Sojourners is well known as one of the most progressive religious organizations around—except, apparently, when it comes to, well, us. The group opposed capital punishment and Republican budget cuts on social programs while embracing world peace and nonviolence as the route to regime change in oppressive countries. But when Believe Out Loud, a project to promote welcoming gays and lesbians in churches, approached Sojourners about running an ad in its magazine advocating that far-from-radical idea, Sojourners said no, thanks. Apparently even Christian progressives have their limits when it comes to dishing out the love and respect to the gays.
So what’s Sojourners’ reasoning for rejecting the ad? Well, that depends on the day you ask. In its written statement to Believe Out Loud, Sojourners said, “I’m afraid we’ll have to decline. Sojourners position is to avoid taking sides on this issue. In that care [sic], the decision to accept advertising may give the appearance of taking sides.” (Yes, you wouldn’t want to go out on a limb and suggest that you actually wanted gay families in your congregation.)
In an entry on his blog, Sojourner’s CEO Jim Wallis tied himself in more knots while trying to justify the decision. While pointing out that he had recently taken a courageous stand against antigay bullying (how very 1989 of him), Wallis said that gay issues don’t fit into “our primary calling as our work against poverty and hunger, and for peace.” Unless we missed something, we didn’t think running someone else’s ad commits you to embarking on a major theological mission.
More to the point, Wallis also acknowledged that “like the larger church, Sojourners’ constituency, board, and staff are not of one mind on all of these issues,” bringing up gay marriage, gay clergy and “the nature of homosexuality”—or in other words, practically everything not mentioned in the ad. In fact, despite a lot of high flown rhetoric, Sojourner’s credentials on gay issues can lean more right than left. For example, Ron Sider, a contributing editor at Sojourner’s magazine, has staked out the dubious position of being a Christian left leader against gay marriage.
As for Believe Out Loud—it’s hardly a fly-by-night outfit that offered to pay for its ad in small, unmarked bills. It’s a project of the four-year-old Intersections International, a New York-based non-governmental organization (NGO) dedicated to promoting justice, reconciliation and peace. Intersections is a permanent multi-faith, multi-cultural effort of the Collegiate Churches of New York, the oldest corporation in North America, dating back to 1628. Its founding director, Rev. Robert Chase, is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ and a former communications director in that denomination.
Chase believes ultimately it doesn’t matter what reason Sojourner’s cooked up for turning down the ad. “Their dilemma, apparently, is a ringing testimony for both the urgency and the necessity of this campaign since the issues they confronted are similar to those that face congregational leaders in addressing this concern within their settings,” he notes.
With “Christians” like these, who needs the religious right?
Photo credit: Believe Out Loud
John Blatzheim
This is why when I rediscovered my faith I was sure to stay away from any Church or organization that isn’t explicitly pro-gay. Even seemingly liberal or progressive Christians fall down on this issue pretty regularly.
Cam
Yeah, so they’ll take sides on everything ELSE…just not bigotry.
Mk_Ultra_Again
Another church trying to re brand themselves as progressive to draw people in but no really committing to progress. Sorry, you can’t have your cake and eat it too. They’ve taken an anti-gay
position and no amount of verbal gymnastics can disguise that.
Jacob Small
I think that interview with Chase has made me more angry than the right wing crazies who plainly hate us. The fact that he can claim to be fighting against poverty and for economic justice when there are so many homeless gay teens because they do not fit into the exclusionary family structure he is upholding is contemptible.
Lonnie
These are the limits of liberal support for queer equality (or racial equality or gender equality or anything beyond the status quo). Liberalism, as a political theory, bases itself on its unquestioned faith in the status quo, in the institutions of power and oppression. (You hear this often in the lgbt movement,how both parties are bad but we HAVE to support Democrats because they’re theoretically better than Republicans and we don’t have any other choice — this is how the powers that be STOP any attempts at meaningful change.) Liberalism believes in fighting for “change”, but only within the very narrow parameters set by the very institutions we seek to “change.” That’s why famous civil rights leaders of the past and present, from Martin Luther King Jr. to Cleve Jones, are cheered so long as they stick to the liberal script and maligned when they push beyond and seek to make real change.
the crustybastard
Sojourners CEO Jim Wallis can progressively suck a fart out of my ass.
tinkerbell
Just another statement of how much we are unwelcome in Christianity. It’s time for this anachronistic religion to go by the wayside.