14 December, 1997

Dear Children,

This is going to be one tough sermonet so please Lord, give me a lot of wisdom. You see this is the appointed time to continue on with the message about churches, denominations, and religions; we’re going to pick it up where we left off several weeks ago. And it was just in time that our youngest daughter Hadassah informed me of some earthshaking news from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

It seems as though the mayor of that beautiful vacation resort city wants to allow the homosexuals to have a parade down main street Myrtle Beach. You see they too want to have a festive occasion, a Gay-la event, just like all the other big organizations (Shriners, motorcycle riders, etc.). And you really never know about these things but they may even call it "Gay week at the Beach". And although the Gay Parade seems only fair to most, there are a few people who don’t quite see eye to eye with the mayor; they don’t want the homosexuals overrunning their town, regardless of what money they might bring into the area. And is that really so bad?

Well it just so happens that I had already planned (through the leading of the Holy Spirit) to write on that very same subject, but with a slightly different angle in mind. Because it was several weeks ago that I started preparing for the message of this week entitled "Homosexuals In The Church", and now we are going to do it. So buckle up your seat belts because we’re getting ready to take off.

You see this new fangle dangle computer I have, along with it’s Internet connection into outer space, has given me the ability to find out some pretty neat stuff very quickly. And one of these neat things just so happens to be what church denominations believe in or what is commonly called their statement of faith. Now for some of you who belong to these churches, this information might just be an eye opening experience. So please listen up and pay very close attention because God (through His word) has something to say.

The first "religion" that we will investigate is my old religion from days gone by. Of course things have changed just a little bit since my childhood days. In fact the information that I will be sharing with you was taken from The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church which was written in1992. And just in case you haven’t figured it out yet, today we will look into what the Methodist (United) Church believes in.

Now I would love to share all 16 pages of this very important document with you, but I can’t afford the postage. So for today we will only look at what the United Methodist Church has to say about one subject in particular: homosexuals. Reading from the United Methodist Church web page, "We recognize that sexuality is God’s good gift to all persons. We believe persons may be fully human only when that gift is acknowledged and affirmed by themselves, the Church, and society. We call all persons to the disciplined, responsible fulfillment of themselves, others, and society in the stewardship of this gift. We also recognize our limited understanding of this complex gift and encourage the medical, theological, and social science disciplines to combine in a determined effort to understand human sexuality more completely. We call the Church to take the leadership role in bringing together these disciplines to address this most complex issue. Further, within the context of our understanding of this gift of God, we recognize that God challenges us to find responsible, committed, and loving forms of expression..."

Now what has just been said is that sex is good. It was designed by God for the purpose of both pleasure and making babies, but it was only intended for the married couple which should consist of one man and one woman. I most certainly agree that this is God’s plan and this was the way He designed it, but I don’t agree with the rest. We do not need to consult with doctors, theologians, and rocket scientist in order to understand God’s intended use of sex. We have The Book On Sex, it’s called the Holy Bible, and if more people would only consult in it we would have far less problems (and that includes the United Methodist Church).

But that’s not all because they go on to say, "Homosexual persons no less than heterosexual persons are individuals of sacred worth. All persons need the ministry and guidance of the Church in their struggles for human fulfillment, as well as the spiritual and emotional care of a fellowship which enables reconciling relationships with God, with others, and with self. Although we do not condone the practice of homosexuality and consider this practice incompatible with Christian teaching, we affirm that God’s grace is available to all. We commit ourselves to be in ministry for and with all persons."

Now that statement might sound innocent enough but let me show you some of the results that it has brought about. On the same web page with the United Methodist Church I also found much information on the United Methodist for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Concerns. Believe it or not but there are already (as of November 1997) 12,200 United Methodist people, 137 United Methodist congregations (churches), 19 United Methodist campus ministries, and 6 United Methodist conferences who all publicly welcome all persons, regardless of sexual orientation (in other words homosexuals), into their group.

And so you can understand just how innocent this ain’t, let me read you some of their writings from the news letter called "Affirmation" which is published by the United Methodist for Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Concerns. "The book of Genesis is a collection of mythic stories, stories of beginning times that were told to convey truths that can best be told through story. The first eleven chapters of Genesis fall into the category of creation myths... The story of the destruction of Sodom falls into the second cluster of Genesis stories... And what was the sin of Sodom?...The sin was not gay sex... It was the active willingness, on the part of the men of Sodom, to treat strangers as objects to be used and discarded, regardless of the impact of such actions on the strangers’ lives and well being. The treatment of the messengers exposed the corporate sin of Sodom. The story tells us that such willingness to use others is a corporate sin that may bring about the destruction of a people."

Talk about myths! What these homosexual people have to say about the Word of God, the Holy Bible, can only be labeled as warped and twisted fairy tails. It’s totally unbelievable what they are doing, but you haven’t seen nothing yet because they are only just getting started. You see they have slightly adjusted the story of Sodom and Gomorrah to meet their needs, and if you don’t believe me just read it for yourself (Genesis18-19).

But even though these distortions of the story of Sodom and Gomorrah are bad, they are only the beginning; there’s more to come. You see it’s what they are going to do that’s so damning to the work of God. Because, continuing on with their news letter, they go on to say, "...Worship and "religious issues" are integral parts of the church, are they not? And if the Church is concerned about bread and children and marginalized members of society, then the church is relevant to our lives, even though we know that The United Methodist Church has yet to include us along with those other "marginalized persons." But we have a wonderful and powerful weapon in the words of Jesus quoted above: "As you have done it to the least of people, you have done it to me..." and someday The United Methodist Church will hear and understand and obey."

The homosexuals ain’t where they want to be yet, but it’s only a matter of time before they get there. You see they want to be full fledged members of the Church, and from the looks of things it’s already happening. But before I make any additional comments on The United Methodist profession of faith, let’s first read two key Scriptures from the Word of God. First from Matthew 7:21, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." And secondly from Revelation 3:14-16, And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth."

These are two very important statements in that God means what He says. His word is the truth and when He speaks we had better all listen. And what He has to say is that it doesn’t matter how holy one might look, if he or she is not following the Word of God and doing the will of God then they ain’t going to make it into Heaven; regardless of whether they call themselves a Christian or not. And furthermore this commitment to follow the Word of God and do the will of God can not be a half hearted attempt, it has to be a totally committed effort (100%). Because, for all those churches who only obey some of the Word, for convenience sake, then God won’t be able to stomach their presence. The Holy Bible says that He will vomit, upchuck, or spew them out of His mouth.

So going back to their statement of faith, regardless of what the United Methodist Church might say, the homosexual person actually has no sacred worth to God the Father. They are worth absolutely nothing in the eyes of God. And before you get all upset with what I have just said please finish hearing me out. The homosexual person can be of much value to God but he or she must first get rid of the homosexual word and the homosexual act that’s attached to their name. They can’t be of God, they can’t be a Christian and a homosexual at the same time; it just won’t work. And that’s what’s so bad about the statement of faith by the United Methodist Church.

You see "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."(Hebrews 4:12) The word of God ain’t weak and puny but powerful and sharper than any two edged sword. When it cuts it cuts with both sides of the blade, and what the United Methodist Church has done with this sword of God is nothing more than to make it duller than dull. And likewise that’s why the homosexual world is about to completely overrun, trash up, and destroy anything that remains of God in the United Methodist Church. Because they didn’t follow the entire and complete Word of God I’m afraid they are awful close to being vomited out of the mouth of God.

So what should The United Methodist statement of faith have said in order to follow the Word of God and not been "luke warm"? Well thanks for asking because that’s just what I’ve been waiting for. You see homosexuality and it’s perverted use of God’s gloriously designed sex has been around for a long time... and likewise so has God’s verbal dislike for it. In fact it was in the rule book of Leviticus, the book of laws, that God the Father made a very clear and understandable statement of what He thought about homosexuality, and likewise what should be done to those who do it. Reading from Leviticus chapter 20, verse 13, "If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them."

Now please don’t think that it is our job to go out and kill the homosexuals; because it’s not. We are to treat the homosexual person with Christ-like love, but we are also to show them where they have gone wrong. God wants everyone to have the opportunity to make it to Heaven and that’s why Jesus gave His precious blood for the sins of the homosexual too. But before His blood can take away their sin they have to first admit that it is a sin, accept Jesus’ sacrifice in payment for their sin, and do it no more. But getting back to the Scripture, the words "If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman" means only one thing. You see the word "lieth" is used to describe the act of having sex, and this sex was designed by God for man to be performed with a woman (his wife). But when man performs this sex act (lieth) with another man (mankind) it becomes no longer God’s beautifully designed demonstration of love and affection between man and wife but a show of total disobedience to God’s plan. And because it is a demonstration of open rebellion against God, it is an act which is disgusting, vile, loathsome, and extremely unpleasant in the eyes of God. In other words God sees the act of homosexuality as being totally disgusting. He hates it and He can have no part of it or them who do it (abomination).

And to further reinforce this idea (make it stronger), let’s turn to the second book of law, Deuteronomy, and read from chapter 23, verses 17 and 18. And the Word of God says, "There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel. Thou shalt not bring the hire of a whore, or the price of a dog, into the house of the LORD thy God for any vow: for even both these are abomination unto the LORD thy God."

Now the word "whore" used to describe the female homosexuals in this Scripture could have been translated "sodomite" as well. Both the words used to illustrate the male and female homosexuals were the same except for the fact that one was a boy and the other a girl. So what God was saying was that there won’t be, there can’t be, any homosexuals in His Kingdom, whether on earth or in Heaven (nation of Israel). And the reason He said this is because, in pure and simple language, the homosexual person worships the demonic god of sex. Homosexuals are idol worshippers, they worship Satan’s alternative gods, and that is why the Word of God goes on to say that they are no better than a dog. The Word of God actually calls them a dog and regardless of how much money they might bring as an offering to the church it should not be accepted. You see they can’t even worship God with their tithes and offerings because they refuse to obey God in their lifestyles. As long as they practice the sin of homosexuality they are nothing more than the typical dog in the street and God says they can’t be a part of His Kingdom on earth (The Church) or His Kingdom in Heaven.

And there are many Scriptures that I could use to further prove the point that I am trying to make but I feel the story in I Corinthians chapter 5 and 6 serves the purpose of this message best. So what we are about to read is the apostle Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth. He had established the church, he had witnessed to the people and brought them together as one group to worship God, but he was not physically there with them. And being so far from them, his only good way of communication with them was letter (sounds a little bit like me). So this Scripture is Paul’s effort (in letter form) to straighten up the problems before they become real big problems in the church of the city of Corinth.

Starting with chapter 5, verse 1, and reading, "It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife. And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath done this deed, In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus."

Paul had a big time problem with his church at Corinth and the problem was the sin of fornication. Now for those of you who might not know it, this sin of fornication covers a lot of territory. The definition of fornication is pretty broad in that it can include any and every ungodly use of sex; including homosexuality. You see fornication is nothing more than the process of thinking more of sex than you do of God. In other words a fornicator is a person who has let sex take control of his or her life. Whether it’s the homosexual kind (man with man or woman with woman) or the heterosexual kind (man with woman), the person who is a fornicator will do anything, including going against the Word of God, to have sex. Now the man that Paul was talking about in this Scripture was a man who belonged to the church of Corinth... but he was having sex with his own mother... and nobody in the church was doing anything about it... and that’s why Paul had to write this letter.

You see people must realize that you can’t serve both God and Satan. For anyone who chooses the ways of Satan, even though they might have once accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior, they have also chosen Satan. In other words you are only fooling yourself if you think for one little minute that you can freely continue to do the things of the world while confessing that you are a Christian. And that is why Paul was saying that it was necessary for the members of the church to give this fornicating member of the church the royal kick in the seat of the pants. In other words this man was to be thrown out, cut off, and totally separated from the Church of God until he made the necessary change of heart.

And that’s why he was just a little bit upset with them. This was what they should have done but this wasn’t what they did. And that’s why he goes on to say, "Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth."

Once again, in an effort to make things easy to understand, let me put it to you in plain and simple language. What Paul has just said can best be described with the very familiar saying of "one bad apple spoils the whole bunch". You see if there is an apple in a basket of apples with a rotten spot on it, it’s a known fact that given enough time the entire basket of apples will also get rotten. And likewise the same holds true with people in churches. If there is one bad apple in the church it too can cause the whole bunch to become rotten.

So Paul goes on to make his point just a bit clearer: "I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or and idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such one no not to eat. For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not judge them that are within? But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person."

You see there really shouldn’t be any wicked people in the church (and homosexuals are wicked in the eyes of God). If you are a member of a church you should be there because you have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and likewise the sins of the world should be far behind you. But if anyone in the church should sin against God, after having first turned away from sin, then that’s what the altars should be used for. And that brings up the question of how many modern day churches actually use the altars as originally designed; for people to fall down on their knees and cry and weep and ask forgiveness for any new sins that may have been committed? Christianity is not a one time deal, it’s a life long process!!!

But to finish this message up, going on into verses 9-11 of chapter 6, "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God."

There you have it! It won’t do any good for a homosexual to belong to a church because they are going to Hell anyway. So you see to make such a weak and ambiguous statement as the United Methodist Church has made concerning the homosexuals only invites trouble. It opens the door, which it has done, to Satan and his dirty filthy rotten sidekicks called demons. The doors of the United Methodist Church have been opened and the demons of homosexuality have started attending church... and not only attending church but also preaching in church... and what they are preaching is anything but the truth... and that’s why God says that lukewarmness will take you to Hell!!!

Now I’m very sure that many of you will not agree with what I have just written, but that’s not my problem. I know the truth, I have just stated the truth, and if you want to believe lies instead then go right ahead. But there is one thing that you must remember: you can’t help a homosexual by allowing him or her to become a member of the church. They have to realize a very important fact that their sin won’t allow them into the kingdom of God until they get rid of it. They must first admit that homosexuality is a sin, accept Jesus’ sacrifice in payment for their sin, and do it no more or they ain’t a gonna get into them pearly gates of Heaven. No way!!! And just so you'll understand that it can happen (homosexuals can be delivered from their sin), why not check out the testimonies of an ex-lesbian (The Ann Paulk Story) and an ex-gay (The John Paulk Story).

In closing, for those of you who might be associated with a church or denomination that believes homosexuals have rights (with God), then my advice to you is to find yourself another place to worship. God’s Word is very clear on this subject and just the thought of being vomited out of God’s mouth after having being saved and sanctified should make most have some pretty bad nightmares.

So keep your nose in the Holy Bible (King James Version), keep your knees on the floor in prayer, believe and obey what God tells you, and keep on keeping the faith.

And just one last word: thank you Jesus for giving me the words and the courage to write this message.

Love,

Dad (Bruce Hallman)

- Gay Manifesto - (Download MP3) - Homosexuality In America - (Download MP3) - The Cry Of Sodom-Gomorrah - (Download MP3) - As It Was In The Days Of Lot - (Download MP3)

Update (3/21/2004):

Well the innevitable has finally happened! Just as we quoted earlier, it was back in 1997 that the United Methodist for Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Concerns made the following statement of their "faith": "The United Methodist Church has yet to include us...but..."

That's what they said, and then the Lord gave me the following to say in regards to it: "The homosexuals ain’t where they want to be yet, but it’s only a matter of time before they get there. You see they want to be full fledged members of the Church..."

And, as of 3/21/2004, it has finally become real in a very ugly and ungodly way:

Church Jury Acquits Gay Methodist Pastor

BOTHELL, Wash. - A lesbian Methodist minister said she was relieved by her acquittal in a church trial over her sexual orientation — but so was the pastor who prosecuted her, and even the bishop who filed the complaint.

A jury of 13 pastors said it decided in favor of the Rev. Karen Dammann "after many hours of painful and prayerful deliberations, and listening for and to the word of God."

Dammann, 47, married her partner of nine years last month in Oregon, where officials have been allowing gay marriages. "It's been heart-stopping at times, too exciting at times," she said after the verdict.

Meredith Savage, Dammann's partner, said she called their 5-year-old son and shouted, "Mama won!"

Dammann has been on leave as pastor of First United Methodist Church in Ellensburg, 95 miles east of Seattle. The ruling means she is in good standing with the church and available for new assignments.

Dammann said her immediate plans are to continue caring for her son, who has a respiratory illness, but she hopes one day to return to the Ellensburg church.

The trial is the first against a homosexual Methodist pastor since 1987, when the credentials of the Rev. Rose Mary Denman of New Hampshire were revoked.

The United Methodist Church, the nation's third-largest with 8.5 million U.S. members, has struggled publicly with the issue of homosexuality since 1972.

In that year, the General Conference declared homosexuals "persons of sacred worth" but found homosexuality "incompatible with Christian teaching."

Still, the denomination's social principles support gay rights and liberties.

Since the late 1980s, Pacific Northwest church leaders have petitioned to ease policies on homosexuality at each of the denomination's General Conferences, held every four years. During past international General Conferences, most attendees have opposed change.