A Minneapolis gay magazine story allegedly “outing” a minister based on comments he made during a therapy session is generating a flood of controversy, both about the minister and the magazine’s reporting techniques.

Lavender Magazine published an article Friday saying that the Rev. Tom Brock, senior pastor at Hope Lutheran Church in Minneapolis and an outspoken critic of gays, has attended a support group for men struggling with same-sex attractions. The magazine said its reporter, John Townsend, joined the group undercover after getting a tip that Brock was a member.

Brock, who has been on a leave of absence since the magazine was published, was not available for comment. Repeated calls to the church were not returned.

When the magazine hit the newsstands, the story went viral on gay and lesbian Internet sites, with people expressing everything from glee to outrage that a man who has railed against homosexuality in his sermons and weekly radio and cable TV shows had been caught practicing what he preaches against.

But by midweek, the mood had started to shift. For starters, critics pointed out that the magazine did not have a direct quote from Brock saying that he had engaged in homosexual acts. The article implied that was the case by quoting him as saying that while on a preaching mission to Slovakia he “fell into temptation,” but did not explain what that meant.

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Source: Sacramento Bee | JEFF STRICKLER
Star Tribune