The Layman The Presbytery of New York City wants the 221st General Assembly to tell the Boy Scouts to stop discriminating against girls and lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people. In Overture 043, the presbytery asks the General Assembly to “call upon the Boy Scouts of America to institute policies that welcome children, families and…
Institute on Religion and Democracy WASHINGTON, D.C.–A popular new Pope, church disputes and threats to religious freedom made news throughout 2013. Below are IRD’s top church news stories for the year. New Pope: Both the almost unprecedented retirement of a Pope and the enthusiasm surrounding a young new pontiff was the biggest church story of…
By Adelle M. Banks (RNS) A fledgling organization that opposed the Boys Scouts of America’s decision to accept openly gay Scouts announced Tuesday (July 9) it will launch an alternative group with a Christian worldview. “It’s our vision to be the premiere national character development organization for young men which produces godly and responsible husbands,…
By Bob Smietana (RNS) For the Rev. Ernest Easley, the decision to cut ties with the Boy Scouts was simple. The Bible says homosexuality is a sin. The Boy Scouts do not. “We are not willing to compromise God’s word,” said Easley, pastor of the 2,300-member Roswell Street Baptist Church in Marietta, Ga., which has…
By Christina Ng A number of churches that previously sponsored Boy Scout troops have said they plan to sever ties to the organization following its decision to lift a longtime national ban on admitting openly gay Scouts. Openly gay adults will still be barred from leadership roles in the organization. “I think I can say…
On Thursday, May 23, at their annual meeting in Grapevine, Texas, 1,400 members of Boy Scouts of America’s national council are scheduled to vote on a resolution that would revise the organization’s membership policy on homosexuality. If accepted, the resolution would lift an existing ban on youth who are “open or avowed” homosexuals. In its current form, the…
By Adelle M. Banks (RNS) Conservative and liberal religious leaders may not agree on much, but both are expressing displeasure with the Boy Scouts’ proposal to accept gay members but reject gay leaders. The Boy Scouts of America released its draft proposal on Friday (April 19) that will be voted on at its annual meeting…