A reader differs with the dissenters:
Thank you for your outburst about this event. Liberal and progressive people of faith, such as me and my congregation, have been allies in the struggle for GLBT equality. They are troubled and offended by events such as the Hunky Jesus Contest. I’m an openly gay pastor in the United Church of Christ. I have a well-developed sense of humor about religion, including my religion. And a well-developed sense of humor about being gay.
But lately, making fun of Christians has become a blood sport from the left.
I do not believe Christianity is at risk as the dominant religion in the US. And, like you, I am a First Amendment absolutist. But how, how by anyone's assessment, does the Hunky Jesus Contest on Easter help advance the cause of equality for gay and lesbian people? It gives people a good laugh, that it does.
In March, I did three radio interviews on our local conservative Christian talk radio program about homosexuality. Because of my theological and biblical training, I was able to take passages from the Bible and support full inclusion of GLBT persons in the Christian church. I was the only Christian pastor willing to do these interviews, although there are others in our community who support GLBT inclusion. I didn't try to make a case from the Bible for full civil equality, because full civil equality is based in the Constitution, not the Bible. My church supports marriage equality because we feel our right to free exercise thereof is impinged by one man/one woman laws.
If theologically liberal and progressive Christians concede the religious side of the debate to the evangelicals and the fundamentalists, equality will come much more slowly. Religion plays a huge role in the lives of millions of Americans. Dismissing that role, dismissing those people, is foolish politics as well as mean-spirited, even when people are laughing.
The Dish 