Welcome to Call to Decision
Subject: Church to "VOTE" on Sodomy
Date: Wed, 12 Dec 2007 03:54:34 +0000
No wonder the Church is in decline, since when do we get to vote on Sodomy. God already voted and it is out as far as He is concerned.
Stand back as the Wrath of God falls on America, especially the Church.
As my prayer warrior friend Tony Wright says, what is going on is not Mother Nature but Father God. How many more have to die ??? before the Church wakes up.
Decision on ‘gay’ couples in church directory delayed
- Dec 10, 2007 - 4
FORT WORTH—Members of Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth voted Dec. 2 to delay a decision on whether or not to include homosexual members as couples in a church pictorial directory.
Baptist Press broke the story of the church contention on Nov. 6. Multiple news outlets reported on the church’s decision to refer the matter to the deacons for a recommendation by Feb. 4.
“We do not want to rush to make a decision, but rather to continue to listen to each other and for God’s leading to our church,” Deacon Chairman Kathy Madeja said in a statement. “Our members have diverse opinions about many things, but what we have in common is our love for God, the church and each other.”
Pastor Brett Younger addressed the issue from the pulpit Dec. 2.
In comments drawn from sermon audio posted on the church website, Younger said: “Some of the most committed Christians in our congregation are baffled by this whole episode. They are seeking the best they know how to be faithful to Scripture and follow Jesus. They’ve been taught all of their lives what the Bible says on this issue, and those who read the Scripture in a different way don’t seem to be taking the Bible seriously.
“The verses in Leviticus seem straightforward on homosexuality. How can the majority opinion throughout 2,000 years of church history suddenly be wrong? It’s hard for these gracious Christians to understand how anyone could disagree.”
“But there are other thoughtful Christians who feel differently,” Younger continued. “They are seeking the best they know how to be faithful to Scripture and follow Jesus. They know the Bible has been used to defend polygamy, slavery and the oppression of women. We look at the compassion of Jesus and the way that he included everybody and it seems clear that we should do the same. How can anyone who knows Jesus believe God condemns people for the way they were born? It’s hard for these gracious Christians to understand how anyone could disagree.”
Inevitably, some church members would be disappointed, Younger said, but hope lies in Jesus and in realizing the battle belongs to God. In the end, God’s people will “serve together in the unity of God’s diversity,” he said.
Younger closed by saying that some day “we will be set free to live with compassion and kindness” and “celebrate the truth that there is no one beyond the love of God, no one who is not a cherished child of God, no one for whom Jesus did not die, and no one who is not welcome at this table. We long for the day that God will make everything right.”
The church is affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas, Tarrant Baptist Association and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.
In a statement to the church in October, Younger praised how Broadway had handled the issue of homosexuality among church members.
“Broadway has for years had an amazing policy on including gay people. It’s not a policy that a committee came up with, or the staff or the deacons. It’s an unwritten policy that came out of the shared life of this congregation, a policy I believe was inspired by the Spirit,” he said. “This church has for a long time included both gay people who are committed to Christ and members who aren’t affirming and who have serious questions, but who are willing to share the church. This has allowed us to be a congregation where the conversation can take place about being gay and being Christians.”
A former Broadway pastor was involved in bringing Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary to Fort Worth, but in recent decades the church has been led by Baptist moderates. Cecil Sherman, the first executive director of the moderate Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, came to that post after serving as pastor at Broadway from 1985-92.
This article is reprinted from the December 10, 2007, issue of the Southern Baptist TEXAN, the newsjournal of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention.
Further Learning
Learn more about: Family, Sexual Purity, Homosexuality
4 comments (post your own) feed
1 On Dec 11th, 2007, at 2:54pm, Douglas New wrote:
Thank GOD they are NOT in the SBC. How sick!!! I guess if you ignore the Old and New Testament teachings on the subject, “everyone can do what they think is best in their own eyes” to paraphrase the Scriptures.
Surely we are close to the coming of Christ...I hope.
2 On Dec 11th, 2007, at 3:21pm, Kenneth Long wrote:
I wonder if it is a typo or intentional that the name Jesus was not capitalized in the article? Obviously this church started down a slippery slope a long time ago as evidenced by the chairman of the deacons.
3 On Dec 11th, 2007, at 3:31pm, Jerry wrote:
Once again we see demonstrated: “They went out from us, but they did not belong to us; for if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. However, they went out so that it might be made clear that none of them belongs to us.” (I John 3:19, HCSB)
4 On Dec 11th, 2007, at 5:06pm, Sharon wrote:
The bottom line really is, are people born gay? That has never been proven and I don’t believe it’s true. If that was the case, then can we people are born pedophiles? How about people born with a desire for animalism? Where does it stop?
