Do you remember that book, "Heather Has Two Mommies"? That was my life. My mom, her partner, and I lived in a cozy little house in the 'burbs of a very liberal and open-minded area. Her partner treated me as if I was her own daughter. Along with my mom's partner, I also inherited her tight-knit community of gay and lesbian friends. Or maybe they inherited me?

My first example is almost too unbelievable to mention. But let me mention it anyway. In the leading evangelical magazine in America, a writer has actually sung the praises of eugenicist and racist Margaret Sanger. Yes you heard me right.

As a church inspired by Tim Keller's Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City and founded in the Reformed tradition, City Church is supposed to give preeminence to Scripture. Instead, on the matter of homosexual practice, the Pastor and Elder Board gave preeminence to their judgment regarding what conduces more to human flourishing and, oddly, to a scripturally misguided book written by former Vineyard pastor Ken Wilson called A Letter to My Congregation.

When a small minority of people in a denomination beginning introducing innovations to Christian teachings and practice, the faithful majority reject them out of hand. They are able to point to the Bible, to the statement of faith of the denomination, and the constitution to kindly point out the errors of an innovation. In the case of the ELCA, 1997 began a long battle over whether or not non-celibate gays should be pastors. The responses of creative innovators varies widely.