Bundestag, Berlin, photo via btv.de

Homosexuals oppose Evangelical youth event in Germany

A public row concerning an evangelical youth festival and homosexuality has developed in Germany. The federal Parliament, the Bundestag in Berlin, has discussed the subject twice during question time, reports Wolfgang Polzer, special to ASSIST News Service.

Approximately 20,000 young people are expected to attend Christival in Bremen, April 30 – May 4. One of numerous seminars and workshops was supposed to deal with the subject of a change of sexual orientation for homosexuals who are disenchanted with their lifestyle.

But Volker Beck, Parliamentary whip of the Greens in the Bundestag and a practicing homosexual, took offense. He regards “therapy” for homosexuals as “dangerous charlatanism”.

Although the Christival organizers cancelled the seminar immediately, Beck and his Parliamentary group questioned the federal government’s support for the event. The federal minister for Family and Youth, Ursula von der Leyen, is patroness for Christival, and her department sponsors the convention with 250,000 Euros (US-Dollar 388,000).

Parliamentary Secretary Hermann Kues (Christian Democrats) defended the support for Christival in the Bundestag. The organizers were respectable, and the event contributed to the religious orientation of young people. Beck would have to tolerate alternative opinions, said Kues.

Several Protestant bishops and church leaders as well as the German Evangelical Alliance also rallied around Christival and rejected any attempts to curb the freedom of expression.

The Bremen chapter of Pro Familia – an equivalent of Planned Parenthood – objects to a Christival seminar on abortion. A local cultural center has revoked the lease for Christival events, because it regularly hosts gay and lesbian parties.

A gay and lesbian “spectacle” called “Bremen from Behind” is now planned to coincide with the opening of Christival. An “Anti-Sexist Alliance No Christival” will stage a demonstration against the evangelical youth festival.

Christival spokesman Steve Volke told the evangelical news agency “idea” that there was lobbying against Christival. He hoped that this would not impair the spiritual outreach. Never before has Christival experienced such widespread attention.

More than 12,500 persons have registered for the event so far. The British worship musician Matt Redman will give an open-air concert during Christival.

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[03/20/2008]

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