Bishop John Shelby Spong has published a Manifesto that declares his determination to cease listening to the rantings of the Homophobia of the Religious Right.

I will no longer seek to slow down the witness to inclusiveness by pretending that there is some middle ground between prejudice and oppression. There isn’t. Justice postponed is justice denied.

Walking With Integrity: A manifesto from our friend Bishop John Shelby Spong

In some places,  I can imagine that there will be friends of his calling for him to dial it back when it comes to things like this,  which ,  when I read the following line,  evoked an audible “Whoa!” from me as I sit alone at home reading it:

Such a new ecclesiastical body is designed to allow these pathetic human beings, who are so deeply locked into a world that no longer exists, to form a community in which they can continue to hate gay people, distort gay people with their hopeless rhetoric and to be part of a religious fellowship in which they can continue to feel justified in their homophobic prejudices for the rest of their tortured lives.

I guess I can say I know the FEELING.  It IS rather pathetic.  I’m not sure I could judge them as “pathetic lives”.  But I know the disgust that comes over me when I consider such overwrought, hurtful, divisive,  and condescending rhetoric.  I would not consider myself any kind of ACTIVIST for gay rights,  but I profess to support nearly all of those efforts.  And as a student of sociology,  I see completely through the raising of gay rights issues to the forefront of the “Family Values” platform. 

I get disgusted enough with the refusal of many in the church to face the FACT that Jesus LIVED non-violence.  That war is sin.  Period.  That justifying the death of civilians on the basis of some greater good is entirely un-Christ[ian].  Now here is an areas where even fewer church leaders are willing to take a stand and throw down the gauntlet as Spong has done here re: GLBT folks,   “There comes a time when silence is betrayal”.  MLK said this as he was confronting U.S. Christians with their silence about Vietnam (or their willful ignorance).

I agree with Spong n that he should ignore these distortions and petty fears.  It is not unlike what Obama said recently about Fox News,  characterizing them as “operating like talk radio”,  and indicating that they will be ignored.   There are too many actual important things to work on in this country to pay such nonsense and propaganda and fear mongering any mind whatsoever.

Another great tidbit from the Spong’s Manifesto:

I will no longer seek to slow down the witness to inclusiveness by pretending that there is some middle ground between prejudice and oppression. There isn’t. Justice postponed is justice denied.