Two Days Later, World Visn Revers Policy That Allowed Hirg Of Gays : The Two-Way : NPR

Contents:

• WORLD VISN: WHY WE’RE HIRG GAY CHRISTIANS SAME-SEX MARRIAG
• WORLD VISN REVERS POLICY THAT ALLOWED HIRG OF GAYS
• WORLD VISN REVERS DECISN ON GAY MARRIED EMPLOYE: WE MA A MISTAKE
• ANALYSIS: WORLD VISN’S GAY MARRIAGE FLIP-FLOP REFLECTS EVANGELIL ANGST AS CULTURE SHIFTS
• THE APOSTASY OF WORLD VISN EMBRACG GAY MARRIAGE
• CHRISTIAN CHARY DO FULL 360 ON GAY MARRIAGE
• TWO DAYS LATER, WORLD VISN REVERS POLICY THAT ALLOWED HIRG OF GAYS
• CHRISTIAN GROUP THAT FLIP-FLOPPED ON GAY MARRIAGE LOS DONORS
• WORLD VISN’S GAY COMPROMISECULTURE WARTHE EVANGELIL CHARY’S CISN TO HIRE OPENLY GAY EMPLOYE IS AN EXAMPLE OF HOW RELIG ANIZATNS WILL ADJT TO THE EVABLE, AND THE THANKLS TASK OF FIGURG OUT A THIRD WAY.BRAD KRAMERUPDATED JUL. 12, 2017 1:36PM EDT / PUBLISHED MAR. 26, 2014 1:00PM EDT TED S. WARREN/AP EDOR'S NOTE: AFTER THIS STORY WAS PUBLISHED, WORLD VISN ANNOUNCED WAS REVERSG S CISN TO HIRE EMPLOYE SAME-SEX MARRIAG AFTER AN OUTCRY OM NSERVATIVE EVANGELILS LED TO A MASSIVE FANCIAL LOSS. WORLD VISN, A GLOBAL CHRISTIAN ANTI-POVERTY NONPROF AND ONE OF AMERI’S TOP TEN LARGT CHARI, ANNOUNCED YTERDAY HAS CHANGED S POLICY AND WILL NOW HIRE GAY EMPLOYE WHO ARE LEGAL SAME-SEX MARRIAG. THE BILLN-DOLLAR-A-YEAR ANIZATN ALREADY REQUIR EMPLOYE TO AGREE TO AN EVANGELIL LIFTYLE , CLUDG ABSTENCE OUTSI OF MARRIAGE. IN AN TERVIEW WH CHRISTIANY TODAY WORLD VISN PRINT RICHARD STEARNS JTIFIED THE POLICY SHIFT AS AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE DIVERSY OF OPNS ON HOMOSEXUALY SI THE AMERIN CHURCH. STEARNS ARGUED THAT WORLD VISN HAS HISTORILLY REMOVED SELF OM NTENT THEOLOGIL BAT FAVOR OF UNY AROUND THEIR RE FOC ON POVERTY. HE ALSO STRONGLY URGED SUPPORTERS NOT TO TERPRET THE CHANGE HIRG POLICY AS A SALVO WAR OVER GAY MARRIAGE. WH NAIVETé THAT BOGGL THE IMAGATN, STEARNS HOPED THAT THE EVANGELIL WORLD, AND PARTICULAR THE ANIZATN’S LARGE EVANGELIL DONOR BASE, WOULD ALSO LOOK PAST THIS “MOR” POLICY SHIFT AND NTUE THEIR SUPPORT.THE NSERVATIVE EVANGELIL BLOGOSPHERE IMMEDIATELY EXPLOD WH NMNATN. A WHO’S-WHO LIST OF FLUENTIAL NSERVATIV LIKE FRANKL GRAHAM (SON OF BILLY) AND RSELL MOORE (POLIL VOICE FOR THE SOUTHERN BAPTISTS) EXMUNITED WORLD VISN FOR S PULATN TO THE DARK SI. OTHER NOTABLE FIGUR MA CLEAR THAT THE ENTIRE CHRISTIAN FAH, AND PERHAPS EVEN WTERN CIVILIZATN SELF, IS THREATENED BY WORLD VISN AND OTHERS WHO PROFS TO BE CHRISTIAN AND TOLERATE GAY RELATNSHIPS. MANY URGED CHRISTIANS TO STOP THEIR MONTHLY FANCIAL SUPPORT OF THIRD-WORLD CHILDREN THROUGH WORLD VISN (EVEN IF MEANS BREAKG OFF RELATNSHIPS BETWEEN SPONSOR AND CHILD) AND SUPPORTG ALTERNATIVE ANIZATNS WHO DO NOT EMPLOY “UNREPENTANT HOMOSEXUALS.”WORLD VISN IS ARGUABLY THE BIGGT AND BROAST “PARACHURCH” ANIZATN AMERI, AND TH HAS THE UNENVIABLE ROLE OF TRYG TO PLEASE EVERYONE. UNFORTUNATELY, AS THEIR TRACTORS MA BTALLY CLEAR, THE CULTURE WAR OVER GAY RIGHTS THERE IS NO SUCH THG AS NOT TAKG SIS. NEVER MD THAT WORLD VISN IS BEG PUNISHED FOR IOLOGIL (AS WELL AS THEOLOGIL) SHIFTS THE U.S. OVER WHICH THEY HAVE NO NTROL. HOW DARE THEY SUGGT THAT MULTIPLE WELL-MEANG OPNS ON HOMOSEXUALY ULD POSSIBLY -EXIST WH THE SAME CHRISTIAN ANIZATN, PECIALLY ONE THAT ALREADY EMPLOYS MEMBERS OF PRO-GAY MARRIAGE CHURCH)? IN A UNTRY WHERE 70 TO 80 PERCENT OF ADULTS STILL INTIFY AS CHRISTIAN, WORLD VISN’S FAILED ATTEMPT AT A NTRAL POSN AMID WILDLY DIFFERENT THEOLOGIL POSNS STRONGLY REMBL THE BROAR POLIL AND SOCIAL BATE, WHERE ATTEMPTS AT NTRALY AND NUANCE TEND TO BE THLSLY PUNISHED BY BOTH SIS. EVANGELILS HAVE HISTORILLY BEEN FED BY A UNIFYG FOC ON EVANGELISM, AS WELL AS AN ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT WH SECULAR SOCIETY. BUT THE WORLD VISN SNDAL IS JT THE LATT DITN THAT THE “BIG TENT” OF COLD WAR EVANGELILISM HAS LLAPSED. EVANGELILS HAVE FOUND MYRIAD WAYS TO BLEND SEAMLSLY TO SECULAR CULTURE WHOUT, THEIR VIEW, SACRIFICG THEIR RE MMENTS OR MSAGE. (EXHIB A: ANY MEGACHURCH). BUT THIS ISSUE, MORE THAN ANY OTHER, SEEMS TO BRG OUT THE FUNDAMENTALIST ROOTS OF THE MOVEMENT. RICHARD STEARNS AND WORLD VISN ARE LEARNG THE HARD WAY THAT, JT AS MIDDLE GROUND DON’T EXIST THE BROAR CULTURE WAR OVER GAY RIGHTS, THIRD-WAY POSNS ARE IMPOSSIBLE THE AGMENTED LANDSPE OF EVANGELILISM. JAD BY ENDLS POLIL FEATS, THE CHRISTIAN RIGHT IS CIRCLG THE WAGONS AND CUTTG OFF THOSE WHO PROMISE.THE EVABLE PATH OF THE OLD GUARD IS TOWARD THE MARGS OF CULTURE AND SOCIETY, WHERE, LIKE THEIR FUNDAMENTALIST ANCTORS, THEY WILL PREACH DOOM OM A DISTANCE. BUT RICHARD STEARNS IS ONLY THE LATT A GROWG GROUP OF CHRISTIANS, EVANGELIL OR NOT, WHO ARE OPENLY WONRG AT THE POSSIBILI OF FAHFUL CHRISTIANY AFTER THE LAST “SURRENR” IS SIGNED ON A ERNOR’S SK. THE NEXT GENERATN OF EVANGELIL CHRISTIANS—THE MUCH-STUDIED LENNIALS—IS CREASGLY TIRED OF THE CULTURE WAR, WH S OBSSN ON MAKG EVERYTHG TO A TURN-OR-BURN DOCTRAL ISSUE. CONSERVATIVE EVANGELILISM IS LOSG LENNIALS GOBS, AND THE WORLD VISN FALLOUT IS SURE TO ONLY ACCELERATE THE FALLOUT. WHAT TRAIL WILL THIS NEW GENERATN BLAZE, WHEN THE POLIL DT EVABLY SETTL FAVOR OF GAY RIGHTS? CONSERVATIV MAY WANT TO WRE THEM OFF AS LOST TO SECULAR CULTURE, BUT THERE ARE MANY SIGNS THAT THAT A MORE PLEX AND TERTG FUTURE IS ON THE WAY. TO BE SURE, MANY PROMENT PROGRSIVE EVANGELILS THORS—RACHEL HELD EVANS, BRIAN MCLAREN, AND ROB BELL—HAVE OPENLY ENDORSED SOME VERSN OF GAY MARRIAGE. BUT A CLOSE READG OF ALL THREE REVEALS NOT A “PULATN” BUT A PRRY CHECK, AN ATTEMPT TO KEEP CHRISTIAN LOVE FOR NEIGHBOR AT THE CENTER OF THE FAH WHILE MATAG THE CLASSIC EVANGELIL FOC ON BIBLIL THORY AND PERSONAL TEGRY. WHILE THE MAGOGU ON BOTH SIS WILL UNDOUBTEDLY REJECT THIS AS BALD NTRADICTN, THE THORS (AND MANY LIKE THEM) ARE RVG A PLACE FOR FAH PUBLIC LIFE AFTER THE WAR OVER GAY RIGHTS IS OVER.EVEN THOSE YOUNG EVANGELILS WHO STILL HAVE QUALMS ABOUT GAY MARRIAGE N FD IENDS OUTSI THE WAGON CIRCLG. CONSERVATIVE EVANGELIL TIM KELLER, PASTOR OF THE LENNIAL-SWARMED REEMER PRBYTERIAN NYC, TELLGLY REF TO ADDRS HOMOSEXUALY OM THE PULP, MUCH TO THE CHAGR OF HIS CULTURE-WARRG BRETHREN. THE SPIRUAL FRIENDSHIP MOVEMENT, STARTED BY OPENLY GAY WLEY HILL, SCRAMBL THE TEGORI BY SUPPORTG ACCEPTANCE OF GAYS WHILE PREACHG CELIBACY FOR ALL BUT MARRIED HETEROSEXUALS. ACROSS THE UNTRY, CHRISTIANS LIKE THE QUIETLY FG A MIDDLE WAY THAT BALANC A RPECT FOR CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURE AND TRADN WH DISTASTE FOR ANTI-GAY ABSOLUTISM AND THE JUDGMENTALISM THAT OFTEN FOLLOWS .YET ALL THIS PENDS ON YOUNG CHRISTIANS, PARTICULARLY EVANGELILS, HAVG THE URAGE TO STAND NO-MAN’S LAND. I KNOW FIRSTHAND THAT IS UTTERLY EXHSTG FOR A YOUNG EVANGELIL TO THK PENNTLY THE CRATERED WASTELAND OF THE CULTURE WAR. I ULD N AND HI OM THE GAY MARRIAGE APOLYPSE, AND PERHAPS THAT WOULD BE EASIT PATH, BUT MY CHRISTIAN LL TO LOVE MY NEIGHBOR AND SHARE MY HOPE IS ULTIMATELY MORE IMPORTANT. BRAD KRAMER

WORLD VISN: WHY WE’RE HIRG GAY CHRISTIANS SAME-SEX MARRIAG

But a policy change announced Monday [March 24] will now perm gay Christians legal same-sex marriag to be employed at one of Ameri's largt Christian chari.

It also opposed a 2012 attempt by USAID to "strongly enurage" fah-based ntractors to stop discrimatg agast gays and lbians orr to receive feral funds. Highlightg the church/parachurch distctn: Board member and pastor John Crosby, who served as terim lear when a number of church spl off om the Prbyterian Church (USA) after the nomatn dropped a celibacy requirement for gay clergy 2011. Even Uganda, where a high-profile new law crimalizg gays and lbians has been opposed by World Visn Uganda, stated: "The issue of same-sex relatnships will neher prevent om servg children, fai and muni around the world, nor obstct our llaboratn wh one another and wh our partner anizatns.

How would Stearns rpond to crics who bemoan the cisn as yet another Christian anizatn vg before the advancg gay rights movement? World Visn had hoped to take what scribed as a ntral posn the gay marriage bate by ferrg to the lol church. "They were not takg a posn supportg same-sex marriage or homosexualy, " said Tim Dearborn, director of Fuller Semary's Lloyd John Ogilvie Instute of Preachg, who prevly oversaw how World Visn's Christian mments were implemented across s ternatnal partners.

WORLD VISN REVERS POLICY THAT ALLOWED HIRG OF GAYS

Esther Fleece reflected on her experience at Foc on the Fay when TOM'S Sho end a partnership over Foc's stance on homosexualy. ""We have listened to you and want to say thank you and to humbly ask for your fivens, " the agency said the letter, signed by World Visn print Richard Stearns and board chairman Jim Washgton state and started by evangelils, World Visn has an ternatnal operatg budget of nearly $1 billn and nducts enomic velopment and emergency relief agency had announced Monday that s board had prayed for years about whether to hire Christians same-sex marriag as church took different stands on regnizg gay relatnships. "A few other nservative relig chari have tried to change hirg polici to regnize gay relatnships, promptg ntroversy and a drop donatns, but World Visn was the largt and most proment by far to take the step.

World Visn Revers Policy That Allowed Hirg Of Gays The Christian chary had said earlier gay marriage was an issue about which Christians of goodwill uld disagree, and hoped the policy would be unrstood that way. World Visn Revers Policy That Allowed Hirg Of Gays.

WORLD VISN REVERS DECISN ON GAY MARRIED EMPLOYE: WE MA A MISTAKE

The Christian chary had said earlier gay marriage was an issue about which Christians of goodwill uld disagree, and hoped the policy would be unrstood that way. LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST: The Christian chary World Visn announced this week would beg hirg married gay Christians, but then quickly reversed the cisn bee of a backlash om evangelils.

SANDERS: What they haven't believed for years is hirg non-celibate gay people. But on Monday, World Visn announced that gay Christians legal, same-sex marriag uld work for the group. Gay marriage uld fall the same tegory.

Now, is reversg that cisn to allow gay marriage among employe was wily cricized, and many donors wrote as much on the chary’s Facebook page.

ANALYSIS: WORLD VISN’S GAY MARRIAGE FLIP-FLOP REFLECTS EVANGELIL ANGST AS CULTURE SHIFTS

Every time the Bible addrs homosexual activy, forbids . And they claim that Pl’s prohibns (Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corthians 6:9-10; 1 Timothy 1:8-11) were addrsed to heterosexuals who engaged homosexual behavr, eher as prostut or to subjugate others. They argue that Pl had no ncept of homosexual orientatn or lovg, monogamo homosexual relatnships.

THE APOSTASY OF WORLD VISN EMBRACG GAY MARRIAGE

Are we to believe that homosexual employe will not advote for their liftyle when workg wh impoverished children and fai?

They have not sistepped the issue of homosexualy—their cisn has brought si their work force and ma their ccial mistry an stment of further divisn the body of Christ.

CHRISTIAN CHARY DO FULL 360 ON GAY MARRIAGE

Gay groups announced boytts, and Christian nsumers rallied around the fast-food cha’s chicken sandwich. Siarly, when Phil Robertson was spend om his popular realy TV show “Duck Dynasty” for makg ntroversial ments about homosexualy to GQ magaze, gay groups cheered the cisn as evangelil fans swamped the A&E work wh plats. The World Visn flip-flop reflects the stggle wh evangelilism over how to rpond to a growg cultural, legal and even relig acceptance of homosexualy, particularly same-sex marriage.

Beyond the issue of homosexualy, the dt-up uld threaten the agency’s abily to attract supporters om all sis on issu such as global poverty and sex traffickg.

(RNS) Supporters of gay marriage rallied outsi the U. In 2012, Pew found that 29 percent of young whe evangelils (age 18-29) exprsed support for allowg gays and lbians to marry legally, higher than olr evangelils at 17 percent. Shortly after I broke the news on my rad broadst and on social media, Christiany Today nfirmed the report: World Visn has cid to embrace homosexual "marriage" among s employe and to regnize practicg homosexual employe who profs fah J as te is a betrayal of the gospel, a betrayal of the Lord, a betrayal of the fay, and a betrayal of the untls thoands of Christians who have put their tst World Visn as a legimate Christian no way do ntribute to "buildg a better world for children" – one of the fundamental goals of World Visn.

TWO DAYS LATER, WORLD VISN REVERS POLICY THAT ALLOWED HIRG OF GAYS

S print Richard Stearns stated that, "No one ever died of gay marriage, " thereby trivializg the importance of the issue, as if ntrasted wh the anizatn's missn of providg tangible relief to sufferg, he went much further, claimg that this radil, unbiblil move is actually a "very narrow policy change" that should be viewed as "symbolic not of promise but of [Christian] uny.

World Visn ref the nature of marriage – the most fundamental stutn of society, ordaed by God Genis 2 as the lifelong unn of a man and a woman and reaffirmed by J as such Matthew 19 – and ignor the explic and repeated nmnatn of homosexual practice throughout the Scriptur and then claims is a "very narrow policy change"? By sanctng homosexual relatnships, World Visn is "ferrg to the thory of church and nomatns on theologil issu"?

CHRISTIAN GROUP THAT FLIP-FLOPPED ON GAY MARRIAGE LOS DONORS

Now he was flabbergasted to hear that they were regnizg "gay Christiany" and same-sex "marriage" among their employe. His newt book (September, 2015) is Outlastg the Gay Revolutn: Where Homosexual Activism Is Really Gog and How to Turn the Ti. (RNS) Christian relief anizatn World Visn has announced that will no longer fe marriage as between a man and a woman s employee nduct manual, a groundbreakg change for an evangelil stutn and a reflectn of the impact that gay marriage is havg on relig anizatns.

“We’re seen to be agast homosexualy and gay marriage, agast pornography and sexual promiscuy, agast alhol and dg abe, abortn, divorce, Islam, evolutn … even agast those who believe that global warmg is a threat, ” he wrote. “I thk what the entire bacle really monstrat more than anythg is that Christians who disagree wh each other about same-sex marriage are still barely talkg to one another, ” said Matthew V, an openly gay evangelil and founr of the The Reformatn Project, an anizatn dited to softeng the church’s posn on gay rights. ”In his upg book, “God and the Gay Christian: The Biblil Case Support of Same-Sex Relatnships, ” V tackl six passag the Bible that equate homosexualy wh sful behavr.

“It’s that he’s not talkg about gay Christians.

WORLD VISN’S GAY COMPROMISECULTURE WARTHE EVANGELIL CHARY’S CISN TO HIRE OPENLY GAY EMPLOYE IS AN EXAMPLE OF HOW RELIG ANIZATNS WILL ADJT TO THE EVABLE, AND THE THANKLS TASK OF FIGURG OUT A THIRD WAY.BRAD KRAMERUPDATED JUL. 12, 2017 1:36PM EDT / PUBLISHED MAR. 26, 2014 1:00PM EDT TED S. WARREN/AP EDOR'S NOTE: AFTER THIS STORY WAS PUBLISHED, WORLD VISN ANNOUNCED WAS REVERSG S CISN TO HIRE EMPLOYE SAME-SEX MARRIAG AFTER AN OUTCRY OM NSERVATIVE EVANGELILS LED TO A MASSIVE FANCIAL LOSS. WORLD VISN, A GLOBAL CHRISTIAN ANTI-POVERTY NONPROF AND ONE OF AMERI’S TOP TEN LARGT CHARI, ANNOUNCED YTERDAY HAS CHANGED S POLICY AND WILL NOW HIRE GAY EMPLOYE WHO ARE LEGAL SAME-SEX MARRIAG. THE BILLN-DOLLAR-A-YEAR ANIZATN ALREADY REQUIR EMPLOYE TO AGREE TO AN EVANGELIL LIFTYLE , CLUDG ABSTENCE OUTSI OF MARRIAGE. IN AN TERVIEW WH CHRISTIANY TODAY WORLD VISN PRINT RICHARD STEARNS JTIFIED THE POLICY SHIFT AS AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE DIVERSY OF OPNS ON HOMOSEXUALY SI THE AMERIN CHURCH. STEARNS ARGUED THAT WORLD VISN HAS HISTORILLY REMOVED SELF OM NTENT THEOLOGIL BAT FAVOR OF UNY AROUND THEIR RE FOC ON POVERTY. HE ALSO STRONGLY URGED SUPPORTERS NOT TO TERPRET THE CHANGE HIRG POLICY AS A SALVO WAR OVER GAY MARRIAGE. WH NAIVETé THAT BOGGL THE IMAGATN, STEARNS HOPED THAT THE EVANGELIL WORLD, AND PARTICULAR THE ANIZATN’S LARGE EVANGELIL DONOR BASE, WOULD ALSO LOOK PAST THIS “MOR” POLICY SHIFT AND NTUE THEIR SUPPORT.THE NSERVATIVE EVANGELIL BLOGOSPHERE IMMEDIATELY EXPLOD WH NMNATN. A WHO’S-WHO LIST OF FLUENTIAL NSERVATIV LIKE FRANKL GRAHAM (SON OF BILLY) AND RSELL MOORE (POLIL VOICE FOR THE SOUTHERN BAPTISTS) EXMUNITED WORLD VISN FOR S PULATN TO THE DARK SI. OTHER NOTABLE FIGUR MA CLEAR THAT THE ENTIRE CHRISTIAN FAH, AND PERHAPS EVEN WTERN CIVILIZATN SELF, IS THREATENED BY WORLD VISN AND OTHERS WHO PROFS TO BE CHRISTIAN AND TOLERATE GAY RELATNSHIPS. MANY URGED CHRISTIANS TO STOP THEIR MONTHLY FANCIAL SUPPORT OF THIRD-WORLD CHILDREN THROUGH WORLD VISN (EVEN IF MEANS BREAKG OFF RELATNSHIPS BETWEEN SPONSOR AND CHILD) AND SUPPORTG ALTERNATIVE ANIZATNS WHO DO NOT EMPLOY “UNREPENTANT HOMOSEXUALS.”WORLD VISN IS ARGUABLY THE BIGGT AND BROAST “PARACHURCH” ANIZATN AMERI, AND TH HAS THE UNENVIABLE ROLE OF TRYG TO PLEASE EVERYONE. UNFORTUNATELY, AS THEIR TRACTORS MA BTALLY CLEAR, THE CULTURE WAR OVER GAY RIGHTS THERE IS NO SUCH THG AS NOT TAKG SIS. NEVER MD THAT WORLD VISN IS BEG PUNISHED FOR IOLOGIL (AS WELL AS THEOLOGIL) SHIFTS THE U.S. OVER WHICH THEY HAVE NO NTROL. HOW DARE THEY SUGGT THAT MULTIPLE WELL-MEANG OPNS ON HOMOSEXUALY ULD POSSIBLY -EXIST WH THE SAME CHRISTIAN ANIZATN, PECIALLY ONE THAT ALREADY EMPLOYS MEMBERS OF PRO-GAY MARRIAGE CHURCH)? IN A UNTRY WHERE 70 TO 80 PERCENT OF ADULTS STILL INTIFY AS CHRISTIAN, WORLD VISN’S FAILED ATTEMPT AT A NTRAL POSN AMID WILDLY DIFFERENT THEOLOGIL POSNS STRONGLY REMBL THE BROAR POLIL AND SOCIAL BATE, WHERE ATTEMPTS AT NTRALY AND NUANCE TEND TO BE THLSLY PUNISHED BY BOTH SIS. EVANGELILS HAVE HISTORILLY BEEN FED BY A UNIFYG FOC ON EVANGELISM, AS WELL AS AN ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT WH SECULAR SOCIETY. BUT THE WORLD VISN SNDAL IS JT THE LATT DITN THAT THE “BIG TENT” OF COLD WAR EVANGELILISM HAS LLAPSED. EVANGELILS HAVE FOUND MYRIAD WAYS TO BLEND SEAMLSLY TO SECULAR CULTURE WHOUT, THEIR VIEW, SACRIFICG THEIR RE MMENTS OR MSAGE. (EXHIB A: ANY MEGACHURCH). BUT THIS ISSUE, MORE THAN ANY OTHER, SEEMS TO BRG OUT THE FUNDAMENTALIST ROOTS OF THE MOVEMENT. RICHARD STEARNS AND WORLD VISN ARE LEARNG THE HARD WAY THAT, JT AS MIDDLE GROUND DON’T EXIST THE BROAR CULTURE WAR OVER GAY RIGHTS, THIRD-WAY POSNS ARE IMPOSSIBLE THE AGMENTED LANDSPE OF EVANGELILISM. JAD BY ENDLS POLIL FEATS, THE CHRISTIAN RIGHT IS CIRCLG THE WAGONS AND CUTTG OFF THOSE WHO PROMISE.THE EVABLE PATH OF THE OLD GUARD IS TOWARD THE MARGS OF CULTURE AND SOCIETY, WHERE, LIKE THEIR FUNDAMENTALIST ANCTORS, THEY WILL PREACH DOOM OM A DISTANCE. BUT RICHARD STEARNS IS ONLY THE LATT A GROWG GROUP OF CHRISTIANS, EVANGELIL OR NOT, WHO ARE OPENLY WONRG AT THE POSSIBILI OF FAHFUL CHRISTIANY AFTER THE LAST “SURRENR” IS SIGNED ON A ERNOR’S SK. THE NEXT GENERATN OF EVANGELIL CHRISTIANS—THE MUCH-STUDIED LENNIALS—IS CREASGLY TIRED OF THE CULTURE WAR, WH S OBSSN ON MAKG EVERYTHG TO A TURN-OR-BURN DOCTRAL ISSUE. CONSERVATIVE EVANGELILISM IS LOSG LENNIALS GOBS, AND THE WORLD VISN FALLOUT IS SURE TO ONLY ACCELERATE THE FALLOUT. WHAT TRAIL WILL THIS NEW GENERATN BLAZE, WHEN THE POLIL DT EVABLY SETTL FAVOR OF GAY RIGHTS? CONSERVATIV MAY WANT TO WRE THEM OFF AS LOST TO SECULAR CULTURE, BUT THERE ARE MANY SIGNS THAT THAT A MORE PLEX AND TERTG FUTURE IS ON THE WAY. TO BE SURE, MANY PROMENT PROGRSIVE EVANGELILS THORS—RACHEL HELD EVANS, BRIAN MCLAREN, AND ROB BELL—HAVE OPENLY ENDORSED SOME VERSN OF GAY MARRIAGE. BUT A CLOSE READG OF ALL THREE REVEALS NOT A “PULATN” BUT A PRRY CHECK, AN ATTEMPT TO KEEP CHRISTIAN LOVE FOR NEIGHBOR AT THE CENTER OF THE FAH WHILE MATAG THE CLASSIC EVANGELIL FOC ON BIBLIL THORY AND PERSONAL TEGRY. WHILE THE MAGOGU ON BOTH SIS WILL UNDOUBTEDLY REJECT THIS AS BALD NTRADICTN, THE THORS (AND MANY LIKE THEM) ARE RVG A PLACE FOR FAH PUBLIC LIFE AFTER THE WAR OVER GAY RIGHTS IS OVER.EVEN THOSE YOUNG EVANGELILS WHO STILL HAVE QUALMS ABOUT GAY MARRIAGE N FD IENDS OUTSI THE WAGON CIRCLG. CONSERVATIVE EVANGELIL TIM KELLER, PASTOR OF THE LENNIAL-SWARMED REEMER PRBYTERIAN NYC, TELLGLY REF TO ADDRS HOMOSEXUALY OM THE PULP, MUCH TO THE CHAGR OF HIS CULTURE-WARRG BRETHREN. THE SPIRUAL FRIENDSHIP MOVEMENT, STARTED BY OPENLY GAY WLEY HILL, SCRAMBL THE TEGORI BY SUPPORTG ACCEPTANCE OF GAYS WHILE PREACHG CELIBACY FOR ALL BUT MARRIED HETEROSEXUALS. ACROSS THE UNTRY, CHRISTIANS LIKE THE QUIETLY FG A MIDDLE WAY THAT BALANC A RPECT FOR CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURE AND TRADN WH DISTASTE FOR ANTI-GAY ABSOLUTISM AND THE JUDGMENTALISM THAT OFTEN FOLLOWS .YET ALL THIS PENDS ON YOUNG CHRISTIANS, PARTICULARLY EVANGELILS, HAVG THE URAGE TO STAND NO-MAN’S LAND. I KNOW FIRSTHAND THAT IS UTTERLY EXHSTG FOR A YOUNG EVANGELIL TO THK PENNTLY THE CRATERED WASTELAND OF THE CULTURE WAR. I ULD N AND HI OM THE GAY MARRIAGE APOLYPSE, AND PERHAPS THAT WOULD BE EASIT PATH, BUT MY CHRISTIAN LL TO LOVE MY NEIGHBOR AND SHARE MY HOPE IS ULTIMATELY MORE IMPORTANT. BRAD KRAMER

”Soclogist Jeremy Thomas, an assistant profsor at Idaho State Universy, agre that the way forward for evangelilism volv lookg at gay upl unr the same “moral bric” as heterosexual upl.

First, his words about uny expose the crass alignment of homosexual terurse and baptism as parable markers for biblil fahfulns. When World Visn says, “We nnot jump to the fight on one si or another on this issue, ” here is the si they do, fact, jump onto: We forbid fornitn and adultery as acceptable liftyl among our employe (which they do), but we will not forbid the regular practice of homosexual terurse. But worse than fancy, removg homosexual terurse om s biblil alignment wh fornitn and adultery (and greed and theft and dnkenns) trivializ s rrelatn wh perdn.

Do not be ceived: neher the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexualy, nor thiev, nor the greedy, nor dnkards, nor revilers, nor swdlers will her the kgdom of God.