New study connects the dots between churches, antigay groups

Mainline Christian churches that discriminate against gays receive hundreds of millions of dollars from conservative groups and enjoy an 8-to-1 advantage in funding over progressive churches, according to a report released Tuesday by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

The study, titled "David v. Goliath," found that churches that attempt to create a more welcoming environment for gays and lesbians miss out on funds not only from antigay groups like Focus on the Family and Concerned Women for America but also centrist and liberal organizations that support gay causes. "David v. Goliath" highlights the fact that churches often receive financial incentives to exclude gays and lesbians.

“There has been a concerted effort from the conservative political establishment, through secular organizations like the Institute on Religion and Democracy, to influence the mainline Protestant churches, create schism on the issue of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, and lure the denominations into a hard-right ideology, which would represent a vast and historic shift in the nation’s religious landscape,” said the Reverend Rebecca Voelkel, executive officer of the Institute for Welcoming Resources, a nonprofit organization working to make churches more welcoming to gays and lesbians.

The report surveyed denominations and organizations that have committed to LGBT equality, a group that includes 8,300 congregations and 2 million people. The study found that approximately 20.2 million people are involved in mainline churches—including the Presbyterian Church USA, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, United Methodist Church, and the Episcopal Church—that are routinely lobbied financially by hard-right groups over issues of LGBT ordination and same-sex marriage.

Amid all the pressure on churches to turn their backs on gay congregants, the study actually found positive gains being made for religious gays and lesbians, according to NGLTF executive director Matt Foreman. “This report shows that some of the most important debate over lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender equality is not happening in Congress but in religious denominations,” he said. “The [progressive] organizations in this report, and many others like them, are winning the hearts and minds of people of faith in spite of tremendous obstacles and meager resources—it’s truly David versus Goliath." (Advocate.com)