The Family Research Council states that orthodox/fundamentalist believers need to understand both the strategy and argument of those who seek to revise or redefine historic Christian teaching regarding homosexuality. Called “revisionists,” these scholar-activists …
advance the notion that homosexuality is an issue over which people of good will can differ.
Or they claim that there is no “clear answer” to the issue.
Then they recommend, under the rubric of “fairness,” that churches appoint task forces to study the issue.
Once the “studies” begin, the revisionists claim …
that biblical passages that proscribe homosexual acts do not actually refer to homosexuality; they at most only condemn an “abusive” form of homosexuality.
Or they may concede that Scripture condemns homosexuality, but then argue that the biblical writers are only reflecting “culturally conditioned” moral beliefs of a pre-scientific culture.
As these arguments fail to persuade, a final ploy is an appeal to an overarching theological ethic—such as the presence of “love,” “commitment,” “mutuality,”— that allegedly trumps explicit moral imperatives and justifies homosexual relationships.
I do not know Neil Lupton. I do know that there are several Jewish scouters on the national level who are very angry with orthodox/fundamentalist Christian scouters.
4/24/2013 - According to a Wall Street Journal blog by Geoffrey Fowler, Scouting leaders in Baltimore (Northeast Region Executive Vice President Jay Lenrow) and Los Angeles proposed their own membership standards resolutions to end BSA’s longstanding ban on adult homosexual leaders. These resolutions indicated that there is still discord within the liberal ranks of BSA volunteers who believe the National Executive Committee membership standards resolution doesn’t go far enough to eliminate discrimination. BSA National spokesman Deron Smith said the organization had “received various resolutions recommending a variety of options about this policy,” and that it referred those to its Resolutions Committee. That committee would meet sufficiently in advance of the annual National Council business meeting in May to address the resolutions, he said.
The proposal from Mr. Lenrow stipulated that in choosing adult leaders each local organization “shall have the right (but not be required) to grant membership to individuals … without regard to sexual orientation.” Mr. Lenrow, who is from Baltimore, submitted his resolution as an individual BSA volunteer though he said he has support from other BSA volunteer leaders who are authorized to vote in May. Mr. Lenrow, who is Jewish, said the issue is related to freedom of religion for him. “I have bristled for 12 years because I felt that certain religious groups were preventing me from participating in Scouting in accordance with my religious principles,” he said. Some of Mr. Lenrow’s supporters say his proposal might make it to the ballot because it doesn’t directly contradict the national proposal, which changed the policy on gay youth, but essentially made no change to the rules about adults. Scouts for Equality founder Zach Wahls said he supported “anything that gets us towards a full resolution – and Jay’s resolution would do that — but our campaign won’t be over until we have gotten to the goal of full inclusion.”