In one short hour, Bishop Gene Robinson took on subjects about which volumes have been written and for the sake of which lives have been lost: How is the Bible to be read and interpreted regarding homosexuality? How can a person who is lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered (LGBT) lay claim to being a person of faith?

Robinson addressed these questions with about 300 people when he gave the 2011 Frederick C. Wood lecture, April 6 at Sage Chapel. He had inadvertently become the lightning rod for questions about the role of LGBT persons in the church when he became the first openly gay noncelebate priest to be elected a bishop, in New Hampshire in 2003. His election and consecration have split the church, and Robinson "has become one of the most important voices and symbols of that debate," said the Rev. Kenneth I. Clarke Sr., director of Cornell United Religious Work, in his introductory remarks. Robinson has also been active at the state, national and international levels in advocating for full civil rights for LGBT people.

Using history, anecdotes, current statistics and witticisms as well as scriptural interpretation, Robinson stressed that questions about faith and the LGBT community can no longer be avoided. Thirty years ago, he said, few Americans would have said that they knew someone who was openly gay or lesbian. Now, almost everyone would say that they know someone. "That toothpaste ain't gonna go back into the tube," he quipped.

The question for churches, synagogues and other faith organizations now is what to do with the openly gay community. "How expansive and inclusive is God's love?" he asked. "I would argue that 95 percent of all the pain and prejudice we as LGBT people have experienced can be laid at the feet of religious people," he said.

Although Robinson acknowledged that the Bible seems clear in condemning homosexuality, he stressed that it was written over hundreds of years by many different authors, speaking from their own cultural contexts that may no longer be relevant. Similarly, the Bible has been used to justify slavery and oppress women, too, he said.

Saying that "coming out is the most political thing you can do," Robinson discussed the similarities of all of the "isms" -- racism, sexism, heterosexism. All are the result of combining prejudice with the power to make laws and influence behavior on the basis of that prejudice. Tolerance is not enough, he said.

Noting that April 4 was the 43rd anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., Robinson said that the need to advocate for social justice is not over. Society needs to go from tolerance to acceptance and celebration.

When asked by an audience member if the LGBT community should be tolerant of those who believe that homosexuality is a sin, Robinson replied, "Absolutely ... We don't need to come apart over this. This one issue has gotten elevated above all the other things we agree on."

Robinson will speak about "The Role of the Liberal Religious Voice and Advocacy of Gay Rights," at a CURW in the City event in New York City, April 7.