WARNING: Graphic description in quote below
It looks like CPAC’s annual event is in for some controversy this year. Some Christian conservative organizations have decided to pull out of the Conservative Political Action Conference’s event due to gay conservative group GOProud’s presence as a co-sponsor. Every organization must carefully examine how their participation in any event communicates their beliefs and values and must remain true to their organization’s conscious. I don’t have a problem with that.
What does bother me, however, is when I see conservative Christians promoting conservatism at the expense of demonstrating Christ’s love to those who oppose their ideology. For instance, I was horrified this morning to read Peter La Barbara’s article about the CPAC controversy:
. . . there is nothing ‘conservative’ about – as Barber (a reference to Matt Barber, a board member for La Barbara’s Americans for Truth organization) puts it – “one man violently cramming his penis into another man’s lower intestine and calling it ‘love.’” Or two women awkwardly mimicking natural procreative relations or raising a child together in an intentionally fatherless home. This does not mean that people practicing those and other immoral (and changeable) behaviors cannot think and act conservatively on other issues like lowering taxes, cutting government spending, ending abortion, etc. But let’s be honest: the “proud” in GOProud is not about pride in opposing the death tax, or defending the right to bear arms; it’s about proudly embracing sinful homosexual behavior – and that is hardly a conservative value.
He may be right when it comes to the inclusion of such issues in a conservative conference, but his reiteration of Barber’s original comments was unnecessary, hurtful and foolish. I say foolish because homosexual behavior is never just about behavior or even about attractions. It encompasses something deeper that goes to the core of who you believe you are – your personal and relational identity. Not being raised in the church, being gay was my first sense of identity and community. Pursuing gay partners was the only definition of love and hope for relational fulfillment I had at that point in my life. Quotes like the one above were all to frequent and hurtful. They have left a bitter legacy that characterizes a vast majority of politically engaged Christians in a false light and alienates gay identified people, like I was, from hearing the gospel.
Fortunately, today, I know that God is in the business of changing identities to reflect His image and my contentment in Christ is far greater than what I had thought possible.
While Exodus is not a part of the CPAC event, we regularly say in the office that public policy matters only because people do – but how can we convey such a message when we stigmatize the very individuals we seek to reach with such a crude, horrible depiction?
I have had the blessing of meeting several gay conservative bloggers and leaders and am appalled to see their humanity cheapened in this way. I had dinner a few months ago with one such individual. We talked for three hours about everything under the sun. We shared our thoughts on public policy matters and faith. He asked many questions about my testimony and even allowed me to ask some about his life. It was a great conversation. He knows exactly where I stand on socially conservative issues and how I love and believe in Jesus. I know about his life and about his partner and am honored he entrusted me with the details of his life. We know that when it comes to certain public policy issues, like thought crimes, we can walk arm in arm carrying the same message. We also know that when it comes to redefining marriage, we will be one another’s strongest opponent.
I pray for my conservative gay blogger friend. I don’t pray that he will see the light and defend traditional marriage. I pray that he will find Jesus to be the loving Savior and Friend I know Him to be. I pray that he finds a God that is too big to be confined by a single issue or event. And in the end, if my friend enters into that kind of relationship with Jesus Christ, heaven will be impacted in a way that Washington, D.C.’s political climate never will.
UPDATE 12/18/2009:
Just posted a follow up to this post that included the following quote from Mat Staver of the Liberty Counsel (I added the link):
“Neither Matt Barber nor anyone with Liberty Counsel wrote or made any such public statement that is being alleged in this blog. Liberty Counsel promotes the traditional family of one man and one woman because we believe that such relationships are best for society and for children. While we strongly disagree with the sexual politics and agenda of activist organizations and individuals, we also believe that each person is entitled to respect. While there are some that hate us because of our message of sexual integrity, redemption, change, and hope, we have never, and will never, confuse the person with the agenda. We have never sought to dehumanize people to promote our message. Our message is one of redemption through the power of Jesus Christ.”
Laura Leigh Stanlake
Julie Neils
Exodus International Blog
Ralph C
James C
Erik
Alan Chambers
JE Clark
College Jay
Randy Thomas
CPAC, Conservatism & the Compassion of Christ http://bit.ly/7e73GG #tcot
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Exodus International, Randy Thomas. Randy Thomas said: RT @ExodusIntl CPAC, Conservatism & the Compassion of Christ : Exodus International Blog http://bit.ly/7e73GG [...]
I have no time or patience for people that have their heads similarly placed into the ends of the digestive tract and yet claim to think they have an opinion that is worth hearing. Conversely, the exact same thing can be said of the militant gay agenda. NOBODY who is polarized against something is prepared to hear useful argument for something. I just don’t bother anymore. I speak truth and walk away. Just like the guy in the stairwell Sunday at church who doesn’t give a bit of credibility to the Bible. We disagree, he’s unwilling to listen/repeatedly spouts error in the face of Truth, and I just walk away and love him and pray like MAD. And I’ll try again later when it comes up again (it will).
HA! The captcha is, “Carter Synod” HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
A friend of mine has a brother who is gay. My friend preached at the funeral of his brother’s partner. They had been together for 7 years. My friend said he was closer to this man than his own brother. The partner had attended all the family dinners and other functions and my friend loved this guy like a brother. Many of the people who were gay attending the funeral were touched that a conservative Christian would have this kind of attitude and express it at the funeral. As my friend said, and as you said Randy, it isn’t until and if they meet Jesus and accept Him as their savior that we can expect any different behavior. And then that can be a long road. I wrote my friend’s brother a couple of facebook emails last week and yesterday. I shared with him the Jesus of the Bible, not the man portrayed as meek, mild, neutered and with a halo around His head, but the Jesus who hung out with fishermen, tax collectors, and prostitutes. I shared my own journey and the gospel. He blocked me on Facebook
I can’t help but think some of that is due to how other insensitive Christians have degraded and marginalized him and other practicing gays. I have nothing but love for my friend’s brother, but he can’t see that now. That causes me sadness.
[...] I posted, “CPAC, Conservatism and the Compassion of Christ” in response to a very disturbing quote Peter LaBarbera attributed to Matt Barber. LaBarbera, in [...]
I think Peter Labarbera finally went to far. As you point out in your above article, he has lost complete sight of what he is trying to accomplish which is to convert gays to straight. And the nerve he had….to use Matt Barber’s name as someone to back up his hateful agenda. This was as cowardly as they come. Matt Barber already lost one job with Allstate and what is Peter trying to do to him? Get him fired from Liberty Counsel. That is just not right. This is not the way to change hearts and I have to say I give much credit to Matt Staver for his comments about Peter Labarbera’s “BLOG” (that word was used by Staver. Peter needs some serious help because his posts continue to escalate over the last months, becoming more and more crude, to make his points. Something is not right in his head and I also pray for him to follow Jesus more closely.
[...] got Exodus International vice president Randy Thomas’ attention, and that, in turned, spurred a letter by Exodus president Alan Chambers to Matt Barber’s [...]
[...] this caused a stir. Here are a few after-thoughts on the whole [...]
[...] blog extended a brief measure of commendation a couple of months ago about a post I did concerning Matt Barber’s crass quote, SoulForce (another gay activist group) agreed with us about Uganda last week and today G-A-Y has a [...]
[...] hyperbolic approach is in a league of his own. Even so, somebody somewhere (hopefully personally and privately) has to ask accountability [...]