KY Baptist Convention disfellowships Crescent Hill BC

[Haruo]

Mrs H found concerning a decision by the KBC to sever ties with Crescent Hill Baptist Church of Louisville over the latter's decision to go forward with its first gay marriage ceremony. I don't particularly recommend the article, but I was strongly impressed, favorably, with , which I commend to your attention.

[Ed Pettibone]

[KeithE]

[Sandy]

We've had this discussion myriads of times here, and I'm not aware than any minds have been changed. The difference isn't that all have sinned, and all are sinners, but a judgment call differentiating between whether a specific behavior or attitude is sinful or not. Churches are packed with sinners, in the flesh, and everything that goes with it. But this is a matter of redefining sinful behavior in a way that is contrary to the way it has been defined in scripture. But the church doesn't have the authority, or the standing, to simply declare something as not being sinful that God has defined as sinful through the inspiration of his Holy Spirit in the patriarchs, prophets and apostles in the scriptures.

Jesus may not have addressed homosexual behavior directly, but the prophets, patriarchs and apostles all did under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. And Jesus did define marriage as being between one man and one woman.

Making pariahs out of this particular sin, in reaction to militant activists, is also not acceptable. Homosexual sin should be handled by the church like any other kind of sin is handled, no more or less. Mature Christians are charged with the task of helping the less mature grow in their faith, not condemnation or judgment.

Crescent Hill, and other Christian churches that have self-determined that homosexual behavior is not sinful, are denying those trapped in this particular sin the opportunity to experience repentance and forgiveness. They voluntarily engaged in a covenant relationship with other Kentucky Baptists in missions partnership, and in that relationship, should have an understanding of the KBC's position. The courteous act would have been to withdraw when they realized they were not going to be able to be in agreement with the covenant in the relationship.

[Ed Pettibone]

[KeithE]

[Ed Pettibone]

Ed: Gee, I am shocked. I would have thought the KY State Convention would have separated from Crescent Hill long ago. They have had women Ordained as Deacons and Ministers in staff positions for years. And I am a bit surprised that it has taken this long for them to reach this decision. Trudy lived just around the corner before we got married and moved to an apartment just down one hill and up another on campus, about two blocks away. We have a friend (a former pastor of ours) who was interim there a few years ago.[/quote]
Would that Crescent Hill (and all other Baptist Churches in KY) had been disfellowhipped for allowing greedy people (you know the ones that give only about 2-3%) or the non-tolerant, there would be no fellowship between churches at all! Jesus said much more about the greedy and Pharisees than the zilch He said about LBGTs.

KeithE: Loved that commenter Haruo. Hating homosexuality is the obsession these days.[/quote]

Ed: Do you know of any sin that God does not hate?

KeithE: But He shows love for all sinners and does not choose some sinners for special scorn except for the Pharisees. But I’ll allow that He was condemning of them (e.g calling them “brood of vipers”) for the purpose of bringing them to see that love and acceptance is the best course.

Ed: Keith, I don't think he was talking to the Pharisees when he said "But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone hung around your neck. ... And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is ... to have a huge millstone tied around his neck and to be thrown into the sea." Nor the money changers on the temple porch. Your reading of scripture seems to be rather selective. The Bible speaks of both the Love of God and his Wrath. For 20 years I heard a lot more of the wrath and therefore made no commitment. When I finally learned of his love I accepted his free gift of grace but it does not countermand his limitations upon us.

And as I have said many time I know of no sin other than homosexuality that has such a huge lobbying group. And I have said I do not get a perturbed with homosexuals as I do with heterosexuals who defend the the sin of homosexuality. Therefore I must side on this issue with some folk with whom I am not totally comfortable. However I am not as uncomfortable with them as I am those who seem to treat the God of creation as a sugar Daddy.

[Tim Bonney]

Congratulations to Crescent Hill BC on their being disfellowshiped. For Southern Baptists that usually means you are doing something right.