Posted on 07/31/2005 7:26:42 AM PDT by Dane
Pastor's remarks on gays end AIDS groups' support
Saturday, July 30, 2005
Regina McEnery Plain Dealer Reporter
A number of AIDS agencies in Greater Cleveland withdrew their sponsorship of a church event promoting HIV awareness in the gay community after learning that one of the event's two organizers considers homosexuality a sin.
The AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland and the Lesbian/Gay Community Center of Greater Cleveland, whose names appear prominently on posters for the 4 Real Church and All Nations Church's Seeds of Faith service Sunday morning, said they will not participate.
Neither will the Free Clinic of Greater Cleveland, the Cleveland Treatment Center's Project Safe or AGAPE, an HIV/AIDS outreach ministry headquartered at Antioch Baptist Church. Advertisement
Seeds of Faith was largely billed as a prayer and healing service for gay people who are infected or affected by HIV/AIDS, and their friends and families. But the event, scheduled the day before the start of Black Gay and Proud Celebration Week in Cleveland, was also supposed to include free HIV testing and information on HIV and AIDS services for Cleveland's hard-to-reach black gay community.
The public relations nightmare erupted when James Jones, a young minister at the 4 Real Church on Crawford Road, was quoted in Fellow-ship Magazine as being a struggling ex-gay who compared homosexuality to addictions like alcoholism or narcotics abuse.
In the three-page Q&A, Jones told the magazine he believed that gays needed to give up their lifestyle to get into heaven and that because of his faith in God he was opposed to gay marriage.
Jones told The Plain Dealer that people are confusing his personal views about homosexuality with the scope and purpose of Seeds of Faith. He said the service won't be used to bash or convert gays. "We are not there to cast judgment," he said of his 400-member nondenominational church.
But the agencies aren't buying his explanation. "We feel incredibly deceived and betrayed," said Tim Marshall, a spokesperson for the Lesbian/Gay community center on Detroit Road. About 1,200 people go there each month seeking advice and services.
The center agreed to help print the flyers and promote the event after Jones approached various gay rights groups two months ago hoping to be included in Black Gay and Proud Celebration Week.
Blackout Unlimited women's programming and event coordinator Deb Sharp said that when she met Jones for the first time, he didn't share his feelings about gays. So she was surprised when a colleague passed on the article.
Two of the agencies said they were unaware that their names were being used to promote the healing service.
"We didn't know anything about it," said Dr. Stephen Weirich, medical director of the Free Clinic. "But we wouldn't have participated. It's against our philosophy to be so judgmental. It's pretty horrendous."
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:
rmcenery@plaind.com, 216-999-5338
Oh no, one can't have an opinion on an unnatural act.
That's verboten.
How dare a church pastor believe what the Bible teaches!
Yes, and they continue to deceive themselves and deny the truth. Let's see, somewhere it was written...
The Church needs to always call sin "Sin". Her job isn't to get along with the world system, but to challenge it and confront it with Truth and thus with God's answer to eternal separation from Him: Jesus Christ.
Those who deny they are sinners are self-condemned, and being mealy-mouthed about truth won't ever begin to help them.
Let's see. we have a group of fags and lesbo's refusing to participate/support a program which deals with a disease that affects fags and lesbo's. - big deal.
It is a sin, plain and simple. God said so. What do they expect, to change the word of God? Who are they hurting besides themselves? If they can't admit their sin and repent, then they will recieve no salvation.
"A number of AIDS agencies in Greater Cleveland withdrew their sponsorship of a church event promoting HIV awareness in the gay community after learning that one of the event's two organizers considers homosexuality a sin."
Good. Maybe they can use that money to fund STD treatment and education among heterosexuals since no one disputes that unmarried sex with multiple opposite-sex partners is also a sin.
The PC left will die in their own cesspool of lies.
Pretending that something is normal and even GREAT when it is not does no one any favors.
The Catholic Church is THE biggest help to those with HIV/AIDS. They do it all from start to finish--visiting, cooking, driving, you name it. They even have hospices for the PARENTS of those men dying of AIDS.
Ultra liberal cites despise having to give part of their city funds to the Church but KNOW that if money isn't given to the Church on the behalf of the city, then the city won't be able to claim helping AIDS sufferers AT ALL.
Their help is a meager 10%, at the most, of the Church's budget for helping. The cities ALSO know that the Church will continue to help the AIDS victims whether they get any government help or not.
The ultra liberal cities also try to force the Church to have same-sex benefits for their staff.
The Church, however, dealt with the Borgias 500 years ago. Today's pathetic little city government minions don't stand a chance against the Church's experience of dealing the the likes of the Borgias.
What the Church did with the arm-twisting on same-sex beneifits was classic.
They went ONE BETTTER than the city "demanded" and offered all staff the benefits, but said it was for all employees + one. The + one COULD be a same-sex lover OR a mother, brother, sister, grandparent, whatever.
The ultra liberal city arm-twister was ENRAGED at that.
Harhar.
It was beautiful to behold.
Catholic Church = 1
Homosexual agenda = 0
Hate the pastor, screw the sick perverts.
When the bible says the act is an abomination unto g-d, what do these liberals expect. it doesn't say you can't be homosexual, just the act is forbidden. They are lucky they are not in a muslim country or there would be a free stone-in after the parade.
So goes OHIO ,so goes the 08' Election !!
The Dems are gathering in OHIO !!
Get in lockstep there, straighten up the line, or I'll have to wield my nightstick. Now, all in unison, "Seig Homo", "Heil Homo", salute and goose step into the brave new reality.
vaudine.
A pastor tries to speak the truth, and is swooped down upon by the homosexual lobby.
Only one? Mankind's Creator considers homosexuality a sin!
The reprobate will not tolerate any opinion of their unnatural lifestyel choice that does not advance their hopeless cause that requires the world to embrace their
unnatural chosen lifestyle as if it were somehow superior.
AGAPE? Jeez, that's their problem in a nutshell.
-"But we wouldn't have participated. It's against our philosophy to be so judgmental. It's pretty horrendous."-
Hypocrite. Using "horrendous" is being judgmental.
lj - another one for the list.
Gay people are so intolerant of anyone who doesn't think like they do. Gays should be open and accepting of lifestyles other than their own. It's sad. Being that closed minded must be awful. Dare I say, bigoted?
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