You'd think that a ceremony celebrating the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. would be an event with participants who believe in equality for all. That would be normally be true in Durham, NC, a deep Blue city where its City Council last year unanimously approved a resolution in support of marriage equality.
Unfortunately, someone didn't get the memo and invited an anti-equality pastor to keynote the Fifth Annual City-County Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration. His name is J.D. Greear of The Summit Church, and to say he is a poor selection for this particular event is an understatement. Now don't call him anti-gay -- homosexuals are welcome in his church -- they are sinners by default, no better or worse than gluttons, for example.
Those who say we should not worry about what other churches in our association do should simply switch the scenario a little: How would they feel if we gave our money to help a church that taught that all Christians should be swingers as a way of demonstrating the "openness" of Christ? Or maybe if some church encouraged pedophilia as a demonsration of the elder's love for the younger?
...Now, some ask, "Why single out this sin
?" The answer is: we don't. Or at least we try not to. If someone is in clear rebellion against God, refusing to surrender to Scripture, it does not matter what is their rebellion of choice-be it wife abuse, gossip, homosexuality, cheating on their taxes-they could not be a part of our church. The church is a group of repentant sinners, changed by Christ, struggling against the flesh to live the resurrection. But Christ can't resurrect what you won't call dead. Why not make a statement about gluttony or pride? Because there is no controversy about those in the church. If there began to be a large movement to sanction gluttony as an alternate lifestyle, I hope we'd make a statement about it, too.
http://www.pamshouseblend.com/diary/14827/antiequality-pastor-to-keynote-durhams-fifth-annual-mlk-celebration-thursday