MSNBC doesn’t typically side with Christian churches – unless, of course, a church stands up for one of the network’s pet causes. That is exactly what happened on Tuesday, when a headline on MSNBC.com lamented how the “Boy Scouts Ban[ned] Church Over Gay Troop Leader.”
MSNBC.com's Amanda Sakuma explained that the Boy Scouts of America recently shut down a Seattle troop, sponsored by a United Methodist church, because church leaders stood behind the troop’s openly gay leader. While the BSA now allows openly gay scouts, it retains its ban on openly gay scoutmasters. Predictably, MSNBC framed the story to make the church and the scoutmaster the victims in this drama, even though both know perfectly well the rules of the organization.
It was pretty clear where Sakuma stood on the issue from the way she analyzed the Boy Scouts’ decision to allow homosexual scouts:
The landmark policy shift launched the national organization into a rift between conservative groups bent against accepting homosexuality and gay rights activists who say discriminating against scout leaders goes against the organization’s inclusive values.
Which side sounds like the villains in that paragraph, and which side sounds like the righteous martyrs of intolerance?
Sakuma included a somewhat ironic quote from Geoffrey McGrath, the ousted gay troop leader:
Pastor Corsaro specifically sought out someone with my Scouting background to help get these units off the ground, and her church is now being told to violate their religious convictions. It’s unconscionable and irreverent.
Since when has MSNBC cared about people being forced to violate their religious convictions? They certainly don’t care that ObamaCare has forced Catholic business owners to provide abortion-inducing drugs that violate their consciences. And yet when a church stands up for a gay leader, in defiance of Boy Scout rules, the church’s convictions are worth showcasing.
Interestingly, though, this particular church’s stand seems to go against United Methodist Church (UMC) teaching on homosexuality. According to the Church’s official website, while it does allow and respect gay members (emphasis mine), “The United Methodist Church does not condone the practice of homosexuality and considers this practice incompatible with Christian teaching.”
It's also notable that the UMC doesn’t allow homosexuals to be leaders within their church:
The practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching. Therefore self-avowed practicing homosexuals are not to be certified as candidates, ordained as ministers, or appointed to serve in The United Methodist Church.
Are we now expected to believe that this Seattle church’s religious convictions led it to insist on a homosexual leader for its Boy Scout troop, even after the BSA ordered the church to dismiss the leader?
MSNBC put this story on the front page of its website – no doubt as a way to try and gin up support for the gay rights agenda.
