Baptists toughen gay policy

[kweerwolf]

North Carolina’s largest religious organization voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to kick out any member church that “knowingly affirms, approves or endorses homosexual behavior.”

The largely conservative Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, meeting this week in Winston-Salem, asked its board of directors to define what constitutes a church “in friendly cooperation with the convention and sympathetic to its purposes and work.”

In its 175th year, the convention counts 1.2 million Baptists in its association. It is the second largest association of Baptist churches in the nation.

“I hope (the public) will take it to mean that North Carolina Baptists are voicing our biblical conviction ... (but also) that God offers love and forgiveness and healing,” the Rev. David Horton, pastor of Gate City Baptist Church in Greensboro, said after the vote.

http://www.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051116/NEWSREC0101/511160307/1001/NEWSREC0201

[shaggy1974]

1. Wow...

Who knew Southern Baptists could actually toughen their anti-gay policies ;)

[beyurslf]

3. That's what I was thinking. Next step is public stoning I think.

[Creideiki]

8. Do southern baptists allow communion?

Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod does not allow communion to gay members that are not currently undergoing psychiatric therapy to correct their homosexuality. Do the Southern Baptists go that far yet?

[harrison]

2. The difference between Christendom and Christianity.

[kevinbgoode]

4. Hmm..maybe we should offer this press release in response

The American gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community today announced they had voted to deport North Carolina Baptists to their Promised Land - a barge carrying garbage out to sea from New York.

GLBT spokesperson kevinbgoode said the vote was in keeping with the GLBT's increasing interest in maintaining religious purity and respecting the rights of others. "We hope the North Carolina Baptists will understand that God offers forgiveness for choosing a hatefilled lifestyle of religious demonizing," he said. "But we certainly hope they'll be happy in the heaven of their own lifestyle choosing."

The North Carolina Baptists are expecting their faith will turn the barge of garbage into a mountain of s'mores and that the water around them will transform into milk.

[Geek_Girl]

5. They keep kicking people out of there church

Pretty soon they won't have anybody left to kick out. Does this mean that they're going to kick out Bill Clinton, Al Gore and Jimmy Carter?

[kweerwolf]

6. Since Bill, Al and Jimmy aren't in North Carolina ...

...I think they are safe for now.

For the moment, it's only the North Carolina Baptists that are stomping around in K-Mart knock-off pumps and flailing their wrists wildly over 'mos in their churches.

I didn't think it was possible, but the N.C. Baptists make the rest of the denomination look almost moderate.

[NMMNG]

7. When are they going to throw out people who have been divorced?

After all, Jesus specifically forbade that. (Matthew 19:3-12)