STOP ... in the name of Love.

Stop me if you've heard this one before:

Failing to prevail in their efforts to impose discrimination against LGBT people here at home, they shift the game to a worldwide playing field by exporting the wolf of fear-based homophobia disguised in the sheep's clothing of the Christian Gospel.

Yep ... if you follow this blog and/or tune in even occasionally to the reality show "As the Anglican World Turns" you'll recognize the plot line in a minute.

Only this time it isn't discontented Episcopalians circumventing TEC by taking their agenda of judgement and exclusion to the Worldwide Anglican Communion -- it's American Evangelicals taking their agenda to ... (wait for it!) ...

UGANDA!

That's right. Uganda. Where draconian anti-gay legislation is still pending in the Ugandan legislature ... legislation that would make homosexuality a capital offense. Here's what some national religious leaders had to say in Washington DC at a recent press conference.

What needs to be exported is respect and understanding, not judgmentalism and fear. And what the rest of the world can learn from watching what's happened in the Episcopal Church/Anglican Communion over the last decade or so is that those who believe they have Sole Possession of the Absolute Truth also believe they have license to do whatever they need to do to spread that "Truth." And it's time for that to STOP -- in the name of Love.

Because here's the deal: Lives are on the line here.

The lives of LGBT people -- like Moses in the video clip -- who are not safe to tell the truth about who they are, who already face unimaginable persecution and marginalization because of their sexual orientation or gender identity and now are going to be in further jeopardy as American Evangelicals turn up the volume on their anti-gay rhetoric.

Jesus famously said, "Inasmuch as you've done it unto the least of these, you have done it unto me."

And at the end of day ... or at The End of Days ... that day when we're called to answer for how we've done on the loving God and loving our neighbors as ourselves part ... how are we going to do at answering what we've done for the least of these in Uganda?

Let's not let the answer be we turned our backs on Moses the way he has been forced to turn his back to protect himself from homophobic persecution fueled by misguided religous rhetoric. We have Christian values, too -- and they're love, joy, equality, inclusion, justice and compassion. To name a few. So step up. Speak out. And together let's Stop -- in the name of Love -- the scapegoating, persecution and oppression of our LGBT brothers and sisters ... no matter WHERE it's happening!