Posted: June 5, 2014
This week, the Southern Baptist Convention is poised to discipline a brave congregation simply for welcoming gay Christians.
Danny Cortez is the pastor of a small, conservative Southern Baptist congregation. For years, he struggled with the church's teaching on homosexuality.
Finally, when his own son came out to him, Danny decided he could no longer stay silent. He told his church that too many Christians' treatment of gays and lesbians has been unjust and he could no longer support discrimination.
And to his surprise, his church stood with him -- voting to adopt a new inclusive stance and to keep him on as pastor. As Danny put it, "This is a huge step for a Southern Baptist church!"
But yesterday, the Southern Baptist Convention's anti-gay leaders started striking back. A prominent former official filed a motion accusing Danny's church of endorsing "homosexual behavior that the Bible describes as the sin of sodomy."
A vote on the motion could happen any day now -- and in the past, churches have been expelled from the denomination altogether. But with some prominent SBC pastors recently calling for a more compassionate approach to homosexuality, there's still a chance we can stop that from happening.
Sign the petition: