C
Cat
Guest
I was born into Evangelical churches, and spent 47 years in some of the best in the U.S.
Yes, homosexuals would be welcome. But I can’t imagine why they would want to come to a church that is utterly contradictory to their lifestyle, UNLESS they are trying to get OUT of their lifestyle.
Remember, even though things are changing, a lot of Evangelical churches still frown upon or even forbid use of alcohol, dancing, attending movies and plays, having a TV in the home, reading or listening to secular news media, reading secular novels, listening to secular music (other than classical, but certain composers are suspect), attending sports events that occur on a Sunday, sending their children to public schools and colleges, etc.
Also, most Evangelical churches “expect” their friends and members to show up for not only the Sunday service, but also a Bible study and prayer meeting, a small group, and at least one (preferably more) “ministries” in the church. Men are often “expected” to be involved with the “accountability group,” (often the men attending have problems with porn or other sexual sins) and I would imagine that an openly gay man would especially be expected to attend this group faithfully.
One of the things that I learned over the years is that even though “salvation is by faith alone” in Evangelical churches, the “faith” is proved “real” by following a gigantic list of “rules”, unwritten, but very clear to those who are in the Evangelical churches. Violate those rules, and you will be out the door.
IF the gay person is “caught” doing ANYTHING that even suggested gayness (e.g., meeting someone of the same sex in a bar for a drink), he/she would be asked to meet with the pastors and church elders and asked to stop the behavior. If the person did not stop, he/she would be asked to leave the church and shunned.
I am not sure how most Evangelical churches would handle two gay men or lesbians who lived together in celibacy. That’s a tough one. I think it would depend on how masculine the gay men acted outside of their home, or how feminine the lesbians acted. Any hint of effeminacy from the men or “butch” from the women would probably incite a very negative reaction from the church leaders and laiety.
Evangelicals do a LOT of children’s and teens programming, and I think that a lot of Evangelicals would be militantly opposed to having gay people around their children and teens. Yes, they accept that everyone is a sinner, but when it comes to their children, some sins aren’t ever acceptable to expose them to, and “gayness” is one of those sins.
Back when I was very involved with Evangelicals, I did a lot of music/theater with my children’s choir, and I tried to talk some of the parents of the really interested children into doing community theater (this was back before Christian Youth Theater was created). The parents shook their heads and told me that they didn’t want their children exposed to homosexuals. They came right out and said it.
Also, many Evangelical churches are EXTREMELY conservative politically, often lining up with the most extreme of conservatives and opposing even pieces of legislation that could be a “compromise” bargaining tool for more moderate conservatives. Evangelical Protestants do not usually “compromise,” ever. It’s black and white. That’s great when it comes to abortion, but not so great when it comes to laws affecting the environment, or economic legislation, or gun control, or any of the “gray areas” that really aren’t grave sins one way or another.
Like I said, WHY would a gay person WANT to be part of all this, unless he/she was trying hard to stop being a practicing gay person?!
Yes, a lot of the Evangelical churches, especially the big ones, are getting rid of all these “rules.” That’s one reason why the big megachurches are so popular–they don’t demand.anything of their attendees. That’s one reason a lot of Catholics like to go to these megachurches–you just sit, sip latte, listen to a video and some really awesome music, and then leave. You might be asked to join in a “community ministry,” like helping to clean up a street or paint a school. But you aren’t asked to teach or lead a club or facilitate a Bible study or play the piano (the musicians are hired professionals). Megachurches are perfectly-designed for U.S. culture in 2013.
I’m sorry if this post sounds harsh towards Evangelicals, and I do realize, as I’ve said several times, that many Evangelical churches are striving to change and get rid of their unwritten “list of rules.”
Yes, homosexuals would be welcome. But I can’t imagine why they would want to come to a church that is utterly contradictory to their lifestyle, UNLESS they are trying to get OUT of their lifestyle.
Remember, even though things are changing, a lot of Evangelical churches still frown upon or even forbid use of alcohol, dancing, attending movies and plays, having a TV in the home, reading or listening to secular news media, reading secular novels, listening to secular music (other than classical, but certain composers are suspect), attending sports events that occur on a Sunday, sending their children to public schools and colleges, etc.
Also, most Evangelical churches “expect” their friends and members to show up for not only the Sunday service, but also a Bible study and prayer meeting, a small group, and at least one (preferably more) “ministries” in the church. Men are often “expected” to be involved with the “accountability group,” (often the men attending have problems with porn or other sexual sins) and I would imagine that an openly gay man would especially be expected to attend this group faithfully.
One of the things that I learned over the years is that even though “salvation is by faith alone” in Evangelical churches, the “faith” is proved “real” by following a gigantic list of “rules”, unwritten, but very clear to those who are in the Evangelical churches. Violate those rules, and you will be out the door.
IF the gay person is “caught” doing ANYTHING that even suggested gayness (e.g., meeting someone of the same sex in a bar for a drink), he/she would be asked to meet with the pastors and church elders and asked to stop the behavior. If the person did not stop, he/she would be asked to leave the church and shunned.
I am not sure how most Evangelical churches would handle two gay men or lesbians who lived together in celibacy. That’s a tough one. I think it would depend on how masculine the gay men acted outside of their home, or how feminine the lesbians acted. Any hint of effeminacy from the men or “butch” from the women would probably incite a very negative reaction from the church leaders and laiety.
Evangelicals do a LOT of children’s and teens programming, and I think that a lot of Evangelicals would be militantly opposed to having gay people around their children and teens. Yes, they accept that everyone is a sinner, but when it comes to their children, some sins aren’t ever acceptable to expose them to, and “gayness” is one of those sins.
Back when I was very involved with Evangelicals, I did a lot of music/theater with my children’s choir, and I tried to talk some of the parents of the really interested children into doing community theater (this was back before Christian Youth Theater was created). The parents shook their heads and told me that they didn’t want their children exposed to homosexuals. They came right out and said it.
Also, many Evangelical churches are EXTREMELY conservative politically, often lining up with the most extreme of conservatives and opposing even pieces of legislation that could be a “compromise” bargaining tool for more moderate conservatives. Evangelical Protestants do not usually “compromise,” ever. It’s black and white. That’s great when it comes to abortion, but not so great when it comes to laws affecting the environment, or economic legislation, or gun control, or any of the “gray areas” that really aren’t grave sins one way or another.
Like I said, WHY would a gay person WANT to be part of all this, unless he/she was trying hard to stop being a practicing gay person?!
Yes, a lot of the Evangelical churches, especially the big ones, are getting rid of all these “rules.” That’s one reason why the big megachurches are so popular–they don’t demand.anything of their attendees. That’s one reason a lot of Catholics like to go to these megachurches–you just sit, sip latte, listen to a video and some really awesome music, and then leave. You might be asked to join in a “community ministry,” like helping to clean up a street or paint a school. But you aren’t asked to teach or lead a club or facilitate a Bible study or play the piano (the musicians are hired professionals). Megachurches are perfectly-designed for U.S. culture in 2013.
I’m sorry if this post sounds harsh towards Evangelicals, and I do realize, as I’ve said several times, that many Evangelical churches are striving to change and get rid of their unwritten “list of rules.”
