Media misrepresents Arlington (TX) church on gay vet memorial August 14, 2007
Posted by Paul Edwards in Homosexuality.trackback
All I know about High Point Church in Arlington, Texas is what I have read in the media, plus what I have learned perusing their website. I now know that the church is pastored by the brother-in-law of Joel Osteen.
The MSM wants you to believe that a conservative evangelical church deep in the Bible belt has refused to bury a vet because he was gay. Nothing could be further from the truth. Those of you who know how I feel about Joel Osteen should also know that I am not defending this church for any other reason than that it did the right thing.
Follow this link to read the church’s side of the story, one you aren’t getting from the MSM or even Christian Talk Radio:
High Point Church Could Not Allow an
Openly Homosexual Service in the Church
UPDATE: Paul speaks on-air with Pastor Gary Simons of High Point Church. Listen HERE.
You don’t explain in any way your allegation that the MSM “misrepresented” the church. I’m reading the church’s statement and think, A) it’s reprehensible, and B) it’s pretty much the same as what I saw reported in the Dallas Morning News, only lengthier.
The church did not do the right thing, or even the Christian thing.
The gospel in a word is love. The Christian thing would have been to hold the service.
The media clearly is misrepresenting why the church decided against hosting the memorial service as is evidenced by this headline from MSNBC.COM:Church learns vet was gay, cancels memorial.
The memorial was not canceled by the church because the vet was gay. It was cancelled because the family wanted to celebrate his gay lifestyle during the memorial service. That’s a major difference and the MSM is misrepresenting the motives of the church.
The man’s lifestyle - and his sin - has nothing to do with the decision. It’s the desire to CELEBRATE the lifestyle that is at issue. If the family of a murderer who died on death row came to my church and wished to hold a funeral service, there would be no objection. If, however, they wanted to show a video of the murderer commiting acts of murder and celebrating murder, there is no question that any church in America would not host the service. The same principle applies.
I applaud the church for ministering to the family while at the same time refusing to celebrate the gay lifestyle.
And here is where we find ourselves today. Lovely, isn’t it?
I agree with High Point Church that there would be a huge conflict in beliefs to allow the celebration of a sin in a person’s life. The pastor was right not to allow for the abuse of the church’s love and concern for the family to let this family try to promate a lifestyle that is not moral. The pastor wasn’t attacking the person as the media wants us to believe, but defending God’s Word, by standing for what is wrong in God’s eyes. As Paul and the pastor said, it was not against the person because of what they did and believed, but against becoming a unwilling puppet of the gay agenda.
Andrew, there is nothing “loving” letting people celebrate a sinful lifestyle. Love does not mean you shouldn’t correct or rebuke sinful behavior of people around us. In fact, 2 Timothy 3: 16-17 says “All Scripture is God-breathed and useful for TEACHING, REBUKING, CORRECTING and training in rightousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (NIV) and 1 Corinthians 16: 13-14 says “Be on guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love.” (NIV). God’s word shows us that what we must “do everything in love”, but that does not mean giving into being used to promote sin. God’s Word says we must “correct” and “rebuke” for the person’s benefit, and not to be mean or hateful but to show real “love” by helping those who are lost and in the dark to see the light of God’s Truth. That’s real love! Not being torreant of wrong behaviors, but standing firm in God’s Word that shows we are all sinful and in need of the saving Grace of Jesus Christ. The pastor of High Point Church was showing 1 Corinthains 16: 13-14 as he had courage by standing firm to God’s Word and not giving into the P.C. of the world to say OK we will go against what God tells us is wrong. It wasn’t the pastors own words he was stand strong on, it was the Word of God.
I read the church’s statement. The church clearly tries to show Love to this family and from the testimony of those who went to the memorial service, it seems to prove the Church was right in their stand to not promote that which would cause more harm then good, the celebration of the gay lifestyle. I pray that all the media twists would be exposed for the lies that are trying to be pinned on this church and those who believe in God’s Word and what it says about sin. I pray God’s peace and strenght for all those at the church as they are standing on God’s Truth. To God Be The Glory!
I’m sorry, would anyone flip out if the church canceled the service because they had found out the family wanted to celebrate the fact the man was a murderer or a professional cat burglar, featuring raw footage and photos of the deceased killing people or robbing homes and businesses? No one would bat an eyelash. Am I equating homosexuality with murder or theft? I sure am. Why? Because Christian Scripture lumps homosexuality in with those sins…along with heterosexual adultery and a host of other sins. To tell a church they were incorrect for holding to Christian Scripture, being unwilling to celebrate sin in the house of God is just plain stupid. They did not cast judgment on this man. They continued to show love. But, because calling an ace an ace (and by calling and ace an ace I mean calling homosexuality a sin) in our politically correct society where all sin is explained away as being genetically determined in some way or another, High Point Church is being ridiculed. Fact of the matter is, High Point made the right call if they are attempting to stick to their religious convictions, which are derived from the Bible. If you have a problem with that, they don’t have a problem with High Point. They have a problem with Jesus, the author of Scripture.
Continuing,
The family wanted pictures of male genitalia being fondled to be presented in a slide show in a church. One, this is just poor taste. What’s next? Strippers cavorting on the pulpit? Two, should children be in the audience (and I have yet to attend a “Adults Only” funeral) this would be tantamount to exposing children to pornography. How anyone can be upset about this is proof-positive that our society is debased and totally depraved.
This pastor is completely lying about the pictures being shown. This is just a made up excuse because pastor did not want to appear homophobic. These are lies, lies, lies, and you people are falling for them. Show me one of those so called pictures please. Stop defending this homophobic ministry. You people are like sheep and this pastor is the fox.
Proverbs 26:11 “As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly.”
What else can be said?