KingsGate Community Church on BBC Songs of Praise 4

[1daddyDA]

@ThePerfectState...Furthermore­, other than quoting large portions of old testament law, or appealing to the views of the Apostle Paul, what teaching do you have from Jesus Christ that even mentions Gay relationships. You'll site Paul but he only saw temple prostitution, not the wonderful and God inspired love between two Gay people. Who is to say Jesus himself might not have been Gay & then we have the love that David showed for Jonathan in the old testament.

[1daddyDA]

Which is fine if your issue is about self-esteem or something considered to be respectable & within the bounds of conventional Christianity. However, if you are Gay that's quite another issue. A Tony Goddard, described by the Church as the Pastoral Manager, openly asserts that he can not fathom why homosexual clergy should be allowed into positions of pastoral authority anywhere. So, if you're young, gay, lesbian, transgender, or just liberal, you might not fit in here.

[ThePerfectState]

@1daddyDA sadly, its the "labels" that we call ourselves/or are given by others, that cause divisions in the church, well, the church plus any community. And to some extent I agree with you, and to some extent I don't. For example, 'Gay' is a label, it is not an identity definition. Just as we're trying to minimise or erase the effects of the 'black' or 'white' label cast over us, we need to also see everyone, who loves the Lord, in leadership or not, are people, not 'gay/straight'.

[ThePerfectState]

@1daddyDA thus, we can, as you imply, embrace everyone on an equal footing. For example, if the bible teaches against sex before marriage, and if someone in the church commits this, this does not label them or change the definition of who they are as a person, insomuch as a person labelled as 'gay' should be openly embraced as a wholly acceptable person within the church community, preferably without that label, or any label, because God only sees into our hearts, past superficiality.

[1daddyDA]

@ThePerfectState The issue is really perfectly acceptable, your Church defines simply enacting a Gay lifestyle & possibly marrying a same sex partner as sinful, in the way that it defines sex outside marriage as sinful. By claiming for themselves their rightful identity, your faith perspective says something is sinful when it is not. Where does Christ speak about this ?