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Minn. pastor back in pulpit after gay report
AP via MSNBC ^ | 8/2/10 | PATRICK CONDON

Posted on 08/03/2010 7:29:41 PM PDT by SmithL

MINNEAPOLIS — A Lutheran pastor in Minneapolis who opposes homosexuals being allowed to lead congregations said Monday he is attracted to men, but that he's not a hypocrite because he never acted on his urges.

The Rev. Tom Brock told The Associated Press he has known for years he is sexually attracted to men, but doesn't consider himself gay because he never acted on it.

In June, the Minnesota gay magazine Lavender reported that Brock was a member of a support group for Christians who struggle with same-sex attraction. Brock's church, the Hope Lutheran Church, placed him on leave while a task force looked into the matter. The Rev. Tom Parrish, the church's executive pastor, said the investigation determined Brock's story checked out.

"I am a 57-year-old virgin," Brock told the Hope Lutheran congregation during services upon returning to the pulpit on Sunday.

(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...


TOPICS: Current Events; Mainline Protestant; Moral Issues; Religion & Culture
KEYWORDS: 57yearoldvirgin; brock; celibacy; chaste; chastity; elca; homosexuality; lutheran; sin; tombrock; virgin
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1 posted on 08/03/2010 7:29:47 PM PDT by SmithL
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To: SmithL
He said he believes people who engage in homosexual acts will go to hell, but he doesn't believe that makes him a bigot.

Funny how the AP doesn't provide a quote to support this statement.

2 posted on 08/03/2010 7:33:25 PM PDT by xjcsa (Ridiculing the ridiculous since the day I was born.)
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To: SmithL

We think this is the most comprehensive article on the web on this topic:

http://www.faithfacts.org/christ-and-the-culture/gay-rights


3 posted on 08/03/2010 7:35:07 PM PDT by grumpa (VP)
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To: SmithL

We all have a tendency to sin, each in our own different foible. God bless this pastor who recognizes that he is has a fallen nature and relies totally on Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit to give him the strength to withstand his temptations.


4 posted on 08/03/2010 7:52:04 PM PDT by Guyin4Os (A messianic ger-tsedek)
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To: SmithL
Isn't this exactly the type of pastor we all need? Someone who recognizes that as a human he is an inherent sinner and is in need of salvation? And on top of that, he's trying to work to get the kind of strong will that he needs to purge these ideas from his head? Someone who is weak wouldn't do that.

The alternative of course, would be that he chooses to act on temptation, and then makes excuses for it. It takes a strong will to fight those urges and very few people have that.

5 posted on 08/03/2010 8:01:55 PM PDT by pnh102 (Regarding liberalism, always attribute to malice what you think can be explained by stupidity. - Me)
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To: pnh102

We all sin but blantant sin and homosexual sin god hold accountable


6 posted on 08/03/2010 8:05:47 PM PDT by truthbetold11 (truthbetold11)
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To: SmithL

That’s no different than any HETRO sexual who lusts after someone else’s wife or husband but DOESN’T SLEEP with them. This pastor is actually NORMAL.

Lust is an operant conditioning.

ACTING on it, instead of taking it captive in thought is the sin.

He’s fine.

ALL those who have any sort of such desire should just do what he’s done. Deal with whatever it is and DONT act on it.

You might WANT to take that $100 bill someone left on their desk. DONT!

It’s that simple.


7 posted on 08/03/2010 8:08:07 PM PDT by RachelFaith (2010 is going to be a 100 seat Tsunami - Unless the GOP Senate ruins it all...)
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To: SmithL

We can all have thoughts to sin. No matter the name of the sin. God Bless him. He should be supported. Do we have an address of the Church. I tried to look it up. I did not find it.


8 posted on 08/03/2010 8:13:02 PM PDT by johngrace (God so loved the world so he gave his only son! Praise Jesus and Hail Mary!)
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To: Guyin4Os

Amen!


9 posted on 08/03/2010 8:13:52 PM PDT by johngrace (God so loved the world so he gave his only son! Praise Jesus and Hail Mary!)
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To: SmithL

Good for him! This is a man of integrity and faith.


10 posted on 08/03/2010 8:15:06 PM PDT by behzinlea
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To: RachelFaith

Wonderful Point!


11 posted on 08/03/2010 8:15:31 PM PDT by johngrace (God so loved the world so he gave his only son! Praise Jesus and Hail Mary!)
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To: RachelFaith

He has a very heavy cross to bear, and he’s handling it.


12 posted on 08/03/2010 8:16:43 PM PDT by dfwgator
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To: pnh102

“Isn’t this exactly the type of pastor we all need?”

Indeed. But I still wouldn’t leave him alone with my teenage sons, lol.


13 posted on 08/03/2010 8:20:04 PM PDT by DesertRenegade
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To: DesertRenegade
I don't know that it would be much different than leaving a heterosexual male pastor alone with your teenage daughters.

It would seem that neither circumstance would be wise--for the sake of appearances if nothing else.

14 posted on 08/03/2010 8:24:20 PM PDT by behzinlea
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To: DesertRenegade
But I still wouldn’t leave him alone with my teenage sons, lol.

I would imagine that he'd tell you the same thing. One way that God through Jesus tells us how to deal with sin is to avoid sinful situations. That's one way to do it.

15 posted on 08/03/2010 8:24:42 PM PDT by pnh102 (Regarding liberalism, always attribute to malice what you think can be explained by stupidity. - Me)
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To: RachelFaith

Amen to everything you said.


16 posted on 08/03/2010 8:25:23 PM PDT by pnh102 (Regarding liberalism, always attribute to malice what you think can be explained by stupidity. - Me)
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To: DesertRenegade

The real problem with the sin of Homosexuality is it isn’t easy to HIDE.

You can be a thief and steal for YEARS.

You can be a Liar and always make excuses.

You can just be an outright SOB and people just say “its his way”.

But if you LUST after your own, that gets people freaky.

Which is WHY the sodomites who glory in it, do not WANT the struggle of hiding it, they want acceptance OF it.

For this guy to “come out” but not “give in” is exceptional. Courageous. Worthy.

Now, that you KNOW his weakness of the flesh, of course you won’t want to put him or your children into the path of temptation.

But say his sin was THEFT... if you KNEW THAT you wouldn’t hire him as you bookkeeper either.

So it isn’t the sin it’s the KNOWING.

Which is why the Word says LOVE COVERS a Multitude of Sins.


17 posted on 08/03/2010 9:03:23 PM PDT by RachelFaith (2010 is going to be a 100 seat Tsunami - Unless the GOP Senate ruins it all...)
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To: SmithL

The tolerant Left-wing of the Democrat Party snooping on self-help groups. I say we start collecting names and addresses of people that do this and start posting them around the net.


18 posted on 08/03/2010 10:30:06 PM PDT by VeniVidiVici (It's easy being a communist when you're rich.)
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To: pnh102

I agree. I just think that total healing would be if he could finally get over the demonic same-sex attraction. I don’t believe the secular cliche that “once a drug addict, always a drug addict etc.” Plenty of people have been healed from Same-Sex Attraction Disorder to prove that it can be overcome. I pray that he finds peace and doesn’t act on the dangerous urges.


19 posted on 08/04/2010 2:40:21 AM PDT by DesertRenegade
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To: SmithL

This is what being saved looks like.. hating sin and refusing to act on it


20 posted on 08/04/2010 3:57:20 AM PDT by RnMomof7 (sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me)
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