While Christian denominations such as the Metropolitan Community Church and the Unitarian Universalists welcome full participation by glbtq members and clergy, others are divided over glbtq issues, and some are ardent supporters of the most homophobic elements of the New Right. Churches of the Anglican Communion include the Episcopal Church and the Church of England. The recent consecration of Reverend V. Gene Robinson, an openly gay man, as a bishop in the United States brought tensions within the worldwide communion into sharp focus. The Bible is the foundational text of Christianity. Perhaps no other book has been more influential--for better or worse--in determining the construction of gay and lesbian identity in the modern world, as well as social

attitudes toward homosexuality. The core of Evangelical Christianity is its emphasis on convincing non-Christians to join the Christian faith. Evangelicalism is closely related to fundamentalism and tends to be both socially conservative and hostile to glbtq people and sensibilities. A number of specifically gay-oriented churches and synagogues that address the needs of gay and lesbian believers emerged in the 1960s in response to the gay liberation movement. The Metropolitan Community Church was founded by Rev. Troy D. Perry in 1968 to minister to the glbtq community. Today, the denomination has more than 40,000 members in 300 churches in 18 countries. Rev. Troy D. Perry (b. 1940) was twice defrocked as a Pentecostal preacher before he founded the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches. A charismatic minister and leader, Perry has built the religious organization into one of the fastest growing denominations in the world. The Christian group known as the Quakers is officially known as The Society of Friends. The Society of Friends, especially its conservative branch, has been a leader among Christian religious denominations in accepting homosexuality and gay and lesbian identity. The Roman Catholic Church is the largest Christian denomination in the Western world. It may be the institution most responsible for the suffering of individuals involved in same-sex sexual relationships. The Salvation Army is a conservative Evangelical sect widely known for its social services programs and thrift stores. In a recent scandal, an attempt by the group to make a secret deal with the Bush administration was exposed. It offered political support in exchange for legal exemptions that would allow it to openly discriminate against members of the GLBT community. The Southern Baptists have become the most intolerant of the major American religious denominations, especially (but not exclusively) for their opposition to equal rights for gay men and lesbians. The Unitarian Universalist church in the United States has been outspoken in support of human rights--including, since 1970, those of the glbtq community. The denomination endorsed legally recognized same-sex marriage in 1996. The United Church of Christ is an American Protestant denomination that approaches scripture in a spirit of inquiry rather than literalism. The church has attempted to make its congregations a "place of extravagant welcome" for glbtq people.