Homophobia Suspected In Church Fire

[davidinalameda]

http://www.365gay.com/NewsContent/082803churchArson.htm

The FBI has entered the investigation into an arson fire at a gay-welcoming church in Makiki. The blaze at the First Christian Church this week could be linked to the church's opposition to last month's Family Day (story) which excluded gays fire department officials say.

Rev. Vaughn Beckman, the church's openly gay pastor, has been highly critical of the event which was sponsored by the city.

The early morning fire did about $150,000 damage to the church. The blaze was reported at 4:39 a.m. and confined to the bottom-floor fellowship hall. Fire officials say the fire appeared suspicious and believe it may have been a hate-crime.

[KamaAina]

1. That's right in my neighborhood (Makiki is a section of Honolulu)

Hallelujah, I think I may finally have found religion! I stopped going to UU 'cause there's only one here and it's 45 minutes away.

Rev. Beckman carried protest signs at the "Family Day" event which was little more than a revival meeting held in a public park, and produced by the Christian* Coalition, with help from the city.

Makiki is not the sort of neighborhood where kids just arson things for the hell of it. Nothing like this has happened in the nearly three years I have been here. There is also a fire station almost literally right around the corner. The fire must have spread extremely fast (i.e. with accelerants) to have caused so much damage.

The hell of it is that this has received almost no local coverage because all available airtime is going to the island-wide bus strike (another sound reason to worship in the neighborhood).

I really might go and support them. Trouble is, they don't have anyplace left to hold social hour, which as we all know is the real sacrament given out on Sunday morning!

Edit: Local news coverage is here:

http://starbulletin.com/2003/08/28/news/index6.html

Beckman was most recently in the public eye earlier this summer when he and others protested the city's decision to exclude gay groups from the city-funded Family Day Parade, sponsored by the Hawaii Christian Coalition.

Beckman stood on the sidelines of the parade and held up a sign that said, "Bigotry and Hate Are Not Family Values."

He, along with the American Civil Liberties Union, has a pending federal lawsuit against the city for its exclusion of gay individuals from the Family Day Parade in July.

[davidinalameda]

6. let me know if the church starts taking donations to rebuild

I'd definately give and I know others that would as well

[gratuitous]

2. Look for their insurance to be cancelled

An odious outfit called Brotherhood Mutual cancelled its policy with the Skyridge Church of the Brethren of Kalamazoo, MI on August 20 because of the publicity surrounding that congregation's ordination of a gay man. The congregation had been insured by the company for many years, and had always made its premium payments on time. The insurance company, whose website laughably cites its honor and integrity and fealty to biblical principles, wouldn't respond to my request for more information about the cancellation of the policy.

So, I assume they couldn't point to any other Church of the Brethren congregations that had experienced any losses due to their ordination of openly homosexual persons. Actually, they couldn't possibly have cited anything of the sort, because the only other congregation in the entire denomination to ordain an openly homosexual person is mine, Peace Church of the Brethren in Portland OR, and we haven't been attacked.

It's disgusting to see such hypocrites as these and the arsonist in Hawai'i wrap themselves in the scripture as cover for their hysterical bigotry.

[davidinalameda]

5. you're kidding!

they had their insurance coverage cancelled because of that

that is a clear case of discriminiation. the insurance company should be hauled into court and forced to continue coverage

[keopeli]

3. Amen. Amen. Amen! NM

[ninkasi]

4. Such warped values...

these homophobes have! It's even worse when you consider that many claim to be Christian, without having the slightest understanding of what Jesus' teachings meant.

How sad, that so many find so much time to practice hatred and destruction. Sick, twisted, evil people, they must be, to do the things they do.