Preachers to tackle same-sex marriage

Like general population, clergy also hold differing views of gay weddings

Alarmed by the gay marriages taking place this week in Massachusetts and worried other Americans aren’t upset enough about them, the Rev. Scott Hanks plans to use his pulpit Sunday to do something about it.

“I’m going to give them the facts about homosexuality in America,” said the pastor of Heritage Baptist Church, 1781 E. 800 Road. “Not only is it wicked … they (homosexuals) can’t reproduce physically. They can only reproduce by preying on others. People don’t understand that. I want to show them where we’re at in America.”

Hanks’ vehemence isn’t shared by all his counterparts at other congregations in and around the city.

“Personally, and as a Unity minister, I am excited and joyous for the couples that have had society recognize their spiritual commitment to one another,” said the Rev. Stephen Colladay, interim pastor of Unity Church of Lawrence, 900 Madeline Lane.

“I am out as a gay man. Unity (denomination) has had gay or lesbian clergy for decades that have been out, and Unity pastors have performed commitment ceremonies for gay people for decades.”

Hanks watched events in Massachusetts this week, where scores of gays and lesbians in the United States have, for the first time, entered into legally recognized, same-sex marriages.

He said he planned to run newspaper ads Thursday, Friday and Saturday inviting the community to attend a 10:30 a.m. Sunday worship service at Heritage Baptist, during which he will preach about what the Scriptures have to say about homosexuality and the biblical definition of marriage.

It will be the first time Hanks has ever advertised a sermon.

“The reason why I feel like I have to say something about this is because I fear that things are going to get worse and worse,” Hanks said.

The Rev. Stephen Colladay, interim pastor of Unity Church of Lawrence, is homosexual and will address the issue of gay marriage in his Sunday sermon, Feeling

“Pastors (in Lawrence) are not wanting to take a stand and say, ‘This is sin.’ Everybody wants to be politically correct and not offend anybody. But this is not about offending people. It’s about staying true to the Scriptures.”

Hanks said his reasons for preaching against gay marriage is to let people know it’s an abomination to God; to stop the sin of homosexuality from spreading; to warn people of sin and its penalty; and to encourage others to take a stand.

Other views

Colladay said he also planned to address gay marriage in his Sunday sermon at Unity.

His message, “Feeling Extreme Adoration,” will be a far cry from the message Hanks will preach.

“My personal view is that whether or not someone is married and whether it’s recognized by the state, that’s not an issue for the church to decide,” Colladay said. “We leave it to the individual. We believe that there is a loving God that loves everyone, that all God’s children have this spark in them and should be recognized.”

Caution

The Rev. Marcus McFaul said he wouldn’t be talking about gay marriage with his congregation Sunday.

“I think that most Christians truly struggle with how to appropriate and reconcile the biblical witness with their personal experiences with gay and lesbian Christians, who happen to be either church members or family members. I think that’s where the struggle lies,” said McFaul, senior pastor of First Baptist Church, 1330 Kasold Drive.

McFaul criticized the virulent anti-gay preaching of Topeka pastor Fred Phelps, a primitive Baptist. Phelps’ preaching, McFaul said, was a distortion of the Gospel.

“Jesus didn’t come preaching ‘traditional family values.’ Jesus came preaching the kingdom,” McFaul said. “Where traditional family values support the kingdom of God, well and good. But they’re not exclusively the same thing.”

The Rev. Peter Luckey, pastor of Plymouth Congregational Church, 925 Vt., said he had been watching developments in Massachusetts with interest.

“I, as a pastor in Kansas, recognize that we may not be in the same place as Massachusetts, we may not be ready to take this step, but we (Plymouth) are very much open to a process of discerning God’s spirit in these matters,” Luckey said.

Plymouth members voted April 18 to support a statement titled, “An Open and Affirming Declaration” that welcomed all people, regardless of sexual orientation.

“We are a congregation that affirms that people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered share with all others the worth that comes from being unique individuals created by God,” Luckey said. “And I am proud to be part of a congregation that joyfully and unequivocally welcomes all to share in the life of our community of faith.”

Bigger issues

The Rev. Charles Polifka said he had no plans to raise the topic of gay marriage in his Sunday homilies at St. John the Evangelist Church, 1229 Vt.

“I don’t think I would address the issue (of gay marriage) publicly; I would be more inclined to talk about it at the level of adult education, where you can sit down and really discuss it,” Polifka said.

“It’s just such an emotionally charged kind of issue. It doesn’t help to make it more emotionally charged by standing up and talking about it when people can’t ask questions.”

Nor does the Rev. James Shaughnessy intend to devote much attention to gay marriage in his homilies.

“I guess maybe to a limited degree. It’s such a complicated issue that I don’t know whether I could get everything that I need to say into eight or 10 minutes,” said Shaughnessy, pastor of Corpus Christi Catholic Church, 6001 W. 15th St.

“I just think that there are bigger issues that we have to deal with.”