“I want to confront homophobia for two reasons. The first is that the ‘gay agenda’ has replaced the ‘communist threat’ s the battering ram of reactionary politics. Instead of the commie behind every bush, there’s a gay person sick and sinful.
“The second reason is that while the church has generally given at least some support to the oppressed, in the case of homosexuals the church has led in the opposition.
“The better to refute the assertions of contrary-minded Christians, I want to speak as a Christian preacher who shares Bishop Tutu’s sorrowful conclusion: ‘The Lord of the Church would not be where his church is in this matter.'”
William Sloane Coffin, The Heart Is A Little To The Left, p 27.
(Among other things, the retired pastor of Riverside Church, New York City)