In light of the Larry Craig scandal, Time magazine's Joe Klein stepped up to the pulpit at the magazine's "Swampland" blog to insist that conservative Christians are being, well, un-Christlike with their moral opposition to homosexuality. Klein points to conservative objection to homosexuality for creating a culture of shame that forces gay men to seek sex in public restrooms.
To Klein, it's the religious right's fault, and boy are they misunderstanding what Jesus --or "Dr. J" as Klein calls him-- was all about (emphasis mine).:
Some people get angry at Craig's--and a long list of theofoolish sexual demagogues'--hypocrisy because they don't consider consensual adult homosexuality a matter of morality at all. Some people are infuriated at people like Craig etc. because they promote the social stigma that forces closeted gay men to find sexual solace in secret, shame-ridden places like public restrooms. Some people are angry enough to actually celebrate Craig's outing because of the untold pain and suffering that people like Craig have caused.
So, the question comes: What would Jesus do about all this? Well, Dr. J had plenty to say about infidelity. Nothing to say about homosexuality. Sadly--as Wehner himself has written in the past--Christianity has strayed far from the original Good News, which posits love above all else. The fierce, shaming absence of love amongst those who hold "moralistic" views should be seen as a theological scandal. Sadly, it is what passes for righteousness among the ignorant.
Joe Klein, "anonymous" novelist, biased journalist, and newly-minted Bible scholar.
