What should be the response to homosexual angst at your local church?

By: Chris Johnson

A couple of days ago, I furnished you with a link regarding some nasty, dangerous, wicked conduct by a group of homosexuals against a regarded church in Lansing, Michigan (2 hours from ADA).

The headline reads from Worldnetdaily.com

“Lesbians, condoms go wild in attack on Christian church
Making out at pulpit, shouting blasphemies in front of children”
http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=80743

Our link for that story is:
https://americandecency.org/main.php?f=updates_new/2008/November/11.13.08

Mount Hope Church in Lansing, Michigan had responded to this incivility and criminality as pacifists.

I was concerned that no charges had been brought so I urged you our readers to express concern to local law enforcement: in this case,
the Eaton County Prosecutor and Sheriff.

The following response came from the Eaton County Undersheriff making it clear that no charges were brought because the church didn’t want to press charges.

Quoting:

This incident has generated numerous e-mails and calls from concerned citizens from across the country. I’m not sure how it was reported in your area, but 9 protesters interrupted the minister’s sermon by tossing pamphlets and shouting pro-gay slogans while others unfurled a banner.

If the church was vandalized, it wasn’t reported to the sheriff’s deputies. Church security reacted quickly and escorted the protesters to the parking lot without any further trouble. The protesters were identified by deputies and banned from church property at the request of a church official.

Had church officials wanted to prosecute, our office would have taken further action. The church merely wanted the protesters to leave which they did without any further disruption.

I have attached the first page of the police report indicating such.

Fred McPhail
Undersheriff
Eaton County Sheriff’s Office
Charlotte, MI
No doubt the question of how an individual and/or church should respond will be before some of us for years ahead.

An email from Family Research Council spoke very directly to this yesterday. Quoting:

The Best Defense Is a Good ADF Offense

In the last two weeks, we’ve received e-mails from FRC supporters asking what congregations can do if their church is targeted by anti-marriage radicals. For the harassment to stop, the church must exercise its legal rights. Even the apostle Paul did so as a Roman citizen when he was persecuted for his faith. If your church has been damaged or vandalized, there are criminal and civil actions that you can take to exercise your constitutional rights. Our friends at the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) are urging Christians not to ignore these incidents but to report them. While demonstrating in public is a First Amendment right, any effort to obstruct or interfere with any person engaging in a protected activity in a place of worship is a violation of federal law.

ADF has volunteered to provide free representation to any church with a valid claim. If your church or a sister church has been the target of intimidation, contact FRC at 1-800-225-4008. Our staff will connect you with ADF, whose attorneys are ready and willing to help. While the mainstream media force-feeds Americans plenty of stories about “peaceful” demonstrations, the calculated assaults on the church continue to go unreported. The pretense of tolerance in the homosexual community is over. Now is the time to take action in defense of our religious liberties.

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But just consider these statistics for a moment: In 1996, Congress overwhelmingly passed the Defense of Marriage Act, defining marriage in federal law as the union of man and one woman. That law got 342 votes in the House of Representatives and 85 votes in the Senate. In the past ten years, the citizens of 30 states have passed marriage protection amendments by an average vote of 68%. On what other issue have Americans spoken so clearly in the past decade? Yet America’s elites continue to cower in the face of radical demands.

And the demands of the militant homosexual movement won’t end at civil marriage. Where same-sex “marriage” becomes law, the homosexual lifestyle has been introduced to children in the public schools as a “civil rights issue.” Freedom of speech and religious liberty are also at stake.
[Taken from Gary Bauers daily email alert, November 17, 2008]

For a discussion that Steve Ensley, President of American Family Online and I shared in moments ago. It would be worth your while to listen to it.

Here’s the link:
http://puritynet.net/programs/bfp_112408.mp3

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Is ADA a losing proposition? Perhaps to some if not many. But what about in the eyes of Christ?

I believe He sees us as “more than conquerors through Him who loves us.”

I remind you of a small year end match challenge that was extended by a friend of this ministry. It seems we are having a rather rough time meeting it. If only a 100 of you or so who look to this email regularly would get behind our efforts with a sacrifice of $25 or $50 or $100, we could yet make this match challenge.

It’s an extension of a match challenge that we were not able to meet earlier in the year.

Quoting: “I will match all new (from anyone who has not given to ADA in 2007 or 2008) gifts received from June 1- August 31 up to a total of $15,000. Let me know if you have any questions. Thanks for all you do to uphold purity and holiness.”

This match challenge had already run for three months. Here are the results through that time frame. There were 88 gifts totaling $5,911.00.

So our anonymous donor graciously sent us a check for $6,000 and proceeded to yet challenge us again. Stating: “We will give you $6,000 now and we would like to extend the offer for an additional $10,000 for new money collected by 12/31/08. Keep up the fight…”

Those of you that follow closely know that these year end match challenges – as they are met – have been used significantly to strengthen us to start the new year on solid financial ground!!

If you benefit from our email alerts, I encourage you to show your tangible support. Your gift of any amount will be doubled. We will continue by the grace of God and the help of His people.

Bill

To donate online:
https://americandecency.org/folder.php?f=donate

American Decency Association
Bill Johnson, President
P.O. Box 202
Fremont, MI 49412
ph: 231-924-4050
https://americandecency.org

 

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