By John Pierce
It is easy to understand that there are those who oppose the swift-moving cultural acceptance of same-sex marriage in American society.
What I struggle to grasp is why those in opposition find this legal granting of civil rights to a very small percentage of the population to be so darn threatening.
Baptist Press, the news and public relations arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, released some alarm-filled articles recently including one with the headline: “Gay marriage festering in CA, AL, PCUSA.”
Festering. Really?
Of course, in recent decades, Southern Baptist leaders have created a clear identity of fear and alienation by castigating those who don’t fit their narrow, mirrored image.
Gay and lesbian persons share the list of the dissed with theological moderates and liberals, uppity women who don’t graciously submit to male authority, Jews whose prayers aren’t heard (although unquestioned support is granted to the State of Israel despite abuses against Palestinians), Mormons (unless the GOP presidential candidate is one), Muslims, immigrants and others.
A big chunk of American Christianity has increasing defined itself by the alienation of anyone and strong opposition to any thing that feels threatening to their cultural dominance.
In some strange way they confuse this fearful self preservation with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Those advancing this brand of religious faith look in mirrors and can’t imagine why anyone would not want to be just like them.
Thanks, but no thanks, to such fostering fear and festering alienation wrapped in religious garb.
Director of the Jesus Worldview Initiative at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee and former executive editor and publisher at Good Faith Media.
