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Monday, February 04, 2013

How Can Christians Influence the Boy Scouts?

The Boy Scouts of America have excluded gays from membership or leadership since the inception of the organization in 1910. The Supreme Court ruled in 2000 that they have a legal right to continue this position. The Scouts reaffirmed this policy just last year.

However, companies such as shipping giant UPS, drug manufacturer Merck, and the United Way have stopped or postponed donations as long as their no-gays policy is in force. A gay rights advocacy group gathered more than 1.2 million online signatures to protest the Scouts' position. Now the Scouts may give troop sponsors the authority to accept gays as scouts and leaders. This change could be announced next week.

How can a person disagree with the Scouts' decision without seeming bigoted or hard-hearted? Consider Derek Nance, a longtime Boy Scout and camp leader. His video disclosing that he is gay ends with this statement: "Until the time comes that I can again work at summer camp without having to hide who I am, this uniform will proudly hang in my closet waiting for things to get better." Watching it, my heart goes out to him.

If the Scouts had a policy prohibiting non-Anglos from membership, I would celebrate an announcement that they were changing this stance. What makes gay Scouts different? Read more

Read also
Boy Scouts Should Stand on Principle, Not Bow to Pressure
Obama Calls on Boy Scouts to Allow Gay Members, Leaders

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