Tuesday, June 8, 2010

We're All Sinners. Why Single Out Gays?

If we can't agree that being gay is a matter of biology (generally speaking) there will always be a debate on whether or not it's a choice...

When my home state of Maryland updated its benefits policy for state employees last month, it became the 18th state (plus the District of Columbia) to cover same-sex spouses who possess a valid marriage certificate. Depending on your point of view, this marked a great advance in the quest for equal rights, or another step downward as society abandons traditional marriage and values.

The issue has been particularly contentious among Christians, with some fighting strenuously for gay rights and the ability for gays to be themselves--openly--in the church. Others, particularly many African-American Christians, provide some of the loudest and sustained dissent whenever the subject is broached.

As a straight man, I have only recently come to a clear position myself, which must be balanced against my Christian faith, my "agape" love for all mankind, and the number of my friends and relatives who are gay. With my newfound clarity, I can remain true to all of the above. I credit Leonard Pitts, the nation's best columnist in my opinion, for helping me find peace on the issue. In one of his typically brilliant columns earlier this year, after former Democratic Rep. Eric Massa resigned from Congress, Pitts lamented gays' inability to admit their preferences publically.

He wrote: "So you have to wonder: how many Massas and Ashburns, how many James Wests, Ted Haggards, Mark Foleys and Larry Craigs do we have to see, how many shocked spouses and embarrassed children do we have to endure, how many lies, alibis and justifications do we need to hear, before we accept the obvious: Gay is not a choice, gay is not a sin, gay is not a shame."

That column helped me find clarity, but as a Christian, I do have to disagree with him on that middle clause. If we're going to be true to the faith, there are sins (lying, stealing and killing). And homosexuality is a sin, too, specifically, a sexual sin. Just like fornication and adultery are sins, too; specifically, they are sexual sins.

Source: TheRoot.com

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