Toss up Thursday and counting...

It's only 4 days to 2008 and we are wrapping up the year with both barrels blazing! It's been a tremendous year filled with change and challenges, all the while churning out what I believe to be our best year of content and graphics. As I reviewed the year's past offerings, I'm just proud as punch about our coverage, perspectives and bold move as Arkansas'only GLBTQ "daily updating" online blog. It's been a labor of love that has taken myself in many directions as I've attempted to keep this forum both interesting and interactive. This year we've added polls, more video, guest columninst, striking photography and gutsy observations about what's really going on in the community and beyond. My committment to excelerating CorneliusOnpoint into new platforms, allowed us to become the first statewide GLBTQ blog in podcasting courtsey of our online partner, EVOCA. Wow!, Wee!, Gee!, what a year 2007 has been for me personally and creatively. I want to thank you all who have subscribed, shared, dared me, acknowledge our efforts and sometimes avoided me as I've tried to keep it real. It's been a good run thus far, and I want you to get prepared for what's coming next. In closing, "ain't no stopping us now..!"

Polls-R-Us: A poll here, a poll there, a poll everywhere...Those damn polls that keep asking us stuff. Yes, this forum was on the poll bandwagon this year and if you participated wonderful. If not, well we needed your imput. In our last outing, I wanted to discern what the readers wanted from this forum and if we were providing it. Bless those few souls who took the time to speak there two cents by telling me that our coverage is basically, "thank you,very much," doing a bull's eye for those who subcribe or click in. I was pleasantly surprised, but appreciated knowing that the many hours it takes to produce this weblog is resonating across the board. As usual, I implore you dear readers to share your thoughts with our next poll, or suggest a poll question to us.

Admiring Who?: According the latest USA Today/ Gallup poll of the most admired folks in the land, believe it or not, Hillary Clinton comes out on top along side President Bush. For the record, I was not among the those polled and I would really like to know how this random method is done. Neverthless, the list is populated by talk queen, Ms. O. Winfrey, Billy Graham, Barack Obama, Al Gore, Queen Elizabeth, Mike Huckabee, Angelia Jolie and a host of other notables. Who did you admire for 2007? Share it with us and we will post some of the findings in 08.

Calling Out the Dirty Laundry: I wanted to share this Editoral from our online partner, KuttingEdge composed by Doug S. Cooper. I found it quite interesting and thought provoking about another religious faction that is causing a stir in the land. I'm not sure if this movie is slated to show in the area, but we will be highlighting the variety of issues at the intersection of religion and gayness.

Over the last couple of decades Dr. Bobby Jones’ name has become synonymous with black gospel music and its terrible reputation as an incubator of homosexuality.” ~ Gay Christian Movement Watch


Well there you have it. Dr. Bobby Jones is being called on the carpet by some Christians for his appearance in the movie, ‘Dirty Laundry’. The group, Gay Christian Movement Watch, is calling on Christians to boycott Bobby Jones (pictured) for appearing in a movie that affirms a gay lifestyle (even though the movie is really about a black family learning to love each other in spite of their many differences). But not only is Bobby Jones on notice, black gospel music as a whole is being called down front.
Now I don’t know too much about Bobby Jones. But from what I’ve gathered from friends and from reading about him, he does seem to take an affirming stand when it comes to embracing gays and lesbians, and this bothers some. However, Dr. Bobby Jones is not the only black minister who has taken such a stand. Michael Eric Dyson, Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, Joe Lowery, Desmond Tutu, Peter Gomes, Carlton Pearson, Calvin Butts, and the list goes on, are all black ministers who hold a view of God that is affirming of homosexuals. There is even an annual conference addressing homophobia in the black church that has been attended by some of these ministers. It’s called The Black Church Summit.
But what perplexes me about this whole mess is:

1). Why is the Gay Christian Movement Watch so disturbed by gays and lesbians being viewed in a positive light? As a gay man, living my life really should have no residual effect on them unless they allow the mess that they-- or others before them-- conjured in their own heads to vex them; and 2). Why would people who profess the love of their religious founder, Jesus the Christ, have problems with people like Bobby Jones, who seeks to live the love Jesus set forth?
If I recall, Love is supposed to be the ultimate task we’ve been given to endure on this earth. Therefore, it would seem odd to fight against those who teach love and understanding simply for the sake of disrupting and destroying the lives of those who pose no threat, but do not share your belief.In the end, all of this leads me to wonder whose sin is this really?




Coming up, Our final post for 2007 will feature a recap of snapshots of the last 12 months. Please stay in the loop with a subscription or make us a favorite. Stay locked in for 2008, it's going to be a doosey! Tell everybody you know!!!