A recent ShoutOutHealth post on the power of forgiveness generated a lot of discussion/debate, but now one gay activist is putting that often difficult practice to the test.
When Evangelical Christian (and gay man) Matt Stolhandske wrote this stunning piece in the Washington Post, he set off a firestorm of controversy in both LGBT and religious circles. Was he really going to help raise the astonishing sum of $150,000 to cover the punitive fine that Melissa and Aaron Klein -- the Portland-based Christian bakery owners who refused to make a cake for a lesbian couple’s wedding in 2013 -- received from the state of Oregon?
Stolhandske says following his faith and practicing forgiveness ultimately made the decision a (pardon the pun) straightforward one. He writes:
It wasn’t until I stepped away from the church, albeit briefly, that I was I able to find love and forgiveness for myself and the true heart of the Christian gospel; the love of a Father so stubbornly refusing to condemn that He would send His Son to die in my place. And that gospel has so deeply permeated my soul that I cannot find it in myself to hate the Kleins.
In the face of intolerance, I am yet called to love.
That said, Klein then implores Christians to "stop using the name of Jesus to explain to the LGBT community why we don’t deserve access to the civil rights afforded to heterosexuals through the legal institution of marriage."
He ends with this pre-emptive strike to his critics:
...this is what an olive branch looks like. I am not rewarding their behavior, but rather loving them in spite of it. It is time for these two communities, which both cite genuine love as our motivation, to put aside our prejudices and put down our pitchforks to clear the path for progress.
What do you think of Stolhandske's gesture of forgiveness? Is he truly practicing his faith and taking the high ground, or is this the act of a self-hating apologist for homophobes? Leave your comments!
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