As same-sex couples chip away at the moral resistance to their lifestyle, it's obvious that their sights are now set on the religious community. Just this week, High Point Church in Texas--where I've preached twice--has come under fire for refusing to host a homosexual man's memorial service. The church had initially agreed to the service because the deceased was the brother of a church employee. However after the church discovered the man was a homosexual and that the memorial service would celebrate the homosexual lifestyle with suggestive photos and music from an openly gay men's chorus, the church's pastor, Gary Simons, withdrew the offer to host the event in the sanctuary.
The church secured another location, and catered lunch, at the church's expense, that would meet the needs of the family and not subject their sanctuary to being used to celebrate homosexuality. As Pastor Simons told his congregation this past Sunday, "This decision was not based on hate or discrimination but upon principle and policy. We cannot glorify homosexuality as a lifestyle."
Unfortunately, reporters who are sympathetic to the homosexual agenda refuse to see the incident for what it is--an exercise in religious freedom. Churches and clergy have every right to refuse their services or property for activities that violate their religious beliefs. However, as Pastor Simons would say, that doesn't mean he or his congregation have any less compassion for the man's family. It simply means they refuse to honor a lifestyle that is sinful in God's eyes.
Some New Jersey Methodists can certainly empathize with the negative press that High Church has received. After rejecting a lesbian couple's request to hold a civil union ceremony on their property, the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association now finds itself in the middle of a government investigation. The Ocean Grove leadership announced yesterday that they are filing suit against the state for religious intimidation. (Source: Family Research Council)
