"The battle is over. The victory has been won."

Bishop John Shelby Spong recently published a manifesto stating his unwillingness to further debate the issue of homosexuality in the church.

His feeling is that, like slavery or round-versus-flat earth, there aren’t two equal-but-opposing sides to the situation.  There’s only  justice, or the lack thereof.  And he’s not willing to waste his time debating with or listening to the point of view of someone fueled by hate or intolerance.  Or as Bishop Spong so eloquently put it:

Inequality for gay and lesbian people is no longer a debatable issue in either church or state. Therefore, I will from this moment on refuse to dignify the continued public expression of ignorant prejudice by engaging it. I do not tolerate racism or sexism any longer. From this moment on, I will no longer tolerate our culture’s various forms of homophobia. I do not care who it is who articulates these attitudes or who tries to make them sound holy with religious jargon.

You can read the full text of his beautiful statement here.