Sun. June 18, 2006
Indianapolis, IN -
First there were full-page ads in the Indianapolis Star asking, "Would Jesus Discriminate?"
Then yard signs with the same message began appearing all over Indianapolis.
Then 25,000 door hangers were distributed with invitations to a Town Hall Meeting - one of which led to a lesbian's Indianapolis home being defaced with a swastika.
Now - this week - major billboards across the city are also asking the question, "Would Jesus Discriminate?"
The $100,000 media campaign in Indianapolis is the start of a national effort to lower hostility and tension around homosexuality and religion - and to initiate a dialogue that can lead to greater understanding on the subject.
The campaign is a joint project of openly-gay East Coast business leader Mitchell Gold, founder of Faith In America, and Dr. Cindi Love, a former senior executive with the Toro Corporation and currently Executive Director of Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC) - the world's largest gay and lesbian church group with congregations in 26 countries.
The campaign is being conducted in Indianapolis by Rev. Jeff Miner, Senior Pastor of the predominantly-gay Jesus MCC in Indianapolis. Rev. Miner, himself an openly gay clergyperson, is a graduate of the Christian fundamentalist Bob Jones University as well as Harvard University.
Joining themat the Town Hall Meeting will be Rev. Elder Nancy Wilson, Moderator of Metropolitan Community Churches and a long-time ecumenical leader. Rev. Wilson was the only open lesbian to preach at the recent 9th Assembly of the World Council of Churches in Porto Alegre, Brazil.
For more information, visit www.MCCchurch.org.
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