Through His Representatives God Voted “No” – IDAHO(T) 2014
In the Church of the Half Loaf, “listen to the sermon, and keep your faggy mouths shut” …
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I’m part of one of the most prominent families that attend Connection Pointe Church (formerly Brownsburg Christian Church) in Brownsburg, IN. My grandparents have taught Sunday school there for over fifty years, my aunts, uncles, cousins, and my mother still attend regularly. My brother was baptized in that church (I was never baptized, too much of a Doubting Thomas you might say).
I haven’t been to a service there since 2004 and after this little incident, it’s very doubtful I would ever go back.
A couple years ago, my cousin Chris posted a link to the most recent sermon from Rev. Steve Reeves on his Facebook page and said “Listen to this with an open mind”. So I did.
What that sermon contained was degrading and offensive beyond measure. Due to the continuing controversy over the extension of LGBT rights in this country, the church board of directors, board of elders, grand high poobah council, whatever the term is, decided to vote on what Connection Pointe would allow.
They decided that gay folks would certainly be allowed to attend services, but that would be it. Nothing else would be offered, no classes, no counselling, nothing. Certainly no marriage services (not that we have marriage equality in the state of Indiana, but I guess the church felt the need to strike first just in case).
Yep, that was the vote, gay folks in the back of the pews you might say. Sit in the back, listen to the sermon, and keep your faggy mouths shut, you should be grateful we even allow you in the building.
But why do this? Why vote to single out a certain group of people? Certainly no other group would be collectively given such a second-class treatment at Connection Pointe.
Two words: politics and money. Many churches in America are deeply political and Connection Pointe is no exception, this is Indiana, this is a deeply conservative state and if Connection Pointe wants those collection plates to keep getting full they better appeal to their demographic and their demographic generally doesn’t like gay folk.
It’s also an exercise in bargain basement American Christian morality; they can pat themselves on the back and say “look, at least we let them in the building and listen to the sermons instead of just throwing them out, see what good Christians we are.” Yeah, well they could have let LGBT folks in the building and allowed them full membership, I mean I think that’s something that Christ would do (he didn’t turn down the tax collectors or the prostitutes, he didn’t offer them half a loaf and then pat himself on the back).
This certainly isn’t the only church to offer the LGBT community in their towns half a loaf and there are certainly churches around here that treat gay folks a helluva lot worse. But why should we be satisfied with half a loaf? If we are indeed the Children of God, as Christianity teaches, why should we be treated any differently?
And finally, to my family, I know its tradition and all and I know you guys have been at the church for decades, but why continue to go and support a place that voted to treat your own flesh and blood as a second-class person?
