Categories: uncategorized
Date: 29 January 2008 12:21:17
Ok, before I start a few things to say:
1. I am still feeling urgh and probably shouldn't even be on the computer (so this may not be the best post ever)
2. I feel qualified to say what I am about to because in my time I have been, gained or accepted I am the following: broadly evangelical, practicing Christian (Baptist variety), an equality officer at uni, a Post-Graduate Diploma in political activism and new social movements, would class my orientation as non-heterosexual and have friends who have a variety of orientations and are living a variety of lifestyles.
3. I feel rather passionate about the following and recognise as a sinner in need of grace I am no better than any of the people I am about to criticise
Right now I have got all of the above out of the way the following have naffed me off rather alot recently through their approach to complicated issues and use of the media to distort and sensationalise rather than enhance debate and grown up discussion:
LGCM and The Baptist Times and infact anybody who is looking at the whole should Joel Edwards have been appointed an equality commissioner thing from polarised positions and using inflamatory language which seems to exclude the possibility that you can be gay and evangelical.
To clarify for those who aren't aware Joel Edwards who is head of the Evangelical Alliance has recently been appointed to the Government's Equality and Human Rights Commission . Due to the conservative stand which the EA have consistently taken on LGBT rights (which has included lobbying against equality reforms and promoting the ex-gay movement) LGCM feel that his appointment is inappropriate for these reasons . This is not the only spot of "evangelical bashing" they have themselves gone in for recently, having also commented on the hypocracies involved in the Storkey case. The LGCM comments have been picked up, as one would expect, in the Christian media with the Baptist Times coming out with a headline which would have probably been worthy of the Daily Mail "Equality role riles gays" .
So what is my take on the whole thing and why do I feel like I am disagreeing with practically everybody else on this issue at the moment:
1. At the moment LGCM are acting in a way which appears to unduly aggressive in terms of the way they are putting things forward. It appears they are currently involved in "evangelical bashing" which does not seek to acknowledge that even with regards to those involved in working with the EA the picture is more complex than their bland statements would suggest, (one only needs to look at evangelical discussions around last years SOR's to recognise this). This evangelical bashing is likely to generate a hostile defensive response which may actually set the debate and movement towards equality on this issue backwards within evangelicalism.
Whilst I recognise what is happening is they are piggybacking other stories to gain coverage, which they otherwise wouldn't get and the way they are following the abc of how non-violent direct action groups use the media I think they are out of order.
2. Headlines such as those put forward in the Baptist Times are profoundly problematic because they suggest a) all "gays" disagree with Edwards being given the role and b) they continue to give the impression that gay people are "the other" rather than being part of the "us". Again at a time when things had begun to inch forward and debate start to grow up, (as the BT's own coverage of the SOR's debate last year showed), this type of headline is likely to make the gay community feel excluded and defensive, (and naff off their LGBT readers).
So do I think that Edwards should have been given the job? On one hand I would say yes, whilst I certainly don't agree with alot of what the EA has said over the years the fact remains it is a powerful NGO, which has promoted some forms of equality, particularly racial equality and Edwards has the relevant experience. He is also as far as I am aware the only faith representative on the board and I think in an age when secular fundamentalism is growing this could be an important area to ensure equality and human rights are maintained.
Yet, and this is where I have to give a big but, LGCM do have a point regarding the role the EA have played in trying to cause problems for equality legislation through their lobbying against full equality on LGBT issues and Joel Edwards has been the leader of the organisation through much of that period. Now I know this is where we have to recognise that there are those within various faith communities who would argue that the promotion of equality (on the basis of orientation) has caused their own human rights to be violated. Yet, I would point out that unfortunatley there are sexist Christians who could make the same point about gender equality regulations and we would never expect their views to be represented on a commission such as this.
So what is the solution? Well, I think perhaps they should have found another faith representative to actually sit on the commission, yet continued to use Edwards as an advisor - which undoubtedly would have happened because of the nature of the NGO he is involved in.
As for the role of LGCM I think they need to recognise that for the evangelical movement to move to where they want it to be is going to take a few more years but that journey has begun and the key to this will be not attacks from gay Christians outside that sub-culture which send it on the defensive. Rather what it will take is the increasing numbers of straight people, aswell as gay people, in churches who through their own experiences with family and friends and exploration of the issue have come to the conclusion homophobia and descrimination on the basis of sexuality within and outside of the church is not biblical or acceptable speaking out and publicly declaring this is what they believe. This will involve breaking the culture of silence and avoidance of debate on issues where we know we are not of one mind which is prevelent in many of our churches. It will also involve us humbly listening to the other (and that is perhaps why it is right for Edwards to remain a commissioner) and recognising the church and world we are part of is a diverse group of people where we will have different interpretations and opinions, none of which will be totally right. It will involve us recognising that those we would classify as "the other" in our headlines are actually part of "us". It will involve celebrating that our diversity reflects our creator God and the imago-dei is within us all, and refusing to let the devil continue to use that diversity to create division.