Better Than Lying

It was an unusual inquisition for a young ministerial candidate. But then William Johnson, 25, was an unusual candidate--an admitted homosexual. Some 96 delegates from 19 United Churches of Christ in the San Francisco area met in nearby San Carlos last week to decide whether Johnson should be ordained. How did he regard his sexuality? Johnson was asked. "I regard all sexuality as a gift from God and a good gift," he replied. Might he have a contaminating effect on church youth? "There is a mythology that homosexuals prey on children," said Johnson, "when 98 percent of all pedophiles are heterosexuals." Could he be a good minister without a wife? "I don't really feel I need a wife," Johnson said. "I hope some day to share a deep love relationship with another man."

Johnson's mother had written to the delegates saying that "it isn't easy to accept that your son is a homosexual--but it's far better than having him lie about it. Maybe God is working through him so that all people will be accepted by his church." The delegates apparently agreed, voting 62 to 34 to allow Johnson's ordination in June.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.