Festival Critic: Invitation to Bishop Robinson Shows Bias

August 28, 2009

Organizers of England’s Greenbelt Christian arts and music festival, which is expected to draw some 20,000 people to Cheltenham this weekend, are facing criticism for invited Bishop Gene Robinson to address the gathering.

The Bishop of New Hampshire is scheduled to make his presentation, “Homosexuality: What the Bible Says and Why it Matters,” on Monday, the festival’s closing day.

The Rev. Canon Chris Sugden of the traditionalist advocacy group Anglican Mainstream, said that while Greenbelt has often been a forum for exploring new ideas, Bishop Robinson’s views will be the only ones presented on the issue of human sexuality.

“Gene Robinson was invited because he’s a controversial celebrity,” Canon Sugden told the BBC. “The festival will be full of families with teenage children, a ready audience who might be persuaded by his sophisticated presentation technique. I suggest it’s a sign of prejudice by Greenbelt that they haven't invited other speakers.” the rest