Wednesday, September 21, 2011
News Bellevue Pastor Asks Members to Vote Against Equality
Posted by Bianca Phillips on Wed, Sep 21, 2011 at 10:56 AM
In a newsletter sent to members of Bellevue Baptist Church, pastor Steve Gaines asked congregants to "educate themselves regarding the most recent attempts of the Tennessee Equality Project (TEP) to advance their homosexual activist agenda."
Recently, TEP's political action committee endorsed Memphis City Council candidates who supported the defeated non-discrimination ordinance last year or have been outspoken advocates for LGBT rights.
Gaines warned church members that TEP is attempting to unseat councilmen who "stand for preserving family values and protecting city employees and employers from having to take a position contrary to our Biblical beliefs in regards to the gay and lesbian lifestyle."
Click here to see TEP's response to Gaines' comments.
Here's a copy of the newsletter that was sent to Bellevue members:
Comments (67)
Showing 1-50 of 67
Yet another example of the immorality, depravity and inhumanity that infects the soul of Steve Gaines. The congregants of Bellevue should hang their heads in shame that they willingly allow themselves to be misled by someone as bigoted as Steve Gaines.
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In 100 years, the SBC is going to be apologizing for its stands against gay people, just like they apologized for racism and slavery 100+ years after they could have actually made a positive impact on that issue. "The Southern Baptist Convention; dragging our feet since 1865."
I think this should be grounds for forfeiting the Church's tax exempt status.
What rights does the LGBT want ?? We all have the right to work, play and pray as we please. If you keep your sex life private then what's the problem?? This not like Civil Rights, we can't change our skin color but they can keep what they do behind closed doors private. Noone weres a sign that says "I'm Gay" so unless you tell them how do they know ?? Just asking
Nothing like the good ol' fashioned Christian values of hate thy neighbor and repress those you don't like.
"What rights does the LGBT want ??" The right not to be fired from one's job b/c of being LGBT, for one thing. Right now, it's perfectly legal to be fired for being LGBT. It's not legal to be fired b/c of one's race. So yes, it IS about civil rights.
@ me: how often at work do you and your coworkers discuss your husbands/wives/boyfriends/girlfriends? How often are there work-related functions in which significant others are invited? How many people have pictures of their significant other on their desks, as the background on their computers, etc.? Imagine getting terminated because your boss doesn't like the way your significant other looks, or because your boss finds out that you significant other is a cat person when they themselves prefer dogs. THAT is what we are fighting here.
You're right that we all have the right to work, play and pray as we please....how about adding the right to LOVE as we please, too? This isn't about a group of people shoving an agenda down anyone's throat, it is about people - human, fleshy & bloody beings - being able to act the same ways as mentioned above just as everyone else does without persecution.
@me: I believe they want the right to be free from persecution by those who twist interpretation of the Bible to further their own hatred: a right we should all enjoy in an enlightened society.
All mysticism and apocrypha aside, Yeshua bin Yehosef (aka Jesus son of Joseph) preached this message, load and clear: "love your fellow man as yourself", and I thank him for it. However, many of his so-called followers seem to miss the entire point. Bellevue (particularly its leadership) is one such congregation. Point of fact: the sermon was *not* "love one another, unless of course you don't like each other", as much as you might *wish* it was.
It is far out how the letter asks those in Memphis to educate themselves on the manner in one sentence and then goes on to tell them exactly what to think in the next. It is willy nilly at best.
Bellevue has given me the creeps for as long as I have lived here and the more I learn of it the more reason I have to keep on having the creeps!
“When you make your peace with authority, you become authority.”
~ Jim Morrison
Hopefully the ladies and gentlemen of Memphis who are of voting age and go to Bellevue will make their own peace with this matter on their own respective accord.
To Steve Gaines:
God created us gay. We did not choose it. Ask any gay person yourself - if you dare.
On the other hand, God did not create you a bigot. You choose that yourself.
On the surface the gay and lesbian position looks sympathetic until a little more scrutiny is applied.
Gay and lesbian people rights are already protected by a plethora of laws as we all are.
Special civil rights status for a sexual preference is offensive to people of color who can make no choice about the color of their skin.
Moreover, employers of those who want to do business with the city and city employees will be forced to agree with a lifestyle that contradicts their biblical beliefs.
Martin Luther King said, "The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state. It must be the guide and the critic of the state, and never its tool. If the church does not recapture its prophetic zeal, it will become an irrelevant social club without moral or spiritual authority."
Being that conscience will not win a popularity contest, but the truth is often not well received.
"Special civil rights status for a sexual preference is offensive to people of color who can make no choice about the color of their skin." Want to subject this sentence to some scrutiny?
So Bobby, you are saying that it's OK to fire or non-hire someone due to their sexual orientation? If so, that's the absolute definition of a civil rights violation.
And while that might not violate the letter of some of the nastier parts of the Old Testament, it sure as hell violates the spirit of everything Jesus taught.
If not, what's the harm in extending the non-discrimination policy to cover sexual orientation? I don't understand the dilemma - particularly from a christian perspective.
Even if homosexuality is a choice, no religion can take that choice away from people. I am an American and I can do whatever I want with my nether parts in my own time and to Hell with anyone who says differently.
Do you fundamentalists really think you're filling Heaven's roll call when you suppress choice? Does God suppress choice? Does human free will not reign supreme on Earth? Is this not the way we were already made?
It strikes me that you have enough to concern yourselves with regarding your own moral choices. Leave the judgments to whom they they belong. None of you are competent to weigh the worth of someone's soul, and none of you are sovereign over God's will. Is your pulpit so weak, so unpersuasive, that you have to codify your fears into law? You put Caesar over God when you try to legislate morality.
I just have to ask this. Why did God institute marriage between Adam and Eve, but not Adam and Steve? A person's sexual preference is their business, so why try to force it on everyone else? The Pastor at Bellevue is only standing for what the Bible teaches about morality, according to the Bible. God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for their sexual preferences and God changes not, so what do we think is going to be the end of those who choose this lifestyle, according to the Bible? Just had to ask..
I interview people for a living. It is completely illegal for me to not hire someone because they are married. Why would it be ok to not hire someone because of who they date, live with, ect? No one is asking for the freedom to freely discuss their sex life...I'm pretty sure that sexual harassment covers that. However, they are asking for the freedom to tell the truth when someone asks them what they did last weekend. As a woman, no one takes offense if I say it was my boyfriend's birthday and I took him out to dinner. This is not the same for gay couples.
If a Christian hires a Muslim or a Jew, does that make them less of a Christian? I'm sober and manage to work with people who party like crazy on the weekends...it doesn't offend me because my lifestyle is my choice and their lifestyle is their own. Is it ok for a Catholic to hire a man or woman who is "living in sin" with their significant other? Hearing about your coworkers life that is different from your own is not offensive or a threat to your own morality...if it is you need to re-examine your life.
@vdolorise, any "holy book" that condemns people merely for being born a particular way deserves to be thrown into the trash as rubbish. In my opinion, the "holy books" of the dominant (and domineering) religions have long outlived whatever minor usefulness they might have once held, and are no longer welcome in civilized society.
To hell with your Bible; it is a book of corrupted and inhuman morality.
Why did God institute incest as the only means of procreation available to Adam and Eve's offspring? Who know why any god does the things they do? Maybe god created Steve and gave him a gender reassignment because Adam was not gay, who knows.
I'll tell yo what I do know, though, vdolorise. I know what Jesus himself said about gay people. I know what he said because I read the whole bible and I kept notes about Jesus quotes so anytime I have a question about WWJD?, I can just look at my notes.
Here, in quotes, is every word Jesus ever said about gay people: " ".
Dammit. I just have to answer. God did not, in fact, according to the Bible, institute marriage between Adam and Eve. God removed a spare rib from Adam and made a plaything out of it (with boobies!). Then let them run around nekkid together, commanding that they should remain completely ignorant - in other words: his pets.
Well, my version of Gen 2 doesn't feature a marriage ceremony anyway.
Ooh, and while we're playing this little game*, I just have to ask this: since Eve was the only woman in creation, just who did her sons procreate with? Just had to ask...
* The game, of course is "Literal Interpretation of Ancient Creation Myths To Further an Agenda":)
@vdolorise -
You say: "God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for their sexual preferences."
The Bible actually says: "Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy." Ezekiel 16:49
Pride. Hording wealth. Prosperity at the expense of the poorest of the poor.
This is what God judged Sodom for. This is what he will judge the American evangelical church for.
As you said, "God changes not." It's time for us (so-called Christians) to repent of our pride, our overabundance of wealth at the expense of others and our failure to aid the poor and needy.
There is no need to point our fingers outward in judgment at the "gay community." God is pointing his finger inward at the church.
I hope that someday soon, God will touch Pastor Gaines' soul, and he will repent the sins he is encouraging.
"God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for their sexual preferences"
Nope, not even close, vdolorise. You need to read your Bible closely, b/c you don't know it very well. Chasten thyself, for you are in error.
It's so Memphis to see discussions like this become a Biblical debate on both ends. What the Bible says or doesn't say or what "Jesus taught" or didn't teach are entirely irrelevant -- or should be -- to matters of public policy. You can't win or lose this argument based on religious evidence. The religious beliefs of some, while protected, shouldn't determine the laws for everyone. We have a hard time with that notion in this city.
WHAT: Pro-Family Vote for Equality
WHERE: Bellevue Baptist Church, 2000 Appling Road
WHEN: 12 Noon, Saturday, September 24, 2011
Bring your friends and family to Bellevue Baptist Church this Saturday at 12 Noon to vote early in City of Memphis elections for candidates who truly demonstrate pro-family and pro-equality values that Pastor Steve Gaines can only hope to represent.
Last Sunday, Pastor Gaines declared war on LGBT people and their families from his pulpit at Bellevue Baptist Church. Gaines asked his congregation this week to vote against candidates who support the right of people to earn a living, provide for their families and contribute to their communities.
It's incredible that Gaines could claim any knowledge of what it means to be pro-family (see http://bit.ly/SteveGainesisnotprofamily). Gaines kept a confessed child molester on his staff for six months and endangered children and families of his parish.
Don't let a demagogue determine the fate of Memphis City Council elections and pull the strings of Memphis government.
Let's show Memphis what pro-family really means. Come vote in City of Memphis elections for candidates who really do support families at 12 Noon on Saturday at Bellevue Baptist Church. Bring your photo ID and voter registration card and wear purple so everyone will know who the pro-family voters are!
See http://bit.ly/MemphisElectionGuide for more details about pro-family and pro-equality candidates endorsed by TEP PAC.
Of course you're absolutely correct, Chris. Public policy should not be dependent upon the religious texts of some subset of citizens; otherwise we might have....SHARIA LAW!!!! I just like to blow the lid off these so-called "literalists'" positions when they say the Bible says things it clearly doesn't say, and it becomes clear many of them don't even know wtf their holy book actually says. I've always been of the opinion the best way to lose one's Christian faith is to actually READ the Bible, especially the OT.
Adding to that, to some extent these conversations go South because of what is essentially a good urge to speak the same language. But that good urge only confuses things more because it furthers the distraction.
Can we make a law, that when people try to put us back to the 1850's, we put them in an room by themselves and let them hear each other until they die ? Maybe then they would realize how crazy they really are !
Man has attempted to justify his actions since the fall, when in Genesis 3:12 (KJV) And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. It's no different today when the gay or lesbian claims "God created me this way". There is no biblical substance to that statement used as a defense. We are all born into sin (straight or otherwise) and it is our choice to remain there or turn from it. The issue is not that Steve Gaines originated the message for he did not. He does have the right to proclaim that message just as we have the right to accept or reject it. The sovereignty of God allows Him to establish what is sin. We retain the right to accept or reject His rule.
"There is no biblical substance to that statement used as a defense."
Fine, jimur, but why should we make civil law based on your interpretation of biblical statements about personal morality?
And frankly, having read the OT, my question in regards to the Bible isn't about justifying my actions to God, but when is God going to justify His evil actions to mankind? I mean, He is responsible for the slaughter of millions in the OT. Why does He get a free pass on those atrocities but yet some gay dude can be fired from his job because some hair-sprayed preacher says God loves him but hates his sin? So many questions, so few answers in the Bible, the biggest Book of Questions in history.
Hey people should be able to practice whatever religion they want as long as its behind closed doors. If i find out someone believes in imaginary-sky-man in my office you can consider yourself fired. it's not only a choice, but a testament to your ignorance.
Okay, so you want to tell Muslim women to take off those darn burkas you just don't like their religious beliefs and views of equality? Or perhaps you want to tell a Sikh to get a haircut? Telling a Baptist is embrace homosexuality is the same thing. I am not a Southern Baptist anymore but I do understand that the people who identify as such hold certain beliefs....if they held different views then they would be American Baptists or Episcopals or Buddhists. While we're at it, let's look at the difference between "embracing" and "tolerating". Again, I can't speak for Bellevue or any Baptists, but I don't think they are calling for burning crosses in the yards of gay people. They cite in the document you list that TEP is targeting a City Councilman for defeat. If that is untrue, then Bellevue owes TEP an apology. If it is true, then TEP is as intolerant as any Baptist ever thought of being.
"Telling a Baptist is embrace homosexuality is the same thing."
No one cares if they personally embrace it, pogo. Just stop trying to keep gay people from having equal treatment and rights in the workplace. And that's what Steve Gaines is trying to do here. Right now, an employee can be legally fired from his job solely b/c he's gay, but CANNOT be fired from his job b/c he's a Christian, or Jew, or Muslim. So don't come back with the BS that gay people are looking for 'special rights.'
Is this the same church that moved out east to follow white flight. Yes, Christians indeed.
Typical Texas style fear mongering. How much you wanna bet Steve Gaines is a huge Rick Perry fan?
Packrat: Fine, jimur, but why should we make civil law based on your interpretation of biblical statements about personal morality?
I made statements. You made the interpretation to suit your own needs. Now you ask "when is God going to justify His evil actions to mankind"? Even a knowing nonchristian understands the concept that a creator does not answer to the creature.
From about.com: "a church or religious organization can lose their tax exempt status for engaging in partisan political activity, like endorsing a political candidate. What many aren't aware of, though, is that the same can happen for promoting or engaging in things contrary to government policy. Tax exemption is a privilege, not a right."
Perhaps Bellevue Baptist Church would like to consider this before speaking any further, or are they already paying taxes here?
Oh, you interpreted. But why should we make civil law based on your statements? Why?
I have yet to suggest making or modifying any law Packrat. Perhaps you should read my original comment again.
Loudersoft:
Tthe threat of Bellevue losing a tax exempt status can't and won't change their charter/doctrines. It could however force them to leave the city of Memphis. It is however quite possible they are not within the city limits as they stand. I don't know that but it is possible.
jimur: "We are all born into sin (straight or otherwise) and it is our choice to remain there or turn from it."
So being gay is in and of itself a sin? Hogwash. I knew as early as I can remember that I was attracted to other boys/men (in age-appropriate ways, of course, just like everyone else), YEARS AND YEARS before I knew what sex even was, and even came out of the closet as gay well before I ever became sexually active. Sexual orientation, straight or gay, is an immutable condition bestowed on a person by God and is therefore not a sin -- just like being left- or right-handed, or like being born into a certain race/skin color through no fault of one's own. it isn't a matter of opinion or morality -- it's a matter of biological fact.
I believe in God, I am a Christian, and I therefore call out Steve Gaines as a bigot. We in Tennessee have fewer rights than others in this state, including losing our jobs at any time because of simply who we are, and we are tired of being trampled on and being the pet scapegoats of the backwards-minded.
@ Sausageinsideme...
I am with you. Bellevue should LOSE its tax-exempt status. Someone should report the church to the IRS for "engaging in partisan political activity".
Sounds like Gaines is just trying to scare more money out of God-fearing imbeciles.
"Religion began when the first scoundrel met the first fool."
When I pray, I pray that someday the bigots who hide behind religion in my community come to realize that equality is not a racial agenda, a sexual identity agenda or a class agenda -- it is a human agenda.
It's unfortunate that laws still have to be enacted to protect all minorities from discrimination by people like Councilmen Boyd, Councilman Morrisson, Councilman Conrad, Pastor Steve Gaines and those in his congregation who feel this way, but they do.
If we are truly an inclusive and progressive community reaching for an expansion and growth just inches from our grasp, the people who make the decisions have to be willing to offer equal rights to all. If they are not, they are self-serving and should not be allowed a voice of authority in our community, be they politicians or preachers.
A big mistake for Bellevue to get into politics. Politics, a very dirty business, always undermines faith. The same also goes for Idlewild Presbyterian Church, a heavily left-wing and politically-active church that, in my opinion based on news stories and knowing some of their members, seems to believe in political correctness and little else.
Bellevue should believe that Christ is the greatest agent for changing minds and hearts and live accordingly, staying out of fights like this. They say they believe it. Live it, then, and stay out of the dead-end of politics.
Also has to be said that the hatred of Christians is certainly escalating, here and elsewhere. Many of the posters on this site break their arms patting themselves on the back for their tolerance and openness and should check themselves. Over the past few years, the most intolerant, most shrill, most hateful, and most ignorant people I've encountered are mostly those of the 'progressive' left.
Hate? Nah. Revulsion at those who call themselves Christian and teach hatred? Absolutely. Amusement at the fundamentalists who can't separate their talking points from the actual contents of the Bible? Check. Fear that in 1 or 5 years we'll be headed for a de facto Theocracy? Sure, and with just cause. All hail Perry, Shah of America!
Niles4334, right on. The so called "open minded" left is only open minded until you disagree, then they become the most hateful, intolerant people on the planet, what they claim to hate.
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