I’m sure many of you have already seen this article from the Galveston Daily News, highlighting efforts by local Christian groups to counter the anti-gay message fostered by South Houston’s recent "Love Won Out" conference.  Still, I wanted to link to it because it’s great to see moderate Christians responding to the tactics of the extreme right with a more genuine, Christ-like message of love.  It’s also important to remember that the Christian Family is a more complex place than the leaders of the Religious Right would have us believe.

Along those same lines, Christian author Jack Hitt has an op-ed in today’s LA Times calling Americans on the carpet for "politicizing Jesus."  I question blaming the media for this (surely Christian leaders bear some responsiblity for conflating their cause with the GOP’s?), but regardless, the point needs airing.  The fact is, no one group can claim to speak for Jesus, and we ought to be suspicious of people who speak as if there is only "one true" Christian stance on a given political issue.

Although the article doesn’t mention gay rights, this is especially true when it comes to gay issues.  Ex-gays and their supporters love to pretend that there is only one Christian stance on gay rights, and they openly question the faith of people who disagree with their agenda.  But the fact is, there are many, many Christians on our side. Often, they are afraid to speak out and risk having their faith called into question. 

If gay rights are ever to advance in this country, we will need our moderate Christian friends to stand firmly with us.  It’s wonderful to see some of them stepping up.

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