Anti-gay activists crash worship services
Minutemen take 'word of God' to 2 congregations
Friday, August 17, 2007 3:31 AM
By Gail Martineau
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
A conservative Christian values group has been interrupting services at two central Ohio churches to protest their support for homosexuality.
Minutemen United vowed to attend services every Sunday.

The group started its crusade when First Baptist Church in Granville hosted "Love Makes a Family," a traveling exhibit by the Family Diversity Project showing photos of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender families.

The night the exhibit opened in July, members of Minutemen United stood outside and protested the exhibit and the church's open attitude toward homosexuality, said the Rev. Kathy Hurt, senior pastor at the Granville church.

Since then, the group has been visiting the church every Sunday, she said.

On one of the first Sundays, six people came to the church's 11 a.m. service and addressed the congregation during a time designated for prayer requests and comments.

Hurt said a man, who introduced himself as a minister from the New Beginnings Church in Warsaw, Ohio, started to give a sermon about how the church was acting against God's word by accepting homosexuals.

Members of Minutemen United also visited King Avenue United Methodist Church in Columbus that same morning, said the Rev. John Keeny.

"They rebuked me as a pastor for preaching that God's love is for everyone," Keeny said.

The pastor said he was proud of the way his congregation responded to the interruption, and he asked them to pray that the hearts of the Minutemen would be open.

"At our church, we welcome all people," he said. "We would welcome them in worship, too, but we expect hospitality and acceptance to be demonstrated by all who come to worship here."

http://www.columbusdispatch.com/disp...4_5F7K25N.html

Here's a bit from the article that made me chuckle:

Does anyone see the hypocrisy? Erwin whining about people's personal interpretations of the Bible while he himself is doing the same?

I'd like to see him get around this verse without using personal interpretations, straight from the mouth of Christ:

Matthew 5:29

If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

Well, I've said before, attempts to reconcile homosexuality with the basic tennants of Scripture and church doctrine are, IMO, a massive exersise in denial and require some pretty interesting interpretations.

Still, I think these people are out of line by going into others' churches and preaching to them about it. Jesus never said anything about trying to force people who didn't want to hear.

I think when you're a guest, you should be respectful of the other's point of veiw, even if you don't agree with it.

Well, we certainly can't have THAT.

Be quite clear that most times church doctrines have little or nothing to do with actual scriptures.

And, if one wants to live without hypocrisy, if you are going to live by one law in Leviticus, you must live by ALL the laws of Leviticus, and not just pick and chose the ones you find abhorrent.

Boy, all those pork tenderloin,shrimp and crab legs lovers are gonna have a hard to adjusting to life without those delicious delectables!

1: Prohibitions on homosexuality are mentioned in BOTH the O.T. and N.T.
2: The Levitican laws are for Jews, not Christians.

Please post in the Gospels where Jesus outlaws homosexuality.

Knot, Chad.

Our differing points of veiw aside, I think we can all agree that Jesus would NOT condone going into another's church and preaching to them.

Like I said, as a guest, one should keep one's mouth shut and respect the views of the host congregation.

Knot,

Jesus made it clear that God created two genders (male and female He made them) and laid out clear parameters for marriage. (A man shall leave his family and cleave unto his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.)

I don't see anyway around that, execpt through exersises in denial and rationalization.

Also, in his vision on the road to Damascus, Paul (Saul) was tasked with being the Apostle to minister to the gentiles. And Paul was clear in his prohibitions on homosexuality.