Not too long ago, the pastor of a church could have made bigoted remarks to homosexuals and not many people would have taken notice. However, times are changin. Willow Creek Community Church, who has hosted speakers such as Bill Clinton, had planned to host the CEO of Starbucks, Howard Schultz, to speak on leadership. However, the church drew the ire of the gay community and the supporters thereof with an online petition that protested Schultz's involvement. Therefore, Howard Schultz decided it was best not to attend.
What was it that drew the dissatisfaction so many homosexuals and others had with this particular church? The contentious point that was the church had been associated with a group known as Exodus International up until 2009. This is a group that practices "reparative therapy" on homosexuals by telling them to do things such as play masculine sports, read the Bible, and pray. These activities are said to cure homosexuality. They claim to have results, but the psychological community is completely against what they do, and says it can even have harmful effects on the individuals.
What can one make of all of this commotion about the church? To me this signals that society is fundamentally changing to become more tolerant. Churches will eventually not be allowed to spew bigoted hatred towards homosexuals the way they do now without being reprimanded by the community at large. To me, the fact that Howard Schultz withdrew from the event is a positive step towards a more tolerant society.
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