‘It’s Embarrassing to Be a Christian’

In case you missed the globe-trotting reality show The Amazing Race on CBS Sunday night, there’s a politics-and-Hollywood contingent this season: gay “Soulforce” activist Mel White and his bisexual son, Mike White, best known for the movie School of Rock. The show wasn’t too preachy about their sexuality in the first episode, although Mike strangely compared his father to Cloris Leachman. The preachiness came in a Newsweek interview with Joshua Alston, where father and son both found Christianity sorely lacking in compassion:

Mike, how did your experience growing up with your dad shape your faith? Mike: I definitely got a lot out of the ministry growing up, and we had a lot of theological discussions around the dinner table and stuff, and all that stuff certainly had a huge impact on the way I see things, and in a positive way. I don’t really consider myself a Christian. It’s complicated, like everything, but I think what my dad is doing as far as reaching out to the conservative Christian community for inclusion is a really courageous thing.

Mel: It’s ironic because given the state of what it means to be a Christian these days, I’m not a Christian either. I’m a mediocre follower of a first-century Jewish teacher. And being a Christian brings up all those stereotypes that are so destructive to the gay spirit. So when Michael says he’s not a Christian, I completely understand and feel the same way. I hope that one day we can reclaim that word, but as it stands now, it’s embarrassing to be a Christian.

In case you were unsure whether Newsweek was approving, the headline was “Delicious White Whine.”