[posted April 10, 1999]
We are living in a New Reformation that will challenge the churches for many years, probably for most of the next century and into the next millennium and may turn violent. The Old Reformation began in 1517 with the challenge by Martin Luther to the church to take a fresh look at the Bible and change distortions of Scripture that were being used to teach damaging doctrines that were inconsistent with the gospel of Jesus. The church split into Protestant and Catholic and then into hundreds of other divisions and factions. Bloody religious wars were fought with great destruction to all sides.
The New Reformation is also grounded in a fresh look at the Bible. It is the war between pro-gay and anti-gay forces that crosses all denominational lines, all levels of education, and all religious traditions, both Christian and non-Christian. The war is beginning to heat up rapidly. Joined in this deep division within the churches are the issues of women's rights and separation of church and state.
A recent report showed gay bashing is down 2% in San Francisco (a lot depends on how much is reported. Most is not), but the disturbing news is the increased use of deadly weapons in gay bashing. The use of guns is up 71%. People who used to throw rocks at gays are now shooting at them!
Another ominous sign is the increased divisions and internal hostility in the Methodist denomination and others concerning clergy performing same-sex holy unions and allowing openly homosexual clergy. Southern Baptists have not yet shown the internal conflict on some of these issues that others have. Southern Baptists are still busy trying to keep women in their place and out of pastoral ministry! Baptists are divided, however, but the power of the legalistic majority to control the institutions has all but quashed all outward vocal opposition to the anti-gay policies. Anti-gay literature is flowing like a polluted stream from Nashville.
A lot of the warfare is within individuals who are struggling to reconcile their church's demands and teachings with their own understanding of homosexuality and what the Bible does and does not say about it. This internal confusion that the churches are causing for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people along with their parents and friends is far more destructive than the open conflicts in churches and denominations.
In the movie "Amadeus" when the emperor suggested that they should commission Mozart to write an opera, Salieri responded: "It would certainly infuriate the Archbishop, if that is what you want!" Everybody laughed. Last Sunday afternoon, the Gay Community in San Francisco certainly infuriated the Archbishop when over 5,000 people gathered in the Castro to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the work of the "Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence" and their influence in the community challenging religious bigotry and pretense. The "Sisters" were honored for their twenty years of acts of charity, fundraising for People with AIDS, and their courage to be themselves when it shocked and dismayed exactly the right people.
The deepening rift between homosexuals and all of the churches cannot be glossed over with reconciliation meetings and pronouncements that really change nothing. That approach did not stop Martin Luther and will not stop the current revolution and reformation. We are not going back into the closet for anybody. Christian gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender people probably outnumber all others in some churches. This is certainly true in the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches. It's probably true also in some Baptist churches, but nobody will admit it! It is true in some of the charitable church organizations Catholic, Baptist, and others.
On March 23, 1999, the possible Republican candidate for President in 2,000, Gov. George Bush of Texas, announced his opposition to gay and lesbian adoptions and his decision to reject including "sexual orientation" in a bill to clarity the state's hate-crimes law. We are a long way yet from seeing the homophobic fundamentalist legalistic religions loose their grip on the politics of this country.
Home is the place where everything begins! Prejudice, fear, homophobia, and ignorance all begin at home. Churches and political parties are formidable enemies of gay rights, but when parents in the home teach their own children that they would be better off dead than gay, we do have a problem!
We will not back down and go back into the closet. The religious bigots and hate mongers are digging in for the long haul. Fasten your seatbelt, this is going to be a bumpy ride.
Truth never rides to freedom in a limo. Truth moves forward with painful steps through fear, suffering, hate, rejection, misunderstanding, bashing, and everything that lies can devise to discredit and halt its progress. If you travel with truth, you have chosen the narrow way, and few there be that find it.
Jesus found the way of truth and walked therein. Jesus gives only one clear order: "Follow me and love one another as I have love you." That's not hard to grasp. It just takes all you are and have to do it.
Visit Dr. Truluck's homepage: Steps to Recovery from Bible Abuse