Just trying to help. You're still entertaining, though.
Hoss
Well................if you find this entertaining.
THE JERK 
Posted on 04/28/2011 5:55:29 AM PDT by ZGuy
Being gay is a gift from God, asserts one church in Ohio.
That’s the message that Central United Methodist Church is spreading throughout their community via a digital billboard, launched on Monday.
This “simple statement,” the church announced, is “intended to be a gift to those who have experienced hurt and discrimination because of their real or perceived sexual orientation.”
“The Church seeks nothing less than the healing of the world, and Central UMC wants to offer words and acts of healing to those hurt and marginalized,” the website states.
Jeff Buchanan, the director of Exodus Church Equipping & Student Ministries, agrees that the Church must display love and compassion for those in the LGBT community. But he opposes the message that CUMC is sending through their “Being Gay is a Gift from God” campaign.
“Why would God bestow this ‘gift’ only to condemn it throughout the Bible? This would seemingly contradict His character as a God who is loving and just.”
The Toledo church’s controversial billboard ad is directly connected to a long month-long sermon series by its new pastor, Bill Barnard. The church is hoping that the ad will move the public towards tolerance, reported ABC 13, and not perpetuate anti-gay attitudes and behaviors, which were harming the LGBT community.
The purposes of their recently launched campaign are threefold: to offer welcome to all persons who are gay; to challenge the larger Church to fully accept persons who are gay into the life of the Church; and to call on all people to bring all the gifts of who they are to God.
“By welcoming and living in community with faithful Christians who happen to be gay, we have come to understand that being gay is part of who God made them to be,” CUMC proclaims on their site. “And by gay Christians bringing all that they are to God, the body of Christ has been strengthened.”
“In fact, we would experience the body of Christ as incomplete without LGBT persons.”
Barnard told ABC, “We really believe that being gay is a gift from God, and it’s not anything that anyone has to apologize for or be ashamed about. So that’s how [the campaign] came to be.”
Believing sexuality to be a “good gift from God” – or as they declared yet another way in God’s infinite diversity – CUMC defines sin as denying who God created them to be.
“The overwhelming scientific evidence is that people are born with their sexual orientation, that it is not a choice,” the church contends. “Fully accepting one’s sexual orientation and identity is key to leading a normal and healthy life.
“Forcing people to act against their God-given sexual orientation will lead to disordered lives. Allowing people to act in accordance with their God-given sexual orientation leads to reconciliation.”
While deeming the marginalization of LGBT persons as “unjustified” – mentioning that Jesus did not speak directly regarding homosexuality – the Toledo church recognizes that the Church today continues to be divided over interpretation of Scripture related to homosexuality.
Just two months ago, 33 retired United Methodist bishops urged the denomination to remove its ban on homosexual clergy, prolonging the undying debate within the church body.
CUMC hopes to unify believers by focusing more on “things that [they] agree on, such as kindness, justice, and humility,” instead of contributing to hate and discrimination, which they believe leads not to reconciliation, but to self-destructive practices within the LGBT community.
“Holding people responsible for matters in which they have no control is irrational and immoral,” the church declares. “We believe that both those within and without the Church are hungry for dialogue about homosexuality that reflects compassion and humility rather than intolerance and strife.”
Buchanan contends that CUMC’s message “tells people that the only option they have is a gay identity.”
But “people need to understand that thousands of men and women have found there is another way and have found freedom from homosexuality through the power of Christ,” he says.
Even if there was conclusive evidence supporting the theory that people were “born this way,” Buchanan stresses that Christians were called to be “born again.”
“While we may not choose our desires, we do have the ability and responsibility to choose whether or not we act on those desires. Our goal should be living a life that is congruent with Scripture,” he says.
“Genesis describes the fall of man and the permanent effects that sin has on us spiritually, mentally, and physically. Just because something may be inherent does not mean it was intended.”
Despite the outcry of many from the Christian community against CUMC’s campaign, Barnard continues to proclaim that homosexuality is a “gift” and has people come and remain just “as they are.”
Working to accept persons who are gay into the full life of the Church, CUMC is a founding member of the Reconciling Ministries Network, which is the United Methodist movement for gay equality in the denomination.
Two of the volunteer staff members at their church, including the music director and lead team chair, live with their partners and have served the church for over seven years.
Grieved over the misinterpretation of Scripture and false teaching that is being promoted by CUMC and many other churches like them, Buchanan encourages churches to deliver the message of Christ with love and grace, but also with accuracy and uncompromised truth.
“We must always remember that authentic love is built upon a foundation of grace and truth.”
Do you know what “church “ that site represents?
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
Sorry it was wide awake that tried to hid his potty language not you..
Sorry it was wide awake that tried to his his potty language not you..
Sorry it was wide awake that tried to his his potty language not you..
Well................if you find this entertaining.
THE JERK
Any examination of the purported “evidence” will show Calvin was both loved and hated, with good reason for both, but the charge of being caught in an act of sodomy is just an attempt to slander an enemy.
Honesty is honesty...even for those we disagree with.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
‘Do you know what “church “ that site represents?’
Here is the writer’s home page:
http://sites.google.com/site/standfordrives/Home
He formerly attended a Reformed Congregation but does not say where he goes now.
Before one of your kind gets on here to chastise you about following the rules, you really should ping those you are discussing.
Meshelle Lesner, Lead Team Chair
Central United Methodist Church
Meshelle lives in West Toledo with her partner Cathie and their dog, Jack. She has been a member of Central since 2003 and says that what she likes best about Central is the “come-as-you-are atmosphere.” She loves coffee, sci fi, old t-shirts, Rich Mullins, and Jesus, and her favorite book of the Bible is Philippians. She really dislikes humidity and the color raspberry. She works full-time as the Training Manager and Coordinator of Spiritual Life at Sunshine, an agency that provides care to people with developmental disabilities.
http://centraltoledo.org/blog/who-we-are/staff/
Central United Methodist Church
2108 Collingwood Blvd, Suite 200
Toledo, Ohio 43620
Phone 419.241.7729
E-mail office@centraltoledo.org
No problem, apology accepted.....no harm, no foul. (One apology was more than enough.)
(BTW, like I have told you several times, I am not OPC)
Now, since you seem to want to discuss the nature of God, let's take a look at how the Roman Catholic teaching on God:
Paul VI, Ecclesiam Suam 107, August 6, 1964 “Then [we refer] to the adorers of God according to the conception of monotheism, the Muslim religion especially, deserving of our admiration for all that is true and good in their worship of God.”So there you have it, according to Catholic teachingSecond Vatican Council, Lumen Gentium 16, November 21, 1964 “But the plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place among whom are the Muslims: these profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind’s judge on the last day.”
“The Church has also a high regard for the Muslims. They worship God, who is one, living and subsistent, merciful and almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth (Cf. St. Gregory VII, Letter III, 21 to Anazir [Al-Nasir], King of Mauretania PL, 148.451A.), who has spoken to men. They strive to submit themselves without reserve to the hidden decrees of God, just as Abraham submitted himself to God’s plan, to whose faith Muslims eagerly link their own. Although not acknowledging him as God, they venerate Jesus as a prophet, his Virgin Mother they also honor, and even at times devoutly invoke. Further, they await the day of judgment and the reward of God following the resurrection of the dead. For this reason they highly esteem an upright life and worship God, especially by way of prayer, alms-deeds and fasting.
I have to consider the post to which I am responding as a completely baseless personal attack. And I think the poster knows it, because she has violated forum etiquette, etiquette that is well known to her, in her method of posting it.
Matthew 28:
18 And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
Definitely not. Jesus announced that He was speaking as God, but the translation of the word "power" is problematic without an understanding of the original Greek meaning. What do you think its deeper exegestic meaning is?
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