An “Evangelical” Church in Nashville Embraces Gay Marriage, Churchleaders.com

What strikes me about this sermon is that it reveals that the church’s transition actually occurred three years ago, not three weeks ago. But the church’s identity is so bereft of biblical ecclesiology that they apparently don’t realize it. What do I mean?

Pastor Mitchell says in the sermon above that when the church began their “conversation” about sexuality three years ago, they extended “partial membership” to practicing gays and lesbians. That “partial membership” consisted of welcoming them to be baptized and to the Lord’s table but of barring them from leadership and from the “sacraments” of baby dedication and of marriage. The only thing that changed three weeks ago was that those final three barriers were removed. So what gives?

Well, in the evangelical tradition, baby dedication and marriage are not sacraments. The only two sacraments (or ordinances) are baptism and the Lord ‘s Supper. Those two ordinances are defining marks of church membership, but leadership, baby dedication, and marriage most assuredly are not. That means that GracePointe crossed the theological Rubicon years ago, but apparently no one noticed.

And this underlines a problem that makes many churches vulnerable to the same kind of error that has now emerged at GracePointe. Churches that do not have a biblical ecclesiology will be more likely to fold than those that do. A biblical ecclesiology is God’s provision for sound teaching, qualified leadership, and meaningful membership—all three of which are essential to a healthy church and which are certainly missing at GracePointe.

Galatians 1:6-10 English Standard Version Anglicised (ESVUK)

No Other Gospel

6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

10 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant[a] of Christ.

Further Reading

1)     The rest of this article

2)   More on Gracepointe Church

3)    How Evangelicals are changing their minds on Gay Marriage, Time Magazine

Girls of 11 quizzed about lesbians and how Whitehall zealots are waging war on Christian schools: A Special report by Tom Rawstorne

As her 11-year-old daughter Grace arrived home, Deborah Finch naturally asked her how the day had gone.

Her response could hardly have been more surprising.

She explained that Ofsted had launched a snap inspection of her school in Durham, quizzing pupils about their experiences.

‘Grace told me what she had been asked and I could not believe it,’ says Mrs Finch, 36, herself a teacher at another school. She was asked if she knew what it was to be gay and whether she had any gay friends.

‘She was asked if she knew any lesbians and whether any family members had gay friends. At one point she was even asked whether she had ever felt she was in the wrong body, which completely baffled her as she hadn’t any idea what the woman was talking about.

She felt very embarrassed and uncomfortable — she said she felt under pressure as though she was being force d to sit some kind of test and worried she wasn’t giving the right answers.’

As it turned out, those worries were entirely justified.

Earlier this week, the Department for Education announced it was withdrawing funding from Grace’s school, Durham Free School, and that come Easter, it would close.

The reason? The results of that inspection by Ofsted last November.

‘One day spent in a failing school is one day too many,’ was the reaction of Education Secretary Nicky Morgan, adding: ‘I am deeply concerned when I hear of pupils being let down.’ But while the pupils, parents and staff do feel ‘let down’, it is not by the school — but by Mrs Morgan and by Ofsted.

Read more here:

Shut down, Christian school under attack because pupil did not know what a Muslim was: Inspectors brand it educational failure, Daily Mail Story.

Pupils at a Christian school have been branded bigots after a young boy gave the wrong answer when asked what a Muslim was.

Durham Free has been told to close after inspectors branded it an educational failure and said some children displayed ‘discriminatory views’ toward people of other faiths. The boy’s answer to the Muslim question apparently included a reference to terrorism.

But teachers said the verdict was grossly unfair and based on a throwaway and ignorant comment made by a single pupil. They said the school’s Christian ethos made it an easy target for officials who wanted to show they were promoting the Government’s diversity agenda.

A second Christian school in the area has been put into special measures. Inspectors also concluded its children were intolerant after allegedly asking ten-year-old pupils what lesbians ‘did’.

Teachers at Grindon Hall Christian School in Sunderland said the critical Ofsted report came as a shock because it was performing well. 

There are claims that some schools – mainly those with a religious ethos or in areas with few ethnic minority pupils – have been put under undue pressure by a requirement to promote British values such as tolerance, fairness, respect for other faiths and the rule of law and democracy.

These two cases highlight important issues about how Ofsted are interpreting the guidance they have been given.’

Simon Calvert of the Christian Institute said: ‘The Government’s British values regime is twisting Ofsted’s priorities out of all proportion. Inspectors are asking all kinds of invasive questions and then issuing reports that the parents whose children attend the school don’t recognise.’

Durham Free School, which has 94 pupils aged 11 to 13, was praised by then education secretary Michael Gove after it opened in September 2013. But when it was inspected in November, Ofsted failed it on a wide range of factors including poor teaching, attainment and behaviour. ‘Standards are low and progress is inadequate,’ inspectors said. ‘Students’ achievement is weak.’

Read more here:

Further reading:

Christian school facing closure

“A Christian free school in County Durham has been ordered to close down, after a watchdog said it found bad behaviour, prejudice towards non-Christians, bullying, and the recruitment of staff for their faith rather than their ability. 

Durham Free School opened in September 2013. Free schools receive their funding directly from central government, rather than their Local Authority. As such, they are not under Local Authority control. Free schools are governed by charities or other non-profit groups.

The Education Funding Agency, which allocates money for schools, also said it has "serious concerns about financial management, control and governance" at Durham Free School.” Premier Radio

'New York Times' Launches All-Out Attack on Christianity

'New York Times' Launches All-Out Attack on Christianity

Apparently, The New York Times is in favor of faith in the public square—if the purpose is to mock it. Editors at theTimes poured gasoline on the fire of Atlanta's latest controversy with an editorial that should shock even their most liberal readers. Just when you thought the media couldn't sink any lower, the Times takes on the same First Amendment that gives it the freedom to print these vicious attacks on Christians.

In a stunning column on Jan. 13, the newspaper argues that men and women of faith have no place in public management of any kind. The piece, which shows a remarkable disinterest in the facts, claims that Atlanta Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran didn't have permission to publish his book on biblical morality. Not only did Cochran have permission from the city's ethics office to publish his book, but he only distributed it in his personal capacity at church—where a handful of his coworkers attend.

But the shoddy journalism didn't end there. Editors insisted that Cochran's book was full of "virulent anti-gay views"—when in fact, the 162 page book only mentioned homosexuality twice. And both times, the conversation merely echoed the Bible's teachings on the subject. For that—privately espousing a faith that a majority of Americans share—Kelvin was fired.

"It should not matter," The New York Times conveniently suggests, "that the investigation found no evidence that Mr. Cochran had mistreated gays or lesbians. His position as a high-level public servant makes his remarks especially problematic, and requires that he be held to a different standard." And what is that "standard," specifically? That he has no First Amendment rights? If so, that's the height of hypocrisy for these editors, who just days ago championed the press's freedom to ridicule religion in the public square. Apparently, The New York Times believes in the freedom of the press to attack faith, but not the public's right to hold a faith in the first place.

God, Gays and the Atlanta Fire Department, New York Times.

The 'New York Times' Sanctions Anti-Religious Bigotry

The 'New York Times' Sanctions Anti-Religious Bigotry

The pattern is now completely predictable: Gay activists and their allies overplay their hand, and the liberal media says, "Well done! We fully support your intolerance."

Last week, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed fired Kelvin Cochran, the city's fire chief with 30 years of service behind him. As the mayor's statements made abundantly clear—and as we documented in the article, "The Mayor of Atlanta Declares War on Religious Freedom"—Cochran was fired because of his biblical beliefs that homosexual practice was abhorrent in God's sight. (Cochran also spoke against fornication, with specific reference to heterosexual promiscuity, along with bestiality, pedophilia and other sexual sins.)

The mayor's actions were so egregious (in keeping with the pattern of intolerance in the name of tolerance) that Christian leaders, both national and local, gathered in Atlanta on Tuesday to protest Cochran's dismissal.

Not to be outdone, the New York Times editorial board released an opinion piece earlier the same day, defending the mayor's actions and repeating the claim that Cochran was not fired for his beliefs but for his poor judgment. Their reasoning is as spurious as was the mayor's, but coming from the Times, it is even more dangerous.

New York Times, Opinion Piece

Christian pupils asked 'do you know what lesbians do?'

Christian pupils asked 'do you know what lesbians do?'

A Christian school has complained to the education inspector after pupils were asked if they knew what lesbians did.

It's claimed Ofsted staff spoke to children at Grindon Hall school in Sunderland about transsexuals, if they felt trapped in the wrong body and if tom boys were bullied.

It is a free school which means it receives state funding but is not under the local authorities control.

Head teacher Chris Gray has now formally complained to Ofsted about the inspection, which was carried out in November.

He claims girls aged 10 were asked what lesbians did after one child questioned how it was possible to have two mums.

Mr Gray said the inspection was "negative and hostile at every stage" and claims it was like the "data collected had to fit a predetermined outcome".

It's the latest in a long list of complaints made against Ofsted since new rules were introduced to ensure British values are being taught at schools.