America loves a scandal. The people enjoy seeing a person suffer, especially if it involves something they of which they disapprove.
That is why the story about Georgia Bishop Eddie Long being accused of having sexual relations with some of his male church members made the twenty four hour news cycle. Long’s response to his New Birth Missionary Baptist Church members, where he only claimed that he wasn’t perfect but refused to either deny or confirm his homosexuality, was played and replayed on cable news shows and on the internet.
More recently another Atlanta area megachurch pastor has come out of the closet. Bishop Jim Swilley of Church in the Now in Conyers, Georgia addressed his congregation regarding rumors concerning his sexuality.
With nothing to hide he told them that he is gay, has been gay all along, and that there is no conflict between that and his Christianity. For the most part, it seems those in attendance embraced him. Even his ex-wife, who is also an associate pastor at the church, stood up and urged the members to support him.
In fact, she said his honesty can be something that changes not only their church but changes the world as well.
"Everything that can be shaken is being shaken, y’all, when you know you have integrity, when you know that you’ve been tested and proven, when you’ve been tested and proven and you know what you’re made of is good shit; let the shaking begin, because what’s gonna remain will be strong, will be vital, will be powerful and it will change the world."
Of what is going on in their church she said,
"It’s simply letting real people experience the real God in this real world."
Compare this to the homophobic tone of Bishop Long’s response to the charges laid out against him. Granted, Swilley’s coming out was not surrounded by scandal, in fact; it was triggered by the recent suicides of LGBT teens that have been in the news. Long’s situation was triggered by lawsuits filed by several young men, so he was immediately put on the defense.
One difference in the two situations can be found in the respective positions of the churches on the topic of homosexuality. Bishop Long’s church has sent an anti-gay message to its members and the community, both in messages from the pulpit and through ex-gay programs that were sponsored by the church. Bishop Swilley’s church, on the other hand, has always been inclusive and there has never been an anti-gay message preached from the pulpit, according to Swilley. This may explain in part why the continuing message from Church in the Now is seen as positive and accepting.
The upcoming ministry themes for Church in the Now, according to their web site, are "The True Gospel...Real People Developing Real Relationships (‘love your neighbor’)" for November and "The True Gospel...Real People Learning To Love their Real Selves (‘as you love yourself’)" for December.
Swilley, in his message, was mildly apologetic, and in fact was actually quite forceful, especially to the parents in the audience.
"Now you can take them (your children) to a hellfire and brimstone church, just don’t come crying to me when you find them dead after they commit suicide, because I offered them an alternative."
And in fact, he does offer an alternative to the hateful message that some Christian churches, including New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, offer to members of the LGBT community and their families, friends and supporters. Rather than marching in the streets as Bishop Long did when he protested same sex marriage and referring to families with gay members as "fractured" as Long did in his writings, Swilley offers those of a sexual minority hope with a place of acceptance and assurance that they can find the same comfort in faith as the straight members of his flock.
Time will tell what the effects of Eddie Long’s and Jim Swilley’s stories will have on their congregations, on the faith community in the Atlanta area, or on the nation will be. But there is no doubt that the more positive message is the one coming from Swilley.
The question arises, though, why has the media not followed the story of a man of faith who has accepted his sexuality and made it public like it did when a man of faith was apparently dealing with his sexuality in a more salacious way?
If the media is truly left leaning as is often said, it seems they would want to promote an acceptance of homosexuality rather than only giving air time to a story about the one who is truly fractured.