Washington National Cathedral will continue an annual tradition by participating in the Capital Pride Parade on Saturday June 9. The parade is part of a weekend organized by the Capital Pride Alliance “dedicated to serving the needs of the LGBTQ+ community and its partners through educational events, entertainment, community outreach, and celebrations of diversity throughout the year.” It is a broad celebration of the gay community through a series of parties, rallies, concerts, and events across Washington, D.C. The parade, the highlight of the weekend, features over 200 contingents of floats, vehicles, marchers, and entertainment.
The National Cathedral has offered vocal support for numerous radical leftist policies for years and has long supported LGBT causes. The church made headlines in 2013 by announcing that they would host same-sex marriages, and brought in their first transgender preacher in 2014. Plastered at the top of the “Advocacy” page of their website they state “The Cathedral considers LGBT equality the great civil rights issue of church in the 21st century.”
Much of the initiative for the Episcopal cathedral’s shift came under the leadership of Dean Gary Hall who was brought on in 2012 amidst years of financial challenges. While cathedral officials have embraced LGBT causes since at least the early 1980s, Hall attempted to invigorate the congregation by bringing it national attention. He proclaimed from the pulpit that “It is not only just OK to be gay, straight, bisexual, or transgendered. It is good to be that way, because that is the way God has made you.” Hall lead the church in celebrating the Supreme Court’s ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, and also launched other progressive initiatives including Muslim prayer services and an LGBT ministry group. In 2013, he led a contingent from the National Cathedral to participate in the Pride Parade formally for the first time.
Hall stepped down and was succeeded by Dean Randy Hollerith in 2016 who was chosen in part because of his skills as a fundraiser. Hollerith subsequently continued to use his religious authority to push for leftist politics. Most recently, in March the National Cathedral hosted an interfaith gathering for the March for our Lives activists, part of continued Cathedral advocacy for firearms restrictions.
Participation of D.C.-area Mainline Protestant churches in the Pride Parade is nothing new and the event boasts at least 15 churches planning to participate this year. The parade has rapidly grown in popularity and expanded in size since its founding during the 1970s. This weekend it will be supported by numerous corporate sponsors including Marriott International, McDonald’s, Visa, Heineken, Chipotle, Facebook, Fannie Mae, Starbucks, Ben and Jerry’s, Capital One, State Farm, and many others.
This overwhelming support has led to conflicts within the gay community. Some LGBT activists assert that the parade is not nearly progressive enough. The group No Justice no Pride claims that the event has a “legacy of neglecting marginalized communities.”
Last year protesters from the group disrupted the parade with signs saying “rainbows don’t cover death merchants” and chants about police brutality. They later issued a press release stating “Corporations that desecrate Native land, manufacture weapons and support private prisons ― and law enforcement agencies that proportionately harass, kill, and arrest queer and trans people of color ― cannot be considered LGBT allies” As a result, Washington’s Metropolitan Police formed a line protecting the agitators and rerouted the parade to allow them to continue protesting the involvement of the police in the parade.
In April, No Justice No Pride issued a list of demands for this year’s event. For as far left as Pride weekend already is, it is clear that radical leftists are not satisfied. The participation of churches such as the National Cathedral in these types of events will only include them in the rapid movement farther to the left. These ideological changes are happening even as the Mainline Protestant denominations that many of these churches are a part of are shrinking and facing increasing budget concerns.
The National Cathedral has chosen to participate in a weekend that commemorates gay culture with the “Earth, Wind, Glitter, and Fire” party, the “Crack of Noon” brunch that promises to “knock your rainbow-glitter socks off”, a Gay and Bisexual Speed Dating night, and many other concerts and parties. There is no word yet on whether Dean Hollerith’s involvement will extend to participation in events like the “Official Saturday Night Men’s Party” hosted at the “gay, leather bar” the DC Eagle, an event that promises to be themed “leather, fetish, sports, gear and progressive/tribal.”
David Jensen is a Summer intern for the Institute on Religion and Democracy. He is from Newport Beach, California and is a rising senior at the College of William and Mary where he is majoring in History and Government.
Comment by Hugh Hansen, Ph.D. on June 9, 2018 at 12:07 am
Jesus said, “my house should be called a house of prayer but you have made it A den of thieves.” As an Episcopalian I am angered at The national Cathedral and especially TEC! I do not believe TEC has a right to desecrate this cathedral.
Comment by Linda Cebrian on June 9, 2018 at 12:29 am
Episco-pagans.
Comment by Rev. Laura L. Schultz on June 9, 2018 at 1:07 am
After years of basking in the beauty and reverence of the National Cathedral, it will now seem defiled by misguided leaders. The most important civil rights issue of the 21st century should be the enormous disparity in food resources for the world. And especially in light of 60,000,000 refugees in the Middle East, matters of human sexuality should pale by comparison.
Or our energies should be channeled to the tremendous crises that our teenagers are in, thinking the suited or mass shootings is a solution to life’s problems. We should be leading rallies to find people to surround each and every teen with loving people who can guide them through the challenging world in which we live. Instead we encourage them to think that alternative sexualities can soothe their problems, when if fact it can lead to disease, destruction of self esteem, depravation of bearing children, and the satisfaction of living good and wholesome lives.
It is unfortunate that those in such visible places should perpetuate lies such as “people were born that way.” Instead of supporting immoral behavior, our great churches should be offering comfort and support to help those with confused sexual identities find healing, wholeness, and love through a community surrounding them with the love of Jesus Christ.
Again, I am sadden that a place that used to be such a spiritual refuge for many has embraced a false teaching, defiling the sacredness of such a great sanctuary.
Rev. Laura L. Schultz
Comment by Ted R. Weiland on June 9, 2018 at 8:19 am
Had the constitutional framers (like their 17th-century Christian Colonial predecessors) established government and society upon the Bible’s triune moral law (the Ten Commandments and their respective statutes and judgments, including Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13), there would no homosexual parades in America. There would no homosexual agenda in America period because no sodomite or lesbian would dare risk exposing themselves (pun intended) to petition government for their “rights,” let alone any other open display of their abominable lifestyle.
For more on how Yahweh’s immutable moral law applies and should be implemented today, see free online book “Law and Kingdom: Their Relevance Under the New Covenant” at http://www.bibleversusconstitution.org/law-kingdomFrame.html.
Then “A Biblical Constitution: A Scriptural Replacement for Secular Government.”
Comment by Earl Schroeder on June 9, 2018 at 9:08 am
They state about gays -‘that’s the way God made you’. Look T your sex organs. That the way God made you. Any thing different is up to you. The devil is working in this.
Comment by Chris on June 9, 2018 at 9:34 pm
What’s with this calling them “gay” ??!!
Call them what they are: Sodomites, sexual perverts, etc. Calling them anything other than what they are, in essence, promotes the acceptance and tolerance for them.
Promoting acceptance of sodomites and no punishment for their crime as commanded by The Great I Am, is acquiescence thereto !
If we had obeyed The Great I Am, that became flesh and dwelt among us in the first place, we wouldn’t even see these sodomites as they would not even exist outside of the closet.
Here’s what He Commands as His plan for His people regarding the sexual pervert problem and the ONLY solution:
First, there’s the need for the offender to turn back to The Great I Am that became flesh and dwelt among us, with Confession of Him as his salvation and Kinsmen Redeemer, repentance and baptism (full immersion) in His name. Acts 2: 38.
If the sin continues: 1 Corinthians 5: 4-5.
For those who will not repent: Leviticus 18: 22 – 29; 20: 13.
The general principle is to rid the land of the evil: “Then all Israel shall hear and be afraid, and will never again do such a wicked thing among you.” Deuteronomy 13: 11. And 17: 7 “So shall you purge the evil from your midst.”
The only solution for this nation is to turn back to Him, His Laws, Statutes and Judgments, His Kingdom/Will on earth.
Comment by James Higginbotham on June 9, 2018 at 11:38 pm
I AGREE.
and SATAN is behind all thise so called GAY MOVEMENT, IT’S PERVERTED AND UNNATURAL AND THAT’S A FACT.
and an ABOMINATION TO GOD.
Comment by Joan Sibbald on June 10, 2018 at 8:52 am
Progressive’s, by definition, reject the “past” in order for them to always “progress.”
To Progressive’s Father, Son and Holy Spirit is the “past.”
National Cathedral recently voted to use only “gender neutral”
names. Therefore, they will no longer refer to God as Father, Son, Jesus, Lord, Holy Spirit.
Also, Progressive’s do not believe in lying. When they lie they call their lie “new truth.” Ex.: they say homosexual is “gay.”
I urge all Christians to use the correct term, homosexual.
Comment by Chris on June 10, 2018 at 4:16 pm
Joan,
Thanks for your reply. It’s good hear from someone who won’t aquiese to that word in reference to the perverse.
Perhaps you may want to re-examine the use of “homosexual” as well.
Even though it is a more correct description of the abomination that they are, it still kinda softens the severity of their perverse crime.
For example: When someone is married and commits the crime of Adultry and people have been conditioned for so long now to refer to it as: “having an affair”, it softens it to the point where it makes it appear much less severe of a sin (crime), if one at all. Thus, it becomes, and has become, more acceptable. In fact, today it is pretty much accepted and expected in a marraige when that marraige has some trouble(s).
See how that works ? And make no mistake, it is by design.
Comment by Esther Mae Egan on June 9, 2018 at 10:02 pm
Amen. I agree that we should take back the word “gay” and let it mean what it does. These people are not gay or happy.
Comment by Jason on June 16, 2018 at 7:35 am
Full of hate, all of y’all.