Black Clergy Rejection of Gay Marriage Stirs Backers: Issue Not Related to Civil Rights

Boston Globe ^ | 2/10/2004 | Michael Paulson

[rface]

The three major associations of Greater Boston's black clergy, exercising their considerable influence within the minority community and asserting moral authority on civil rights matters, have shaken up the debate over same-sex marriage with their insistence that the quest by gays and lesbians for marriage licenses is not a civil rights issue.

[rface]

I looks to me like this is a Huge deal and a huge blow to the homosexual marriage movement. I knew that there was opposition to this movement within the Black religious community - but there is more here than I expected

[martin_fierro]

Hear, hear!

Black Conservative meta-ping.

[Unam Sanctam]

How dare one Democratic party client victim class speak out against another Democratic party client victim class!

[egarvue]

"As black preachers, we are progressive in our social consciousness, and in our political ideology as an oppressed people we will often be against the status quo, but our first call is to hear the voice of God in our Scriptures, and where an issue clearly contradicts our understanding of Scripture, we have to apply that understanding," said the Rev. Gregory G. Groover Sr., pastor of Charles Street African Methodist Episcopal Church in Boston.

Knock me over with a feather....this is stunning (but good) news. About time that some of these "men of God" in our society start standing up and opposing the liberal rot in their churches.

[ClearCase_guy]

Homosexuality is a lifestyle choice.
They aren't born that way.
It's curable, through time, growth, or therapy.
It's an expression of un-formed, immature or damaged sexuality.

Homosexuality should not be codified by law. It's an aberration. It's a bad choice.

[mhking]

Black conservative ping

If you want on (or off) of my black conservative ping list, please let me know via FREEPmail. (And no, you don't have to be black to be on the list!)

Extra warning: this is a high-volume ping list.

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

Andy Sullivan's gonna have a hissy. :)

[LiteKeeper]

SPOTREP - They got that right!

[Semper Paratus]

This is the ultimate 'wedge' issue.

It's giving Kerry a 'wedgie'.

[FourPeas]

Whoa, I am impressed. Even those associated with liberal social issues clearly understand God's word with respect to homosexuality. This is indeed big.

[Darnright]

>"What you're stumbling across is the traditional stance of the African-American church, which is that marriage is sacred and unique to men and women," said the Rev. Imani-Sheila Newsome-Camara, a United Methodist minister who is an assistant professor of theology at Boston University.<

Add this to the outrage expressed by the Anglican Bishops in Africa, and I'd say that we spineless WASPS have something to learn from our African and African-American Christian brethren.

[I still care]

"Pamela K. Johnson, 40, of Boston, who worships at the predominantly African-American Union United Methodist Church in the South End, called the statement "hurtful."

Isn't it ironic to hear one liberal call another liberal "hurtful". I thought only us mean Republicans were "hurtful".

[Ruth A.]

This is a fantastic stance. I am so accustomed to silence, that it is stunning to have this statement so clear and strong.

[RepublicansForDean]

Right on the money.

I believe that many supporters of the gay movement do so because they have friends of that lifestyle. They feel that denying their friends the ability to marry or form civil unions is in some way not being a good friend, that they'd be "letting down" their gay friends by opposing the gay movement.

In reality, they legitimizing their friend's immoral lifestyle with "acceptance", and they're not being a friend at all. A true friend would get the poor person some help.

[azhenfud]

"It's giving Kerry a 'wedgie'."

Hoping it's so severe it rips the waistband clean off his Fruits.

[AnAmericanMother]

Rev. Peter J. Gomes, the American Baptist minister who is minister of Harvard University's Memorial Church

Well, well, well.

NOW I know why the bookstore at our local Episcopal cathedral was pushing this man's books. On prominent display next to our Apostate Bishop's vanity press book on "My Faith Journey on Homosexual Issues". I kinda wondered why they were giving a Baptist any face time.

[tuesday afternoon]

Bump.

[GSWarrior]

I've never believed that homosexuality is a conscious choice...as in someone wakes up one day and decides to be gay. But the immature and damaged sexualty you speak of, plus a host of other "enviromental" conditions sort of subconsciously push people toward making those decisions.

But no one knows for sure, do they?

[TheGeezer]

The decision was not very difficult, because our faith forces us to recognize something that is biblical and that history has affirmed," said the Rev. Wesley A. Roberts

These persons are, unfortunately, morally compromised already. This issue may simply force them off the political landscape into irrelevance.

Abortion was condemned by all Christian churches until the twentieth century started the slippery slide into the permissive sexuality espoused by political liberals. Many of these ministers' churches implicitly endorsed their support of abortion in a collusion to participate in DemocRat "big tent" politics. In other words, they made a deal to gain political advantage and sacrificed unborn children to achieve their material ends.

Now their partners in excess have turned on them. Liberofascist judges educated in liberofascist law schools have spurned traditional morality for a new and improved version these ministers cannot rationalize into justification.

Having permitted the murder of millions of innocents for decades, how can they now object to a miniscule 3% of the population engaging in mere sexual deviation? Having allowed themselves to be compromised for decades for material gain, how can they now say, "Enough is enough!"?

It will be interesting to watch the fission of these churches, but I think it will not occur. I think the calm voices of moral seduction will have their say, and the benefits of new material benefits will blind the churches to what is biblical and that history has affirmed. The very same thing happened with abortion, and murder is far more serious than mere adultery and fornication.

As one ECUSA bishop has said, "Better to suffer heresy than schism."

That is, until one stands at the Seat of Judgment.