Hate the Hypocrisy, Not the Gay Senator

HATE the Hypocrisy, Not the Gay Senator Steve Gushee Palm Beach Post September 7, 2007

Father Steve Gushee is a former religion editor for the

Palm Beach Post.

He is a frequent contributor.

Father Gushee is a retired Episcopal Priest.

Hypocrisy is the great sin that haunts recently exposed gay public figures. They often rail against the very lifestyle they practice.

The greater sin may be rooted in a culture that self-righteously uses the Bible to condemn homosexuality; that drives gay men and women to personal dishonesty, marital distress, public embarrassment and perceived hypocrisy.

Such men are often married with children. They appear vehemently antigay, conservative advocates of family values. Their life becomes an elaborate, painful charade designed to keep their true sexuality hidden, from themselves as well as from the public. When exposed, they Invariably appear hypocritical.

Sen. Larry Craig of Idaho, who resigned his seat Saturday, is but the latest prominent socially conservative married man to be caught In a homosexual encounter. The Rev. Ted Haggard was a married pastor, founder of a 14,000-member church and president of the National Evangelical Association. He resigned in November last year after a gay tryst became known.

James McGreevy, married and father of two, resigned as governor of New Jersey in 2004, when his homosexuality became public. Haggard and McGreevy have each said they struggled for years to suppress their sexuality.

Many gay men marry to convince themselves they are not gay, so damning is that label in our Christian culture. A church I once served hosted a support group that helped such men wrestle with their sexuality, social pressures, cultural bias and religious prejudice. Many participants gave the group credit for saving their marriages and,Indeed, saving their sanity, even though they had to maintain the fiction that they were heterosexual.

A society that recognized gay people as human beings with human rights with have few closeted public figures. A Christian society that embraced the outcast as Jesus taught would support the effort of a responsible sexual minority to be part of mainstream American life. Instead, the American version of a Christian society drives gay men and women to live raudulent lives.

Jesus roundly condemned adultery between heterosexuals, though our society winks at the practice, even among presidential candidates. He never uttered a word about homosexuality. To be sure, Paul condemned it. He also supported slavery, discouraged marriage and suggested those who married live celibate lives.

Less hypocrisy in our religious life would lead to less among our public officials.

The Fast Pace Of Fascism's Arrival to America

Thirty six years ago I wrote a paper for an English class during my freshman year at Mount Vernon Nazarene College. The paper dealt with the importance of keeping theocracy out of America's government. I got a good grade on the paper. That was back then. In today's day and age, I'm not so sure that the paper would be accepted. We're living in a different day and age. It wasn't long after I wrote that paper, that Pat Robertson's new political religion came on the scene. He started talking about a religious political movement with efforts to take control of mainstream denominations, America's airwaves, our congress, our courts. Pat Robertson was adamant that this new political religious movement could create a Christian empire. Is it too far fetched to say that America's christian right is following in the footsteps of the German Christian Church, the pro-Hitler,pro-Nazi church? Is it too far fetched to see the American religious right movement attempting to use religion in order to dismantle America's current open society in order to create a form of government in sync with their own religious beliefs? Billy Graham didn't admonish believers to distance themselves from political power for nothing. He saw the danger of fascism; of any religion controlling our government. According to statistics I found from Theocracy Watch, (these statistics are from 2004) the power brokers in the Christian Right had the majority of seats in 36 % of GOP state committees, or 18 of 50 states and large minorities in 81 % of the rest of the states. They had 45 in the U.S. Senate and 186 in the House of Representatives. The even use their children to help take control of the U.S. Supreme Court (please refer to my JESUS CAMP post). The state of Texas is now attempting to pass legislation banning the teaching of evolution in all Texas schools and requiring Bible study as part of the school curriculum. President Bush wants social welfare turned over to churches through "faith based " initiatives," while allowing the religious providers to provide or withhold service according to the believes of the religion providing the service. One white house staff member from the Office of Faith Based Initiatives (or some such title), quit over this due to the fact that evangelicals, those who support the White House religious beliefs get the contracts while other religions are turned down. The religious right plants folks in mainline denominations to cause upheaval in local churches and turn them into evangelical denominations. One organization pays millions of dollars to move people from one part of the country to another to make these folks registered in particular voting districts to win another evangelical seat in our government.

Unfortunately, many good evangelical Christians are being used as pawns in this attempt to take over the American government. They are the victims of a horrible manipulation of their religion which decided to steer away from the teachings of Jesus in favor of taking control of our government.

Hate and exclusion are common themes expressed on Christian television and mega churches where ministers and evangelists claim to speak for God. Fear based messages and hate mongered cheer leading and hand waving are the norm.

When a mega church pastor of TV televangelist preaches that the congregation doesn't need trade unions or that if we lose our jobs to outsourcing doesn't matter because Jesus is coming soon and we won't need those unions or jobs, many in the congregation accept these statements and vote accordingly. The brave person who makes any statement opposing these views is told that they are listening to the voice of Satan or some such nonsense.

Allowing the people of Sierra Leon to die of starvation and lack of AIDS medication, Pat Robertson took his diamonds from the country to amass his fortune for his own personal wealthy lifestyle and to finance his campaign to take over America. Not unlike the German Christian Church stealing precious artwork to finance Hitler's campaign.

We are living in dark days in America. Be on guard. The Christians in Germany didn't expect what happened to happen. But it did. One step at a time, Germany became a Nazi country. We don't want this to happen in America. Or do some of us want it to?

The Episcopal Church: Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori: Compassionate Communicator

There have already been many things written all over blogland about our Presiding Bishop's visit to the Research Triangle in North Carolina where she recently spoke at the meeting of the Episcopal Urban Caucus. One of the things I admire about our Presiding Bishop is that she's a breath of fresh air. She speaks from the heart and is open. No double speak, no lofty platitudes or intellectual airs. Instead, Bishop Jefferts Schori chooses to be a communicator. She does it in an open and warm manner and people leave her presence understanding what she said and where she stands (unlike the Archbishop of Canterbury who goes to an ethereal place whenever he opens his mouth). Rev. Pauli Murray was the United States first female African American Priest. Our Presiding Bishop was honoring her at Chapel Hill, NC last Thursday. This is one of several great interviews reflecting the beautiful way with words of Bishop Jefferts Schori: http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/1197774/ News reports of the Presiding Bishops visit to N.C. reported, "Jefferts Schori, 52, said Thursday she would not waver from forging a new way forward for the 2.4-million member Episcopal Church. That new way includes a commitment to the full equality of gays and lesbians, which she and many others in the denomination see as a new civil rights issue. "Our labors in this church continue to sing of hope for the full flourishing of all God's children, black, white, native, Asian, women, men, gay and straight," Jefferts Schori said. "As long as any of us is restrained by custom, law, prejudice or bigotry, we all remain in chains." WOW!! Thank you Bishop Schori. There's an important meeting of the Anglican Primates in Tanzania next week. Bishop Akinloa and his buddies most certainly do NOT want our Presiding Bishop seated. Even if it wasn't her support for gay folk, they STILL wouldn't want her seated because she's a woman. The Primate members of the Anglican conservative movement are PWP's (Primates With Penises) and they don't want women preaching in their churches let alone taking good paying jobs in positions of power. Actually, I think that the men want to be primates because they can get away with wearing pretty purple dresses and let's not even discuss the jewelry! So the global south wants The Episcopal Church thrown out of the Anglican Communion. In addition, a small handful of conservative Episcopal parishes in the U.S. want the same thing. But I doubt that anything much will happen. They will talk, discern and agree to meet again. Things in the church move slowly. If some of the churches in the U.S. leave the Episcopal church it won't have any bearing on my manner or worship at all. Besides, I can't see TEC ever becoming a really huge denomination where thousands gather in mega popcorn churches. I'd rather belong to a smaller church where members don't need to check our brains in at the door and aren't intimidated for believing in evolution. Last but not least, The Episcopal Church now has an official church blog. It is worth checking out at: http://episcopalchurch.typepad.com/episcope/ Regards, Gordon