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Richard Cizik's Resignation
by Ron Sider

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This is a tragic, significant development for those like ESA folk who have long promoted a biblically balanced political agenda rather than one focused one-sidedly on abortion and family issues.

For many years, Cizik has been a courageous vice president for governmental affairs for the National Association of Evangelicals (the largest evangelical network in the US). He has boldly promoted stronger evangelical engagement on creation care, economic justice and global human rights, helping to transform the public perception of evangelicals.

I have worked closely with Cizik on many issues, especially the preparation of the historic NAE statement, "For the Health of the Nation." (I served as co-chair of that process.) Cizik agreed strongly with that statement's rejection of one-issue politics and gladly promoted its call for a biblically balanced political agenda that is pro-life and pro-poor, pro-family and pro-peacemaking and pro-creation care.

Cizik has not reversed himself and decided to support the redefinition of marriage as gay marriage advocates demand. But he does think (as I do and have argued in The Scandal of Evangelical Politics) that there are some rights that gay couples should be guaranteed–e.g., hospital visitation rights, inheritance of property, etc. (That is not to say that civil unions for gay couples should have all the rights of marriage except the name.)

It would be tragic if Cizik's resignation led evangelicals to fail to see where we have failed on the whole issue of homosexuality. I believe that the biblical teaching is clear that God's will for sexuality is between a man and a woman united in life-long marriage covenant. I think homosexual practice is contrary to God's will. And I oppose having the state abandon the traditional definition of marriage which has been embraced in virtually every culture for millennia.

But evangelicals have made huge mistakes with regard to gay and lesbian Americans. We should have led the way opposing gay-bashing. We should have taught Christian parents to love gay sons and lesbian daughters (even as they disagreed with gay sexual practice) rather than disowning them. We should have said all along that the primary reason for the collapse of wholesome family life is not because a tiny minority (3-5%) of the population promote gay sex but rather because the majority of the 95% of Americans who are heterosexual (many of whom claim to be Christian) do not keep their marriage vows.

To suggest, as too much Religious Right propaganda has, that the gay community is the major cause of the collapse of the family when we do not deal with the much greater problem that evangelicals get divorced at the same rate as everyone else is dishonest and hypocritical.

We have only barely begun to figure out how to model our interaction with the gay community on Jesus' interaction with the woman caught in adultery. Jesus did not fudge the moral issue. At the end, he told her not to sin anymore. But she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus loved her. Imagine the impact if evangelicals, while maintaining biblical standards on sexuality, had led the way denouncing gay-bashing, led the way in caring for gay Americans who contracted AIDS, led the way in gently, lovingly walking with sons and daughters who struggle with their sexual identity.

As we lament Richard Cizik's resignation, we must renew our commitment to promote biblical standards, Jesus' compassion, and a biblically balanced political agenda.

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