I was sickened today to watch the video testimony of a young woman who was part of a group of Christians attacked in the Castro district of San Francisco last week for worshiping peaceably in public. Based on the woman’s account and a separate written account by another Christian in the group, the Christians were shouted and cursed at, had objects thrown at them (including hot coffee), were stolen from, were molested, and were threatened with death. The Christians were not evangelizing, only playing music and singing in a predominantly gay part of town that they frequented for this purpose. Police forces were required to protect the Christians from the angry mob as they escorted them out of the area. I also watched several minutes of raw video footage taken at the scene that illustrates the militancy of the protesters as the police intervened.
I heard a Christian comment on this event, and he said that in some respects that the Church at large may be reaping what it’s sown. Sadly, I have to agree with him there. I’m also saddened that a group of people who clamor for public acceptance resorted to violence to express their message. This is not what Martin Luther King, Jr., would have done. I’m hopeful that the gay people I know would condemn these actions in the same way that moderate Muslims would condemn the actions of radicals.
You can probably Google well enough to find the two videos mentioned here. However, if you should find the KTVU article, keep in mind that it contradicts the first-hand accounts. The bent of the article is that the Christians had a political purpose that night, which they said they didn’t. It also fails to include any comment from the Christians involved, which is probably how it manages to omit reporting any of the violence that occurred.
