Abundant Grace Community Church in action Rev. Paul Turner was convinced he had preached his last sermon, pastored his last church, and counseled his last parishioner. He had dedicated the last 8 years of his life to the church. But he was turned out of
There was a parade on the first Sunday Dr. Mike Cordle began his tenure in the summer of 1990 at Atlanta’s St. Mark United Methodist Church. “I thought, how nice, they’re welcoming us to Atlanta,” he remembered, “then I realized it was not for us,
From the Ontario Centre for Religious Freedom Many gays and lesbians remain partially or completely in the “closet”. They often find the Church as the last place that they would want to “come out”, because of the fear of rejection and homophobia. This is unfortunate,
Listen to the podcast interview As we have seen in this issue, many “mainstream” churches are opening their doors to gays and lesbians. This action is undoubtedly being blessed by God as evidenced by the growth and other miracles these churches have experienced. It’s good
The Association of Welcoming & Affirming Baptists was initiated at a gathering of pastors at the 1991 American Baptists’ Biennial meeting in Charleston, West Virginia, and was formally organized at the 1993 Biennial in San Jose, California. By 1995 the Association had grown to over
It is sad indeed that the issue of homosexuality has become, as Tony Campolo has called it, one of the “hot potatoes” of the church today. It has particularly become a lightning rod for the so-called “mainline” churches. The problem is one of ignorance and
MCC Greenville will soon be holding services in their new building, now that the city has approved the move. Last issue we told you the story of Greenville MCC. They were denied a permit by the city for what the zoning board said was a
The devil went down to Greenville, S.C. It’s the dream of every growing congregation to have a building they can call their own. It’s a milestone that many churches with ministries to gays and lesbians have achieved. The congregation of MCC Greenville believed they had
Too often when gays and lesbians think of religion, they think about people like Pat Robertson, Ralph Reed or Jerry Falwell: men who would use the Bible against them. That’s why it’s refreshing when you find a group of people who make it their purpose
Blessing same-sex marriage for the “right” reasons As a Baptist minister, I find the task of writing on the issue of allowing gays and lesbians to marry an assignment that brings with it much fear and trepidation. There is not a lot of healthy debate