The January 27 program is scheduled to air at 9:00 pm EST on local PBS affiliates and to feature excerpts from a debate taped on January 4 at historic Christ Church in Philadelphia, founded in 1695 and site of Benjamin Franklin’s grave. The debate was between newly elected homosexual ECUSA Bishop Vickie Eugene Robinson and Dr. Bob Wenz, vice president for National Ministries of the National Association of Evangelicals.

Dr. Wenz reported that the hour-long program, Flashpoints USA, will include three segments on the national motto “One Nation Under God,” public display of the Ten Commandments and gay “marriage.” The other segments were taped in Philadelphia at nearby Independence Hall featuring Alabama Judge Roy Moore and Constitution Hall. These religious issues are certain to be raised during the 2004 Presidential campaign, in the debate over the Federal Marriage Amendment Act and in prominent court tests.

During the fast-moving 25-minute taping, Dr. Wenz said he was able to make three important points: Homosexual sex is a “counterfeit” of what God intended for human sexuality Homosexual behavior is outside of God’s created order for procreation Marriage is a sacred institution between a man and a woman, ordained by Almighty God and not to be altered

Robinson, Dr. Wenz reported, maintained the deviant liberal position that the Bible is “always open to interpretation” by each generation. Robinson studiously evaded such central topics as the nature homosexual behavior with regard to actual practices and their consequences. Dr. Wenz observed that “If you are not truly objective, you can come up with any conclusion you want…depending on your revisionist bias at the outset of an analysis.”

Dr. Wenz said that he sought to convey “what Biblically faithful Christians are for, more than what we are against.”. . He underscored that “God’s word is definitive” on the subject on homosexuality and that “homosexual behavior affronts reason and God’s intended role for humankind.”

The assessing panel meeting at Washington’s eminent National Press Club included Rev. Martin H. Granger, president of Faith in the Family International, Rev. Ralph Weitz, a pastor at Immanuel Bible Church in Springfield, Virginia, Rev. Earle Fox, founder and president of Emmaus Ministries and Allan D. Dobras, a diversely published Christian researcher and author. They had initially expressed skepticism at the hands of moderator Gumbel, whose broadcasting career has placed him in an adversarial relationship with many biblical positions.

“There’s no question about it,” Dr. Wenz observed, “Robinson is being positioned as the national ‘gay Bishop’ spokesman, not just the Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire.” He said “tolerance of anyone’s behavior – regardless of its morality or its consequences – has become the supreme value in the religion of revisionist religious figures who advocate conformity to the secular culture.”

Many questions were left unasked in Philadelphia due to limited time. A transcript of the entire proceedings will be provided. The assessment panel’s participants said they “hoped ‘set-ups’ for questions wouldn’t reflect liberal bias” and that editing would not juxtapose altered questions with responses.

The group concluded that the macro issue being debated was Biblical veracity and authority and that gay ordination and marriage were subsets to it. Participants concluded that, despite ECUSA’s dramatically declining membership, what the denomination does has an important impact on contemporary culture and all of Christendom. The PBS program, they felt, should help enlighten people on the importance of the topic.

Dr. Wenz had entered the debate well-prepared with Ten Principal Messages as talking points. Although he did not have time to make all of these points, they follow this article to help expand and amplify important topics related to the issue of gay “marriage”, ordination and other issues relevant to homosexuality.

Dr. Wenz said he plans to author an article entitled “If I Were Your Pastor” focusing on Robinson’s behavior and his divisive role in the Christian community and advising repentance and return to Biblical standards.

Website for the National Association of Evangelicals is http://www.nae.net