Monday 31 July 2017

Yet another apostate church in Edmonton supports alphabet perversion

Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
Romans 1:24-32

It's no longer a novelty to see stories like this; file it under "Yet another one"--as reported by Michelle Guthrie of Metro News, July 17, 2017:

After hateful homophobic posters were plastered around 118 Ave last week, a local church is looking to spread a message of their own.

Parishioners from St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church took to the street Sunday to hang rainbow-clad posters reading: “God loves you. And so do we.”

Last week anonymous posters were hung around central Edmonton bearing the names of local churches, Bible scriptures, and hateful messages towards the LGBTQ community. Several of the churches have since told Metro they are not responsible for the messages.

Although St. Andrew’s was not listed on the posters, Minister Mark Chiang said they felt an obligation to counter the message that local churches were homophobic.

“The congregation here has been wonderfully supportive,” said Mark Chiang, the minister at St. Andrew’s. “(They have) a great love for the community.”

Chiang, who is openly gay, said the posters aren’t the first time he’s seen hate like this—but what was different this time was that people, like advocate Janis Irwin and people in his own church community, were speaking out.

“I was encouraged by (the community’s) response to this,” he said. “You can’t just let this sort of stuff go, we should respond in some way. But it’s tricky because you don’t want to respond in a way that just fuels more homophobia.”

He said it’s important not to attack churches for their views, but wants people to know that many churches are becoming more welcoming to the LGBTQ community.

“Things are changing,” he said.

Chiang hopes the new posters will challenge other churches to question and talk about the issue in their own communities.

“I am worried about a young person seeing [the posters] and thinking they need to make a choice between their sexuality and their spirituality, when they don’t have to make that choice,” he said.

“In a lot of churches it’s still a debate, but there’s a lot more love and education going on and increased awareness than what those posters showed.”
As reported by Michelle Guthrie in Metro News, July 18, 2017:

Minister Mark Chiang woke up Tuesday morning to find many of the colourful posters his church had put up around 118 Avenue in support of the LGBTQ community had been vandalized or torn down.

Congregants at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church hung the posters Sunday, which read: ‘God loves you, and so do we.’

They made the flyers in response to homophobic posters spotted around the city’s core last week, Chiang said.

He said in a message that the vandalism “ain’t going to stop me,” as he headed off to print more.

Chiang, who is gay, told Metro on Monday that his community was “wonderfully supportive” of the LGBTQ community.

“(They have) a great love for the community,” he said.

Chiang said he plans to put up more posters as early as Tuesday, and his church remains committed to fighting the hate.

“You can’t just let this sort of stuff go, we should respond in some way.”

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