[Clipping: Do Homosexuals Fit in Today's Church?] Part: 3 of 6
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ament hits home. Homosexuals have been the victims of
ignorance and vicious prejudice.
"When I was a kid," my father recollects, "the whis-
pered word 'fairy' just made your flesh crawl." Progress has
been slow but somewhat steady. When I was growing up, a
"queer" was just a silly, sick person who was never taken
seriously. Unfortunately, some of the stereotypes became
prophecies that were fulfilled. Today the homosexual is fight-
ing against these ridiculous generalizations. Most male
homosexuals are not ostentatiously effeminate. Lesbians do
not want to be men. Alan P. Bell and Martin S. Weinberg
revealed in their book, Homosexualities: A Study of Diversity
Among Men and Women, that two-thirds of a sample gay
population were just as well-adjusted and happy as anyone
else.
In the face of all this what is the appropriate Christian
stand? Any reinterpretation of traditional tenets requires a
synthesis of biblical, historical and scientific analysis within
a responsible moral framework. The homosexuality issue is
no different; the same urgency is sensed when discussing
abortion, euthanasia, and premarital sexual relations of any
kind. But homosexuality in Dallas-Fort Worth seems to be
receiving as much press and distortion as the latest energy
crisis. If nothing else, local evangelist James Robison has
managed to divide the community, for or against.
"We were really shocked by the response here," says
Robison's director of communications Mike Huckabee, re-
ferring to WFAA's hasty decision to take "James Robison
Presents" off the air after the evangelist labeled homosexual
behavior as "despicable" and "perversion of the highest or-
der." Apparently, the sermon had been seen in Houston and
parts of California without complaint before the Dallas
broadcast last February. Either people elsewhere weren't
watching or they chose to let the show slip by. But the protest
resulting from the Dallas broadcast has endowed Robison
with more attention, and revenue, than ever before. The gay
protest was posed by Dr. Campbell Read, chairman of the
religion and life committee of the Dallas Gay Political
Caucus. "We had no complaint whatsoever with Robison's
interpretation of the scripture," says Read. "But he quoted
from the National Enquirer and implied that all homosexuals
molest little boys. He made a large group of people look
wicked. I'm a statistician, and that offends me. It's like
characterizing family life by citing battered children and
wives. It's an irresponsible use of the airwaves. It's slander-
ous.
Robison feels his role as a religious leader is to withstand
controversy. Of course Jesus was controversial in his time,
but there are no crucifixes displayed at the Robison head-
quarters in Euless. There are, however, plenty of secretaries,
media Christians in three-piece suits, and hot-line coun-
selors diligently working to spread the Word. Photographs of
Robison hang everywhere outside his personal office, which
is decorated with Hill Country landscapes. Robison carries
the bigger-than-life demeanor of an Elvis Presley and wears a
scowl that is undeniably Nixonesque. When speaking, even
to a single individual, he reinforces his statements with
gestures any drama coach would covet. He is, indeed, a
powerful presence.
"I have a standard," he says. "It is the word of God.
We've heard enough in this country from Bella Abzug and all
the big mouths and I believe in giving American people the
facts. I am as great a sinner as any homosexual, but I have a
great God. I am a forgiven sinner in Jesus Christ, not by myown merit, but by God's grace. Now, no one is questioning
that homosexuals love each other. But does that make it
right? Homosexuality is abnormal. There is nothing about it
that is wholesome. It's as indecent as incest and the Bible
says it is a sin. The biggest mass slayings in history have
had something to do with homosexuality. Homosexuality
is unnatural. You don't see any homosexual trees, bees or
flowers."
Declining to charge into a debate about biological vari-
ations and hermaphrodites, I choose instead to rhapsodize
over the aesthetic accomplishments of many homosexuals.
After all, I say, Tchaikowsky was gay.
Robison leans forward, extends his hand, fills his face
with awe and virtually whispers, "But Amy, just think how
much greater he could have been..."
"Then did he go to hell?"
Robison shifts back in his chair and shrugs. "Anyone
who did not repent went to hell."
There is a significant difference between the intent and
consequences of such teaching. The intent is no doubt
honorable; the church should lead mankind to greater
strength and moral stability through a moral code that man-
ifests itself in thoughtful actions. The consequences, particu-
larly in the case of homosexuality, can be traumatic for gay
people, their families and the society that surrounds them.
Men and women feeling emotional and physical attractions
for members of the same sex often disassociate themselves
from their homes at earlier ages and wander from one place to
another, fearing and distrusting the desires they've been told
are "sinful," "promiscuous," "sick." Sometimes they turn
away from the Christian consciousness in which they've
been reared and pattern their life after society's expectations.
They may cruise gay bars, drink too much, and experiment
with numerous partners who are trying to cope with the same
pressures. If churches and the families that support them
were able to approach the initial situation with love, suppor-
tive understanding and guidance, many of these problems
could have been thwarted at the outset.
"By pointing the finger at homosexuals, James Robison
has found a visible target that may catapult him to promi-
nence," says Dr. Ron Stegman of Dignity Outreach, an
organization for concerned Dallas homosexuals. "Like Hit-
ler, he has isolated an issue that can feed upon the fear, guilt
and hatred many ordinary people create out of their own
frustration. I for one will not entrust something as holy and
precious as the Scripture to the likes of him. I believe the
Scripture is infallible. I also believe that it is open to in-
terpretation. Any person who does not see the need for a
genuine, gay-Christian ministry today is derelict."
Religious conflicts often spring from opposing standards
toward Biblical interpretation. A significant segment of the
church has altered its stance on evolution, divorce and
contraception. Does such change promote improved Chris-
tian understanding of what the Bible actually says, or does it
represent an evil compromise with "humanism" as is charged
by conservatives? Would the church's acceptance of
homosexuality imply that men are fully capable of playing
God?
Reverend DeForrest Wiksten of Northaven United
Methodist is one among a handful of local ministers who
have countered Robison's sermon with an opposing public
stand. Wiksten and Reverand Wilfred Bailey of Casa View
United Methodist voiced their disagreement during an
equal-time rebuttal aired on Channel 8. Eight months haveVision 19
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Cunninham, Amy. [Clipping: Do Homosexuals Fit in Today's Church?], clipping, October 18, 1979; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1954941/m1/3/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.