Posted on 08/08/2014 6:38:41 PM PDT by markomalley
Julie Atwood was standing at her son's casket when the phone rang. The church where her son's funeral was scheduled to be held the next day decided to abruptly cancel the service, after the pastor learned the deceased was gay and his obituary listed a surviving "husband."
Atwood said she was told it would be "blasphemous" to hold the services at the church because her son, Julion Evans, 42, was gay.
"It was devastating," she said. "I did feel like he was being denied the dignity of death."
Evans' husband, Kendall Capers, says the pair were partners for 17 years and married last year in Maryland. Evans died at home after a 4-year battle with a rare illness called Amyloidosis, which destroys organs in the body.
He says the obituary named him as "husband," and that their marriage was no secret.
"Everyone who knew us knew about our relationship," he said. "We didn't keep secrets."
The family asked for Evans' funeral to be held at New Hope Missionary Baptist Church in Tampa.
Atwood, Evans' mother, says she was baptized at the church as a child and several of her family members still attend. Atwood's current pastor agreed to preach the funeral, but they needed a large church, like New Hope, to accommodate hundreds of mourners from across the country. New Hope agreed and the service was scheduled for July 26.
But when the obituary published in the local newspaper, everything changed.
T.W. Jenkins, pastor at New Hope says was not aware of that Evans had a husband or was gay until members of his congregation saw the obit and called to complain. They did not think it was right to have the funeral at their church.
Jenkins said his church preaches against gay marriage.
"Based on our preaching of the scripture, we would have been in error to allow the service in our church," Jenkins said. "I'm not trying to condemn anyone's lifestyle, but at the same time, I am a man of God, and I have to stand up for my principles."
Because of the late change of plans, Evans' family scrambled to make new funeral arrangements, with less than 24 hours to prepare. They were unable to notify everyone, though, and some mourners showed up at the church and missed the funeral.
Capers said that was the worst part. He wanted the funeral held in a church but said he would have understood the church's position. But to cancel during his husband's wake, he said, was “disrespectful” and “wrong.”
"This is 2014, this is not the 60s or the 70s,” Capers said. “So at the end of the day I just want his wrong-doing to be exposed.”
Where in the Bible does it state that God has sin hierarchy?
Which sins are the worst?
You can lie to your wife and still go to heaven because at least you are not homosexual?
Well let’s see.....perhaps if someone shoots himself in the head because he suffers from depression, do you know for a fact that he is NOT going to heaven?
Should the church hold a funeral for a woman who has had an abortion?
From some of the comments I have seen here, it would appear that some people know exactly whether or not this dead homosexual went to heaven.
Perhaps he asked god for forgiveness right before he died and was denied a funeral.
The seems to be quite bit of judging going on here by my fellow Christians.
Post of the thread. There is nothing more that needs to be said.
But they didn’t think homosexuality was a sin. They basically said to the Church that they are wrong and they do not believe in their message, yet they wanted the benefit of the Church sanctifying their sinfulness.
Jesus said, "Let the dead bury the dead". Jesus is the God of the living (those in Christ).
In regard to salvation, there is only one sin "worse" than others, since it cannot be forgiven. But some sins do have greater consequences in this life. The Bible does identify a "sin unto death" and a "sin not unto death".
From some of the comments I have seen here, it would appear that some people know exactly whether or not this dead homosexual went to heaven. Perhaps he asked god for forgiveness right before he died and was denied a funeral.
Perhaps he did, but unless there was true repentance, just asking for forgiveness is not what is required for salvation. And he was not denied a funeral - his family just was not allowed to use that building. And I don't see why the church would be obligated to allow an open homosexual to use their building for his funeral on the unlikely chance that he MAY have decided to repent just before he died.
I am a norske Lutheran. My grandfather was a Lutheran minister and a missionary in China. My father was a physician missionary as I have also been. Trust me. I know my Bible.
I’m glad you know your bible. I pray you’ll rely on it and not your liberal church as you definitely need a greater degree of spiritual maturity.
We die for our own sins. No one can die for the sins of others.
I am a conservative.
Keep searching. You will find the true heart of the triune God in places where you will least expect it.
Heh, are you the guy who posts the “Well ... Bye” picture?
I have never referred to homosexuals as “queers.”
You must have pulled that out of left field.
“Since this man was “married” to his homosexual partner, there is nothing to indicate that he repented of his homosexual activity. And once he died, the opportunity for forgiveness was past.”
Nevertheless, a person’s salvation is not for you or I to decide regardless of what we think we know about them. Only Christ has authority in that regard.
I do agree 100% that it’s impossible to repent after one is dead, and all homosexual acts are sinful. Homosexual temptations are not sin, but acting on those temptations is. “Gay” marriage is both a moral and biological impossibility; therefore, one cannot absolve oneself of homosexual sin by “marrying” their same-sex partner(s).
We can pray for the living, but the die is cast once someone is dead.
Sorry for any confusion. GPJ
I agree with the church. I have a relative who is an atheist but his wife is, well, says she is, a Christian. There’s no way I would go to this guy’s funeral and watch all the talk about Jesus.
Christians burial is for Christians. Openly homosexual (I'm not talking about those that are struggling with same sex attraction), and are unrepentant by partaking in the sin, are not, by definition, Christian.
And denomination, or what what your family may have done under the guise of religion, doesn't change that.
The pastor was correct in his decision.
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