Important conversations, yes, but the Holy Spirit is the one that convicts and leads us into truth, not emotion, not anger, not verbal tirades. Through my pain, I am in such a better place, but honestly my wounds still seep and Im still licking them toward wholeness. This nonsensical complaining of yours is unbecoming. Surely, if you think a person is guilty of teaching or promoting heresy your primary motivation would be to want to correct that person and restore them to orthodox faith. They think the Old Testament God is not the same God of the New Testament or that God changed his mind and has mood swings. JM: Jason Morriss, primary teaching pastor and elder at ANC, employed by the Free Methodist Church to serve at ANC since 2013, previously of Joel Osteens Lakewood Church in Houston Not as burnt toast. Shes not a heretic. In what universe is she to be held in the same standing as an ordained minister? He also loved sinners into the kingdom rather than condemn them. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others with you, so that at the testimony of two or three witnesses every matter may be established. He poignantly ends the chapter with this true statement, p 263: the only truly biblical stance on homosexuality is limited to rejecting male homosexual sex with the same vehemence as, for example, clothing made from wool and linen mixtures, and to remaining open minded about everything else. This wealthy guy asks Jesus how he can gain eternal life. We are an Open and Affirming congregation in the . And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. Sean Steckbeck: Your rhetoric is the stuff that drives my LGBT friends to suicide. Then someone should have told that little catchphrase to Jesus when he chased people with a whip and turned over tables. Now I know youll pull the old , Well, Im not saying itGod is!, The God who said it is not good for the man to be alone is the same God who says, through Jesus, Some were made this way and some were born this way. conceived & written by Patrick Hillcinematography & editing by Dave and Sarah Kemper of Cloud Craft Studiosproduced by ANC Creativesfeaturing Patrick Hill, S A journey through ANC's first in-house art gallery, "Anticipating What Already Is." The only concern I have about this is there is a difference in my view of confronting personal sin, or solving a personal conflict (which has a biblical process as to prevent gossip and slander); and confronting a public teaching. And making comments such as Jesus doesnt speak to homosexuality is, well, a bit simplistic. Did FMCUSA release ANC because of their stance on gay marriage? Here are his words to think about while you play gatekeeper over Hatmaker and the others and this topic. Thats a relief! Dont misunderstand me. p.s. View Event Website . Healthy religion does not indoctrinate, but teaches people to think for themselves; Healthy religion invites us to be humble about what we believe and know; Healthy religion does not invest in negativity; it does not major on what it is against but rather on what it is for; Healthy beliefs stay in tune with reality, never filling in the gaps for what we do not know. Its a beautiful picture, private and evocative. And Im frankly sick and tired of the broken bodies and lives as a result. If it is sin, theological self-justification is an affront to the cross. But it feels more like an abusive home than a healthy one, a point also made in this blog. Im late to this article but I totally agree with you Sheri-its time we as TRUE Bible believing Christians start telling it like it is-and if these heretics-and that is what they are-go public-and any preacher is public really, whether online or preaching in their church-why then shouldnt we go public? The only difference is that no specifics are given on who is doing this, except for Piperwhich itself is doing exactly what we are being not to do. 6406 N I-35 Suite 3100 Austin, TX, 78752. Please let me clarify something I just wrote above: Yes, homosexuals as well as anyone else should be allowed-ENCOURAGED-to attend church for the reasons above-to repent and get help, whatever the sin is, not just homosexuality. Wednesday. Thats why you lost another Millenial. Come be part of what God is doing." This isnt great, Mike, and soooo important. Yes! So I ask, is not healthy religion a figment of the imagination? Wonder why the majority of the Christian Machine disdains you? Are we quenching the Spirit with a desire to be right or with a desire to be liked by culture? The best place to confront false teaching is on Sundays from the pulpit (like in Pauls letters which were meant to be read to a local church) and in personal discussion, where real Q & A dialogue can happen. so I guess that wouldnt be considered a sin. Austin New Church is located in Austin, Texas. A church plant in 2008, our church has been nomads in a myriad of locations in the South Austin area. Re JH and accountability, its useful to look at the timeline of events that have led up to this. But I could on and on and on with everyone here who says different and all I can do is just respond that you have to answer to God someday just like we all have to over whatever in our life. Increasingly, 140 characters on twitter are used to express quite nuanced positions. They base their beliefs on Mark 16:16 and Acts 2:38 which clearly state that water baptism is part of the salvation equation. LehrenDotCom. Jesus is in charge of me. The Gospel is good news but it cuts us all of us to the core. Even if the person you have concerns about isnt known to you personally (a well-known identity like Jen, for example), a private message or email is a far more respectful (and therefore, more effective) means of exchanging views. Was the author referencing Jen as a wounded wolf? 2 Brandon and Jennifer Hatmaker got married in 1993 Credit: Instagram But those who claim his nameIm not even sure I want to be identified with them anymore. Do you keep the Sabbath holy? Rae, hes not slamming anyone. Because if it is sin, the only justification we are allowed as believers to practice is repentance and forgiveness through the cross and grace of Jesus. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Im so sorry you were harassed and abused. How would you justify this to a Seventh Day Adventist person? Same-sex couples can be married by American or any other countys law, and thats fine. I will simply READ MY BIBLE. I think most Christians would agree with that. People read Frank Schaffer! April 14: JH publishes blog describing her personal emotional results of interview, maligning the Christian Machine for criticizing her. BHs Facebook profile describes himself as Author. Not only is it a revisioned and repurposed music venue, it is also home to Austin New Church, a variety of 12-step programs & support groups, an award winning after school care program, and a progressive and inclusive Latino faith community. Hair style and food choice, andso many other abominations are overlooked. Let them be consumed by it. It sounds familiar because it is. This is the problem with Rob Bell and the other guy mentioned in the Article. The gospel is the gospel. And in any case expressing a mistaken idea isnt a sin. This is not the Jesus I know, the Jesus who ate with notorious sinners and scandalized the religious as a result. His Awareness AFS Cinema. Then yes, to say an act is not a sin (that really is) is saying we dont need Jesus to wash away that sin. I am sure she is a nice lady but you can not say something that is not biblical and then reiterate it and then think that people who are biblical in what what they believe will stand with you. Timeline: JM changes his Facebook information to relay that he is no longer employed by the Free Methodist Church. Its not biblical. 5 It says, For this reason a man will leave his father and his mother and will live with his wife. Either you believe it is sin, and you teach people that Gods grace can cover this and help people take it to the cross. The strictest. New Releases. Id rather be wrong in affirming my friends who are LGBT than have to attend their funerals because they killed themselves due to the hateful type of rhetoric youve put out here. Biker. Thats harsh to say, though said in love, and that will never not be a heavy thing to hear. Saying sin is wrong is not hate speech. Your email address will not be published. JENNIFER and Brandon Hatmaker are known for their work with Austin New Church. April 28: In response to a Christianity Today article questioning her accountability to a Church, JH tweets Men have ministries. Women have blogs. Ive pastored 20 years. Octocer 25: JH interviewed by Jonathan Merritt which affirms her belief that gay marriage can be holy. As someone mentioned earlier, child sexual abuse is not specifically mentioned in the Bible. Someone who struggles with homosexual sin and constantly takes it to the cross of Christ, falls and gets back up seven more times is in a much better position gospel-wise than somebody who self-justifies their sin theologically. Frank, I have great difficulty taking seriously anything said by someone who refers to an eternal truth from the Bible. How do you justify that? Frost presumed some sort of good will in the likes of Hatmakers condemners. And just for reference, you cited Matthew 21:12 which you claimed to read again. What about speaking in tongues? Excellent thoughts regarding correction, Michael Frost. Required fields are marked *. How do we go about that privately if the person does not respond to you? If you think the person is sinning, that is something to engage privately. His standard is PERFECTION. All your big words back there managed to give the vague impression that it was an actual denial of the Gospel. And Im not suggesting that religious leaders shouldnt debate and discuss their concerns when members (or fellow leaders) appear to contradict or challenge these beliefs. It doesnt mean that homosexuals shouldnt be allowed in the church however. The few times he ALSO talks about marriage, he often talks about the END of marriages and how marriage can be a distraction and how it would be better to end a marriage than continue one if the continuation of a marriage would cause someone to go against Gods plan. His standard is unflinching. Tuesday. 20,804 Hoda Kotb's lengthy 'Today' show absence finally explained If he refuses to listen to the church, treat him like a Gentile or a tax collector. focusing on OUR being : People with a homosexual struggle who have homosexual relations are not ANY more sinful than me when I lust after a woman who isnt my wife or you when you harbor hate in your heart toward a neighbor. See 9 photos and 1 tip from 46 visitors to Austin New Church. If you love someone enough to confront them, then personally (in person) is the way to go, or through private mail to media personalities. I can agree that some Christians do not handle differences well, and that problems are handled in some with gossip, slander and unbiblical methods of correction. My plea to people is, just remember youre talking about a human being. It all matters, but, just sayin Are you saying Jesus sinned by chasing the money changers out of the temple? I think Christians should focus on being right about loving each other rather than who is correct about each others sins. This blog post is corrective, but it is not hateful. Shes a heretic! March 26: Remaining elders, including BH, re-affirm the affirming position first announced to ANC via the internet interview. In my view, heresy is anything that keeps someone from falling into the arms of Jesus and His grace. I had a woman tell me just today that she prayed and prayed and God did not take away her lesbianism. In response to Ben, below, it aint necessarily so. Maybe try and figure out where your love went. I Corinthians 5:10-13 NKJV I would like corresponding supportive evidence before Ill consider something as fact. Shes a blogger. To us, clearly. ANY sex outside of that is morally wrong in Gods eyes. . On her Instagram page, Hatmaker posted touching photos from Austin Pride Week, with the caption: "My beloved little church went downtown to the #AustinPrideParade and gave out Free Mom Hugs, Free Dad Hugs, Free Grana Hugs, and Free Pastor Hugs like it was our paying jobs. He encouraged the person to stop sinningmaybe because of His love for people, knowing that sin hurts the personnot because Jesus was focused on condemning sin. Wait. Eternally wrong. Religion is bull$hit. At the same time large swaths of the blogosphere blew up with the story, starting with Christian watchblogs and Christian feminist blogs and then spreading to atheist sites. Your response: It IS a Gospel issue! Its just an error. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. It certainly wasnt with venom, as has been seen in Hatmakers case. 7:30 pm Primary Purpose - IN-PERSON. I so agree with your point about how we handle disagreement in evangelicalism. 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