Roll Call of the Religious Left

by    Keith Ninomiya                                                                                                                                     Vol. XII, No. 7, August 1999

[Introduction: Few Christians realize the pervasiveness of ultra-liberal groups, not only in secular circles, but also in religious or pseudo-religious organizations. Following is a partial listing of a few of these groups and some of their statements and actions researched and collected by Keith Ninomiya. Note how these groups are often tied together by interlocking directorates, i.e., individuals who fill influential positions in more than one organization. TCP]

The AIDS National Interfaith Network (ANIN):

**ANIN is a coalition of AIDS ministries and religious organizations which works with 2,000 faith-based ministries across the country. ANIN affirms the inherent worth and dignity of all persons without prejudicial regard to sexual orientation. ANIN is committed to confront the underlying causes of the AIDS/HIV-related social epidemic, which include homophobia and heterosexism. ANIN is organized to mobilize religious leadership as advocates for progressive AIDS/HIV public policy in the federal government.

**Kenneth South is the executive director of ANIN, an ordained UCC minister, and a homosexual who resides with his life partner, Nick, in Rockville, MD. He has said, "Evangelicals are doing great ministry, as long as they don't try to change people."

**South has also written: "Homophobic campaigns of hate, bigotry and discrimination have caused serious damage to the hearts and souls of people already stigmatized by a fatal disease. It is completely understandable why some individuals want to distance themselves from 'the church' because of the acute amount of pain inflicted on them by church leaders who condemn them to hell or consider them 'intrinsically evil' because their God-given sexual orientation happens to be homosexual."

**Scott Harrison is the program director of ANIN, earned an M.Div. degree from Southeastern Seminary [before conservatives won control], and is a homosexual. He served as associate pastor of two Southern Baptist churches during the 1980s. Prior to moving to ANIN, he worked for two years at the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the homosexual movement's largest political organization.

**ANIN is recommended by the CBF's AIDS packet. The CBF distributed its very first resource packet entitled "HIV/AIDS Ministry: Putting A Face On AIDS" at its 1994 and 1995 CBF General Assemblies. Nowhere in this resource material is homosexual and bisexual behavior described as sinful.

**On November 8-11, 1998, the AIDS National Interfaith Network (ANIN) sponsored the AIDS & Religion in America Convocation at the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta, Georgia. Speaking at this Convocation were BJCPA Executive Director James Dunn and BJCPA Administrator Karen McGuire. Serving on the Convocation Program Committee were McGuire and BJCPA Associate Director of Communications Kenny Byrd.

**Gary Gunderson is the director of the Interfaith Health Program of the Carter Presidential Center, which was a co-sponsor of the aforementioned Convocation. He is an ordained Baptist minister and chairs the building committee of Oakhurst Baptist Church in Decatur, Georgia, whose pastor is Lanny Peters. Both Gunderson and Peters have led CBF General Assembly breakout sessions.

**According to an article in the May 31, 1998, issue of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Oakhurst Baptist Church "has ordained openly gay deacons, named a homosexual to the chairmanship of the deacons' board, and last year ordained a gay minister." Oakhurst Baptist Church will host the annual convocation of the Alliance of Baptists in 2001.

*On July 23-24, 1998, in Washington, DC, over 30 national religious leaders from many faith traditions gathered to express their support for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people. This unprecedented National Religious Leadership Roundtable (NRLR) was co-convened by the Policy Institute of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) and Equal Partners in Faith (EPF). This ongoing initiative includes faith-based organizations like ANIN, The Interfaith Alliance (TIA), People for the American Way (PAW), and Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AU).

People for the American Way (PAW):

**PAW President Carole Shields until recently served on the board of directors for the BJCPA. Her father is Grady Cothen, a prominent moderate leader who was instrumental in the formation of the CBF. PAW has filed friend-of-the-court briefs in Hawaii and Vermont cases urging the courts to end the denial of equal marriage rights to gay and lesbian couples by permitting them to participate in the institution of civil marriage. James Dunn formerly served on the board of directors for PAW.

Equal Partners in Faith (EPF):

**EPF works with other organizations to bring together religious leaders concerned about gay rights and to expose the political agenda of the "ex-gay" movement. EPF issued a press release entitled "Baptists' Sunday School Lessons Fuel Anti-Gay Sentiment Says National Faith-Based Group."

**Steven Baines is projects coordinator and contact person for EPF. He is a Southern Baptist minister who is a member of First Baptist Church in Greenville, South Carolina. Pastor of this church is Hardy Clemons, who has served as CBF Moderator and on the CBF Coordinating Council. This church was the first in South Carolina to join the Alliance of Baptists and hosted the national convocations for the Alliance of Baptists in 1989 and 1994.

**Meg Riley is co-chair of the EPF Steering Committee. She is director of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) Washington Office for Social Justice and used to head the UUA's office of gay and lesbian concerns. Riley also serves on the governing board of Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AU) and on the board of directors for The Interfaith Alliance (TIA). She is a lesbian.

**In a March 31, 1999, EPF press release, Meg Riley is quoted as saying "that many people of faith believe that homophobia, not homosexuality, is a sin, and that discrimination, not love, is to be condemned."

**Ken Brooker Langston serves on the EPF Steering Committee. He is national field director for AU and used to be director of education and religious outreach for TIA. Langston led a breakout session at the 1996 CBF General Assembly.

**Cedric Harmon also serves on the EPF Steering Committee. He is AU's associate field director for religious outreach.

**Barry Lynn serves on the EPF Advisory Committee and believes that the state should recognize "gay marriages." He is executive director of Americans United, an organization that used to be in the CBF budget and has an exhibit booth yearly at the CBF General Assembly. Lynn led a ministry workshop titled "Separation of Church and State Today" at the 1999 CBF General Assembly. Numerous CBF leaders serve on AU's governing board.

The Interfaith Alliance (TIA):

**C. Welton Gaddy stepped down as AU president when he became executive director of The Interfaith Alliance (TIA). He serves on the CBF Coordinating Council and is president of the Alliance of Baptists. In the 1970s, Gaddy was director of Christian citizenship development for the former Christian Life Commission (CLC) under Foy Valentine. In the 1980s, he was professor of Christianity and minister to the university at Mercer University under Kirby Godsey and served on the SBC Executive Committee.

**Gaddy wrote the following in a TIA press statement: "The Religious Right's media campaign condemning homosexuality gives cause for alarm among people of faith supportive of democracy, committed to civil rights for all people, and dedicated to the preservation of religious liberty. Their ads call on homosexuals to experience Christian conversion. The intent is to rid our society of gays and lesbians . . . Consider the arrogance of assuming their interpretation of the Bible is the only accurate interpretation of the Bible, their understanding of homosexuality is the only correct understanding of homosexuality, and their statement of faith represents the view of all people of faith. This is arrogance with a vengeance."

**In a July 23, 1998, Associated Baptist Press article, Gaddy is quoted as saying: "I think that it makes no contribution biblically, psychologically, socially to simply make the statement that homosexuality is a sin. I think it is far better to deal with individuals with compassion and to try to enable those individuals to live out their lives and enjoy all kinds of rights that the rest of us do."

**TIA staff members have led breakout sessions at CBF General Assemblies. Foy Valentine serves on the board of directors for TIA. He heads the CBF-funded Center for Christian Ethics (CCE) at Baylor University and is a former AU president.

**David Currie also serves on the board of directors for TIA. He is coordinator of Texas Baptists Committed and serves on the CBF Coordinating Council. Currie was on the former Christian Life Commission (CLC) staff under Valentine.