March 30, 2015
John Pavlovitz speaks out about preachers who use their pulpits to warn that LGBT people, by wanting to marry, threaten the sanctity of marriage. But at the same time, these preachers carefully tiptoe around talking about straight divorce. He hastens to add, “Please hear me, divorced people: This is not about you at all; and well, that’s sort of the point.” Divorced people are not threatening the institution of marriage any more than LGBT people are. “Attacking the LGBT community is a way for pastors to take a calculated sin stance around marriage; one that’s based on a risk-reward payoff.” It’s all about the numbers.
He writes, “It makes sense from a business standpoint: If a preacher came out with the same regularity and ferocity, railing against the “sinfulness” of divorce, as they do about LGBT people even desiring marriage (or even existing for that matter), pretty soon he or she would be speaking to a half-empty building, and they know it. Much of their physical and financial support would evaporate, and their whole operation would be in turmoil.”
