Pastor Michael Demastus of Ft. Des Moines Church of Christ found himself embroiled in the midst of a controversy when he planned to preach on homosexuality this Sunday. He changed the church’s sign (see on the right) to say “Gay is not okay” on Wednesday morning to promote the upcoming message.
Now a protest has been planned before the service. He has since changed the marquee to read “adultery is not ok.”
He didn’t get it changed before some decided to add their thoughts to the church sign as you can also see from the picture as well.
Demastus told The Des Moines Register that he knew the title was provocative, but he didn’t expect the reaction he has received. He forwarded three of some of the most recent emails that he has received:
What’s wrong with you? Why do you have so much hate in your heart? If you didn’t have so much hate in your heart, there would be room for God in there.
You should be ashamed of yourself. You wonder why there’s a so-called assault on Christianity in America? It’s because of people like you! You give good Christians a bad name.
I will pray for your salvation, but I fear you aren’t willing to make room in your heart for God’s love.
That was one of the tamer ones… The next two are not so tame:
Its because of f**ked up people like you on why our world is so bad! I’m glad you have shown your true colors! You are going to hell! Oh yea- and do you think god doesn’t love gay people? F**k you! (astricks added by me)
This person sent two emails:
COWARDS!!!! You are brave enough to display such a disgusting sign but you are too weak to answer your critics? GOD HATES BIGOTS!
Your so-called ‘church’ is disgusting. By posting this sign you are teach nothing but hate and ignorance. Time and time again it is proven that churches such as yours are full of heretics. You, your church and its congregation have not been chosen…you’re not even close.
One email he received came with his home address with the message, “I hope you feel safe at home.” That was when Pastor Demastus decided it was time to change the sign, but not the sermon. It wasn’t worth the potential threat against his family.
It is amazing to me how those who proclaim tolerance act in the most vitriolic and hateful ways. To threaten violence because you disagree with somebody? To potentially disrupt a church service because you disagree with the topic at hand?
While the church sign was provocative, the message is true. Homosexuality is a sin. Being gay (more specifically acting on that temptation) is not ok. I find the email that called Pastor Demastus and those who teach homosexuality as sinful heretics. It would be heretical to teach anything different. That is what the Bible teaches. We can’t reinterpret it just because some in our culture believes differently.
What the homosexual community and those who have been indoctrinated by “diversity training” is that true tolerance requires disagreement. It would be great is those emailing Pastor Demastus and the church would learn that and practice true tolerance as they are the ones who are being hateful.
Related articles
- Exhibit “A” – what you said about the Family Leader (thegazette.com)
- Pastor Joel Osteen to Oprah: Homosexuality Is Sin – But Gay People Will Be Accepted Into Heaven (theblaze.com)
- Phillips on Sexual Orientation (thirstytheologian.com)
- Can You Have Gay Friends If You Think Homosexual Behavior Is a Sin? (str.typepad.com)
- Romans 1:27, “On Liberalism and Rebuking The Hate Charge” (brandondevotional.wordpress.com)
- Is Everyone’s Biblical Understanding Tainted by Preconceptions? (christiancadre.blogspot.com)
