Southern Baptists Drop 'Gay Friendly' Church

[davidinalameda]

http://www.365gay.com/Newscon06/01/012006txChurch.htm

The conservative Southern Baptists of Texas Convention has severed ties with a Baytown, Texas church over its connections to a ministry designed to appeal to gays and lesbians.

The executive board voted unanimously this month to "disaffiliate" Faith Harbour after determining that it violated a constitutional provision preventing churches from supporting or endorsing "homosexual behavior", spokesman Gary Ledbetter said Thursday.

Pastor Randy Haney expressed frustration with the convention's decision, saying he agrees that "homosexual behavior is sinful."

"They were convinced I was starting a gay church and setting up a woman as pastor," Haney said Thursday. "I believe the Bible very clearly teach that homosexuality is wrong, but I also believe the Bible teaches that we are to love those who are homosexual and minister to them."

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. What does having a woman pastor have to do with

being a "gay church"? Is the convention expressing their intolerance for gays AND for women's equal rights?

[GreenPartyVoter]

2. Women are not allowed to be ministers in that Baptist tradition and yes I

think you are right.. they are expressing their distaste for two groups of second class citizens while trying to say it is Biblically supported.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

4. Interesting

as I know there are women ministers in other Protestant denominations and there are women ministers in the Universal Worship of my Sufi Order. So not everyone thinks the Bible (and in our case, other holy books) say that women cannot be ministers.

[GreenPartyVoter]

5. That's one of the reasons I can tolerate my hubby's conservative denom.

They at least acknowledge that women can be spiritual leaders too.

[DarkTirade]

7. No big surprise there.

Their original split from the regular baptist church was over the fact that they used the bible to support slavery.

[Maat]

6. Yes, I read the scoop on another website.

I'll try and find the link. I research the Religious Hardrighties. Yes, they WERE trying to express their intolerance for both the GLBT community AND church leadership by women.

[yellowcanine]

3. "Love the sinner but hate the sin" exposed as "not so soft bigotry."

Or to put it another way - another example of "lying for Jesus."