Posted on 12/11/2006 2:42:03 PM PST by kiriath_jearim
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- The founding pastor of a second Colorado church has resigned over gay sex allegations, just weeks after the evangelical community was shaken by the scandal surrounding megachurch leader Ted Haggard.
Haggard, a gay-marriage opponent, admitted to unspecified "sexual immorality" when he resigned last month as president of the National Association of Evangelicals and pastor of the 14,000-member New Life Church in Colorado Springs. A male prostitute had said he had had sex with Haggard for three years.
On Sunday, Paul Barnes, founding pastor of the 2,100-member Grace Chapel in this Denver suburb, told his evangelical congregation in a videotaped message he had had sexual relations with other men and was stepping down.
Dave Palmer, associate pastor of Grace Chapel, told The Denver Post that Barnes confessed to him after the church received a call last week.
The church board of elders accepted Barnes' resignation on Thursday.
On the videotape, which The Post was allowed to view, Barnes told church members: "I have struggled with homosexuality since I was a 5-year-old boy. ... I can't tell you the number of nights I have cried myself to sleep, begging God to take this away."
Barnes, 54, led Grace Chapel for 28 years. He and his wife have two adult children.
Palmer said in a written statement that "While we cannot condone what he has done, we continue to support and love Paul."
(Excerpt) Read more at newsday.com ...
And another one bites the... uh... dust!
Sheesh, will the megachurch pastor who ISN'T a closet case please step forward?
If not, I predict it will be out within the next 30 days.
As with sex outside of marriage, God doesn't want us to have homosexual relations, either.
That said, both are wrong before God. It is allowable to have gay inclinations but never to act on them. It is also allowable to have heterosexual inclinations, but we are not to act on them outside of with the one with whom we are married.
Paul Crouch paid off his accuser with ministry funds. That and the fact he basically owns TBN and can do what he wants (charitable status notwithstanding) made the difference.
Another gay man caught preaching the gospel. If this doesn't stop, this is going to give homosexuality a bad name.
How despicable. I guess any charismatic pervert can become a pastor these days.
Looks like he was leading an Emergent Church.
I hope they don't use this sort of accusation as a weapon in the fight inside TEC (i.e., the eight churches leaving the Diocese of Virginia, the immiment departure of the Diocese of San Joaquin, etc.).
They already have. Various "progressive" Episcopal websites are spreading the rumor that Bishop Schofield of San Joaquin, one of the dioceses that is preparing to leave, is gay.
See, e.g., http://my-manner-of-life.blogspot.com/2006/11/schofields-closet.html
"Another gay man caught preaching the gospel. If this doesn't stop, this is going to give homosexuality a bad name."
Looks like he was leading an Emergent Church.
10 posted on 12/11/2006 5:15:16 PM MST by The Ghost of FReepers Past
They changed the Worship Minister and began using 7-11 tunes, morality plays during worship services and Rick Warren 30 days etc. The Wednesday morning men's prayer breakfast group distanced themselves about that time. The change in worship was led by a woman with a Master's degree in Music from a roman catholic university. In conversation with her she insisted that Peter had gone to Rome and it was documented in the writings of Flavius Josephus.I had been a member of Grace Chapel for about 10 years when I left about 3 years ago.
b'shem Y'shua
Interesting.
Is there some reason why you capitalize "Masters" and "Music," but not "roman catholic"? Just to be insulting?
In conversation with her she insisted that Peter had gone to Rome and it was documented in the writings of Flavius Josephus.
Josephus never said a word about it.
a Master's degree in Music from a Roman Catholic University.
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