Ally

I pray Chris Pratt will be an ally to LGBTQ Christians (Opinion)

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In response to criticism from actress Ellen Page for attending what she called an "infamously anti-LGBTQ" church, Chris Pratt, who spoke in a recent TV appearance about being a member of Zoe Church in Los Angeles, defended himself and his church. "Nothing could be further from the truth," he posted on Instagram. "I go to a church that opens their doors to absolutely everyone."

That doesn't appear to be true.

Zoe Church, which Pratt attends, does not state its views on homosexuality on its website. (By contrast, a growing number of churches across the country explicitly affirm LGBTQ people.) While Pratt's church instead has no public stance on LGBTQ equality, there are strong signals that raise questions about whether Zoe Church is fully inclusive.

The church's pastor, Chad Veach, produced a film that refers to "same-sex attraction" as one form of "sexual brokenness" alongside things such as porn addiction. While a pastor's personal views aren't church policy, it's unlikely his views would be different from that of the church he founded in 2015.

Veach has a close relationship with Hillsong Church. He told The New York Times he modeled Zoe after Hillsong and has also preached there. Multiple attempts to reach Veach or anyone at the church for comment went unanswered.

Like Zoe, Hillsong does not actively publicize its views on LGBTQ issues. But Brian Houston, senior pastor of Hillsong Church, did speak out about the 2017 Australian same-sex marriage plebiscite. "I believe God's word is clear that marriage is between a man and a woman," he wrote.

Nailing down exactly where a church such as Zoe stands on LGBTQ rights is difficult, which I believe is intentional on its part.

Zoe and Hillsong are two of the many hipster-seeking evangelical churches across America that hide their views about LGBTQ parishioners behind things such as their pastor's tattoos and amped-up music. "Many seemingly progressive churches seem so only because they are young," religion writer Laura Turner wrote for Vox about this wave of churches that includes Hillsong and Zoe. "Their theology is actually fairly conservative, but it dresses up in leather leggings and cool hats."

Many use rhetoric such as Zoe's of having "open doors to people of all backgrounds," language coded to seem welcoming without explicitly accepting LGBTQ Christians.

"The real question is not about Zoe Church's posture to LGBTQ Christians, but about Zoe Church's policies," said Sarah Ngu, a writer who co-leads Church Clarity, an organization devoted to transparency about churches' policies on issues such as women in leadership and LGBTQ. "The key question to LGBTQ people is whether Zoe Church will hire, marry, or ordain an LGBTQ person?"

Pratt seems to believe his church approves of same-sex marriage.

Pratt points to his own experience with the evolution of Christian teaching on marriage. "Despite what the Bible says about divorce my church community was there for me every step of the way, never judging, just gracefully accompanying me on my walk," he wrote in his post.

He's right, evangelical theology has evolved on divorce. By mentioning his experience and support of LGBTQ community in the same Instagram Story, Pratt implies his church has also evolved in its position on same-sex marriage.

But there is no public evidence Zoe supports same-sex marriage.

Both the substance of anti-LGBTQ theology and the process of hiding it harm LGBTQ people. Ellen Page captured the problem of being anti-LGBTQ: "The damage it causes is severe. Full stop." Page declined through her publicist to comment further.

One of the many harmful effects of anti-LGBTQ theology is its effect on LGBTQ youth. LGBT adolescents, compared with their straight peers, are more likely to attempt suicide, according to a 2018 meta-analysis of 35 studies. And a study of 2011 data, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, found religiosity is tied to higher odds of suicidal ideation (the desire to take one's own life or thinking about suicide) for gay, lesbian and questioning college students.

Sure, Zoe and Hillsong aren't screaming their condemnation of the LGBTQ community like Focus on the Family's James Dobson, who blamed the Sandy Hook school shooting on same-sex marriage and abortion, or radio preacher Rick Wiles, who said Hurricane Harvey hit Houston because it "boasted of its LGBT devotion."

Churches such as Pratt's don't go this far, but the same views on marriage do appear to lurk below the Instagram filter. They are baptizing a new generation into a stream of destructive theology through emotionally manipulative music. For LGBTQ Christians, this kind of "welcome" is especially painful. "There is nothing worse than investing in a church for a few years, feeling loved and accepted for the first time in a long time, only to find out that there is actually a glass ceiling," Ngu told me.

Pratt should first clarify what his church's views are on LGBTQ rights. In Page's words, "Being anti LGBTQ is wrong, there aren't two sides." These churches don't want people to know which side they're on, and Pratt can help push them to be transparent.

And if the church does not affirm LGBTQ people, he has three options as an ally: Leave his church and join one that actually affirms LGBTQ people (here's a map of affirming churches), stay and publicly voice his belief in a need to affirm LGBTQ Christians in his church or stop portraying himself as an LGBTQ ally.

I pray that Pratt will be an ally of LGBTQ Christians and become a powerful voice in the movement for true inclusion.

© Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons

Trump seeks to discredit news report that he sought ally to oversee hush money investigation

John Wagner

National reporter leading The Post's breaking political news team

February 20 at 12:12 PM

President Trump on Wednesday sought to discredit a news report that says he asked his then-acting attorney general, Matthew G. Whitaker, whether he could put an ally in charge of an investigation into hush money paid to women during the 2016 campaign.

“The New York Times reporting is false,” Trump said in a morning tweet. “They are a true ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE!”

According to the Times report, Trump called Whitaker shortly after he assumed his post late last year to ask whether Geoffrey S. Berman, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and a perceived loyalist, could be put in charge of an investigation that included Trump’s role in silencing two women who alleged past affairs with him.

[‘Enjoy your life’: Trump puts new attorney general in an awkward position from the start]

Whitaker knew he could not put Berman in charge because Berman had already recused himself from the investigation, the Times reported, citing several officials with direct knowledge of the call between Trump and Whitaker.

After Whitaker’s refusal, Trump soured on Whitaker, according to the Times reporting, which The Washington Post has not confirmed.

The Times highlighted the anecdote in a story that portrayed a pattern by Trump of seeking to beat back an array of investigations, including the probe of Russian interference in the 2016 election by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III.

The Times responded to Trump’s tweet early Wednesday afternoon with a tweet defending its reporting.

“@realDonaldTrump We stand by our investigation, which was rigorously reported and based on a review of confidential White House documents as well as interviews with dozens of current and former government officials and others close to President Trump,” the tweet said.

In a separate statement, New York Times Publisher A.G. Sulzberger responded to Trump’s continuing attacks on the press.

“The phrase ‘enemy of the people’ is not just false, it’s dangerous, Sulzberger said. “It has an ugly history of being wielded by dictators and tyrants who sought to control public information. And it is particularly reckless coming from someone whose office gives him broad powers to fight or imprison the nation’s enemies.”

Trump was asked on Tuesday, after the Times story was published online, about his reported inquiry to Whitaker.

“No, I don’t know who gave you that, that’s more fake news,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “There’s a lot of fake news out there. No, I didn’t.”

Trump went on to say he has “a lot of respect for Mr. Whitaker,” calling him a “very, very straight shooter” and praising his combative performance this month in a hearing by the House Judiciary Committee.

The panel’s chairman, Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), has summoned Whitaker back to the Hill to explain what he has characterized as “inconsistent” statements made during the hearing.

Among the areas Nadler wants to explore is whether Trump or any White House official expressed displeasure with Whitaker in the wake of the November guilty plea by Trump’s personal attorney Michael Cohen to charges including lying to Congress about a proposed Trump Tower project in Moscow.

Cohen has also said he was tasked by Trump with facilitating hush payments to women who alleged affairs.

Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour is a crucial ally in the fight against antisemitism

You report (19 February) that a number of implacably anti-Corbyn MPs have left the Labour party alleging a failed “approach to dealing with antisemitism”, with Luciana Berger criticising Labour for becoming “sickeningly institutionally racist”.

We are Jewish members and supporters of the Labour party concerned about the current rise of reactionary ideologies, including antisemitism, in Britain and elsewhere across Europe.

We note the worrying growth of populist rightwing parties, encouraging racism, Islamophobia and antisemitism. In Britain the far right is whipping up these prejudices, a threat that requires a resolute and energetic response. But instead we have seen a disproportionate focus on antisemitism on the left, which is abhorrent but relatively rare.

We believe that the Labour party under the progressive leadership of Jeremy Corbyn is a crucial ally in the fight against bigotry and reaction. His lifetime record of campaigning for equality and human rights, including consistent support for initiatives against antisemitism, is formidable. His involvement strengthens this struggle.

Labour governments introduced both the anti-racist and human rights legislation of the 20th century and the 2010 Equalities Act. A Labour government led by Jeremy Corbyn will be a powerful force to fight against racism, Islamophobia and antisemitism.

It is in this context that we welcome the Labour party’s endorsement of freedom of expression on Israel and on the rights of Palestinians. Labour is correct to recognise that while prejudice against Jewish people is deplorable, criticism of Israel’s government and policies can and must be made.

We urge all who wish to see an end to bigotry and racism, and who seek a more just society, to give their support to the Labour party.

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