Featured Will your church allow gay Scout leaders?

My church doesn't control the Boy Scouts so we have no say so as to whether or not they have gay scout leaders/volunteers.

We can however remove our support for the troops.

 

My church ( www.lighthouseministries.org ) doesn't have a Boy Scout troop, so this isn't a real issue for us. [We have an AWANA organization instead.]

On the other hand, coming from a former Boy Scout/Explorer (BS Troop 461), I'm concerned about the slippery path that the BSA seems to be taking these last few years.

It's one thing to allow young men who may be confused about their gender at their age, but I see no positive gain for the BSA to allow gay men to serve as its leaders.

I suppose they'll now have to delete the portion of the BSA Promise that states, "To keep myself...morally straight." (citation taken from The Boy Scout Handbook, 1998 ed., p. 9.)

 

Yes, I too am very concerned with regards to the path the BSA is taking. My boys and I are very involved in scouting and if our charter organization (a United Methodist church) allows homosexual leaders I would have to remove ourselves from that troop. It would be a devastating blow to my kids and not a decision I'm going to be happy making.

 

So what about gay teachers/coaches in the public school system? Would anyone allow their child to be taught/coached by such a person?

 

Right now this isn't the case. Gates wants dialogue about the possibility but we all know its coming. However, when it happens, it sounds as if each chartering organization will have the right to choose who and who cannot be leaders based on the charter organizations values and beliefs. If that is the case my church will continue to charter a cub scout den. If not then we will no longer be able to be a charter them and they will have to find somewhere else to go.

 

We quit allowing outside organizations to use our facilities 5 years ago.

 

That's the smartest way to deal with it.

 

Which is again why I say we can't control what the Boy Scouts do. They are an independent organization who can do whatever they choose.

We don't have to be affiliated with them.

But we also wouldn't let the Mormons or the Muslims or the Catholics or the Episcopalians use our facilities.

 

and we're thinking about banning the Baptists too. :laugh:

 

I have allowed the church building to be used for census workers and for parenting classes. Our little community had gone through a rash of teen suicides which made national news. There were some adults who committed suicide as well. I cut one down out of his closet. The Indian Health Services were holding parenting classes for those who had a teen who had committed suicide.

It was part of a federal impact program to address the suicide in our area. I was also a chaplain for the suicide response team. They provided supper for the attendees and classes to assist in dealing with the loss and learning about possible signs of suicide. It went a long way to building relations with the Navajo community and repair broken relationships caused by some former members. I would do it again.

 

There's a balance. Our community knows that we built our current sanctuary for "the community". We hold graduations for the county there. We do community concerts. Hold blood drives. Do special programs , etc.

We however do not give anyone a platform to teach or example anything that runs contrary to God's word.

I remember a few years back, we were challenged about the Cross being visible inside the church during graduation. One student had complained.

The Cross didn't come down. So you can allow folks to use your facilities, but there doesn't have to be a compromise of our core values and beliefs.

 

Kids in the public school and private are already taught by openly gay people and atheists and non-Christians.

The only way to avoid this is to teach them yourself. But they eventually have to enter the real world with people other than duplicates of themselves.