This is a guest post by Rev Candace Chellew-Hodge in response to the ‘gay exorcism’ video widely circulated on the internet a while ago. A recovering Southern Baptist and founder/editor of Whosoever.org: An Online Magazine for GLBT Christians, Chellew-Hodge’s first book, Bulletproof Faith: A Spiritual Survival Guide for Gay and Lesbian Christians, published by Jossey-Bass is now available here. She currently serves as associate pastor at Garden of Grace United Church of Christ in Columbia, South Carolina.
The video is at once riveting and revolting. A 16-year-old boy writhes on the floor as the crowd around him shouts and the pastor invokes the power of God to free the boy from the “demon of homosexuality.”
Patricia McKinney, the leader of the small Connecticut church claims that they don’t hate gay and lesbian people – but they do not “believe in that lifestyle” and that while gays and lesbians would be welcome in her church, they have to get “delivered” from their homosexual demons.
As a Christian, who just happens to be a lesbian, I find myself a minority within a minority. A large number of gay and lesbian people have abandoned Christianity – and with these sorts of shenanigans going on in the name of God, it’s really no great leap of logic to figure out why. When you have someone, in the name of God, painting gays and lesbians as demon-possessed people with an abhorrent “lifestyle,” God gets a pretty bad rap in the deal.
I always begin my workshops by proclaiming the good news that God loves gays and lesbians just as they are and they should never believe anyone who says differently. As I say this, however, I’m showing images of homophobic people protesting at pride parades and other gatherings holding signs like “Sodomy is sin.” The point is to drive home the mixed messages gays and lesbians get from religion. On one hand lesbian pastors like me say, “God loves you,” while the religious right, with the aid of their large media microphone, screams, “God hates fags.” Who can blame our community for being confused?
The ramifications of this rejection of God in the gay and lesbian community are great. I recently wrote a book aimed at the gay and lesbian Christian community called “Bulletproof Faith: A Spiritual Survival Guide for Gay and Lesbian Christians.” I expected to have a warm reception by the gay and lesbian media. After all, this is a book written for our community, by someone in our community imparting the good news that God loves gays and lesbians, made us just as we are, and that we have nothing to fear from anyone – especially those like McKinney who believe God hates us or that a demon has infested us.
Except for an online excerpt in the Advocate, my book has been like Kryptonite to the gay press. A few smaller, local papers have done an article here and there, but by and large, I can’t get anyone to even mention it, let alone actually do a story on it. The comments on the Advocate article really tell why. I’m attacked for believing in some imaginary friend and questioned about why I would want to stay in a club that didn’t want me as a member.
The rejection, not just of Christianity, but of spirituality in general, also leaves our community vulnerable to self-destructive behaviors like addiction to drugs, alcohol or other behaviors that are bad for us. I believe that spirituality – no matter what the flavor – gives us meaning and purpose in our lives. While the gay and lesbian community may reject Christianity on a widespread basis – I do believe it’s important for gays and lesbians to find some manner of meaningful spiritual outlet whether it be in Buddhism or other, more gay-friendly, religions. All human beings need to feel a connection to something larger and find a home in a community that nurtures the best parts of themselves.
That’s not to say that Christianity itself is beyond redemption. There is certainly a movement afoot within Christianity to reform the old traditions and exorcise the demons of homophobia from its sanctuaries.
My own denomination, the United Church of Christ, became the first mainline denomination to support marriage equality for gays and lesbians way back in 2004. The denomination has always been ahead of
the social curve, however, when it became the first denomination to ordain a gay man back in 1973. Other denominations are stepping up as well including the Episcopalians and the Presbyterians.
The Christian church has always been society’s tail light and never it’s headlight. While that’s sad, it’s unfortunately true. Instead of abandoning the church to the bigots like McKinney and her ilk, gays and lesbians need to view religion like a run down neighborhood and begin the rehab process right away. Religion is too important a factor in human life for it to completely fall by the wayside or be left to the likes of bigots like McKinney to take over.
McKinney is right about one thing. In her interview with MSNBC she asserts that “everything carries a spirit.” McKinney and her gay hating cohorts within any religion, Christianity or otherwise, carry a spirit of rejection and enmity for gays and lesbians. They repel more gays and lesbians than they attract and while she claims this young man’s “lifestyle” has changed – anyone who has been through an ex-gay ministry knows he’s just as gay today as he was when he was writhing on the floor.
But, if it’s true everything carries a spirit, then we must be careful about the spirit of our reply to people like McKinney. It cannot be a spirit that returns hatred for hatred or rejection for rejection. Jesus understood this kind of spirit and counseled against it, urging us to love our neighbors just as much as we love ourselves.
In that spirit, let us not hate McKinney – but instead look upon her and her kind with compassion. They are on the losing side of history. Gay and lesbian people will one day be fully accepted in society – and in church. When people know they are fighting a losing battle, they redouble their efforts near the end of that battle. In their desperation they throw everything they can at their foe.
Truly, it is not the demon of homosexuality that is being exorcised on the floor of that church – but the demon of homophobia being exposed to the harsh light of day. Let our love and compassion for those possessed by this demon drive it out once and for all.
7 Responses
July 10th, 2009 at 7:18 pm
Candice, you are a wonderful writer and a beautiful person! You go girl!
July 11th, 2009 at 8:22 pm
Candace;
I also found the gay exorcism video to be disgusting and revolting. Unfortunately I was raised among right-wing Christians, many of which believed in such things, In fact when I was outed I was threatened with an exocism. Luckily shortly there after I fled to NY and never came close to a church again. I have often found it very hard to understand how gay men, and lesbians can be christians with what I know of what the Bible says regarding this issue. For example; Leviticus 20 verse13; “If a man lies with a male as with a women both of them have committed an abomination;they shall be put to death, thier blood is apon them.” In addition, also Romans 1 verses 24-32; “Therefore God gave them up to dishonorable passions. Their woen exchanged natural rleations for the unatual, and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameful acts with men and receiving in their own persons the due penalty for thier error. And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a base mind and to improper conduct. They were filled with all manner of wickedness, evil, covetousness, malice. Full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity, they ere gossips, slandrers, haters of GOd, insolent haughty, boastful, inventors of evil disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know Gods decree that those who do such things deserve to die they not only do thme, but approve those who practice them.”
Becuase of these two parts of the Bible in particular I have always thought that the Bible has made more than clear its opinion of homosexuality, and I have never been able to reconcile how my gay and lebisn brothers and sisters have been able to circumvent these verses of the Bible and practice Christianity. Can you please explain this to me?
Thank you.
July 11th, 2009 at 11:02 pm
Again, another fantastic article. For anybody who hasn’t read the book, I highly recommend it, it changed my life.
Lewis Smedes gives a very good explanation of the Romans chapter. http://www.soulforce.org/article/lewis-smedes-video
Hope that helps the seekers.
July 12th, 2009 at 5:31 am
Unfortunately that web interview did not help in explaining the two passages I mentioned. To begin with there was no Acknowledgement of the Leviticus Passage;“If a man lies with a male as with a women both of them have committed an abomination;they shall be put to death, thier blood is apon them.” Secondly the interview with the pastor did not explain the romans passage. He is claiming that the passage is regferring to people who know god, but do not accept and acknowledge him and therefore are described as all of the awful things depicted in Romans 1. Not only does it not say that anywhere, but what it does say, if you read the passage is God gave up on a certain group of people and that this group of people started practicing women started sleeping with other women and mem with men asn as a result”God gave them up to a base mind and to improper conduct. They were filled with all manner of wickedness, evil, covetousness, malice. Full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity, they ere gossips, slandrers, haters of GOd, insolent haughty, boastful, inventors of evil disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know Gods decree that those who do such things deserve to die they not only do them, but approve those who practice them.” this is clearly referring to homosexuals. i wish it were not so, but it is what it is. I only want an honest explaination of how Gays and Lesbians can explain this away and follow Christianity. the video did not help. I feel it skipped over most of the passage, did not even address the first one that said gays and lesbians should be put to death and gave a very flimsy explaination of Romans passage.
September 24th, 2009 at 4:04 am
Carrie makes a good point based on the translated bible we have available to us. But the people who translated it had motives other than those of the truth in God’s word. We may never know until we die exactly what God planned for us. We do however, have a conscious, the ability to pray for guidance, and the brains to not fall blindly to these “wolves” in sheeps clothing. Let’s take into consideration those who preach to us are making headlines faster than Charlie Manson with their child molesting and so on. The bible says to “study and show thyself approved” not listen to the man in the pulpit because he has all the answers. I believe Paul condemned many of the church practices back in the day.
Anyway…think about this as well, Jesus has a whole different attitude and message than his Father. God sent people out to kill and rob cities that were not in alignment with his will…whereas Jesus says forgive. He died for all sins, past, present and future. No one is perfect..even Jesus was not perfect because he was in human form.
Next…men were allowed to not only have a wife, but 200 concubines..or girlfriends of whom they could have sex with. Is this not adultery? It was God approved adultery which the bible speaks against. Now if you have 200 women being serviced by one man…there’s going to be some problems. I’m sure those women could not be allowed to have sex with other men because they belonged to the one (though I’m sure some did). I can promise you that those women made love to each other.
It is not our place to judge the soul. We need to worry about our own and share the gospel and love to others and let them work out their salvation. We can’t save people..we can offer them information. Only Christ can save them. Also keep in mind that the bible says to pull the plank out of your own eye..before worrying about the splinter is someone else. You have sin..everyday. No matter how hard you try…you’re a sinner (saved by grace, but still a sinner). Even the apostle Paul said ” I die daily to sin..I do the very things I shouldn’t and don’t do the things I should” Unless your better than Paul…walk carefully in your judgement shoes!!!
September 24th, 2009 at 4:10 am
I agree also with not showing hatred back. Hatred is not of Christ..those kind of feelings are driven by evil. Goodness, patience, love, forgiveness – those are what we should have for mankind, regardless. Why don’t they focus their energy on people who are hurting others- child molestors, domestic violence, rapists, murderers…counsel those people, try to turn them around.
Hatred is not a fruit of the spirit..think about it people.
September 24th, 2009 at 4:12 am
Sorry…my last post, I was raised right wing Christian as well…but I spent years studying on my own, praying and meditating on the word. Love is the greatest gift we have, yet we rarely see it in the right wing churches.
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