Homosexuality and Christianity's Image Problems
Originally posted at Faithfully Liberal (Homosexuality and Christianity’s Image Problems)
By Pastor Bob Cornwall
For some reason I must have missed the article when my Time magazine arrived a week or so back. I’m always looking for those compelling essays on the state of religion in the modern world. As a pastor who wants to reach the community with the gospel of Jesus and who seeks to be an instrument of God’s reign, it’s good to know how the public perceives the church. But miss it I did, so this commentary is a bit belated.
Going on-line I found the article I’d seen referenced a few days back, an article dated October 2, and written by David Van Biema, Time’s primary religion writer, entitled “Christianity’s Image Problem.” Van Biema writes about his conversation with David Kinnaman, formerly part of the Christian polling organization, the Barna Group. Apparently he’s written a new book entitled UnChristian with Gabe Lyons. Since the Barna Group is evangelically inclined, this should be an interesting book. It appears, from the conversation, that Christianity is suffering a major identity problem and it is losing young people by the droves. And what is the central issue – besides being too political (75% of those polled), non-church goers mentioned being “too anti-homosexual” (90%).
I find this development intriguing and a bit frightening. As a pastor who has, over time, become more and more open and affirming, this finding is intriguing because it suggests that if churches wish to reach their communities, they will have to recognize the importance of being welcoming congregations – radically welcome in fact. It is scary, because it’s possible that a huge swath of younger adults and even older adults have written off the church. The pollsters tell us that the numbers of non-Christians in America is growing exponentially.
It would seem that we stand on the brink of an era where being anti-gay isn’t necessarily a Christian virtue. It’s possible that we’ve reached the point of no return, but as I said, I’m an optimist. So, let us lift our voices and start building bridges to the GLBT and broader communities who are it seems religiously disaffected.
By Pastor Bob Cornwall
For some reason I must have missed the article when my Time magazine arrived a week or so back. I’m always looking for those compelling essays on the state of religion in the modern world. As a pastor who wants to reach the community with the gospel of Jesus and who seeks to be an instrument of God’s reign, it’s good to know how the public perceives the church. But miss it I did, so this commentary is a bit belated.
Going on-line I found the article I’d seen referenced a few days back, an article dated October 2, and written by David Van Biema, Time’s primary religion writer, entitled “Christianity’s Image Problem.” Van Biema writes about his conversation with David Kinnaman, formerly part of the Christian polling organization, the Barna Group. Apparently he’s written a new book entitled UnChristian with Gabe Lyons. Since the Barna Group is evangelically inclined, this should be an interesting book. It appears, from the conversation, that Christianity is suffering a major identity problem and it is losing young people by the droves. And what is the central issue – besides being too political (75% of those polled), non-church goers mentioned being “too anti-homosexual” (90%).
I find this development intriguing and a bit frightening. As a pastor who has, over time, become more and more open and affirming, this finding is intriguing because it suggests that if churches wish to reach their communities, they will have to recognize the importance of being welcoming congregations – radically welcome in fact. It is scary, because it’s possible that a huge swath of younger adults and even older adults have written off the church. The pollsters tell us that the numbers of non-Christians in America is growing exponentially.
Being the eternal optimist that I am, I take some hope in this, however. Not that I welcome our poor public image, but the possibilities that lay before progressive Christianity to offer an alternative voice, one that is gracious, welcoming, healing, and uplifting. It also offers a word of encouragement to pastors and to congregations that have been afraid of moving too far out on this issue. With the recent conservative religious ascendancy, this can be a bit intimidating. For years we’ve been told that conservative churches are the ones that grow. In many ways it’s the theology that has led to this growth, but rather it would seem the embrace of non-traditional worship styles – which are equated with conservative churches.
It would seem that we stand on the brink of an era where being anti-gay isn’t necessarily a Christian virtue. It’s possible that we’ve reached the point of no return, but as I said, I’m an optimist. So, let us lift our voices and start building bridges to the GLBT and broader communities who are it seems religiously disaffected.
Comments
Being anti-gay is no Christian virtue. Amen.