Texas Baptist Convention to member churches: No Gays Allowed

The Baptist General Convention of Texas so despises gays and lesbians that if one of its member churches dares to promote LGBT tolerance, that congregation will automatically be cast out of the statewide religious organization. The Royal Lane Baptist Church in North Dallas has a long history of welcoming people with different backgrounds and sexual orientations, and last month RLBC decided to change it's website to reflect the policy.  Once BGTC officials discovered there was a church that accepted queer folk, all hell broke loose.  These are the words BGTC found so offensive:

"Royal Lane Baptist Church is an inclusive, multi-generational congregation joined in Christian community. We are a vibrant mosaic of racial identities, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and denominational backgrounds.  We affirm the sacredness, dignity, and equality of every man, woman, and child and honor each individual’s freedom to worship God and to respond to his or her unique call to ministry and service.  Royal Lane is an ecumenical Baptist congregation affiliated with The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and The Baptist General Convention of Texas."

Unless Royal Lane is prepared to change its policy of inclusiveness, they're going to have to change the website again and delete that last sentence.  The Baptist General Convention is having hissy fits that a church under its self-righteous aegis would allow Teh Evil Gays inside a house of worship.  From Dallas Morning News:  The BGCT's long-held position is that homosexuality is a sin.  The Dallas-based BGCT has decided to place in escrow any funds sent from Royal Lane. It also has asked Royal Lane to remove from church publications any reference to BGCT affiliation.  Randel Everett, executive director of the BGCT, said those conditions will remain until the church says it agrees with the stance on homosexuality.  "It is my prayer that Royal Lane Baptist Church will take the appropriate action to return to these Texas Baptist values and restore its fellowship with the BGCT," Everett said in a prepared statement.

Here in Texas, those "Baptist values" include meddling in state and local politics, denouncing liberals as sinners, lying to children about science, preaching that women are subservient to their husbands and unworthy to preach the gospel, and condemning LGBT persons to eternal damnation.  Praise the Lord and Pass the Hate.

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Comments

[aerie]

I think Texas is the portal to hell (if I believed in hell).