One of the battlegrounds today is about various groups’ thoughts about homosexuality. It is on this issue that many progressive Christians are critical of Evangelicals. Here is one example. The author pits the love of progressive Christian love against evangelical anti-gay bigotry. Some of his arguments include that we should not take scriptural warnings against homosexuality because the Bible is a complex book. Couldn’t we just as much reject the command to love our neighbor for the same reason? He also says just having a personal belief in homosexual sex being sinful will lead to actions that attempt to marginalize homosexuals. I don’t get that. I believe that homosexual sex is against God’s will. But I have never used that to humiliate or take away rights from a homosexuals. When I am around homosexuals, I treat them the same way I would treat any person. I also see my evangelical Christianity as a motivation to protect homosexuals from bullying or persecution.
What I read in this article is that it is bigotry to be critical of homosexuality. They should be accepted unconditionally because love is the Christian standard. At the same time, progressive Christians have a duty to be critical against evangelical Christians. The loving thing is to love homosexuals but that love need not apply to Evangelicals. What I see is progressive Christians being just as bad as the most intolerant fundamentalists, they simply switch the labels? Why can you not respect that this is our best understanding of the Bible and save your intolerance toward those who are actually acting out against homosexuals?
- Bigotry
- Eric Reitan
- Evangelical Christianity
- Homosexuality
- Love
- Progressive Christianity
- Tolerance
