tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post1037766318254672296..comments2024-03-26T11:33:59.219-06:00Comments on Religion in American History: Jim Wallis, Sojourners, the LGBT Ad, and the Trials of Progressive ChristianityPaul Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881964303772343114noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-63315958966663869472011-05-14T06:24:58.409-06:002011-05-14T06:24:58.409-06:00Anonymous, while you're probably right that mo...Anonymous, while you're probably right that most evangelicals won't "eventually get to a point where they think the Bible says loving, healthy, lasting homosexual relationships are possible and valid in the eyes of the church," there is a minority of LGBT-affirming evangelicals. The most prominent group that has been around since the mid-1970s is <a href="http://www.ecwr.org/" rel="nofollow">Evangelicals Concerned</a>. <br /><br />In addition, I didn't have the space to address it in this post, but the second leading journal of evangelical progressivism, <i>The Other Side</i> (which began in 1965 and ceased publishing in 2004), began affirming gay and lesbian Christians in the early 1980s--just as <i>Sojourners</i> took its welcoming but not affirming position.<br /><br />Finally, there are <a href="http://www.christiancentury.org/article/2011-03/evangelical-campuses-rumblings-gay-acceptance" rel="nofollow">signs</a> at many evangelical colleges that the younger generation of evangelicals are much more accepting of their gay and lesbian peers.Brantley Gasawayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02894338478934982958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-79486327294392331262011-05-13T18:05:48.078-06:002011-05-13T18:05:48.078-06:00This is helpful, and it's also important to re...This is helpful, and it's also important to remember that the evangelical left is "evangelical" in the sense that its supporters generally subscribe to some kind of biblical literalism. Wallis' point (and Ron Sider's before him) is that if you take the Bible seriously and literally, you must prioritize care for the poor and support peaceful resolutions to problems. That's all over the gospels and there's no denying it, and Wallis has argued that the other issues are a distraction from these core obligations, especially the obligation to the poor. If the NT barely mentions homosexuality, the argument runs, why waste so much time and energy discussing it? There is so much important work to do already on points where Christians agree.<br /><br />Many well-meaning and otherwise progressive evangelicals I know struggle with gay rights issues. As an outsider to the tradition, I can't imagine that problem going away. Most other progressive Christians are not inerrantists, but somehow they would like to believe that even inerrantists can eventually get to a point where they think the Bible says loving, healthy, lasting homosexual relationships are possible and valid in the eyes of the church. I doubt that very much. It's too bad - those of us who support gay rights could use their support - but I don't think it's going to happen.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-31199562109835301202011-05-12T13:32:46.201-06:002011-05-12T13:32:46.201-06:00Thoughtful, nuanced post, Brantley. I agree that ...Thoughtful, nuanced post, Brantley. I agree that the evangelical left does not rest comfortably on the two-party-powered ideological continuum. One additional reason, it seems to me, is that prophetic politics lends itself more readily to talk of “justice” than to talk of “rights.” The former discourse requires some conscious disaggregation of largely secular political criteria (individual liberties, citizenship, the public good, etc.) from explicitly moral (read, for Wallis, Sider, et al, biblical) criteria. The modern evangelical left emerged in large part as a reaction against “civil religion”—not as an affirmation of A Theory of Justice. While its leaders talk of “civil rights,” the evangelical left strikes me as much more comfortable in the latter realm of prophetic moralism. Of course, this begs the question of whether “dialogue” can also be prophetic.Steven P. Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02068897035889270986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-84761566014972491122011-05-12T10:34:03.205-06:002011-05-12T10:34:03.205-06:00Thanks, Paul, Phil, and Seth.
Phil, Andrew Marin ...Thanks, Paul, Phil, and Seth.<br /><br />Phil, Andrew Marin <a href="http://www.loveisanorientation.com/2011/when-straight-christians-use-gays-only-when-its-convenient-for-them/" rel="nofollow">had a harsh post</a> on this, accusing Wallis and Sojourners of "using gays only when its convenient for them."<br /><br />Of course, criticism from the Left has not assured Wallis of praise from the right: a <a href="http://www.frcblog.com/2011/05/jim-wallis-homosexuality-and-genuine-love/" rel="nofollow">new post</a> at Family Research Council criticizes him for promoting "special" rights for gays and lesbians and accuses him of "playing intellectual Twister" since he won't open his pages to "dialogue" about just war, the virtues of capitalism, abortion, and other conservative positions.Brantley Gasawayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02894338478934982958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-75376469923748530912011-05-12T10:14:47.595-06:002011-05-12T10:14:47.595-06:00Great post, Brantley. I will be interested to see ...Great post, Brantley. I will be interested to see how this plays in 2012 -- will Wallis still be the darling evangelical for the Daily Show, or will he be cast aside? My hunch is that opposition to gay marriage is a much more controversial position among evangelicals today than it was even 10 years ago.Seth Dowlandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01103158897766648257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-63768836752008793052011-05-12T10:04:10.213-06:002011-05-12T10:04:10.213-06:00Welcome, Brantley. Great post putting Wallis in h...Welcome, Brantley. Great post putting Wallis in historical perspective.<br /><br />I wonder where individuals such as William Stringfellow, and the good work Andrew Marin is doing fit into LGBTQ issues and the history of the evangelical left/right?<br /><br />Perhaps that'll be in the book, which I know many are looking forward to reading.Phil Sinitierenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-87283012809314417812011-05-12T09:27:16.976-06:002011-05-12T09:27:16.976-06:00Thanks for the post. I am reminded of the central ...Thanks for the post. I am reminded of the central irony in the clash between Christian Left and Right. The Right is anti-statist in economics while pro-statist on social issues. The Left is pro-statist in economics and anti-statist on social issues. The cognitive dissonance from both sides gives me a headache.Paul M.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17939196043622736762noreply@blogger.com