Integrity

It's been a while since I posted here. The ACIM work was challenging and I copped out, though I expect to resume soon. The Liberty lost to Atlanta in the second round of the semifinals and remain the only one of the original WNBA teams that has not brought home a championship. To add insult to injury, while MSG is being renovated, the Liberty will play in the Prudential Center in New Jersey. The renovation will not displace the Rangers or Knicks, but the women and their fans, the people who have to watch affordable ball and who can't pay celebrity prices -- we get to trek to New Jersey.

So I bought a ticket to Verizon's How Sweet the Sound, a gospel event, scheduled for the middle of next week, to test the trek to The Rock, as the Prudential Center is called.

Lately, I've been involved in a campaign in our church. I've posted here before about our bishop who appears to be on the downlow and who was convicted of sexually assaulting a subordinate. So I'm coordinating a campaign to ask the College of Bishops to offer an opinion on the issue, and to have the guy step down.

One of my friends last night declined to sign the petition because it mentions the church's stance on homosexuality. As I spoke with her, I felt more than a twinge of guilt and wondered if I'm being a hypocrite. I've been a vocal advocate for gay rights and for inclusion and affirmation of ALL people, including LGBT folk, in our churches. And I wonder how my friends (most of whom are gay) would feel about me signing this petition and spearheading this movement.

What I think (and maybe I'm just justifying this to myself) is this: I do believe our church's stance on homosexuality is wrong. I think our church is homophobic. And, truth be told, I think this petition probably has some roots in homophobia. I both acknowledge and regret that, and I regret that some folk are probably joining with me because of the homophobia and not because of the principles.

But you know what? As I've said before, I think it would be great if our church had a gay bishop. But I want our first gay bishop to be openly, proudly, and unapologetically gay -- I don't want our first gay bishop to be someone who has to sneak around, commit adultery, and have furtive little affairs that denigrate their sexuality and continue the less-than perception of gay and all people who are "other."

I think this person needs some time to sort themselves out. I think that if you can't handle your business, you can't tell me how to handle my business. I think that we need to walk what we talk -- if we're going to state that Godly sexual relations only take place between a man and a woman in the context of marriage (guess I'll never have Godly sexual relations againEDIT: someone tried to twist this. This statement is a reference to the fact that I am unmarried and have no intentions to marry.), then when our leaders engage in sexual relations that are outside those parameters, and when those relations draw the entire church into the spotlight, then I think that, at the very least, we should say something: either "attaboy! We were wrong;" or "hey, maybe this adultery thing isn't such a good idea;" or SOMEthing. But I don't think it's ok for us to just continue on like nothing has happened.

OK. I'm done now. I hated feeling like a hypocrite, and while my actions may be riding the wave of others' homophobia, I don't believe that's what's motivating me. Hopefully, there will also now be an open door from which we can all discuss sexuality in the black church....