The news this week of the murder of Ugandan gay rights activist David Kato has shocked Episcopalians and Anglicans around the world. The role of American evangelicals in the matter, specifically their visits to Uganda and support for more severe anti-gay laws to be enacted there, does not reflect well on American Christianity. It is time to speak up, speak out, and pray aloud against oppression of gays by those who cite Scripture as an excuse to beat, maim, and kill human beings. There are other equally valid Scriptural texts that call us to treat each other with tolerance, compassion and respect; some of them from the Gospel of Christ.
It is well to remember what Jesus said concerning the punishment of men and women like David Kato: exactly nothing. However, He condemned those who divorced, and those who failed to remember the poor… which is something that some evangelical pastors and political leaders ought to take to heart.
[Episcopal News Service] The brutal murder of Ugandan gay rights activist David Kato has left much of the world in shock and caused outrage among Episcopalians who have repeatedly called for the church and society to step up the campaign to combat homophobia throughout the world.The Rev. Cynthia Black, interim rector of Church of the Epiphany in Plymouth, Minnesota, told ENS that Kato was “a valiant crusader for human rights. His death is a rallying cry for the church and the gay community — the killing and persecution of gay people around the globe must stop. Who will be the next to die?”