NCC general secretary backs ‘holy unions’ of gays
By John H. Adams, The Layman Online, November 16, 2000
ATLANTA – Addressing a caucus of gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgender people on Nov. 16, Robert Edgar, general secretary of the National Council of Churches, defended signing a statement on the sanctity of marriage that was also endorsed by Roman Catholic leaders, the National Association of Evangelicals and representatives of the Association for Church Renewal.
Edgar, who told the group that he favored unions for same-sex couples, said the statement was not intended to be against “holy unions” – although the declaration did define marriage as only between a man and a woman.
“We were involved in taking out language that was extremely offensive,” Edgar said. “It [the statement] was an attempt to talk about the value of marriage.”
The statement was released Nov. 14 in Washington. Edgar has hoped to work toward some kind of broadly ecumenical national body that would include Roman Catholics, evangelicals and Pentecostals who are not among the members of the financially struggling NCC. He was asked to sign the marriage statement as evidence of sharing a common concern with Catholics, Pentecostals and evangelicals.
Edgar’s signature a surprise
Edgar’s remarks about the marriage statement followed questions raised during an address to the NCC’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Caucus by Welton Gaddy, executive director of the Interfaith Alliance, a political activist group that drew some of its start-up funding from the Democratic Party.
Gaddy criticized the statement on marriage and expressed some surprise that Edgar had signed it.
But, he added, “I’m not going to second-guess. I know Bob Edgar and I trust Bob Edgar.” Gaddy called the marriage statement “a denial of rights for gays and lesbians” and predicted there would be repercussions from the statement.
Gaddy welcomed Edgar’s remarks as an interruption to his address.
The gay role in the ecumenical movement
Gaddy, an American Baptist preacher and liberal activist, told the nearly 30 people who attended the breakfast caucus that gays and lesbians play an important role in the ecumenical movement.
He suggested they follow three strategies:
1. “You can help advance the truth that different is not bad and need not be bad.”
Gaddy said gays and lesbians are “strangers” in the language of the Bible and that the Church has been admonished “to be hospitable to strangers.” Yet, he added, “We have politicized our differences and religiofied our differences.”
Gaddy said an example of why Americans need to understand that homosexual activity is not bad is that Al Gore failed to win the presidential election outright. “The vice president was hurt by a willingness to talk about cultural issues, and the centerpiece of cultural issues was to talk about gays and lesbians.”
2. “You can contribute to a more honest interpretation of Scripture.”
“I am convinced we should bring to the Bible more than we take from the Bible,” he said. “Just as culture affects the writing of the Bible, so culture affects the reading and interpretation of the Bible. You can be Biblically textual without being Biblically honest.”
And being Biblically honest, Gaddy suggested, one cannot interpret the Bible “in isolation from reality.”
3. “You can help by fostering the hard work of communication and understanding.”
4. “Your best contribution will grow out of who you are as persons. That’s what makes the difference.”
Gaddy said his own views on gays and lesbians changed “mostly because I met people who were more like Christ than I will ever be.”