Druids, Robert E. Lee & Episcopalians

Druids, Robert E. Lee & Episcopalians

Don Hinkle
Pathway Editor

August 12, 2003

Homosexuality takes flight

It is sad to see so many bishops in the Episcopal Church USA handle Holy Scripture as if they were Druids examining animal entrails. That is precisely what they have done by appointing a homosexual as the bishop of New Hampshire. The move will likely split the 2.3 million member denomination which is part of the worldwide Anglican church. An Anglican bishop with the church in Nigeria left little doubt about how conservatives view the matter, calling it "a satanic attack on God’s church."

Tragically, such behavior has become normal for the denomination that once claimed among its members General Robert E. Lee. It is the Episcopal Church that has injected the likes of retired Bishop John Shelby Spong into the so-called "culture wars." It is Spong who has denied the virgin birth and once referred to the Apostle Paul as a repressed and frustrated homosexual. Years ago the Episcopal Church’s General Theological Seminary allowed a lesbian professor to live in faculty housing with her female lover. In the mid-1980s the denomination elected Edmond Lee Browning as its presiding bishop. Browning endorsed women as priests and bishops and argued for the ordination of homosexuals.

No wonder the denomination’s membership is in a free-fall, having declined by 28 percent from 1961 to 1998. To paraphrase Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, the vultures of theological liberalism have finally come home to roost for the Episcopalians. The denomination no longer has the anchor of God’s inerrant, infallible Word, but they do have a homosexual bishop.

The action by the Episcopal Church comes just two weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in the landmark Lawrence vs. Texas sodomy case in which the court virtually legalized every deviant sex act imaginable as long as it is conducted in the privacy of one’s home. No more had the court rendered its decision when two Kansas City men were arrested and charged with statutory sodomy for sexually assaulting a 13-year-old boy. The boy told police he was forced to have sex with the two men and to watch them have sex with each other. Police found the frightened child huddled in a bathtub after they raided the two men’s apartment. Both men have admitted they are infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS and police are investigating claims that the two may have had sex with as many as 25 other boys.

It is startling to see the speed with which the legal and religious sectors are moving to normalize a lifestyle that God has called "an abomination." Next up is an expected ruling by the Massachusetts Supreme Court in which it is believed that the justices will legalize homosexual marriage in that state. Because of the "full faith and credit" clause in the Constitution, that means that every other state may be forced to accept the legalization of homosexual marriage by recognizing the Massachusetts law.

How can all of this be?

Homosexuals have seemingly gained favor within the legal, religious and political communities nationwide.

Homosexual activists have secured the support of the American judiciary. The American Bar Association is a huge supporter and the Lambda Defense Fund, the national legal arm of the homosexual movement, is well bankrolled. They get plenty of legal help as well from radical left-wing organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

The homosexual movement’s roots run deep in the bowels of declining mainline denominations like the Episcopal Church. Do not be surprised if the Presbyterian Church, USA, and the United Methodist Church ordain homosexuals in the near future. Both denominations have pockets of churches that already conduct same-sex union ceremonies in defiance of church-decreed prohibitions. The United Church of Christ has ordained homosexuals for years and routinely performs same-sex wedding-like ceremonies.

It may be hard to believe when you see a man wearing a pink-ruffled evening gown and carrying a purple parasol, but many homosexuals are affluent and well-educated. They also receive substantial financial backing for their activism from private foundations, like the Denver, Colo.-based Gill Foundation. Founded by Tim Gill, inventor of the lucrative Quark software, the foundation has donated millions of dollars to pro-homosexual causes. Gill, listed by Forbes magazine as one of the wealthiest entrepreneurs in America, is public about his homosexuality.

All of this support has been made easier because the homosexual activists have run a brilliant public relations campaign. Using what can best be described as radical egalitarianism, they have to a degree successfully framed their position in the context of "civil rights" and "equality for all." When met with resistance they attempt to portray themselves as "victims" — and the results have been spectacular. An organization called the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Network (GLSEN), has gained entrance into America’s classrooms under the false assumption that there is widespread abuse of homosexual children in public schools. GLSEN has chapters now operating in St. Louis and Kansas City schools. They may now teach children that homosexuality is normal and should be accepted.

Meanwhile, they have moved the Armed Forces from a complete ban on their lifestyle to Bill Clinton’s confusing ‘don’t ask, don’t tell" policy. They also have hoodwinked hundreds of city, state and federal government agencies into giving them domestic partner benefits. Kansas City is the latest target. It is amazing how homosexual activists have gained virtually the same benefits as heterosexual married couples, while keeping the public focus off the pedophile sins of the Catholic Church’s sex abuse scandal.

Of course their public relations successes can be largely attributed to their cozy relationship with the news media. They operate with the support of news organizations like The New York Times and special interest groups like the Society of Professional Journalists. Indeed one only has to visit the Web site of The National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association to see the positions of influence homosexual supporters occupy at many major news operations.

So how does one beat this seeming juggernaut? They have the courts, the Democratic Party, a growing number of mainline Protestant denominations, lots of well-greased donors and the intrepid ever-crusading liberal news media in their hip pockets.

I think three avenues should be pursued – quickly.

Pray for deliverance. Second Chronicles 7:14 says, "And My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

Evangelize. We must never forget that we are to love the sinner. Despite their utter hatred of theologically conservative Evangelicals, we must tell them the message of God’s love and healing. We must adhere to the Great Commission.

Get politically involved. It is past time for Christians to enter the public arena and be the salt and light that Jesus commanded us to be. There is talk of a Marriage Amendment to the Constitution that would forever declare marriage in America to be only between a man and a woman. It will take 37 states in order to ratify such an amendment. Some 32 states, including Missouri, already have heterosexual-only marriage laws on the books, so some people think ratification is within reach. As a conservative, I hesitate in advocating a change in our precious Constitution. But I also realize that it took just such a measure to outlaw slavery, give women the right to vote and limit presidents to two four-year terms. Perhaps the time has come again to amend our beloved Constitution.

What do you think and what are you prepared to do?