Episcopal Church tells Cub Scouts they have to leave premises
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in East Greenwich, R.I., told Cub Scout Pack 4 last week it can no longer use church facilities because of the Boy Scouts of America’s reaffirmation earlier this summer of its exclusion of gay men and boys.
“From the lens of faith, which is how I view things, it rejects that certain of God’s children are unworthy to be included,” said Rector Tim Rich of St. Luke’s. “It’s quite the modern-day representation of everything I think Jesus fought against. So, from a faith standpoint I just really reject their decision.”
Pack 4 had been meeting in the St. Luke’s church hall for three years.
“Frankly, the only way there’s going to be systemic change around discrimination when it comes to sexual orientation is when the straight white males are willing to stand up and say, ‘This isn’t okay,'”Rich said.