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he thinks that churches should be open to gays and lesbians, period....he doesn't condone it, he calls it a sin....but its a difficult sin and how would God fearing people help those in sin except to open up the church to them.....afterall, God is the answer to our questions, isn't HE?

And how do you think that should be implemented in practice?

At various points in my life I've spent time in Baptist Churches in different regions of the US.

I've never once experienced a situation where any sinner has been made to feel unwelcome.

Oh, the Preachers did preach against Sin in it's many forms, they did not compromise on the matter of Homosexuality being a sin and a choice, but they never posted someone at the door and said do not come in because you are Homosexual.

And immediately after stating that Homosexuality is a Sin, or any other sin, they always pointed the Sinners to Christ.

So once again, if it were you, how should the Baptist church be more inclusive of Homosexuals?

And immediately after stating that Homosexuality is a Sin, or any other sin, they always pointed the Sinners to Christ.

So once again, if it were you, how should the Baptist church be more inclusive of Homosexuals?

Thank you, Pubbie, for a voice of reason.

Dr. Mohler didn't excuse it, didn't condone it, and clearly said that homosexual conduct is sin.

So are many of the things many of us do every day. The SBC, and my PCA, and the rest of us are commanded to reach out to sinners of all stripes with the gospel of our Lord.

"There is none righteous, no, not one!" "For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God."

Adultery is a sin, too, but everyone there slunk away in shame when Jesus said, "Let him who is without sin cast the first stone." Why are folks ready to stone Al Mohler for saying the same?

Say you finally get up the nerve to tell a friend about the grace of God. Are you going to turn away if he says, "I'm gay"? If so, shame on you. Lead him to the cross, then worry about his sanctification.

Dr. Mohler's as good as they come, and has dedicated his life to training Baptists to carry out the Great Commission. Get off his back, and encourage him to keep on keepin' on!

So once again, if it were you, how should the Baptist church be more inclusive of Homosexuals?

Well, if you were the apostate Broadway Baptist Church in Ft. Worth, you would consider church directory pictures including homosexual couples. Barring that, you wouldn't let any married couples be pictured together in the directory, so as "not to offend."

This is where they're heading. Broadway Baptist was expelled from the SBC a couple of years ago for their affirming of homosexuality. Now? I'm not so sure this would happen, if Mohler had a say.

And immediately after stating that Homosexuality is a Sin, or any other sin, they always pointed the Sinners to Christ.

Think about how our Lord Jesus Christ confronted sinners. The woman caught in adultery comes to mind. He said he did not condemn her but that she should go and "sin no more". We should recognize that sin is sin and the sin of homosexual behavior is no worse in God's eyes than heterosexual behavior outside of marriage. Is gay sex worse than murder? Is gay sex worse than stealth? ALL sin is what causes us to miss the mark of God's perfection and condemns us to eternity separated from him. Without the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross in our place, we would all be just as bound for hell as the worst sinner in the world. No sin is beyond the forgiveness of God. No sinner is beyond the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

Now, I certainly don't think Jesus, when he told the prostitute he did not condemn her, meant that she should be able to continue in her sin and sit among other Christians as if sin didn't matter to God. We are all commanded to flee from immorality and those among us who refuse to repent and cease the wrongful behavior are to be dealt with in a loving but firm way spelled out in Scripture. So should ALL sinners be welcomed into the church of Christ? Well, yeah, because we all are sinners in need of the healer of our souls. But should Christians look the other way and ignore gross sin among the congregation? No. The leaders of the church have a responsibility to direct and guide the members into what is acceptable living as representatives of the Lord. We are to love people to the Lord and, once they come to him in repentant faith, we should help every person to live in obedience to God so that they as well as the community of Christ have victory over sin and bring glory to God in all that they do.