Rainbow churches

[Goodbook]

One of my friends goes to a church thats a gay and lesbian church in the city.
I dont know what to think about this..does this mean shes gay or lesbian? What do those kinds of churches teach?
she has a male partner and a son. I havent known her for very long. She once gave me a print out of a sermon that was given in her church and the preacher was female and while it had some good points it also mixed up the Bible with other stories not the Bible..like thoughts on Jesus by Rumi.

As she has to go all the way in the city and living in the suburbs Im kind of wondering why she goes to this church. I asked her and she says she just needed to go somewhere and find God or maybe shes a seeker. Ive asked if she would like to come to a bible study home group in my church and she said yes.

Im just wondering if these rainbow churches are kind of wishy washy about the bible. They seem accepting of everyone but..I dont know..are they saying LGBT are ok or what. They do weird stuff like prayer labyrinths and are part of the anglican churches which I notice are kind of real liberal on homosexuals, but that doesnt seem to square with the bible.

As far as I know her partner or fiance is not a believer. Im kind of concerned but dont know what to think about this.

 

[2Timothy2:15]

One of my friends goes to a church thats a gay and lesbian church in the city.
I dont know what to think about this..does this mean shes gay or lesbian? What do those kinds of churches teach?
she has a male partner and a son. I havent known her for very long. She once gave me a print out of a sermon that was given in her church and the preacher was female and while it had some good points it also mixed up the Bible with other stories not the Bible..like thoughts on Jesus by Rumi.

As she has to go all the way in the city and living in the suburbs Im kind of wondering why she goes to this church. I asked her and she says she just needed to go somewhere and find God or maybe shes a seeker. Ive asked if she would like to come to a bible study home group in my church and she said yes.

Im just wondering if these rainbow churches are kind of wishy washy about the bible. They seem accepting of everyone but..I dont know..are they saying LGBT are ok or what. They do weird stuff like prayer labyrinths and are part of the anglican churches which I notice are kind of real liberal on homosexuals, but that doesnt seem to square with the bible.

As far as I know her partner or fiance is not a believer. Im kind of concerned but dont know what to think about this.

Do a study and see what the Lord says about homosexuality, fornication, and adultery. Then ask yourself if any church like this is of God?

 

[anna ~ grace]

Your thoughts and concerns are valid. The vast majority of Christian organizations / churches which embrace homosexuality also tend to get into a sort of dance with Sufism, New Age ideas, nature worship, and "we're all worshipping the same God in different ways"-ism. Not all at once, but it's pretty noticeable in many cases.

I have also noticed that female ordination and an increasing kindness towards sexual sin seem to follow one another within a couple of generations.

 

[dude99]

Your last point is clear where they are at and they are unbelievers. If I were you I will pray for them.

These rainbow churches are wishy washy about the bible. Of course we are to love gay people, as Jesus loves everyone. But since they are gay affirming churches it goes against scripture. You can always invite your friend to your church. I am sure your church does not hate gay people.

 

[Victory-N-Christ]

It's a small world ...
My church is directly across the street from some kind of LGBT center..they have the rainbow posted in the front window.Granted it's not a church but still though...

 

[NothingIsImpossible]

There are more and more churches opening up that are either LGBT or old churches that are becoming LGBT friendly. The problem is there are two types of churches that allow LGBT.

1. The kind that allows LGBT but only if they stop living the LGBT lifestyle and live for God instead. Which often means remaining single, removing lust for same sex, no same sex sex...etc.

2. The dangerous kind that allows LGBT and think its fine if they practice same sex sex, LGBT pastors, LGBT lust...etc.

The first one is good. They want to help LGBT become saved and have that lifestyle go away. The second one is and just embraces LGBT and their lifestyle. While we are not to judge, the bible does it make it clear what happens to those who embrace the LGBT lifestyle and claim to be christian. Its going to be really warm where they go. A church just down the street from us use to be relatively big. Then it ordained its first LGBT pastor and most of the congregation left. When you drive by on Sundays about 5% of the parking lot is full only. They have lost there way and yet every sunday change the sign outside to spread the Word of God and ignore they are corrupting it inside their own building.

 

[~Anastasia~]

Just because your friend goes there does not mean she is same-sex attracted. She may or may not be.

I have little knowledge of these groups. But I had close friends some 20+ years ago who were same-sex partners. One was deeply pious and had been put off men through abuse. She would not embrace celibacy, but would not abandon the search for faith either. Within that fellowship it seems they found acceptance for basically whatever anyone wanted to do sexually. There were no marriages possible then, so even if same-sex was accepted, everyone was technically fornicating (unless they'd been "married" elsewhere) and the fellowship overlooked that. They did teach love, acceptance, unity, and had a positive message about Christ, as well as a positive message about same-sex attraction. They didn't focus much on Scripture. It was a Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) by name. It had a very new-age-y feel to me back before new age was all that prevalent. Given usual visible trends, it seems likely they continued in that direction. But my friends feared they would be rejected by any other kind of denomination, so they were afraid to try any other. I was extremely uncomfortable visiting at their request and could not go more than a couple of times.

I don't know how that compares to your friend's fellowship. But I am of the belief that God does not condone same-sex pairings or activity. However, I also like to point out that we are ALL broken, sinful people, with our various struggles, and people who are same-sex attracted are not some special class of sinner. If anything, I would say they have an especially heavy cross to bear and should receive compassion from other Christians, not condemnation. God is the one to judge us all, and only He knows the hearts of men. But any religious leader who teaches their flock that to engage in such and expect God's approval for it are giving false assurance and may be making themselves liable before God for damage they do to souls. A fellowship focusing on approval to the point of denying it as sin is not at all healthy, and we often see other errors mixed in. But if your friend has a partner, is engaging in sexual activity without being married, even being man and woman, she may prefer such a fellowship to have that activity approved. While there are a good many other churches that wouldn't call out the sin, most would not explicitly approve it either. So that could be her reason for preferring to go there. I'm only guessing though - I might be wrong of course.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

Weak believers in the faith can be caused to stumble and to sin by the teachings of groups that approve of sin and that congratulate one another on approving of sin.
Unbelievers cannot be saved by thinking that sin is okay to commit since they then will not repent; if they approve of sin
they will not turn to God, they will think they need not be forgiven. i.e. it is dangerous, deadly, fatal to faith and to families and to souls.

 

[Albion]

One of my friends goes to a church thats a gay and lesbian church in the city.
I dont know what to think about this..does this mean shes gay or lesbian? What do those kinds of churches teach?
she has a male partner and a son. I havent known her for very long. She once gave me a print out of a sermon that was given in her church and the preacher was female and while it had some good points it also mixed up the Bible with other stories not the Bible..like thoughts on Jesus by Rumi.

As she has to go all the way in the city and living in the suburbs Im kind of wondering why she goes to this church. I asked her and she says she just needed to go somewhere and find God or maybe shes a seeker. Ive asked if she would like to come to a bible study home group in my church and she said yes.

Im just wondering if these rainbow churches are kind of wishy washy about the bible. They seem accepting of everyone but..I dont know..are they saying LGBT are ok or what. They do weird stuff like prayer labyrinths and are part of the anglican churches which I notice are kind of real liberal on homosexuals, but that doesnt seem to square with the bible.

As far as I know her partner or fiance is not a believer. Im kind of concerned but dont know what to think about this.

Is this an officially and specifically gay church...or is it an Anglican church that openly welcomes gays? If it's the latter (and the Anglican churches in New Zealand have a reputation for being very liberal even as Anglicans go), there's no clearcut reason to think your friend is a homosexual herself. She may simply think that she's supporting a social cause that she thinks is right.

 

[2Timothy2:15]

Your thoughts and concerns are valid. The vast majority of Christian organizations / churches which embrace homosexuality also tend to get into a sort of dance with Sufism, New Age ideas, nature worship, and "we're all worshipping the same God in different ways"-ism. Not all at once, but it's pretty noticeable in many cases.

I have also noticed that female ordination and an increasing kindness towards sexual sin seem to follow one another within a couple of generations.

Another words, they are apostate.

 

[Goodbook]

Maybe she goes there because technically shes been fornicating with her partner...? She does call him her fiance but her son is like 9 years old now. I dont know if they will ever be married but they have a house together and mortgage. Having more children isnt really on the cards she says its hard to have even one.

If she goes to a, well, 'normal' bible believing church would she need to confront the fact thats shes living in sin. She says shes been baptised in this church and her son too.

 

[PloverWing]

Im just wondering if these rainbow churches are kind of wishy washy about the bible. They seem accepting of everyone but..I dont know..are they saying LGBT are ok or what. They do weird stuff like prayer labyrinths and are part of the anglican churches which I notice are kind of real liberal on homosexuals, but that doesnt seem to square with the bible.

One of my family members attends an Episcopal church that displays a rainbow flag in front of the church. I've attended a few times when I was visiting her. Mostly, it's a normal Episcopal church: prayer book liturgy, four lengthy Bible readings each Sunday, sermon, Communion every Sunday, hymns from the standard hymnals. The church is large enough to have several pastors. The senior pastor is female, and this is widely considered perfectly acceptable in the Episcopal church in the US. I don't know if they have a labyrinth, but many Episcopal churches do, and this is also considered mainstream in our denomination.

The rainbow flag indicates that the church welcomes LGBT people, including same-sex married couples. You may agree with this philosophy, or not; I don't really want to debate it here. I will say that when I think of the gay people in the city around the church, I would rather they hear the message "Come, be Christian with us", instead of "Go away, we don't want you." Emphatically, though, you do not have to be gay to attend; the majority of their congregation -- like the majority of the population of the city -- are straight.

It sounds like the church you're describing is similar to the one my family member attends. As to the sermon -- all preachers have their good days and their bad days; you might listen to more sermons to get a better picture of the preacher's theology.

 

[Goodbook]

I passed this church yesterday when I was in town and it had a big sign saying gay and lesbian christians.

This friend said she was baptised with a trannie (transexual) she seems accepting of everyone which is a good thing but...it can also mean she turns a blind eye to what God wants.

Actually as I walked passed it seemed like they had a wedding on. This friend is a believer but i think shes endup up in the weirdest church in Town...its right by the casino although haveing said that there was a baptist church on the shore thats right next door to a liquorland.

 

[Goodbook]

I asked her if there was free parking because any time you go anywhere in town its like half your pay for the parking and she said no, parishioners are free. A lot of homeless people seem to go to this church. Its near the city mission.

Maybe its just a kind of outreach. But i think my town is like sodom and gomorrah in many respects.

I dont think I would want to go worship at this church but she really likes it, they even have blessing of the animals. I am thinking, well, I dont know, if I took my cat to church. Or chicken. Maybe just accepting everyone?!

 

[Goodbook]

There are anglican churches in her local neighbourhood she can go to, she says she prefers anglican. But she says shes keen for bible study. I fellowship with baptists, and sometimes presbyterians but baptists seem more into their bibles. I had an anglican friend i inivted to our bible study and noticed she was very reluctant to read and share the bible when it was her turn and would hardly say anything wheras everyone else was really into the bible and listening to what it said. I just wonder if its an anglican thing to not be...focused on Gods word so much.

 

[Goodbook]

I have been to anglican churches a few times but they are very formal like stand up and sit down and sometimes I find theres things missing about what is preached I cant quite put my finger on it. Another thing is their communion like their wine contains alcohol and my body and tastebuds cant handle it. So i dont fellowship there.

 

[seeking.IAM]

It sounds like she could be attending my church. We are Anglican. We have a labyrinth. We have some gay folks that worship with us. We have some conservative, traditional folks that worship with us. We also have liturgical worship, three Bible readings every Sunday, celebrate the Eucharist weekly, and - oh yes - what we talk about is Jesus.

 

[Goodbook]

What is the labryinth thing all about..walking round in circles? Didnt John the Baptist say He will make our paths straight?!

 

[Tolworth John]

Why not ask her about the church and what it teaches.
One suggestion if the gltg issue comes up change the wording from gltg to murderer.
Does she think it acceptable for a murderer to attend church while still committing murder?

Christianity challenges all of us about our sins and not just the sexual, but honesty and truthfullness etc.

 

[dude99]

Maybe she goes there because technically shes been fornicating with her partner...? She does call him her fiance but her son is like 9 years old now. I dont know if they will ever be married but they have a house together and mortgage. Having more children isnt really on the cards she says its hard to have even one.

If she goes to a, well, 'normal' bible believing church would she need to confront the fact thats shes living in sin. She says shes been baptised in this church and her son too.

That is probably the case as she does not want to be confronted by her sin. I praying for her.