Today, the Boy Scouts of America were set to make a decision in Irving, TX, the organization’s headquarters, regarding their controversial membership policy that bans gays and lesbians from Scouting and leadership. They deferred that decision until their annual meeting in May, no doubt in response to the raging controversy surrounding the issue.
Activists on both sides have been outspoken about the contentious decision, with religious organizations being at the center of the dispute.
The Boy Scouts of America has 2.7 million members nationwide. More than 70% of troops are affiliated with church or religious groups.
Ross Murray, Director of Religion, Faith and Values at GLAAD said that churches and the general public must, no matter their religious or political stance on this matter, remember that, “troops are often partnered with congregations, but are not a direct ministry of that congregation; it is just an affiliation.”
Murray clarified that the resolution that the Boy Scouts of America were considering is akin to others passed by the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), which removed an over-arching ban or barrier, but, as Murray said, “leaves the decision up to the local entity, troop and congregation – what is going to be best for their particular context.”
The proposed policy change then, would give sponsoring organizations and partners some influence over membership policies. “That’s where the church needs to make a decision,” said Murray.
Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention told CNN, ”What they’ve said to us and to other religious leaders is that they are doing this under pressure, and we’re going to give people what basically amounts to a local option,”
“You can’t have a local option of a core conviction,” he said.
Numerous churches in the Houston area have strong partnerships with Scout Troops, including hosting “Scout Huts” on their property.
One such church is St. Martin’s Episcopal Parish in the Galleria area, the largest Episcopal congregation in the nation. Their new facilities, meant to reach out to various constituencies in the community, include an extravagant Scout Hut akin to a cabin in the city.
The Scouts’ decision on whether or not to lift the ban on openly gay Scouts and leaders will not deter St. Martin’s from maintaining their relationship with Troops in Houston. Reverend Dr. Russ Levenson, the Rector at St. Martin’s, said, St. Martin’s has a long history with our Scouts and we will work together on our response to any decision that might be made.”
Some, like Bill Miller, a Katy resident whose church hosts Scouts at their facilities, are still concerned. A self-described “conservative Bible believer,” Miller said, “if they decide to open the doors to homosexuals that forces the church to do the same, no matter how we believe or feel about the issue.”
Murray is hopeful that if the ban is lifted, congregations will now have the opportunity to work more directly with individuals and their families regarding their participation in Boy Scout activities and church functions. He reiterated that the potential ban would open doors.
For St. Martin’s, the decision will have little impact on their existing relationship with the Scouts.”We very much support the principles of Scouting, particularly as they are lived out in the Scout Oath and Scout Law, which have to do with matters related to character and integrity, and not sexuality,” said Rev. Dr. Levenson.
Levenson said, “We would not discourage or dissuade anyone from being active in the Scouts, but we would expect the leaders who participate in any activities on our campus to live within the same moral and ethical parameters expected by our clergy and lay leader, which would mean that adults should be either chaste or married when it comes to human sexuality.”