On March 9, 1965, the Rev. Martin Luther King led more than 2,000 marchers in a peaceful protest of Alabama's voting policies and the harsh treatment of previous protestors. He was joined by hundreds of clergy, who had answered his call to stand up for those who were being disenfranchised. Following the march, Dr. King and his fellow clergy-people kneeled and prayed, and their courage moved our nation one step closer to equality. Their demonstration, like so many throughout history, embodied the fact that justice and equality are hallmarks of the Christian witness. "To bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners." This is the central concern of the Gospel: Love and justice for those who are oppressed and marginalized.
And yet, at the mayoral debate on Monday, candidate Amy Demboski said that laws protecting the marginalized would somehow be anti-Christian. In the past she has expressed fear of such protective measures as a "war on Christianity." A few days ago, one church sent a mass mailing to clergy expressing similar fears. These incidents and others make it clear that there is a concerted political effort underway to say that the exclusion of gays and lesbians is a biblical, Christian action. Speaking as Christian leaders of many faith communities in Anchorage, we must speak out and say that this is untrue.
Some churches oppose homosexuality, and consider it a sin. That can be claimed as a personal opinion, and a church can claim it as its teaching. But it cannot be accurately claimed that this is "the Christian opinion." Recent studies by the Pew Research Center and the Public Religion Research Institute show that more religious Americans support gay marriage than oppose it. The view held by Demboski is not representative of Christianity, and yet she claims that somehow Christianity is under siege when the rights of others are upheld. To claim that you are being discriminated against because you have lost your right to discriminate against others shows a gross lack of understanding of history and oppression, as well as a disturbingly narrow understanding of Christianity.
We perceive the "war on Christianity" to be those who are actively thwarting the truth that "God is love" (1 John 4:8). Love struggles to flourish where there is discrimination, hate speech, threats, and fear. However, our understanding of history reveals that love wins. Truth will come out. The realities of the gifts that our LGBT friends, neighbors, and family members bring to this community will prove to be essential to the growth of Anchorage as a modern city. Indeed, they already have. We are among the people of all faiths who see that and will stand to acknowledge it. And we renounce the voices that pretend it is not so, because discrimination is not Christian.
Jesus sat and ate with all people, never creating a system of worthiness for who was accepted. To the contrary, he regularly reached out specifically to those on the margins of his society. If we claim to follow Jesus, then we must acknowledge that discrimination is not his way. It is not who we are or what we stand for. Looking back on the history of the church, we are proud of those moments when we stood to lift people up. We are ashamed for when we have stood to keep people out.
People of faith must remember the love and acceptance of Jesus, as well as the successes and failures of our own troubled history. In doing so, we hear the call to seek equality for all Alaskans in work, play, housing, marriage, and business. Because discrimination is not only un-American. It is also un-Christian.
Rev. Matt Schultz is pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Anchorage. Others who endorse this commentary include the Rev. Jenny Smith, the Rev. Dr. Ted Cole, Jr., the Rev. Ellen Johnson-Price, the Rev. John Campbell, the Rev. Jamez Terry, the Rev. Bob Smith, the Rev. Lisa Smith Fiegel, Marie Sweezey, the Rev. Julia Seymour, the Rev. Michael Burke, Nora Ortiz Fredrick, lay pastor, the Rev. Martin Eldred, Candace Bell, the Rev. Ron P. Meyers, the Rev. Sara Gavit, Judith Goodrum, Tia Marie Hollowood, the Rev. Shelley Wickstrom, Bill Herman (Anchorage Quaker Meeting), Rev. Curt Karnes, Rev. Gayle Nauska and the Steering Committee for Christians for Equality.
The views expressed here are the writer's own and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, email commentary(at)alaskadispatch.com