April 10, 2014
EEWC-CFT member and frequent contributor to Christian Feminism Today Julia K. Stronks, J.D. Ph.D., a political science professor who holds the Edward B. Lindaman Chair at Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington, has written a public letter to World Vision entitled, “A Response to the World Vision LGBT Decision.” The letter was made public on Wednesday, April 9. It has been signed by hundreds of faith leaders and concerned Christians, including Old Testament scholar Walter Brueggemann, theologian Amy Plantinga Pauw, philosopher Nicholas Wolterstorff, and evangelical Christian author Brian McLaren.
Christian Feminism Today urges our readers to consider joining those who have already signed this letter. Click here to do so.
Dr. Stronks had this to say about the World Vision decision, “My heart breaks to think of the pain that LGBT Christians experience. We want the world to know that many Christians stand with them as we encourage Christian institutions to include them in the Kingdom work that we all strive toward.”
EEWC-CFT has officially affirmed and supported equality for LGBT people since 1986. Two of our founding members, Letha Dawson Scanzoni and Virginia Ramey Mollenkott wrote one of the first books to present a biblical case for LGBT equality. The book, Is the Homosexual My Neighbor, was originally published in 1978 (an updated and revised version was published in 1994), and remains an important resource to this day.
Click here to read a Religion News Service article about the situation and Dr. Stronks’ letter.
For those unfamiliar with this situation:
World Vision, a Christian not for profit organization, recently announced it would stop its practice of employment discrimination against lesbian and gay Christians in legal marriages in its US office. Thousands of conservative evangelicals responded by withdrawing their financial support and World Vision quickly reversed its decision, reinstating their discriminatory employment practices.
posted by Marg Herder
