The Portland Pride Parade was a mostly festive occasion. In past years there have been plenty of protestors but this year we saw only four. Unfortunately, we ran right into them. It was my fault, I suppose. It was obvious that I was clergy and so they sought me out and with a bull horn informed me that I was an abomination. Because our children were with us I felt compelled to step between them and my family. At that point, they yelled at Liz and the children that the kids were doomed to hell. Then they moved on to yell at other people. These four were quite clearly consumed by hate. As I said in my sermon yesterday, groups like Focus on the Family seek to foster such hate by dehumanizing gays and lesbians (and even political liberals and religious progressives) in much the same way that the Nazi Party did to Jews or Christians once did to Africans and Native Americans. Our Christian faith can be perverted into something terrible. But these four "Christian" protestors were outnumbered by hundreds of Christians from churches across Oregon who came to proclaim the Gospel. Those of us that marched with churches might still represent the minority opinion within the Christian tradition but the Holy Spirit is at work and people are waking up to the reality that Jesus meant it when he said: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” 38This is the greatest and first commandment. 39And a second is like it: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” 40On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’ (Matthew 22:36b-40 NRSV).
(Thank you to Billy Don Robinson for sharing this picture that he captured of one of the protesters yelling at us)
