Could gay acceptance just be a matter of time?

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On Religion: Could gay acceptance just be a matter of time?

By Nancy H. McLaughlin, The News-Record (Greensboro, North Carolina), May 13, 2006

Generations to come won't be caught up in whether gay couples can be married or should be covered on a shared health insurance plan, says retired Bishop John Shelby Spong, who wrote the best seller, "Rescuing the Bible From Fundamentalism."

As bishop over the Newark diocese of the Episcopal Church, Spong ordained the Rev. Bonnie Perry, who was unsuccessful among seven candidates last weekend in the race for bishop of California. That she was even nominated signals a change in attitudes, Spong said, as she would have been the first openly gay female bishop in the Episcopal Church.

"There has never been a moment in the history of the human race where publicly debated prejudice continued to live," Spong told a group of religion reporters recently, citing slavery and the fight for the rights of women as examples.

"Polls in America show people under 35 have no problem with homosexuality," Spong said. "In 10 years that's under 45. In another 10 years that's under 55. After a while, it just isn't going to be an issue."

Today, however, the issue remains very much alive. On June 6, the debate takes to a legislative stage, when the U.S. Senate is expected to vote on a proposed constitutional amendment that would limit marriage to the traditional one man, one woman concept. The issue has already affected people where they worship, with some denominations, such as the United Church of Christ, losing churches over its pro-gay stances.

North Carolina Baptists, who make up the largest religious group in the state, are fine-tuning a policy that would expel member churches that openly affirm gay members. This summer's Episcopal Church convention has been dubbed "Armageddon" by religious observers who say the showdown over confirming gay bishops could forever fracture the church.

The Rev. Stanley Welch can't imagine a day when openly gay couples feel affirmed on Baptist pews. He is president of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, the third largest group of Baptists in the country -- and the group that last year said it would kick out member churches that endorse homosexual behavior.

"We have stood together on this issue because it is very clearly biblical doctrine, and that's where other denominations have failed. ... They have allowed the times to dictate their doctrine," said Welch, pastor of Blackwelder Park Baptist Church in Kannapolis. "There's no way those two (same-sex marriage and biblical doctrine) are compatible."

The Rev. Richard Land, who presides over social, moral and ethical concerns for the Southern Baptist Convention, a group yielding powerful political influence, points out that efforts to legalize gay unions have ended with lopsided victories for gay rights opponents. The closest vote -- 57 percent to 43 percent -- came in Oregon, where only 9 percent of residents claim membership in a house of worship, said Land.

North Carolina is among the 45 states that have banned same sex-marriages.

But the Rev. Julie Peeples has seen attitudes change. When she came to Greensboro 15 years ago, there were two churches, including hers, that welcomed openly gay people.

"Now there are probably eight to 10 -- that's not great, that's still an indictment, to me, but they've got choices," said the pastor of Congregational United Church of Christ.

Still, "I cannot tell you how many people have sat on that couch ... wanting me to tell them that God doesn't hate them." Peeples said. "It's a real struggle for them to stop the voices they heard growing up."

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