From THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS:
The Baptist General Convention of Texas is distancing itself from longtime affiliate Royal Lane Baptist Church of Dallas, which recently changed its Web site to reflect an affirmation of gay members. They have 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.
Earlier, Matthews said deacons overwhelmingly approved changing the church Web site to say Royal Lane is "a vibrant mosaic of varied racial identities, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and denominational backgrounds." He noted that the church had not changed its bylaws or taken an official vote on homosexuality but said the new Web site language reflected publicly the church's long practice of welcoming gays and lesbians, including ordaining some as deacons.
"It's just an acknowledgement of who we are," he said.
The BGCT had a similar problem with Wilshire Baptist Church in Ft Worth, which also is open to gay parishioners, but Wilshire avoided a fight by not sending messengers to the BGCT convention last year.
ReplyDeleteSo, "stance on homosexuality" is not the same as the "homosexual stance" then.
ReplyDeleteHere, "emergence" will work in our favor, as a new generation is aware of the irrelevance of keeping out teh gays.
Back in the day when I spent far too much of my time in Gay discos, I remember there was definitely something you could label a homosexual dance. Could this be what they are on about, KJ? Although I don't like the sound of a dance on homosexuals.
ReplyDeleteFeh. Forget the BCGT and affiliate with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship instead. They're a decent bunch of folks, even if they are Baptists, and thus possess an impoverished liturgical tradition ;)
ReplyDeleteHow much fun do Royal Lane sound?
ReplyDeleteUnlike the other lot.