Christians Thrown Out: Baseball Execs Eject Biblical Message from Homosexual Event

Agape Press ^ | 8/18/03 | Jim Brown

[truthandlife]

Four Christians were recently kicked out of Veterans Stadium during the Philadelphia Phillies' "Gay Community Day."

Last Tuesday, Michael Marcavage and three friends brought a banner to the ballpark that read "Homosexuality is sin, Christ can set you free." He says their intention was to share that biblical message of hope with homosexuals who were at the stadium. [See Earlier Story]

Seven minutes after unfurling their banner from their centerfield seats, however, the group was approached by security. Marcavage says the four were told that they could not display their banner.

"They basically said that the [Phillies] executives said this banner must come down. And we questioned them, because there were other banners in the stadium as well," he says.

Marcavage says while their banner with its Christian message was prohibited, several other banners were permitted in the park that day, including an oversized rainbow flag waved by a homosexual man. Marcavage says he and his friends challenged the singling out of their group when others in the park were being allowed to display their messages without incident.

"We basically questioned them, asking if they could have their banners, why couldn't we have ours. They said 'Well, it's the content of the message,'" Marcavage explains.

He speculates that the Philadelphia team's corporate owners may have feared negative publicity. In any case, based on the Christian group's choice to display a message from the Word of God that might have convicted some members of the crowd, Phillies executives decided that neither the banner nor its bearers had any place in the park. Shortly after security ordered them to take down their banner, the four were escorted from the stadium.

Marcavage says although they were asked to leave the ballpark, they did have their money refunded and each received a free ticket to another Phillies game.

[Kevin Curry]

Doesn't this all come down to the fact that gays were being given a modicum of respect?

As men and women, yes.

As sexual perverts, no.

[linn37]

Lol hunting is a sin? Find that one in the Bible for us ,thanks in advance.

[Antoninus]

I would have told him to stick the ticket up his ass, he could keep it. I did not want his money or his ticket[s].

I'd have taken the money and the tickets, come back and scalped them, then taken the proceeds and donated it to the Boyscouts, whom the Gaystapo recently had defunded by the United Way in the Philly area.

[Antoninus]

How terrible! That sounds like capitalism. The owners should only market to groups approved by the Theocratic State Authority. That's the ticket.

Hey, if they want to celebrate sodomy and the filthy deathstyle that accompanies it, that's fine with me. However, wouldn't say that this was a good business decision by any means. Catering to the 2% and p!ssing off 30-40% or more makes no sense.

It's just more "in your face" BS by the homo-promo agit-prop activists. The petrified chicken-sh!ts in the Phillies' front office didn't have the cojones to stand up and say, "sorry, we don't promote groups that are defined by deviant sex acts."

[Zack Nguyen]

...seems like everyday is Christian community day. It's sorta implied.

I disagree. Christians and those who practice homosexuality can show up to any game they choose. I wouldn't expect them to recognize "Christian Day at the Park", and it greatly disappoints me that they would recognize "Gay Day" as it lends a little more legitimacy to a sinful, hurtful lifestyle. It does no favors to those who practice homosexual behavior. It makes those who practice homosexuality feel more secure in their destructive lifestyle, and reinforces it as normative whic it is not.

[massadvj]

I stopped going to baseball games when the players started wearing earrings. But I never thought the sport would degenerate to this.

[kegler4]

Uh...I don't know....are they going to have a "CHRISTIAN Community Day?"

I don't know if THEY are but the local minor league team here does. And I'll bet some major league teams do, too.

[Belial]

Hey, if they want to celebrate sodomy and the filthy deathstyle that accompanies it, that's fine with me.

This statement reveals a lot about your mindset.

The day wasn't set up to celebrate sodomy (which most normal heterosexuals engage in as well). You are reducing homosexuality to a sex act, and believe it or not, gays are human beings.

I understand your impulse to dehumanize homosexuals- once they are nothing more than filthy animals, the easier it is to legislate against them, discriminate, maybe even eradicate them.

[=Intervention=]

"If a bunch of gays trooped into your church waving banners that said "Jesus is an adolescent myth" wouldn't you expect them to be ushered out?"

A church is private property -- owned by a private organization, with specific rules of behavior for members. A baseball stadium is public property, and there is nothing wrong with fans posting signs. In fact, it's almost expected for fans to do so. Apples and oranges.

[Zack Nguyen]

I kind of shy away of the notion of "God loves you, f*g, only if you hate your evil ways"...

Please post a mainstream Christian group that has this message. It is not the Gospel.

But I don't really see a real want or need to bring these folks into the fold.

Then you aren't looking in the right place. There are many ministries out there that focus on bringing homosexuals to faith in Christ and out of their destructive lifestyle. Exodus International comes to mind. I would like to see even more churches reaching out to this community, because I believe that it is not done enough.

Sure its a sin and can be backed up in the Bible. But so is working on Sunday and eating pork.

It is not a sin to eat pork, since Christ has come. The Bible makes this very plain. We are made clean by the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ, not by what we eat.

Working on Sunday is another matter. Jesus makes it very clear that it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath, and that worship days are made for man, not the other way around. Christians of good will can disagree on that.

But that is not what we are discussing. Homosexual behavior is a sin, period. Yet Christ came to save people such as these, just as he saved me.

[Belial]

A baseball stadium is public property

Nonsense. You're babbling.

[=Intervention=]

"But so is working on Sunday and eating pork. I'm sure I can find dozens of instances of the condemnation of eating unclean animals. But we do it! For shame! We must all repent!"

Just 'cause it's condemned in the Bible does not mean that Christians must stop doing it. Christians don't have to follow the dietary laws, for instance. Stop spreading lies.

[=Intervention=]

"Nonsense. You're babbling."

It's owned by the city, therefore it's public. Other posters have pointed this fact out to you, so it can't be "babbling." Of course, if this is the best you can do as a rebuttal, I'm wasting my time...

[kegler4]

"A baseball stadium is public property, and there is nothing wrong with fans posting signs. In fact, it's almost expected for fans to do so. Apples and oranges."

Sorry, but in fact most stadiums DO have rules regulating signs. We were just at Yankee Stadium and you can't just bring in any old sign you want. I don't remember the exact restrictions but if they see you with sign they don't like, the sign goes or you do.

[Zack Nguyen]

Perhaps the Phillies never promoted anything, in which case I wouldn't be "disappointed" in them. Perhaps I spoke too quickly. Was it just a day that a lot of homosexuals decided to come?

[Zack Nguyen]

Rest assured that Phelps is about as far out of the mainstream as you can get. Bible-believing Christians are ashamed of him.

[Zack Nguyen]

Rest assured that Phelps is about as far out of the mainstream as you can get. Bible-believing Christians are ashamed of him. His message is most assuredly not the Gospel.

[sport]

Your idea was better than mine.