Article on Homosexual minister UMC

[non baptist posting deleted]

[ December 09, 2004, 11:12 AM: Message edited by: Dr. Bob ]

 

Yes!

What was NOT mentioned was the FACT that TO GOD, HOMOSEXUALITY IS AN ABOMINATION, and not just a sin.

 

I also noted the words "self-avowed" already show a major problem with the church directives. The first major hurdle for the opposition has already been crossed.

Much like the military, don't tell--its okay.

We had an SBC church (not in our town) have a problem where the pastors wife started having a lesbian affair with a deacons wife. They left the two husbands and were demanding that the church allow them to stay as members. Can you imagine being the pastor with your wife trying to hang around the church with your deacon's wife? I felt quite sorry for him. I don't know what the final resolution was, but I think the lesbians were finally dis-fellowshipped. This was a fairly big church too.

It pretty much ruined the pastor's ministry although he was an innocent party.

 

This almost sounds like a joke, but it really happened at our local biggest Methodist church.

One night during discussions a disagreement took place between two groups and they decided to go to the Bible to see what it said.

The punch line. After two hours of searching, not ONE single Bible could be found to settle the argument in the entire church building. NO JOKE! REALLY HAPPENED.

...and get this Robycop3, they couldn't find a KJV, let alone an NIV.

 

I think it is entirely sick to have a homosexual to be any part of a church, but what should be done about them but within biblical standards.

 

Am I mistaken about Methodist history, but wasn't the Methodist church very conservative and legalistic and one time?

It seems that when I was young a Methodist church in the 60's in the country was stricter than some of the Baptist churches in the area?

Was this an isolated incident or have the Methodists really changed so much?

 

I know the thread related to Methodists, but in the same pattern, our local Episcopal churches pastor (priest--whatever) came out of the closet and admitted he was a homosexual.

Well, we live in a quite conservative part of the heartland. A good portion of the congretation defected (mostly the the RCC across the street).

Anyway, the punch line of this story is that the national Episcopal organization made an agreement to financially support the church until it could build its congregation back up with people who were more tolerant of gay pastors.

By the way, Dr. Bob, talking about beer. As a young boy, a group of us from the Baptist church went to the local RCC for midnight mass just out of curiousity on Christmas when I was a kid.

By the end of the service the priest was so drunk from sipping the wine that he could not talk without slurring.

Needless to say, as kids, we got a kick out of it and none of us ever went Catholic.

 

As christian baptists what should we do to show our strict disaproval of gays while in the pressence of one. I personally would like to send them all to a prison island to keep em all in one place but i would like to know what Jesus would have done to show his disaproval?

 

First of all get educated about the cost of discipleship for gays. It is very high, and it involves a lot of "deprogramming." We NEED to understand that homosexual sin isn't like all other sexual sins. There is a whole community that for gays is like a "church" is for us. Reaching out to gays is more like ministering to Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Muslims, e.g. persons in cults or other religions, so much so that a whole branch of missiology (the study of Christian missions) is beginning to develop to help Christians deal with this issue.

Here is an EXCELLENT article for you:

http://www.harvestusa.org/articles/reaching%20gays.htm

Also, get familar with progay theology and its problems, just like you would have some idea about what a Mormon, JW, et.al. would believe:
http://www.harvestusa.org/articles/unbelief.htm Progay Theology and Unbelief

Of course, we need to maintain our own Biblical perspective:

http://www.harvestusa.org/articles/maintain.htm Maintaining a Biblical Perspective

And we should always balance truth with mercy. Remember, salvation is not about justice. It is about mercy, and mercy is not something any of us deserve.

http://www.harvestusa.org/articles/balancetruth.htm

Finally, evaluate our own attitudes as Christians, because sometimes, when it comes to this issue, we have repenting to do as well. :

http://www.harvestusa.org/articles/caughtin.htm Guidelines for Christians Caught in the Middle

http://www.harvestusa.org/articles/compassion_so_hard.htm Compassion is so Hard.

 

Glad to see her daughters were saved, Dr. Bob.

BTW, was this woman once married to, or living with, a MAN, or were her daughters adopted, or were they her girlfriend's kids?

Far as I'm concerned, "switch-hitting" is for BASEBALL, and when practiced in relationships, is as much a sin as exclusive homosexuality.