it was and is still being celebrated at my church.Again, if you are a Christian and went to Church this weekend, how did your pastor/minister/priest handle the topic of the SCOTUS's decision on Friday?
or
Were they afraid to discuss the topic?
or
Did they just not say anything at all about it?
He mentioned that it gave an introit into discussion on it and then preached on some same gender relationships between characters in the Bible which were extremely "close," and loving. However, he'd made it clear in the weekly bulletin he favored it. The UMC still disallows same-sex marriage. Many expect that to change at the next General Conference. When he was talking to my daughter at my house, and invited her to church, she made it plain that she was not only married and gay, but that she tended towards being agnostic. He just said that it was OK he had Buddhists who also attended...Again, if you are a Christian and went to Church this weekend, how did your pastor/minister/priest handle the topic of the SCOTUS's decision on Friday?
or
Were they afraid to discuss the topic?
or
Did they just not say anything at all about it?
Robert E. Lee is reported to have said, "There are many ways for a man to reach heaven, but a gentleman will surely chose the Episcopalian way."for anyone interested, here is a link to my rector's sermon from friday night (about 15 mins long). st. lukes has been pushing for the recognition of gay marriage for a long time so this was a very joyous occasion for our church. so if you want to see where the episcopal church (at least ours) is coming from, this will give a glimpse into that. i saw today where the diocese of atlanta ok'd marriages to be performed in the churches of the diocese.
sermon link
heh. i can fake being a gentleman for short stints.Robert E. Lee is reported to have said, "There are many ways for a man to reach heaven, but a gentleman will surely chose the Episcopalian way."
Brought back an incident from childhood. I wasn't there, but friends were. It happened at the largest Baptist church in Decatur and the congregation was widely divided over the pastor. He asked everyone to stand up and face the rear. When all had complied, he said something to the effect for those who opposed him to turn around and face their enemy. Sounds similar to this guy. Good luck to him and his congregation...On a related note...
....on April 6, 2014, I attended my niece's baptism at a Free Will Baptist Church in MS. I'd never been to a FWB church but know they believe in losing one's salvation (not that this is a huge deal to me but it is to the SBC folks). A few months before then the town finally voted "yes" on alcohol. It had been dry forever. My wife, in fact, thought the place was so backwards it would STILL not pass in 2013, but it did.
So that particular morning in the sermon, the pastor hauls off and blames "some" of the congregation for gay marriage and legalizing alcohol and supporting the ideas and how wrong it was. I'm sitting there thinking, "We're taking corporate salvation and damnation WAY too far here..."
Amen.Guest pastor that didn't not focus on the gay issue but instead mentioned all the issues of the last week or so and he reminded us that there is One that is still in control and He was not surprised by any of these decisions. The Day of Judgment is coming and the due date didn't change because of this week.
Selma, I am sorry to hear that about a FWB pastor blaming some of the congregation. I was born and raised FWB, graduated from our denominational college in Nashville and hold our doctrine dear. There are some issues that we can agree to disagree on and still maintain fellowship. This particular issue with the statement made at your nieces' baptism we both can agree on as absurd.On a related note...
....on April 6, 2014, I attended my niece's baptism at a Free Will Baptist Church in MS. I'd never been to a FWB church but know they believe in losing one's salvation (not that this is a huge deal to me but it is to the SBC folks). A few months before then the town finally voted "yes" on alcohol. It had been dry forever. My wife, in fact, thought the place was so backwards it would STILL not pass in 2013, but it did.
So that particular morning in the sermon, the pastor hauls off and blames "some" of the congregation for gay marriage and legalizing alcohol and supporting the ideas and how wrong it was. I'm sitting there thinking, "We're taking corporate salvation and damnation WAY too far here..."
"Yep!" i.e. in Texas lingo. Now, this is in a non-denominational Christian Church. However, I feel comfortable in almost all Christian Churches: Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, and especially non-denominational Christian churches: very large (20,000+ members on down). I've attended the 50,000+ member church in Houston one time, just to see a positive everybody can be a rich person MESSAGE. I'm still trying to determine whether it was a Biblically based message. I just don't recall any scriptural verses stated or with some senility, maybe they sailed over my head.Hey Al! Did you go to church Sunday. What happened?
I'm not going to go into a long dissertation, but I'll just say that there are fewer references to homosexuality in the Bible than one may think. And they're a lot less clear than one may think. I don't really believe a literal reading can be done, JMO..."Yep!" i.e. in Texas lingo. Now, this is in a non-denominational Christian Church. However, I feel comfortable in almost all Christian Churches: Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, and especially non-denominational Christian churches: very large (20,000+ members on down). I've attended the 50,000+ member church in Houston one time, just to see a positive everybody can be a rich person MESSAGE. I'm still trying to determine whether it was a Biblically based message. I just don't recall any scriptural verses stated or with some senility, maybe they sailed over my head.
The pastor this weekend talked about current events then got into the next segment of the study of the book of Mark chapter 4 (The Gospel of Peter) and the sower and how some are more fruitful than others based on the kind of soil that exists or something to that effect.
I do believe in living and letting live. I do believe in the two Great Commandments. I do believe that there is such a thing as SIN and that Satan is really in temporary control of this current Earth/Universe. The sermon did make me wonder about fruitfulness. The pastor did not tie those two things/concepts together. However, it did make me wonder how a gay marriage can be fruitful. Maybe, you can help me in this area by explaining to me how.
Now a man and woman can be fruitful by creating new fruit and that fruit can be fruitful by producing even more fruit. You and I are some of the fruit of Abraham, I guess or should I say I think.
seebell (seems every time I type see bell my computer wants to separate it into two words and I always have to go back and combine those two words in defiance of my iMac), What does the Holy Bible say about homosexuality: Old Testament as well as New Testament?
I do have a literal interpretation of that holy book: The Holy Bible and a Strict Constructionist interpretation of the U. S. Constitution. I guess one of those is Holy and the other is full of HOLES.
Help! Just seeking a perfect explanation of why things are the way they are and how we should deal with it as a person seeking to be Christ-like in a decaying society.