By: Candace Chellew
Lisa Kinney, a delegate from Largo, Fla., received a standing ovation when she made that comment to the Southern Baptist Convention in Dallas, Texas. I believe what it affirms is that Southern Baptists love the legalisms of the Bible more than they love the message of Jesus to love our neighbors as ourselves. Jesus never put conditions on his love and acceptance. This is the lesson the Baptists sorely need to learn.
The Baptists are famous for their philosophy of "love the sinner, hate the sin" when it comes to gays and lesbians. But, their resolution to boycott Disney proves that they indeed hate the "sinner" with equal passion. There is a want to compare their "boycott" of Disney to the successful boycott of Colorado led by the gay and lesbian community after Amendment Two passed. But there is a clear distinction. Gays and lesbians boycotted because the state passed a measure that attempted to codify discrimination against a certain class of people. The Baptists are boycotting Disney mainly because the entertainment company REFUSES to discriminate against a particular class of people. This shows a clear personal disdain, nay, hatred of gays and lesbians. It completely reveals the hipocrisy of the "love the sinner, hate the sin" philosophy. If they truly "loved" gays and lesbians with the agape love of Christ ... a love that seeks only goodwill and benevolence toward even those you consider enemies ... they would be glad to see a company striving so hard to make gays and lesbians feel welcome. Disney also hosts a Christian gospel music festival aimed squarely at the Baptists and other fundamentalists. I don't see the gay and lesbian community boycotting because of that!
If Baptists are serious about their boycott, then let's spell out to them what they can and cannot do .. since they love rules so much! Here are some of the things they must avoid, in addition to the Disney theme parks.
But, there was one lone voice of reason calling out in the wilderness that has become the Southern Baptist Convention. Rev. Rick Markham of Snellville, Ga., called his fellow Baptists "no more than 20th century Pharisees."
Markham told the delegates, "In typical Baptist fashion, I'm afraid we have reacted to an extreme by positioning ourselves at another extreme." Markham warned against, in his words, "throwing out the baby with the bath water."
Markham should not be surprised. It took his denomination more than a hundred years to apologize to the blacks for their support of slavery and Jim Crow laws! It is my earnest prayer that the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community will not have to wait as long. I can only hope that delegate Kinney is right and the boycott does change Baptists. Maybe they'll finally realize we are all children of God.