The aim? Ending violence against both various religious and ethnic groups and homosexuals. The talkers? The Rev. Jerry Falwell and various homosexual religious leaders, including one who once helped Falwell write his autobiography.
They met on the campus of Liberty University, which Falwell himself founded several decades ago. And although Falwell says he still believes homosexuality is a sin, he still wants to find more cooperation and understanding among all Christians.
"We are here," Falwell told the gathering, "because innocent people of various faiths, racial and ethnic groups, and sexual preferences have increasingly had their lives abruptly and violently ended by people with opposing views…I've been a preacher for 47 years…in the end, homosexuality is wrong…(but) it is my hope that evangelicals might build a bridge of friendship to gays and lesbians as we have to alcoholics and unwed mothers."
Homosexual minister the Rev. Mel White led the homosexual contingent. "This is the first step in our journey towards reconciliation," he told the gathering during a vigil for hate crime victims.
