Wednesday, February 05, 2014

Pastor Removes Gay Man's Membership, Denies Him Communion

In keeping with the religious bent on today’s blog posts let’s go with Bobbie Pierce.
Bobbie is twenty years old and has been going to Ambassador's Bible Chapel in Newberry Township, Pennsylvania for years; he was even baptized there. But now Bobbie is out, because he came out.

Pastor David Slautterback stood before his congregation last week and announced that he and the church elders had removed Bobbie Pierce from the church's membership because he failed to change his mind about his sexual orientation. Slautterback says he wants Pierce to repent for his sin and to return to fellowship at the church, where he is still welcome to attend as long as he does not cause division or speak contrary to scripture.

Or be gay. Be quiet and gay is okay, I guess, but don’t be gay and speak about it.

Bobbie has called the decision by the pastor to remove him from the church a hateful move, while the not-so-good pastor says Bobbie is the one guilty of hate because he took his story of being kicked out of the church to the media. But he says he doesn’t hate Bobbie, only that he "placed Bobbie under church discipline out of love for Bobbie and regard for his soul."

Oh, bless your heart Pastor, for telling Bobbie that you love him, but he has to get out of the church because he’s gay. I love you, now get out is not love.

Bobbie Pierce took his story to the York Daily Record's Facebook posting the letter he received from the church. He did so because he wanted people to know what was happening to him, and because he wants other gay men and women in the area to know they are not alone.
"I've heard so many stories of someone who is homosexual who has a strict Christian family, who commits suicide."--Bobbie Pierce
He admitted that he has felt that way a few times, but his friends have helped him to feel better. He also says he didn’t choose to be gay, and has done research, looking up scripture and interpretations of scripture online. He believes he is a Christian, and said "homosexuality isn't a sin, it isn't a choice."

Slautterback disagrees, reciting a passage from the Bible to prove his point; like Matthew 5:27–28, which says "Thou shalt not commit adultery, but...whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart."

Um, I doubt Bobbie Pierce is looking on women with lust, Pastor.

But Slautterback thinks Bobbie Pierce can and should change.
"I do not believe that a homosexual person has to be homosexual any more than I believe that a person who is inclined to steal steals."—Pastor David Slautterback
Yes, folks, in the tiny addled mind of David Slautterback, being gay is akin to being a thief.

But, no matter what Slautterback says, Bobbie Pierce plans to continue attending Ambassador's Bible Chapel "to show that I'm going to rise above the hate, or at least I'm not afraid." Bobbie also says he'll keep going because he takes his grandmother, who is in a wheelchair, to church every week. Plus, he said, he's grateful to have some people from the church in his life.
"The members of the church are like a family. That's where I grew up. Even with the non-acceptance of homosexuality, it's still my church where I felt comfortable."—Bobbie Pierce
And though some of the more liberal churches have wrestled with, and accepted, the notion of allowing gay members, Slautterback says that isn’t so for his church:
"I realize the conservatives are in the minority today, it doesn't mean we're wrong. Those kinds of (conservative) churches by and large are not wrestling it. This (homosexuality) has been a sin since the scriptures were written."
Here’s one thought for you, pastor, about your judgment; I’m gonna leave you with one of my favorite quotes by comedian Lynne Lauer:
“The Bible contains six admonishments for homosexuals and 362 admonishments for heterosexuals. That doesn’t mean that God doesn’t love heterosexuals. It just means that they need more supervision.”
Think on that.

13 comments:

  1. "It just means that they need more supervision" -- classic that. :-)

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  2. The Bible also says "Judge not, lest ye be judged" and "Forgive our debts as we forgive our debtors". Jesus said, "whatsover you do to the least of these, you have done also unto me." He should think of those scriptures as well.

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  3. @TDM and anne marie:
    I do so love that quote!

    @Joe
    Sometimes these "pastors" forget the parts of the Bible that don't support their arguments.

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  4. He should tell them to take their wine and communion wafers and shove them!

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  5. Anonymous7:38 PM

    The church does not hate Bobbie , they have decided that his decision to remain as a gay person goes against their core Christian beliefs. Bobbie is not kicked out of the church , they just revoked his membership. Unlike a private club where such a revocation us the end , the church still loves him and us fine with him attending. He just can't overtly stand for his belief in God' s own house.

    They can't allow him to remain a member as his stand goes against his stated beliefs from when he did join. One could say he joined the church under false pretenses ( assuming he knew that his sexual orientation was against church doctrine). His coming out has led to his current position.

    God's word is not to be taken lightly. God created man with free will and Bobbie is truly free to do what he wants , within the constraints of where he does it. You can't show up at an AA meeting and drink a bottle of booze during the meeting. Is it hate for that person to have their " membership " removed ? He has a right to drink and who can judge him for doing a legal act ?

    It isn't about judgment folks. It's about acting and loving someone enough to " tough love" them. You do this to your kids and teachers do it at school. They certainly do it in the military to new recruits ! The Godly beliefs of this church ( I do not attend there ) are paramount to the pastor and the congregation. Churches like theirs have also done this to unrepentant people involved in extramarital affairs , and others who have done such behaviors.

    If Bobbie wants to keep attending that church. He absolutely can. Nobody hates him and nobody is going to throw him out unless he makes overt stands for his beliefs in violation of church doctrine. He can attend their until he runs out of birthdays if he wants.

    Those who see this as done sort of hate by the church , don't know church law or doctrine. This is not ex-communication as I think the Catholic Church does. People will,still talk to him there and are and will pray for him.

    As Christians we are to love and are not to judge but Pastors and others are also to abide by God's commands. They haven't ceased loving Bobbie , they just want him to abide by God's principles in God's house.

    Moses told Pharoh " let my people go " many times , and when he wouldn't , very powerful plagues came down on the Egyptians. Eventually , he could n't take it anymore and let them go.

    He later made the tragic mistake of chasing after them and at God's direction , brought the Red Sea down on them.

    You can use the liberty God gave you to choose how you are going to live. None of us are good enough to earn our way to Heaven. The only way for us to get there was for a perfect sacrifice to be done for us. That sacrifice was the death of Jesus Christ followed three days later by his resurrection over death.

    He died a difficult , painful death to pay for your liberty to choose. Accept Christ and you will have eternal rewards beyond belief. Reject him and you will one day stand before him , attempting to rely on how good you were to get into heaven. Only you aren't good enough ( none of us are) and you will be sentenced to an eternity in Hell away from God.

    God loves you and wants you to come to him through Jesus but you do have a choice.

    Choose wisely. Smoking or non-smoking ?

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  6. That move of the Pastor was not out of love. That was wrong for the Pastor to do. I didn't know we were to kick people out of the fold due to hate. What would Jesus do?

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  7. Anonymous9:19 PM

    What did God do when Adam and Eve sinned ? They got kicked out of the Garden of Eden. God didn't hate them , he loved them but had to punish them.

    The church in this case did not kick Bobbie out. He is free to attend without persecution. They simply revoked his membership ( many people attend churches who are not members )

    They don't hate him. Their church doctrine ( based on Gods word) does not allow a homosexual to be a member. Hate wasn't ever brought up by anyone in that church. It was brought up by people who assumed that because of his loss of membership.

    Andy , York, PA

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  8. Y'all are forgetting the pastor equated being gay to being a criminal. That isn't love.
    And actually the pastor threw the first hate brick because Bobbie went to the media.
    Gay isn't a sin, get over it.

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  9. Anonymous11:16 AM

    "I do not believe that a homosexual person has to be homosexual any more than I believe that a person who is inclined to steal steals," Slautterback said.

    Above is what the pastor said. It is the only reference to anything criminal and you can clearly see that he did not equate being gay with being a criminal.

    He simply stated that a homosexual doesn't have to be gay anymore than a thief has to be a thief. He is stating that each is a choice , not an unintended result. It is a comparison at best , not an insinuation that being gay is a criminal act.

    Andy , York, PA

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  10. Andy, I take it your not gay so let me ask you a question.
    When did you CHOOSE to be straight? i mean, if being gay is a choice, then it follows straight is a choice. How many men were you with before you chose heterosexuality.
    Gay is not a choice, it's a line bigots use to further hate.

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  11. Anonymous5:47 PM

    Bob;

    Being heterosexual is the way we were born because It is God's way of us perpetuating the human race. If the earth had nothing but homosexuals on it , the human race would disappear.

    Those who are gay choose this lifestyle. They like it and they enjoy it. They could change and revert back to what they were intended to do if they wanted to. I admit , to them it is like an addiction that is not easily broken off. Sort of like being a drug addict or someone who claims they can't stop smoking.

    Nobody is born with a lifestyle pre-programmed into them. They can be influenced to do or like a number of things but ultimately , the final choice is theirs. People have come from horrible backgrounds and have done very well. Others from such backgrounds have not. People from wonderful backgrounds have done well , others from similar situations have not.

    There certainly is no evidence of any genetic proof that people are born gay. There certainly is (obvious) evidence that we were born to procreate with the opposite sex.

    Andy.

    York, PA

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  12. Andy,
    So people CHOOSE to be gay because we LIKE it?

    We like being second class citizens treated unequally in the eyes of the law?

    We like being fired from jobs for being gay?

    We like being denied housing for being gay?

    We like getting bashed and beaten and oftentimes murdered for being gay?

    Oooh, it DOES sound fun!

    And, in your mind being gay is like smoking or taking drugs? Then tell me, why are there no successful gay rehabs? And please don't say there are because there aren't, which is why quite a few states are banned so-called reparative therapies.

    Because gay is no more a choice than straight.

    And, while we're at it, gay is not a lifestyle; its a life.

    You get your "information" from the Bible, a history book written by a group of men, mortal men, who call it the word of God, but in your little book there are very few references about The Gay.

    So, you go on and believe your Bible and I'll go on and believe science and psychology and biology that says people are born gay.

    You have a bias based on a book, a fable, not fact.

    THAT'S a choice, not being gay.

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