Blast from the recent past

Hippie (would he accept that description?)blogger Tim Rock at The Other Side of My Mouth commented over two weeks ago on an exchange involving Jay Bullock, Patrick McIlheran and me on the extent to which disapproval (or, more accurately, the absence of a ringing endorsement) of homosexuality can be equated with bigotry.

Two weeks ago on the net is the Pleistocene era, but I have been busy and just saw this.

Mr. Rock has said very nice things about my blog (with which he apparently mostly disagrees), so he is obviously a fellow of refined taste and intelligence. Also what he says in response to my post is fair-minded. I bring it up only to correct a few things, if only to caution against assuming too much about what goes with a given set of views - a mistake that I make as much as the next guy.

1. Tim characterizes what I wrote as the view that homosexuals are not as good as heterosexuals. That is not right. As a Christian (I can't speak for other faiths), I don't believe that anyone is not as good as (or is better than) anyone else. I am open to the notion that homosexuality is not as full an exploration of God's gift of sexuality as heterosexuality, but I'm willing to listen on that. Believing such a thing (as Tim correctly recognizes) does not amount to bigotry or hatred.

2. Tim assumes I am Roman Catholic. It'd be fine if I were, but I'm not. I used to be, but I was received into the Episcopal Church in 2001. We're the ones with the gay bishops. We're the ones for whom gayness has become a 24/7 concern.

3. Tim assumes that my friends think the way I do. Some do. But lots don't; particularly, I suspect, the ones who are gay Episcopalians. I doubt that they are open to the notion in paragraph 1, but you never know. I haven't asked and am not likely to.

NB: Mr. Rock is apparently my exactly my age and is having another kid? He is a better man than I am. When I want new little Esenbergs, I let my son and daughter-in-law have them.