Is the Fight for Gay Rights Over?

Bishop John Shelby Spong is revered by those affiliated with progressive Christianity and scorned by conservatives. For years he has been an outspoken advocate for the cause of women, gays and lesbians, and people of color. Candace Chellew-Hodge considers Bishop Spong’s recent declaration: “The battle is over. The victory has been won.” Recalling the inanity of slavery, Spong argues that equality of citizenship, regardless of sexual orientation, is overturning and overcoming a prejudice which has little, if any, biblical backing. While Chellew-Hodge admires Spong’s rather lengthy history of fighting for the cause of equal rights, she feels his declaration is premature; she considers the marriage laws which still dominate much of American society. Spong takes leaders of the Religious Right to task, arguing that Pat Robertson, James Dobson, Albert Mohler, and the late Jerry Falwell are essentially uninformed in their views. He writes: “Much biblical scholarship has been done to refute literal, fundamentalist readings of the six or seven passages that seem to condemn gays and lesbians. No matter what the religious right says, the Bible is far from clear in its condemnation of homosexuality in all its forms. All sexual acts condemned are those that use or abuse another or break covenant with another – committed gay and lesbian relationships are never condemned by the Bible.” Albert Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, has responded to Spong’s manifesto. Despite his argument, Chellew-Hodge reminds us of a sorted history of evils such as slavery, segregation, the ownership of women, and the aversion to interracial relationships. These practices were once thought to be biblically sanctioned. She and Spong argue that the fight for gay rights is simply another chapter in our history of unpacking what scripture truly means. Chellew-Hodge considers how society will at some point realize the similarities of various forms of prejudice. She writes: “Those who continue to cling to that belief [homosexuality as sin] are just as wed to their outdated ideas as Louisiana justice of the peace Keith Bardwell who recently refused to do his job and grant a marriage license to a mixed-race couple. One day, we’ll be just as horrified at all the JPs who have denied gays and lesbians marriage licenses as we are at the story coming from Louisiana.” Read the full article here.

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Tags: Albert Mohler, Bible and Homosexuality, Candace Chellew-Hodge, Christianity, Christianity and Homosexuality, Christianity and Prejudice, Christianity and Racism, Evangelicalism and Gay Rights, fundamentalism, Fundamentalism and Gay Rights, gay marriage, gay rights, Gays, Homosexuality, James Dobson, Jerry Falwel, John Shelby Spong, Keith Bardwell, Lesbians, liberalism, mixed-race marriage, Pat Robertson, Progressive Christianity, Religious Right, sexism