In other news, the sun is hot
Sep. 24th, 2008 10:30 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ceebeegeeAs most people on my flist have heard, Clay Aiken has come out.
This shocks almost no one, that I know. However what I think is so cool about this is the opportunity, the teachable moment (as they say in pedagogy) for conservative Christianity to confront the reality of homosexuality. Clay is a known Christian--he is a Southern Baptist, and as a denomination they're very conservative (very anti-feminist and anti-gay). Clay himself is not conservative, he's more along the lines of the Jimmy Carter mold--raised SB, trying to reform the church from within. Anyway, his faith isn't going anywhere--he's still a Christian and he's STILL GAY. He's been gay all along, at the same time that he was attending services, praying with people, praising God. It's a whole new world, people. I hope every one of his fellow parishioners and Southern Baptists all over America think about that.
Ryan and I have talked about this many times--he is also a Christian, and refuses to let himself be pushed out or made to feel unwelcome. And he shouldn't. Christianity is about love, not hatred--Jesus didn't say dick about dick. Jesus's ministry can be boiled down to two statements--Love God, and Love each other. Those of us who are liberal Christians have to take back our faith and not let it be hijacked by people with hatred in their hearts.
This shocks almost no one, that I know. However what I think is so cool about this is the opportunity, the teachable moment (as they say in pedagogy) for conservative Christianity to confront the reality of homosexuality. Clay is a known Christian--he is a Southern Baptist, and as a denomination they're very conservative (very anti-feminist and anti-gay). Clay himself is not conservative, he's more along the lines of the Jimmy Carter mold--raised SB, trying to reform the church from within. Anyway, his faith isn't going anywhere--he's still a Christian and he's STILL GAY. He's been gay all along, at the same time that he was attending services, praying with people, praising God. It's a whole new world, people. I hope every one of his fellow parishioners and Southern Baptists all over America think about that.
Ryan and I have talked about this many times--he is also a Christian, and refuses to let himself be pushed out or made to feel unwelcome. And he shouldn't. Christianity is about love, not hatred--Jesus didn't say dick about dick. Jesus's ministry can be boiled down to two statements--Love God, and Love each other. Those of us who are liberal Christians have to take back our faith and not let it be hijacked by people with hatred in their hearts.
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Date: 2008-09-24 02:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-24 03:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-24 08:04 pm (UTC)Signed,
Unwed Pregnant Church Choir Conductor