LEWISVILLE—Popular culture equates gay rights to civil rights, but it’s an unfair comparison, theologian Jim Denison told participants at a seminar on the church and homosexuality sponsored by Denton Baptist Association.
Jim Denison“I think that more than any other single argument of the pro-gay lobby has advanced, this has by far been the most effective,” Denison said. “One of the most successful rhetorical devices has been to liken this to racial discrimination, and to say that my position (opposed to homosexual behavior) is akin to the KKK.”
Denison characterized racism as “the greatest sin in America” and “the sin that keeps us from dealing with other sins.” He urged other Christians who reject the gay rights agenda but who stand against racism to make that distinction clear.
Some people at the center of the civil rights movement have voiced disapproval that their efforts have been co-opted by those seeking homosexual rights, he added.
Denison insisted several differences make comparison between civil rights and gay rights faulty:
• Race clearly is inherited; the origins of homosexual orientation are disputed.
• The biological differences between people of different races are miniscule, varying by just two-tenths of 1 percent. But the anatomical and biological differences between male and females obviously are significant.
• Race cannot be chosen, but homosexual activity is a choice.
• While minorities continue to face economic discrimination, the financial consequences for homosexuals is far less negative. Studies place the average income of homosexual households at either twice or 60 percent higher than the national average.
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