By Tim Wilkins, guest writer*

August 2002 – Actor W. C. Fields said, “I have spent a lot of time searching through the Bible – for loopholes.”

Fields is certainly not alone. There have no doubt been many people who have wished that the clear teachings of Scripture came with such loopholes, especially when Biblical truth hits so close to home.

Those promoting what is called “gay” theology are no different – they actively reinterpret Scripture so that, instead of condemning homosexuality as sin, the Bible is said to approve of it.

Although it began coming to the surface in the 1990s, “gay theology” existed for decades in the ecclesiastical closet. It was suppressed only to avoid controversy at a time when it undoubtedly would have been rejected.

Two prominent organizations with far-reaching tentacles, SoulForce and the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches (UFMCC), have long believed and broadcast their view that the Bible endorses homosexuality.

The Rev. Troy Perry founded UFMCC, a predominantly “gay” church, in 1968. It boasts more than 300 churches in 17 countries.

SoulForce says it is “an interfaith movement committed to ending spiritual violence perpetuated by religious policies and teachings against gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people.” It is headed by UFMCC minister Mel White, a former “evangelical” who left his wife for a man. White takes every opportunity to “compassionately” berate anyone who believes homosexuality to be sin.

Denominational infiltration
The “gay theology” espoused by White and Perry has not stayed within the walls of purely homosexual religious entities, however. Instead, it has been sown with evangelistic fervor into mainstream Protestant denominations which had already been struggling for decades to come to terms with the vociferous liberal elements within.

The United Methodist Church (UMC), for example, while not adopting the tenets of “gay” theology, has been strongly influenced by it. In 1999 the UMC was thrown into an uproar – and very nearly split – when former Methodist minister Rev. Jimmy Creech defied the UMC and performed a same-sex union. The UMC found itself facing a crisis, but in the end held the line on Biblical truth. Creech was defrocked by the denomination for his act and found guilty of “violating the Order and Discipline” of the church.

Creech, who is a heterosexual, is now chairman of SoulForce’s board. He says that when people call homosexuality a sin they are committing “acts of spiritual violence,” and he has called for ministers to defy the UMC’s court and to conduct homosexual “covenants.”

When it comes to the growing influence of “gay” theology, however, the UMC is not alone. The United Church of Christ has embraced it, while the Episcopal Church, Presbyterian Church USA and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America are currently enduring upheavals over it.

At least one denomination refuses to even argue with homosexual activists over theology. David Kyle Foster, director of Mastering Life Ministries, says, “The position of the Southern Baptist Convention [that homosexuality is a sin] is universally acknowledged and in no danger of being compromised.”

That frustrates White, who says, “The Southern Baptist Convention continues to wreak havoc on gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered individuals and their families both inside and outside the church.”

SoulForce, led by White and Creech, has orchestrated protests at the last three Southern Baptist Convention annual meetings including the one in St. Louis in June, 2002.

Theological disgrace
Many leaders and supporters of both organizations not only promote “gay” theology, however, but also adhere to the vile tenet that Christ Himself was homosexual. Advocates of this blasphemous belief direct attention to Jesus’ singleness, his association with twelve men (the Apostles), and particularly his close relationships to other men outside the apostolic circle.

For example, UFMCC pastor Rev. Nancy L. Wilson claims that “Jesus lived an alternate lifestyle,” and asserts that Jesus had homosexual relationships with the rich young ruler, Lazarus and the Apostle John.

Chris Glaser, another “gay Christian” activist, says that when Scripture portrays the Apostle John as “leaning on Jesus’ bosom,” that indicates that the two had a homosexual relationship.

White says he does not believe such a view himself, and in fact says such a belief is “silly,” although he refused to call it blasphemy. Nevertheless, the theology that White has espoused for more than 30 years has merely taken the next logical step.  

* Tim Wilkins, a former homosexual, directs Cross Ministry, Inc., a ministry headquartered in Wake Forest, NC. www.crossministry.org.