MCC calls for unity with Salvos

MCC calls for unity with Salvos

The Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) has called for unity with the Salvation Army following a disturbing radio interview with one of its senior officials.

Major Andrew Craibe, a Salvation Army media relations director in Victoria, left JOY94.9 radio hosts Serena Ryan and Pete Dillon almost speechless during a June 21 interview after he defended the organisation’s Handbook of Doctrine which states gay people should be put to death.

That interview and other recent discussions about the organisation’s stance on the gay community were prompted by openly gay ex-Savage Garden singer Darren Hayes’ recent Tweet to his followers: “Important for gay people to know the true position of the Salvation Army when considering who to donate to. Sad.”

Hayes made no mention of a boycott of the Salvation Army in the tweet, later saying, “Although I, like many, think Salvation Army comments on sexuality are harmful to equality I did not call for a ‘boycott’. Not true”.

But the MCC issued a response to what they describe as Hayes’ boycott, calling for unity between the LGBTI community and the Salvation Army.

“We recognise that most Salvos are loving people who work hard to care for the poor,” the statement said.

“Homophobic statements made by Major Andrew Craibe on JOY94.9 do not represent the views of the majority of Salvation Army members. The Salvos are a powerful movement for reconciliation and justice in Australia, and MCC stands together with our friends in the Salvation Army.

“The call to boycott the Salvos is misguided and divisive, and will only make problems worse, especially for LGBTI people within the Salvation Army. MCC calls on all concerned people to work for reconciliation and forgiveness between the Salvos and the LGBTI community.”

The statement is signed by eight reverends from gay-friendly churches, including MCC Sydney and Brisbane and Crave.

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18 responses to “MCC calls for unity with Salvos”

  1. This has not been the first homophobic attack from the Salvos (and sadly won’t be the last) -its savage and unpardonable and they should not enjoy right thinking and caring people’s support.

  2. I suggest that the Salvation Army MOVE ON !! …..and take their bloody Tambourine with them.

    Thank You !

  3. If one lies down with dogs, one is bound to get fleas. Sad that the wider glbt community will put MCC in the same boat as the Salvos. Bad PR, guys.

  4. Well Alex, at least I have the courage of my convictions to stand by. Which is more than I can say for the likes of you. I will never forgive the Nazis and I’m not likely to forgive the Salvos.

    If you want to go off holding hands with an inherently evil organisation….then be my guest. I’m not naive or stupid enough to believe one iota that they’ve changed.

  5. (1) I agree with Pete above. (2) I don’t agree with the Salvoes religious beliefs in relation to gays but (3) this whole debacle is the result of ill-informed, determined-to-be-outraged radio presenters interviewing an inept Salvoes spokesperson. Inept because he should have been able to get across a simple message about the Salvoes but totally bungled it: The Salvoes position does not and never has called for the execution of gays. The bible passage referred to does not either. That doesn’t mean that the bible passage is right, sensible or anything else, just that it doesn’t say what everyone is frothing about. Can we all please just relax a little bit.

  6. It’s not just this one person’s statements in an interview that they need to be apologizing for. It’s decades of anti-gay actions and rhetoric, some of it very purposeful. And just because they have some ‘well-meaning’ folks in it doesn’t change all the harm they do as an organisation. They need to reject their entire position on homosexuality and acknowledge the damage they’ve done over the years. Until then, there are plenty of non-religious non-hating charities.

  7. Simple solution: Salvos announce they got it wrong and in future gays are welcome at all levels in the organisation, not just as clients & employees. Job done. Till then, they can rot.

  8. Took Salvos over 2 wks to deliver an “apology” which basically means nothing when the hate message is not removed from their handbook.

    The boycott should continue regardless until a written statement has been made to address hate policy disguised as religious view.

  9. Not to mention that Hayes himself has retracted the boycott because he thought it wasn’t appropriate.

  10. I think Pete summed it up pretty well. Because of MCC’s actions we’ve already gotten an apology from senior Salvation Army officers.

    Just because one person from the Salvos says hateful things it isn’t an indictment on all Salvos or Christians for that matter.

    Just as Richard Olsens hateful comments arent an indictment on the rest of the LGBT community.

    That’s said,one of the most heartbreaking tradgedies of the LGBT communitiy in Sydney is when individuals revisit the oppression they have suffered because of their sexuality on others who want a respectful dialogue…

  11. It’s interesting – The Salvos issued 2 apologies, and Rev Karl Hand from MCC spoke at a Salvo gathering last Sunday. Nice how the LGBT media doesn’t report on either of those events! Also nice that nearly every article on this event has put a total skewed bent on it. No wonder so many of us in the LGBT community live with a victim mentality. Sometimes people have to wake up and know that there isn’t a big bad boogieman, and sometimes people say really dumb things – on both sides!

  12. Forget it. They will never be treated as human beings by me ever again. I will treat them as the animals they really are. There’s no such thing as “a few good nazis”. You are either part of an utterly disgraceful evil institution, or you’re not. You can’t have it both ways.

    I wouldn’t spit on any of these Jesus freaks if they were on fire in the street. I will however spit on any that dare to ask me for any help.

  13. Melbourne Community Church, you have for many years stood out amongst Christian groups as a beacon of sanity and humanity amongst the rabid throng of homophobes that seem intent on stripping us of our rights, if not our very lives. How disappointed I am, therefore, that you have decided not to call a spade a spade, but rather to pretend that those who have made a declaration on the side of a flagrantly evil belief in the necessity for all gay citizens to be executed are good and humane individuals with an upstanding record in society.
    A very wise man once said,”It is true that we must fear evil men. However, there is a greater evil that we must fear more; this is the indifference of good men.”
    Those that opt to support and excuse those who make declarations of desire for homicide are murderers by default. MCC, please, please, PLEASE wake up to yourself.

  14. After witnessing the cruel,hateful,evil behaviour meted out to a transgender friend of mine in the 1990’s by the Salvo’s, I for one will never ever believe Salvo’s to be anything but EVIL. People please dont forget they are the “Salvation Army”. Any religious group which refer to themselves as an “ARMY” is to be feared. Do we really need to ask who gets salvation? Same old evil group, just better ‘PR”.

  15. If the Salvo’s were serious about the murderous distress to Gay citizens they have caused, they would have made a public apology by now.
    Did the Salvo’s and the ACL lobby the Queensland Red-Neck government to take away our rights?

  16. If the Salvo’s drop the call to murder homosexuals in their trainning manual, and do not tell public radio they agree with the manuals contents, then that might be a start. But our local Taliban has yet to stop inciting Hate Thy Neighbour.

  17. Damage done. Until the Salvation Army publicly apologies AND changes their archaic beliefs, I for one will not be supporting them.

  18. then let Salvos denounce the idiot and make him apologize – nothing short of that will work. period.

    we do not need Salvos – there are other organizations that can step in and take up the slack given the donations.