Does The Salvation Army Spend Money On Anti-lgbtq

(CNN)Salvation Army bell ringers, the folks you see jingling bells by red kettles at Christmastime, will exist carrying a new prop this year: A card explaining the Christian church and charity's approach to LGBTQ people.

Designed to assistance bell ringers answer questions from passersby, the cards include a link to online testimonials from LGBTQ people helped by the Conservancy Army's array of social services, from homeless shelters to rehab clinics and food pantries.

"For years, Facebook posts, forwarded emails and rumors take been leading some people to believe the Conservancy Ground forces does not serve members of the LGBTQ community," the cards read. "These accusations are simply not true."

To many Americans, the Army's social services may be far more than familiar than its politics or theology. Ranked number ii in the Chronicle of Philanthropy'southward listing of "America's Favorite Charities," information technology raised $one.5 billion in donations last year. The Red Kettle campaign began 129 years agone, when a Salvationist put out a pot for the needy on Market Street in San Francisco.

Just to some in the LGBTQ customs, the Salvation Ground forces has another reputation. For decades, they've accused Salvationsts of denying some services to same-sex couples, advocating against gay rights and adhering to a traditional theology that considers gay sex sinful. At times, LGBTQ activists take dropped fake dollar bills or vouchers protesting the Salvation Army in the red kettles.

"The Salvation Army has been ad that it will help LGBTQ people in need, which is a good stride, but it can't be the only step," said Ross Murray a managing director of education and training at GLAAD.

"The Salvation Army'southward anti-LGBTQ history was multi-faceted. And its path to LGBTQ credence is too going to accept to be multi-faceted."

Past controversies

In the past, Conservancy Army leaders have sought exemptions from federal and country anti-discrimination laws designed to protect LGBTQ people. They have also joined other bourgeois religious groups in opposing same-sex marriage.

Criticism of the ground forces amongst LGBTQ supporters peaked in 2012 when a church building leader told an Australia radio program that gay people should be put to decease. (The organisation apologized and said the leader had not accurately conveyed its views on homosexuality.)

But Conservancy Regular army leaders say the group no longer lobbies or signs public letters pushing for specific policies, with the exception of tax laws. Some are frustrated their anti-gay reputation nonetheless sticks.

"It'due south the conversation that never seems to get away," Commissioner David Hudson, the Salvation Army'southward National Commander in the The states, told CNN in an interview.

"My frustration is that someone picks something out of a Twitter feed or reads an old article and doesn't take the time to visit us."

Last calendar month, British singer Ellie Goulding threatened to abolish a gig at a Ruddy Kettle Campaign event in Texas because she believed the Salvation Army to be anti-LGBTQ. Goulding after changed her listen and performed. Earlier this month Out magazine knocked Autonomous presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg, who is gay, for participating in Salvation Ground forces events every bit mayor of S Bend, Indiana.

Chick-fil-A pulls its support

Attacks from gay rights groups are one thing. But many conservative Christians, and the Salvation Ground forces itself seemed perplexed when the Christian-owned fast food franchise Chick-fil-A announced it would stop altruistic to the Salvation Army and another Christian organisation.

In a statement, Chick-fil-A didn't explain the change but said information technology would focus on altruistic to charities involved in education, hunger and homelessness. Critics of Chick-fil-A'southward move noted the Salvation Ground forces has focused on hunger and homelessness for more than than 150 years.

A Chick-fil-A spokeswoman declined to answer questions from CNN.

Bourgeois Christians, who had lauded Chick-fil-A'due south founder for vocally supporting traditional Christian values fifty-fifty every bit it became the country'south tertiary-largest fast food franchise, turned on the company.

Some treated its jilting of the Conservancy Ground forces as a give up in the civilization wars -- or worse, a expose.

"For a lot of us, Chick-fil-A's quiet, cheerful resistance was a model of how to hold on to your Christian values, in spite of progressive spite, and nevertheless succeed," wrote Rod Dreher, a Senior Editor for the American Conservative.

Other conservative Christians were more circumspect, noting that Chick-fil-A never explained why it was no longer donating to the Salvation Army.

In the boxing over same-sex activity marriage, some pro-LGBTQ activists have said Christians would be more appreciated if they foreswore politics and focused on helping the poor.

Only that doesn't seem to be true in the Salvation Army's case, said Ed Stetzer, Dean of the School of Mission, Ministry and Leadership at Wheaton College, an evangelical school in Illinois.

"The Salvation Ground forces is in fact more known for helping the poor than for being a church building," he said. "And these are the bad guys? Who are they going to go after side by side, Mother Teresa?"

Some want a truce. Others are wary

Nonetheless, there some indications that relations are thawing between the Salvation Army and some LGBTQ leaders.

Ix years ago, the Bay Area Reporter, the "paper of record" for San Francisco'south large gay and lesbian customs, published an editorial urging readers non to drop a dime into the Salvation Army'southward crimson kettles.

This year, the newspaper published a largely positive piece about the Army'due south piece of work, including quotes from LGBTQ people who said the Christian clemency had "saved my life."

"I practise non, every bit a gay man, love its positions on same-sexual practice marriage," San Francisco District Supervisor Rafael Mandelman told the Bay Area Reporter, "only the reality is the Salvation Army is 1 of the most of import providers of substance use treatment and shelter to homeless folks in San Francisco. Many, many queer people have turned their lives effectually with the aid of the Salvation Ground forces."

Similar a lot of Christian organizations, the Salvation Ground forces'south policies and positions on homosexuality are multi-layered. Salvationists' 3,480 ordained clergy -- known in the church'due south quasi-armed forces construction equally "officers" -- are expected to be married to a member of the opposite sex or remain chaste.

But the rest of the Salvation Regular army's nearly threescore,000 employees, members and volunteers practise not have to abide by that prohibition. Hudson said he knows a number of Salvation Army employees who are in same-sexual activity marriages.

"When I hear people say that we need to change this or that, I think: We are who we are," said Hudson. "We will always serve anyone and everyone. If they concord or disagree with us, we however serve them."

Some LGBTQ Christians have urged gay-rights activists to declare a truce with the Salvation Army.

"The gay left hates and wants to persecute orthodox Christians, however much good they practise," the bourgeois gay writer Andrew Sullivan tweeted subsequently Out magazine slammed Buttigieg for working with the Salvation Army. "And they've taken over the movement."

But others insist they remain leery of the Salvation Army. Equally recently as 2017, some noted, New York's Commission on Human Rights charged a Salvation Army drug rehab center with gender identity discrimination for "refusing to accept transgender patients and for discriminatory housing policies."

"I call back LGBTQ people are still wary," said Murray of GLAAD. "And they realize in that location are other charity organizations that come across the aforementioned need (and) which tin can also utilize their donations."

In other words, the Salvation Army bong ringers may demand more than a bill of fare to turn public opinion around.

Source: https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/15/us/salvation-army-kettles-lgbtq-stance/index.html

Posted by: hirschthang1994.blogspot.com

Share this post