God, Gays, and Headlines

God, Gays, and Headlines
By Gene Stone
Tue Jul 5,12:39 AM ET

My friend Jon is in his thirties. He is smart, successful, and has a boyfriend, a dog, a car, and a co-op. He likes Madonna (sheepishly), dancing, and Tolstoy, and he can't stand Christians.

My friend Sarah is a Christian who is also smart, successful, and politically active. Her politics are to the left of Jon's, and she's out there in the streets protesting injustice whenever she sees it.

I can't get Jon to meet Sarah. As far as he's concerned, if Sarah is a Christian, she can't be trusted. Jacob knows this sounds foolish, but when I ask Jon how he arrived at this mistrust, his response is always, "Haven't you watched TV? Don't you read the papers? Don't you know what those people are trying to do to us?"

He's right -- about the media, that is. The media has turned the word Christian into something abominable to gays; a faith that's predicated on hatred. Read the papers, watch TV, and you'd think that Christianity was a monolithic block of homophobes whose idea of a good time is signing petitions to keep gays in chains for life.

Okay -- that's true for some. But what about the other Christians? The ones who abide by Christian values, and are loving, tolerant, and peaceful? These are the people who raised many of us, people whom we love dearly, and who love -- and accept -- us, in turn.

You don't see that story in the media, however. The media has come to worship the idea that there is one and only one Christianity, and it is represented by the folks who picket gay funerals and hold up signs that say "God Hates Fags." These are the people who sell magazines, who make for good ratings.

This weekend the United Church of Christ's rule-making body voted overwhelmingly to approve a resolution that endorses same-sex marriage, making it the largest Christian denomination to do so. Yes, it's a smaller denomination, with under a million and a half members. But it has long been accepting of gays, and was the first major Christian denomination to ordain an openly gay minister. In fact, last year this Church wanted to run an advertising campaign on television featuring a gay couple, among others, being excluded from a church. The networks rejected the ad. They said it was too controversial.

Get that? It was too controversial to show that a church accepted gays.

And how much media coverage do you think this latest move by the UCC will get? Same as that ad. Not much.

Controversy sells. Conciliation doesn't. No wonder why Christians and gays are at each other's throats. Forget that many gays are Christians, and many Christians aren't bigots. As far as the media is concerned, the idea that Christianity and homosexuality can co-exist peacefully is to be avoided as though it were forbidden fruit.