Last week I finally got around to buying one of Andrew Peterson’s earlier albums. (He’s a singer/songwriter; I reviewed his most recent album this week at my other blog.) One of the songs stuck out at me for what should be an obvious reason, but as I’ve been reading the stuff about Rick Warren and his donuts, the second verse has been working away at me as well.

The song is called Come, Lord Jesus, and it’s from Peterson’s album Carried Away. This is just the first third. Buy the album for more.

Tonight in the line of the merchandise store
While they were packing up my bags
I saw the pictures of the prophets of the picket signs
Screaming “GOD HATES FAGS”

And it feels like the church isn’t anything more
Than the second coming of the Pharisees
Scrubbing each other till their tombs are white
They chisel epitaphs of piety

Oh, there’s a burning down inside of me
‘Cause the battle seems so lost
And it’s raging on so silently
We forget it’s being fought

So, Amen
Come, Lord Jesus
Amen

(By the way, I don’t know Andrew Peterson’s views on homosexuality. Other than this bit of lyric he’s stayed away from the issue, just as most Christian artists do.)

Here’s the problem: People outside the Christian Church think that Fred Phelps and Rick Warren are the Christian Church. To a certain extent they’re right, as much as I hate to admit it. There are a lot of outright bigots in the Church, and there are a lot of people either too selfish or too lazy or too fearful to stand against them. There’s a lot of hate thrown around in places that are meant to be havens of love.

But.

There are also good people. There are the people in various churches and various denominations who help me stack up sandbags against the flood of evil. There are leaders like Mel White, Irene Monroe, Geoff Farrow, and Gene Robinson, people whose boldness and, yes, bravery help strengthen the current generation and raise a new one less likely to use the words of love to create fear.

The battle isn’t lost. Sometimes it feels like that, and today is one of those times. But the night will end and we will advance in our quest. There will come a day when I and others like me will be able to walk into a church without wondering if we’d be allowed there if they knew we were gay. I was hoping it was coming soon but lately the road has started to look longer and longer.

One day.