Oh, snap!

[libertango]

With the hoo-ha about Rick Warren giving the invocation at the Inauguration, this statement of policy at Saddleback Church has been getting some attention:

"Because membership in a church is an outgrowth of accepting the Lordship and leadership of Jesus in one’s life, someone unwilling to repent of their homosexual lifestyle would not be accepted at a member at Saddleback Church."

So, you heard it here first: Saddleback is a "Christian" church that Christ himself could not be a member of.

Typical of this stripe of "fundamentalist" thought, it's justified by a quote from Torah (which I'll bet they otherwise repudiate when they feel it's inconvenient, Matthew 5:17-18 to the contrary). They then use two quotes from Saul of Tarsus. Not one word from Jesus himself. Like, say, "Judge not, that ye be not judged." (Matthew 7:1); or "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is The Law and The Prophets." (Matthew 7:12); or "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." (John 8:7).

But I guess quoting the words of Christ, and following his precepts and teachings, would be too "...accepting (of) the Lordship and leadership of Jesus in one’s life."

Oh, well.

Comments

[notthebuddha.livejournal.com]

There are other Christian churches with standards of behavior that Jesus would not meet (like Baptists shun alcohol while Jesus furnishes alcohol), but I'm not seeing right off how would the quoted policy rule out Jesus being a member of this Saddleback outfit?

[hal-obrien.livejournal.com]

It's my belief the circumstantial evidence is strong that Jesus was gay. (Both his being 33 and single in a time and place where that was unheard of, and Saul of Tarsus' constant railing against homosexuality. Mind you, I also believe Saul of Tarsus never stopped persecuting the Nazarim -- rather than beat 'em, he joined 'em, then subverted their doctrines. But hey. Matthew 24:24 applies.)