Emergent Church Leader on Homosexuality

Emergent Church Leader Writes that GLBTQ [Gay, Lesbian, Bi, Transgendered, Queer] can live lives in accord with biblical Christianity

On his blog, Emergent Church leader Tony Jones writes: “As I gained a little prominence as an author in the youth ministry world, people began asking me my opinion on homosexuality. I often quoted one of my seminary professors, Bill Pannell, who was involved in the civil rights movement. I had lunch with him during my last semester at seminary and as we drove back to campus he said to me, ‘Civil rights and abortion will be nothing compared to how the church has to deal with homosexuality. I'm glad it's your generation and not mine who'll have to figure that out.’

“With that in mind, I always responded, ‘I'm holding that issue in abeyance. I haven't made up my mind yet, and I'm in no hurry to.’ ‘Homosexuality,’ I would say, ‘is one issue that I don't want to get wrong.’

“And yet, all the time I could feel myself drifting toward acceptance that gay persons are fully human persons and should be afforded all of the cultural and ecclesial benefits that I am. (‘Aha!’ my critics will laugh derisively, ‘I knew he and his ilk were on a continuous leftward slide!’).

“In any case, I now believe that GLBTQ can live lives in accord with biblical Christianity (at least as much as any of us can!) and that their monogamy can and should be sanctioned and blessed by church and state.”

http://blog.beliefnet.com/tonyjones/2008/11/same-sex-marriage-blogalogue-h.html