Southern Baptists end Disney boycott - but still affirm bigotry

from CNN.com (Jun 23, 2005):

'We felt like it was time to end it,' said Gene Mims, chairman of the Southern Baptist Convention committee that put a new Disney resolution before some 12,000 members at the denomination's annual convention Wednesday.

Of course, no real reason for ending their boycott is given. Sadly, the way that this article lays out changes that have taken place at Disney can easily be read to imply that the SBC boycott had an influence. Case in point:

"We have cost them hundreds of millions of dollars," said Wiley Drake, an SBC member from California, who spoke in favor of lifting the boycott because Disney had made corporate changes, including the recent stepping down of longtime Disney chief executive Michael Eisner.

But heaven forbid CNN actually report whether the boycott was in fact influential on any decisions or changes made by Disney! Unfortunately, the hateful denouncing of homosexuals continues in the form of a new resolution "that encourages parents to investigate their children's public schools to determine whether they are too accepting of homosexuality." Fortunately, at least some reasonableness resides even within the Beast that is the SBC:

Charles Warford, a 71-year-old retired Southern Baptist pastor, was among the opponents of the resolution who spoke at a news conference hosted by The Human Rights Campaign, a Washington-based gay rights advocacy group. "I think most Southern Baptists realize the importance of public education," Warford said. "And many pastors' wives teach in public schools. I think it's very unfortunate that homophobia is still very much promoted in the Southern Baptist Convention through publications and other means."

Sometimes it seems hard to know where even to begin with the subject of homosexuality. Opponents of all things gay generally come down hard on the Bible as God's Word, sometimes throwing out words like inerrant or infallible. Then they point to a few decidely anti-gay passages. What they ignore, however, are other clear passages that are completely offensive to any modern reading (one hopes!): including passages that condone or protect slavery, polygamy, and the subjugation of women. Christians who believe that there is room in God's grace, and therefore in the pews, without bias or prejudice, for homosexuals also affirm that the Bible is indeed God's Word; however, they are more likely to point out that it very rarely presents anything as "black and white" / "right and wrong." In fact, the Bible does contain contradictions and mistakes. Such mistakes are owed, not to Higher Inspiration, but to the many frail and fallible humans who actually wrote the books of the Bible. Therefore, it is best to urge caution on those who would judge. Jesus himself repeatedly warns his followers against judging each other. Important scriptural witness, then, includes the words of Genesis, that all humankind is created in God's image, and the commands (found in the Old Testament & repeated by Jesus) to love one another, just as you love yourself.

P.S. The Human Rights Campaign has posted their own comments on the SBC's resolution regarding public education, including this note: "Over the past 30 years, the SBC has passed 13 resolutions against gays and lesbians. That is compared to three resolutions on HIV/AIDS and a single resolution against homelessness."