How Dare He Be Tolerant

Doesn't this guy know you can't be a God-fearing Christian and a liberal at the same time?

The Rev. Richard Cizik, as a spokesperson and lobbyist for the National Association of Evangelicals, has ruffled a few feathers on more than one occasion. A couple of years ago, for example, Cizik began an effort to convince evangelical Christians to take global warming seriously. He even labeled climate change an "offense against God" and bought a Prius. Other leading evangelicals were not impressed.

His position with the NAE has been in doubt, as significant contingents of the evangelical community wanted to become more, not less, politically conservative. Cizik's luck apparently ran out when he showed tolerance for gay people.

A prominent evangelical lobbyist resigned yesterday over his remarks in a National Public Radio interview, in which he said he supports permitting same-sex civil unions.

The Rev. Richard Cizik, vice president for governmental affairs for the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), later apologized for the remark, said the Rev. Leith Anderson, president of the 30 million-member organization.

But, Anderson said, "he lost the leadership's confidence as spokesman, and that's hard to regain."

Asked by Terry Gross in a Dec. 2 interview on NPR's Fresh Air whether he had changed his position on same-sex marriage, Cizik responded: "I'm shifting, I have to admit. In other words, I would willingly say that I believe in civil unions.... We have become so absorbed in the question of gay rights and the rest that we fail to understand the challenges and threats to marriage itself -- heterosexual marriage. Maybe we need to reevaluate this and look at it a little differently."

This did not go over well.

Not so much, no.

There's something very wrong with an organization that forces its members to resign over messages of tepid tolerance. There's something sick about spiritual "leaders" hating gays so much that merely advocating for civil fucking unions is enough to get you thrown out on your ear. Forcing someone to apologize for a lukewarm endorsement on civil fucking unions is just outrageous. This should tell you exactly how twisted their minds are.

And don't even get me started on the global-warming denial bullshit. (Tell you what. If they really think global warming's a myth, we should invite them to go live in Micronesia.)

These holier-than-thou bullshit artists make me sick.

And they truly do believe you can't be a Democrat and a Christian at the same time. Ask my best friend, who got treated to that little lecture by one of the "good Christian women" at his church and walked away appalled by the ignorance. Christians like these are doing a great job at one thing: making it appear that you can't be a good human being and a Christian at the same time.

I hope Cizik renounces his apology and takes tolerance on the road. He's still got that Prius, right? Preach it.