up the nominaton of Janet T. Neff to the U. S. District Court in Michigan because she participated in a committment ceremony for a same-sex couple.

According to this report in The Adovacte:

Brownback cited recent instances in California and New York where local officials issued marriage licenses to same-sex couples contrary to existing laws. ''I don't know what she did,'' Brownback said. ''That's why there's a factual question.''

Brownback has asked the U.S. Justice Department for a formal legal opinion in addition to asking Neff specific questions. Joe Solmonese, president of the gay advocacy group Human Rights Campaign, said commitment ceremonies ''have nothing to do with the law. This was a symbolic expression of love between two people. This is nothing more than Sam Brownback looking for another opportunity to rear his bigoted head and find a way to attack gay people."


Brownback claimed about the judge's actions, "''It seems to speak about her view of judicial activism."

I believe this actually says a lot more about Senator Brownback's views on judicial activism than judge Neff's. After all, if the legislature filters out judicial appointments of people who don't agree with them, isn't that a passive-aggressive type of judicial activism in itself?

UCC Strikes Back at FRC's Latest Homophobic Smear

In my recent post about the scandal swirling around former congressman Mark Foley's e-mails to underage pages, I wrote about comments spewed by the head of the Family Research Council, Tony Perkins. He used this situation to claim that "the real issue was the link between homosexuality and child sexual abuse."

The leader of the United Church of Christ, their general minister and president Rev. John H. Thomas, has stepped up and taken a stand. "Perkins recent remarks are destructive to gay and lesbian persons and their families and distract the nation’s attention from the real issue at hand, which is protecting young people from sexual predators,” said Thomas."

“To suggest that gay and lesbian persons should be barred from public service, as Perkins has implied, is akin to suggesting that white, straight males should be kept out of politics because of Bill Clinton’s sexual misdeeds,” Thomas said. “To attach this debate to sexual orientation is not only ludicrous, it’s dangerous. Many gay and lesbian persons serve honorably in public office.”

“If anything, this nation’s culture of silence with respect to gay and lesbian people has taught us that hiding, shame and denial, as in Foley’s case, are not healthy ways to live as a gay or lesbian person — not for them as individuals and not for us as a society,” Thomas said.

“One of the tragic elements in the recent incident involving Mark Foley is the way the media give credence to those who make the unfortunate, salacious and inaccurate leap that Mr. Foley’s behavior is rooted in his sexual orientation.” Chase said. “Such characterization slanders an entire group of citizens and fuels the forces of suspicion and division that plague our country.”

Well said, Rev. Thomas. It's good to see a religious leader with perspective who is willing to take the initiative to speak out against ones who misrepresent facts in order to spread hatred and bigotry.

GOP Leaders Sell Out Principles to Protect Foley's Vote

When you hear Republicans talk ad nauseum about values, keep this in mind--they value nothing more than winning and don't care who gets hurt in the process.

I believe that was already fairly obvious, but information coming out regarding the Mark Foley situation makes that even more so.

Foley, of course, is the Republican congressman who resigned last week after the revelation of perverted e-mails he sent to underage congressional pages. More is coming out about how much the party's leadership, all the way up to Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, knew about the situation and their failure to take any action besides informal warings to pages to stay away from him.

The Republicans valued Foley's party-line voting record more than protecting young volunteers from a sexual predator.

Meanwhile, Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council used this situation to launch another right-wing attempt to tie in homosexuality and pedophilia. Classy move, but about what I would expect.

One of the functions of government is supposed to be the protection of it's citizens. Who, then, will protect us from the government and its alleged leaders?

"Religion Gone Bad"-Drifting Away From Jesus

I'm linking to a review over at the excellent site "The Prodigal Sheep" of Mel White's latest book, "Religion Gone Bad." Here are a couple of excerps:

"White traces the development of this movement and its growth in influence through the particular prism of its apalling and utterly inexcusable treatment of LGBT people. Drawing on sociological research into the roots of fascism, he explores the uncanny and extensive parallels between historical fascist movements and the spirit of fascism masquerading as 'Judeo-Christian' morality."

"White doesn't really ask this question outright, but it's hard not to: What is the difference today between moderate-to-extreme Islamic mullahs who preach death to Jews and Westerners in their mosques and whose words incite others to hateful violence, and 'Christian' fundamentalist clergy who preach death to gays and lesbians from their pulpits and whose words also incite others to acts of violence?

There is none."

"If the American Taliban have their way, LGBT people won't merely be pushed back into the closet but will be permanently made second or third class citizens, or worse."

There is some very thought provoking, and scary, stuff here. Check out the entire review, then I suspect you may want to read the book.

"Healing, Feeding, and Loving, Not Nationalism"

This is a wonderful, heartfelt editorial written by a pastor in the Midwest and published in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Here are the parts that jumped out at me:

"I want to celebrate my unity with sisters and brothers who seek to follow the God that I know in the healing, feeding and teaching ministries of Jesus, not the ones who use Jesus' name to bomb abortion clinics. I want to build on the unity that I share with others who recognize God's kingdom as one of justice, peace and inclusive love, not those who use Jesus' name to preach hate. I no longer trust that a container labeled "Christian" necessarily has contents that I'm willing to share"

"We would like to say that all Christians share the basic values of God's love, but it is in the name of Jesus that the Alliance Defense Fund trains attorneys "to battle the radical homosexual legal agenda." In the name of Jesus, American Vision's leader, Gary DeMar, writes that another "long-term goal" should be "the execution of abortionists and parents who hire them."

I think I would be really blessed if I ever have the opportunity to visit Pastor Hawker's church.

Not Exactly Civil Discourse on Civil Unions

Thanks to PageOneQ for this tip on this disturbing story.

An incident occurred in a restaurant in suburban Milwaukee recently that shows just how deep the irrational, visceral hatred of GLBT people and the opposition to them having basic rights like marriage can run.

A group of lesbian, gay and transgender friends were sitting in this restaurant discussing the proposed Wisconsin constitution amendment that would ban civil unions and gay marriage. During that private, peaceful conversation, an individua joined them and eventually started punching two of the people involved. Before he fled the scene, he threw chairs and other objects and threatened to shoot someone.

The local police have yet to make an arrest, and the Antiviolence Project of the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center is pushing for hate crime charges to be filed in the case.

I don't post this story to even remotely imply that this is typical of opposition to GLBT rights, but when is the last time you heard of a gay or lesbian person or a GLBT ally tearing up a restaurant or committing any similar act against people who oppose those rights.

While I am not comfortable with some comparisons I have heard to the civil rights battles of the 1960's and the struggle for GLBT equality, this incident does raise up one common thread in my mind. The hatred and bigotry that must be overcome to insure equality for GLBT people, just like it was for African-Americans, is deeply imbedded in a frigtheningly large portion of this nation's population. As anyone who pays attention knows, it has hardly disappeared regarding the African-American community and will be a constant presence through this generation and those who follow. Only continued advocacy and education can make that gradually diminish, and we can already see some evidence of that happening in today's society.

There is a long, long, long way to go, however, and it is incumbent upon GLBT people and their allies to keep pushing and advancing the cause. Equality won't happen by itself.

Congressman Resigns Over Lewd E-Mails to Teenage Boys

Mark Foley, a powerful Republican congressman from Florida, resigned today as more information came out about e-mail and instant messaging exchanges he had with male teenage pages.

I don't post the story here as another example of how evil Republicans or politicians can be. This is another example of what appears to be a self-loathing gay man buried deep in his closet, something I find very sad.

What is even sadder and more harmful is that this man was the chairman of the House caucus on missing and exploited children. He crusaded against using the Internet to sexually exploit those who were under age, even calling those who were guilty of this "sick people; they need mental health counseling." He was also, of course, very outspoken against gay rights.

It's bad enough when a person can't look themselves in the mirror and accept who they are. It's even worse when they have the power to not only hurt themselves but others like them, punishing others for their self-loathing.

At least now there will be one less person in Congress with the power to do that.

WHOSOEVER: Unhealthy Faith

10 Beliefs of an Unhealthy Faith

1. God's love and favor depends on my behavior.
2. All ministers are people of God and can be trusted.
3. Material blessings are a sign of spiritual strength.
4. I can work my way to heaven.
5. Problems in my life are a result of some kind of sin.
6. If it's not in the Bible it isn't relevant.
7. A strong enough faith will protect me from problems and pain.
8. God hates sinners, is angry with me, and wants to punish me.
9. Having true faith means waiting for God to help me; doing nothing until He does.
10. More than anything else God wants me to be happy.

Hate Mongering at the "Values Voter Summit"

Yes, apparently hate was one of the values in great demand at the summit held in Washington, DC last weekend. The "Values Voter Summit," led by James Dobson, Tony Perkins, and the other religious right "standard" bearers, featured some tough talk directed to the LGBT community (that might be you) and its allies (people like me). Here are some of the lowlights:

Bishop Wellington Boone, founder of the Wellington Boone Ministries: "But I want to tell you something is, they (GLBT people) don’t know, we’re driven by God to deal with this stuff, and I want to say to you that, in this regard, I’m not playing with you. That when it comes to the matter of this gay stuff, I know that a family is not a man and a man or a woman and a woman. It’s a man and a woman. That’s the creative order, and I’m not backing down."

Rev. Dwight McKissic of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Texas: As reported by People For The American Way. "he said, the gay rights movement was inspired “from the pit of hell itself,” and has a “satanic anointment.” The gay rights movement was birthed and inspired by the anti-Christ. He suggested that the anti-Christ is himself gay, citing a verse from the book of Daniel saying the anti-Christ will have no desire for a woman."

I would not suggest you blow these off as just intolerant rantings. This conference attracted several potential Republican presidential candidates and the current U. S. Attorney General. These statements and other intolerant, hateful remarks were not made as some little backwards church gathering in the heat of the moment on a Sunday morning. This was a serious national convention attended by some of the leading policy makers in the United States!

I'm posting these remarks and writing about the "Values Voter Summit" to make you angry (not at me please, I'm only the messenger). Hopefully any thoughts you have about sitting out the 2006 elections are overcome by reading trash like this. None of those presidential candidates sniffing around trying to gain favor with the mighty religious right came out and said anything publicly opposing this hatred.

It's up to the GLBT community and its allies to come out and publicly oppose the right wing's policies of discrimination and condemnation, especially when it comes time to cast you ballots on November 7.

IRS Targets A Church-A Pro-Gay Church

When you see the first part of that title, you may be thinking it is about time the IRS followed through on its threats to crack down on the legal restrictions of political activities by non-profit organizations. There would probably be widespread agreement about that point among the readership here, revoking the tax-exempt status of churches who preach politics rather than God's word.

You might be surprised, like me, to learn that their current target is a pro-gay, anti-war church in Pasadena, California. One would think that, with all of the right-wing, anti-gay political rhetoric being spewed from pulpits around the country the IRS might be putting the squeeze on one of them but noooooooooo, a liberal church is under investigation because of an anti-war sermon preached during the 2004 campaigns.

Maybe I'm getting a bit jaded, but I find the choice of this church quite odd. It couldn't have been politically motivated could it?

Of course, if any IRS representatives read this--I'm with you, you folks do a great job! Please don't audit me.

Announcing a new project, "Disciples From the Left"

I am proud and excited to announce a new project that I believe is a natural outgrowth of this blog. I am now editing a blog titled, "Disciples From the Left." The viewpoint of that blog will be similar to Straight, Not Narrow except that I will be addressing a wider range of issues. Rather than focus on GLBT related issues, I will be discussing topics like the war in Iraq, the economy, terrorism, and anything I find significant in the political arena. As I do here, I will be relating events and policies back to the Bible and the will of God. I believe much of what has been done in the U. S. society in recent years with the name of God attached to it has little to do with Him. I hope to provide a clear view of what the Holy Spirit has led me to believe is the TRUE will of God, one that does not include this nation continuing to move toward a totalitarian state, where torture is actually something to be debated, where rights are being restricted and privacy invaded on a routine basis.

It is time for Christians to take a stand, and I want to be counted among those who do stand up for God's true word and will for our lives.

I hope you check it out at http://disciplesfromtheleft.blogspot.com

I am also seeking other like-minded individuals to participate in the project. Please notify me by e-mail at straight_notnarrow@yahoo.com if you have something you want to say and would like to do on "Disciples From the Left."

Evangelicals May Stay Home On Election Day

As hard as it may be to believe, this report tells us that there is enough dissatisfaction among conservative evaneglical voters to put their turnout at the polls in November at risk.

Although the religious right has dominated the debate on issues like same-sex marriage, the fact that they have not forced a complete surrender among it's advocates has resulted in some disappointment with the Republicans who have been at the forefront of that and other so-called "values issues."

Of course, the folks at Focus on the Family are doing their best to keep the pot stirred. They are distrubiting a DVD titled, "Why Not Gay Marriage?" The video answers ten questions such as "How will my same-sex marriage hurt your marriage?" and "Is it healthy to subject children to experimental families?"

Many churches around the nation are holding "non-partisan" voter registration drives. Anything to do with a political election that is conducted in a church, while it may not be illegal, is in my view simply wrong, regardless of the "non-partisan" focus. Do ministers go and preach the gospel at polling locations? I don't think so.

Harry Knox, director of the religion and faith program at the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest gay rights group, said religious progressives are beginning to speak out on gay marriage and other issues.

He said, for example, that the Human Rights Campaign recently launched its "Out In Scripture," a free weekly online resource to help clergy in planning their sermons and spiritual discussion groups.

"People on our side of the conversation, who have been silent for a long time, are tired of being silent," Knox said.

Amen to that!

Thanks to Jerry Maneker's site, "A Christian Voice for GLBT Rights" for the link.

"Old Time Religion With a Gay Twist"

Wayne Besen has an interesting column up on his site about a revival meeting in the foothills of western North Carolina led by ex-gay minister Tim Wilkins.

Besen attended the meeting and noticed a surprising dynamic in the audience:

"Most significant, however, was when Wilkens asked the crowd if they knew someone who was gay. A sea of hands rose and the preacher remarked that when he asked this question ten years ago, less than 10 percent of audiences raised their hands. Today, he said, the number can exceed eighty percent of a congregation. Here, in the foothills, it was becoming clear that the gay community had gained a foothold. The crowd was not there to gripe about homosexuals, but searching for ways to grapple with a loved one who had come out."

We can only pray that Wilkins' message didn't do too much harm to the relationships between those folks who raised their hands and the GLBT people that caused them to be in the air.

Changing My Policy on Comments

I do most of the talking on this blog, but I also listen and learn from the input I receive from my terrific readers. Recently, I have received some very constructive feeback, both publicly and privately, regarding the increase in negative comments being posted here.

When I started this blog, my goal was to keep it as an open forum where people on both sides of issues relating to the GLBT community could have a say. While I still think this is the ideal approach, it has become clear to me that it is not a viable one. My first priority here is to advocate for GLBT individuals, to be a place that gay Christians can come and receive the word of God and updates on issues relevant to them. I also want it to be a safe place for GLBT people who are struggling and have been deeply wounded by the homophobic religious right. I want them to be able to come here and find some word that will help them start the healing process and realize that God loves them just as much as he does me and Pastor Brenda.

The bottom line is I want this to be a safe place for GLBT people, somewhere they can come without having to worry about being attacked. In the spirit of trying to keep an open forum, I have allowed people to post some very hateful messages. Even thought they have been responded to in kind, I have grown to understand that the fact they are here in the first place can be hurtful. For anyone who has read some of those comments and been angered or hurt, please accept my apology.

It won't happen again.

If anyone wants to question scripture references and ask how I can feel a certain way, read the blog. I'm approaching nearly 300 posts and covered a lot of ground. If you're asking a sincere question, the answers are probably there. If not, don't bother posting a comment. If you want to post slanderous, homophobic, bigoted, hateful messages, take it somewhere else or start your own blog. Those type of comments will be deleted without exception.

Anybody who wants to challenge me on something is welcome to send an e-mail to straight_notnarrow@yahoo.com. I continue to hope there are people out there who will read the material here and ask questions with an open mind. Those folks are still welcome to comment and join our discussions.

Rather than stiffle discussion here, I want to encourage it. I often find the constructive comments here are better than my original post. Many readers have commented to me that this blog has been a blessing to them. Well, it works both ways--people who actively participate here have richly blessed me.

Aren't we all supposed to support and help each other grow? Isn't that what God had in mind when He first popluated the earth?

WHOSOEVER: Don't let anger make you sin

"Be angry, but do not sin. Do not let the sun go down on your wrath, neither give place to the devil." Ephesians 4:26,27 MOD

God knew we would have occasion to be angry. More than that, God knew we would have occasion to be filled with wrath. God also knew that being in a place of anger or wrath can potentially make us vulnerable to the devil. So, in God's loving wisdom and kindness, He made a way for us to stay clear of the devil's influence. He instructs us to get over it. He instructs us to not let a day go by before we deal with the anger. Otherwise, we leave ourselves wide open to the attacks of the enemy just like blood in the water where sharks are feeding.

God would not have given us such instructions if it weren't possible to accomplish. The Holy Spirit is ever present to give us strength, guidance, and comfort. All we have to do is call on His help..... and get over it.

"I Hate Being Gay"

I found this gut-renching essay on The Adovcate.com written by a young man named Kyle Rice in Washington State. Kyle is fighting a battle in his heart and soul that he appears to be losing. For example:

"I focus on fighting efforts to force the "gay agenda" on those of us who know God does not accept homosexuality. Although I do not condone discrimination, I also do not support gay marriage laws or many of the other issues backed by gay rights groups. I am a proud conservative Republican, and I support political candidates who feel the same way I do."

Kyle is so indoctrinated by the religious right's message of condemnation that he supports legislation that restricts his own rights. He's also deep into self-loathing, writing:

"I know God would not approve of me acting on my gay feelings, and I have no right to question his directive. I know that in the end I will be happy I lived my life according to God’s standards the best that I could. That means refusing to accept being gay."

People like Kyle are one of the primary groups my church and this blog are trying to reach out to. It appears he has never been taught that he doesn't have to choose between being a Christian or accepting himself for who he is because God accepts him.

Sadly, I very strongly believe that he is mistaken in his belief that he can deny who he really is and still live a happy life. He and many others like him have allowed Satan to speak to him through those who don't understand or intentionally misrepresent God's word and prevent him from experiencing the fullness of life as a gay Christian.

I hope you will join me in praying that Kyle Rice can soon accept himself for who he is and discover the life that God has planned for him.

The Hypocrisy of James Dobson

I write a lot about Dr. Dobson and his campaign of hate and discrimination against the GLBT community. Here is another piece about Dobson that echoes many of the sentiments I have expressed on this blog. The writer, Robert Parham, is the executive director of the Baptist Center for Ethics.

He writes, "Dobson may have finally gone too far in pushing a political agenda under the guise of morality. Sincere pastors may finally turn him off for transgressing the boundaries between conservative Christian values and political conservative leaders."

We can only hope.

Series on Christianity and Homosexuality

David W. Shelton, a gay Christian who is pastor of Christian Community Church in Clarksville, Tennessee, was kind enough to let me know about an in-depth series he is writing about Christianity and Homosexuality.

David is meticulously going through the key scriptures that are often used by the religious right to condemn homosexuality. It is some excellent work that is worth taking time to read.

Thanks for the head's up David.

Click here to read David's series on his blog, "Skipping to the Piccolo"

Clarifying Where I Stand

Some of the regular readers of this blog have probably followed the discussion between myself, a man who posts as “Stuffed Animal,” and Jerry Maneker. Both of them, particularly Stuffed Animal, have taken me to task for being willing to engage in dialogue with those who feel that homosexuality is a sin. I have found Stuffed Animal’s comments to be driven by a deep, perhaps even visceral, anger at injustices done to him and other GLBT people. He has taken offense to my toleration of anti-homosexual comments on this blog, a view which Jerry appears to share.

I have written that I disagree with an approach that, in my opinion, too closely resembles that of the bigots that cause such pain and draw GLBT people into self-loathing and other negative views of life. The anger that comes across in Stuffed Animal’s comments troubles me and I have commented to him that I don’t feel he’s channeling it in a positive, constructive manner. The response from Stuffed Animal has been that by tolerating views that do not directly and strongly support the place of GLBT people in the Kingdom of God, I am doing a disservice to the community and compromising the effectiveness of my advocacy.

Fair enough. Everyone is entitled to their opinion of how to most effectively advocate equality for GLBT people in politics and the church.

Over on Jerry’s blog, Stuffed Animal continues to write about this blog, dialoging with Jerry. He refers to me as “Rev. Jim” when I am not in fact an ordained minister or have ever claimed to be. My wife is, but not me. No big deal, in fact I took it as a compliment.

He got another fact very, very wrong that has angered me and needs to be corrected lest anyone draw the same incorrect conclusion.

Stuffed Animal posted, “Deep down, I believe Jim accepts the lie that God condemns homosexuality as sinful, and that's why he can't see it for the damaging thing that it is. He thinks that if the Bible bullies will just stop being so virulent, and the Gay activists will just stop being so militant, then we can all find common ground and sit quietly together in church.”

That is simply a load of crap. I was disappointed that Jerry agreed with it since he and I have shared numerous constructive exchanges over the last few months.

It is beyond me how any reasonable person can read this blog and draw that conclusion. Nonetheless, just in case someone else could, allow me to state how I feel very, very clearly.

I believe that all people are equal in God’s eyes regardless of the sexual orientation they are born with. We are equal brothers and sisters who have redemption available to us because Christ sacrificed Himself for our sins. I believe couples of the same-sex should have equal rights to marry just like Brenda and I did. I believe God blesses monogamous, covenant relationships regardless of the genders of the partners. I believe God loathes promiscuity regardless of the gender of the participants. I believe GLBT people need legal protections, not “special rights” to protect their ability to hold down jobs, adopt children, and do anything and everything I can do as a straight person without having to stay in the closet.

My wife, Pastor Brenda, believes the same things. She has ministered to the GLBT community for nearly 20 years and is one of the people who continue to enlighten me about the injustices and ministry needs of GLBT people.

If anyone doubts that I feel this way, please check out anything I have posted on this blog. If you see something I wrote that makes you think Stuffed Animal is right, I would sincerely like to know. Perhaps I misstated something or put it in a way that was not clear, that’s always possible.

Just show me the courtesy of telling me directly, either by commenting on the blog or by e-mail. I’d rather not stumble across negative comments about me on someone else’s blog.