Birmingham Conference is “Out of Focus”
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Brian Worley (This article was originally posted upon The Freethinker) Who really knows the number of bi/homosexual people that are within the churches today? The Bible plainly speaks out against this type of sexuality; it is any wonder that many gay people conceal their true sexuality inclinations? It is apparent that a number of gay people want to be a part of church life; at the same time it is also apparent that a number of gay people go on to become atheists wanting nothing to do with the church. Part of the reason would surely be due to the “snub” of “conservative churches” another would be that who wants to associate with folks that “feel they are morally superior to you? “ Christians have mistakenly elevated an ancient book of literature into being an authoritative book of the divine. Who would have thought that something so seemingly insignificant as a lack of proper “reading comprehension” skills could cause such consternation in our modern world? It
is the church
that creates
homosexual guilt Who wants to
pledge
allegiance to an
organization
(church/bible)
that condemns
you because of
natural sexual
tendencies?
Isn’t it
obvious that
many gay people
want the
acceptance and
affirmation from
the group that
CREATED the
guilt to begin
with? So where
does all of this
lead to? It
provokes the
“fight or
flight”
reaction. Stay
attached to the
church and fight
to change
it….or leave
the church
altogether
(flight) and
move forward
with your life!
There is no way that a church can consider itself to be Biblically conservative and yet be genuine in their “relationships” when they associate with gay people. Something has to give or to be suppressed to maintain the position. Sure, one face of the church will be “friendly” while the other “face” seeks ways to change the gay individual. It becomes a perpetual “tug of war” for all whom are involved. I see this as a big waste of energy, but a drum that people of reason need to keep drumming! Birmingham
metro confusion:
Which church is
straight &
which is gay? Enter the
Birmingham,
Alabama
“Metropolitan Church of God.” Upon seeing this story Conservative
Meeting in
Alabama to be
Greeted with Gay
Rights Protest
, my initial
thoughts were
why would any
gay group
protest what is
happening in a
Metropolitan
congregation?
Let me explain
things here.
First, anybody
whom knows the
American church
community knows
that the Metropolitan
Community Church
(MCC) or The Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan
Community
Churches (UFMCC)
is a Protestant
denomination
that has a
specific
outreach to
lesbian, gay,
bisexual, and
transgender
families and
communities. So
at a casual
glance, the
Birmingham
church is so
named to where
it is
easily
mistaken for a (MCC
or UFMCC)
inclusive
congregation.
The reality is
that the Metro Church is
affiliated with
the (straight)
Church of God
Cleveland, TN
group; not to be
confused with an
(inclusive) MCC
or UFMCC
congregation. I chuckle here thinking about the old bantered about question, “Which came first? The chicken or the…?” I couldn’t find upon the Birmingham’s church’s website when they chartered. So either they were unwise in their choosing of a church name to begin with, or perhaps they were a little greedy? If the church chartered after MCC’s founding, then they should have had the forsight to avoid the potential of using Metropolitan or the shorter Metro in their name. Simple common sense thinking here! If they chartered before MCC’s founding, then I think it fitting that their “greediness” get some unintended exposure. Anyway, by the time of the 80’s any “conservative” church that incorporated Metropolitan into their church name would have to deal with the confusion as to whether they are “straight” or “gay friendly, inclusive!” I say they could be greedy because Metropolitan conveys the thought that IT is THE church to come to in Birmingham (bypassing other churches closer to the proximity of where people of faith might live.) Does anyone else see this as ironic? Be
careful what
name you place
upon your church
marquee! So imagine yourself
in the center of
the “Bible
Belt” in a
large Southern
city like
Birmingham where
Metro and
Metropolitan
adorn two
different
churches’
marquees.
Imagine a
“straight”
person that was
referred to go
to the Metro
(Cleveland, TN
affiliation)
Church and they
mistakenly enter
into the
Metropolitan (MCC)
congregation….what
a surprise! Then imagine the
surprise of a
gay individual
that was
referred to go
to the
Metropolitan
church (MCC) in
Birmingham that
mistakenly
confuses the
Metro church and
walks in to find
James Dobson’s
Focus on the
Family “Love
Won Out”
homosexual
“fixer”
conference
taking place!
I can’t help but think that perhaps the church has gotten tired of dealing with the misperceptions Metro Church FAQ page: Is Metro Church "associated" with any other churches or denominations? and has chosen to invite Dobson’s bunch in as an attempt to distance themselves from the MCC congregation. Fundamentalist
Quacks During my Christian
fundamentalist
ministerial
years, I never
once thought
that I had the
formula to
change
homosexuality.
The only
“medicine
fixer” that a
fundy could
reach for would
be the “Holy
Spirit” (pun
intended!…quack,
quack) Just as
faith healers
are
“quacks,” so
are homosexual
“fixers”
like Dobson’s
bunch! Did their
cure work with
Mel White?
Homophobic Christians
cannot even fix
themselves, lest
they have the
audacity to try
to save others!
The Food and
Drug
Administration
(FDA) protects
society from
phony
“quacks”
peddling their
“cancer”
cures…perhaps
they should be
looking at
Dobson’s
homosexuality
cure?
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