Southeast Christian Church, Kentucky Mega-Church, Breaks Ties With Boy Scouts Of America After Allowing Gay Members; Will Other Churches Pull Sponsorship?

Reports of fallout from the Boy Scouts of America's recent decision to lift the ban on gay scouts has already arisen in many parts of the country. Most prominently, Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Ky., with a congregation of over 30,000 has decided to drop its charter of BSA Troop 212.

However, it reportedly was the discussion of such a reversal in policy for the century-plus old national organization for young men that spurred talk of parting with Troop 212. Founded in 1910 with strains of military and religious ideology, the scouting program had become too much of a diverging narrative for the church to continue sponsorship of one of its troops.

"Truly for us, it's a logical decision. We cannot be distracted from the mission God has called us to," said Pastor Tim Hester, "We want everyone, including ourselves, to live by Biblical standards." The church reportedly has 300 member families involved in the scouting program.

The Courier-Journal reported that the break between one of the largest sponsoring religious organizations and its Boy Scout troop would proceed regardless of the vote itself.

The chief executive of Troop 212's local council, Barry Oxley of Lincoln Heritage Council, said the scouting organization is already actively searching for a new sponsoring organization once the split from Southeast Christian Church becomes effective at the end of this year: "Our focus is helping youth grow into young people of character and integrity through a program of fun and adventure," Oxley said.

On the other side of the United States, an Idaho law enforcement official told a local news organization that he plans to part ways with the Boy Scout troop his department currently sponsors. Kootenai County Sheriff Ben Wolfinger of Kootenai, Idaho said that he objected to the lifting of the ban on gay boy scouts.

"This just opens up the door to having openly gay scout leaders," Wolfinger told the Coeur d'Alene Press. Wolfinger said he is prepared to drop sponsorship of the scout troop after he said that the new BSA policy "promot[es] a lifestyle that is against state law."

Tim McCandless, the executive of the Inland Northwest Council objected to the reasoning given by Wolfinger, who cited Idaho's law against sodomy. "I would encourage you to read the resolution that was passed...sodomy is not allowed in scouting and is not an issue in this discussion."

In Minnesota, a soon-to-be senior citizen who had been in the scouting program in his local troop for half a century said he would be quitting the organization after the policy on gay scouts was amended.

"You don't give 50 years of your life for nothing," said 60-year-old Dallas Russ, of Thief River Falls, Minn. According to the Leader-Telegram, Russ had been a scout leader in Troop 24 of Cumberland, Minn. for "almost 19 years and would travel back to the town...to help with scouting events."

Thus far, the Southern Baptist Convention, Assemblies of God, Free Methodist Church, and a few other religious organizations, according to the American Spectator, had "urge[d] against" the change in policy. "[Troops] will be pressured to mute a definition of 'morally straight' (one of the points of the Scout Oath) that includes [the intention] for the lifelong one-flesh union of a man and a woman in marriage," said Russell Moore, a Southern Baptist church leader.

Richard Land, another Southern Baptist leader projected that the change in BSA policy will spell "mass exodus of...conservative Christians from the Boy Scouts."

In Florida, a conservative activist said that he would begin working to possibly found a more conservative alternative to the scouting program. John Stemberger said that the Boy Scouts of America "turned its back on 103 years of abiding by a mission to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices." He reportedly will travel to Kentucky in June to "discuss [the] creation" of an alternative organization.

The Catholic Church has been measured in its response to the BSA's change in policy. However, Bishop Paul Loverde of the Arlington, Va. Diocese told the Washington Post that the Diocese is "prayerfully considering" parting ways with the BSA.

As sponsoring organizations debate leaving the organization for religious, cultural or other reasons, many leaders believe that the Boy Scouts of America is still a positive force in society. Numerous American figures and many private citizens have counted on their experiences in scouting to effect positive change on American society in their own way.

Astronaut Neil Armstrong, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, I-New York, former Gov. Jon Huntsman, Jr., R-Utah all are recipients of the Eagle Scout Award, scouting's highest honor. Even actor Harrison Ford, best known for portraying 'Life Scout' Indiana Jones indeed earned the rank himself: one rank short of Eagle.

"While people have different opinions about this policy, we can all agree that kids are better off when they are in scouting," McCandless said.