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Former SBC President Resigns from Teaching Role at Seminary after Sharing Sermon by Gay Son
Milton Quintanilla |
Contributor for ChristianHeadlines.com |
Tuesday, December 7, 2021
Pastor James Merritt, a former president of the Southern Baptist Convention, resigned from his position as a visiting professor at Southeastern Baptist Seminary last week after coming under fire for sharing a sermon by his son, who is openly gay.
“Today my dear friend @drjamesmerritt asked me to allow him to decline serving as a visiting professor @SEBTS, not wanting to be a distraction to the school,” Akin tweeted last Monday. “I have honored his request. His integrity, character & love for the gospel is a model for us all.”
Merritt, who leads Cross Pointe Church in Duluth, Georgia, had shared a sermon by his son, Jonathan Merritt. The younger Merritt, an author, journalist, popular speaker, and a graduate of Southeastern Seminary, announced on Instagram in August that he is gay.
“I don’t agree with my loved son @JonathanMerritt on everything to be sure,” James Merritt tweeted on November 22. “But I encourage you to listen to his message on Mark 13. It is both brilliant and faithful to the gospel and the coming of Jesus!”
The tweet sparked massive criticism online, including from the Conservative Baptist Network (CBN).
“Scripture is clear that homosexuality is a grave sin (1 Cor. 6:9-10, Rom. 1:24-28), and that sin separates mankind from God (Isaiah 59:2, Rom. 6:23). To present to Southern Baptists a man living in unrepentant sin as someone to whom they should listen for a sermon that is “faithful to the gospel,” as the elder Merritt tweeted, is wholly illogical and demonstrably dangerous,” the Conservative Baptist Network said in a statement.
“For one who is employed by a Southern Baptist seminary receiving Cooperative Program tithe dollars to promote an unrepentant sinner—no matter whose son he is—as a trustworthy preaching source is a betrayal of trusting Southern Baptists,” the statement added.
In response to the backlash, James Merritt continued to defend his son.
“Regardless of who preaches Jesus or speaks truth I rejoice when they do because I love Jesus and truth,” the elder Merritt wrote. “I can approve a message even when I have disagreements with the messenger ...”
Meanwhile, Jonathan Merritt issued a response to CBN’s statement after his father resigned.
“Christianity is not for the faint of heart, folks. Jesus asks us to love all—even fundamentalists who rage at the mere thought of the Other. Praying for the CBN that they would come to know the God whose name is Love. Mt 5:44”, he tweeted.
The Apostle John knew that kind of Jesus better than anyone. But Jesus had to reveal Himself in His glory to John so that John would know the rest of Jesus, the Jesus Who is righteous and holy and the Jesus who will destroy evil in the earth as He did in Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim. The Jesus of Love is also the Jesus of Judgment.
On Monday, James Merritt seemed to take a shot at his critics in a series of tweets.
The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear? The Lord is a stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid? Ps. 27:1-2 If you fear God exclusively you don’t have to fear unjust criticism, outright lies, or hypocritical judgmentalism of Pharisaical bullies,” his first post reads.
It's so unfortunate that people who may well know the truth will suddenly abandon it the moment they find out that someone in the family lives outside of that truth.
“There are two words that are sweet to my ear these days and both start with the letter ‘M.’ As a golfer you like the word ‘Mulligan.’ As one on Twitter You really like the word ‘mute,’” Merritt added.
A mulligan is a way that golfers can improve their golf score without actually improving their game. It's something akin to cheating or lying to yourself.
UMC pastor relieved of duties after performing as drag queen
on HBO series
By Michael Gryboski,
Christian Post Reporter Twitter|
Wednesday, December 08, 2021
| YouTube/HBO
A United Methodist Church pastor was recently relieved of his duties after participating as a drag queen in the HBO reality series “We’re Here.”
The Rev. Craig Duke, formerly the lead pastor of Newburgh United Methodist Church, was relieved of his duties effective Dec. 1. The Rev. Mark Dicken will serve as interim pastor.
Duke became the center of controversy after being featured in a Nov. 8 episode of the docu-series. In the episode, Duke was shown preaching to his congregation about love before transitioning into singing Kesha’s song “We Are Who We Are” with “drag mother” Eureka O’Hara.
The series follows three renowned drag artists who travel to small towns across the country teaching local residents how to perform as drag queens. Craig was nominated by the River City Pride organization to take part in the series.
In a letter sent to the congregation last week, Dicken said that although he had “positive feelings about stepping in as the interim pastor,” he was not “not happy about the circumstances that led to this.”
“I love this church for many reasons,” wrote Dicken. “I am committed to helping NUMC through this challenging time. But I will need your help.”
“Come home. Come home to Newburgh United Methodist Church. Come home for worship. Come home for the holidays – and beyond. Healing takes time. Reconciliation and rebuilding trust is not easy and can be frustrating and sometimes painful. Most of all, come home to Christ.”
This makes it obvious that a lot of regulars at Newburg UMC abandoned the church. Can you blame them? Why does such a clown have the title Reverend? Is it revocable?
Duke and his family will be allowed to live at the parsonage until Feb. 28, though he will not serve as senior pastor at the church and his salary has been reduced.
Reduced? Why just reduced?
Mitch Gieselman, superintendent of the South and Southwest Districts of the Indiana UMC Conference, sent a letter to the congregation on Nov. 26 stating that Duke was neither fired nor suspended. Rather, Duke “has reached a place where he feels unable to continue to serve in parish ministry at present.”
Good grief! Why was he not fired or suspended?
“During his time of being relieved from pastoral duties, he will be engaging in a process of renewal, reflection, and recovery that will be monitored by our conference Director of Leadership Development, Bishop Trimble, and myself,” wrote Gieselman.
“Our desire is to provide an opportunity for Craig to again be able to utilize his numerous gifts as a pastor in a local congregation. He will not, however, be returning to the NUMC pulpit.”
Gieselman also noted that there is a divide in the congregation over whether Duke should have been relieved of his duties due to his involvement in the drag performer series.
“I’ve received numerous calls and emails that are highly critical of Craig’s actions, and I’ve received numerous messages of support for him,” Gieselman stated.
Your main intent should be to foster an environment where the Lord is glorified and comfortable with sending His Holy Spirit. Church is not a democracy, it's a theocracy.
Gieselman assured that Duke's actions were not a "violation of the United Methodist Book of Discipline."
What about the Bible; did he not violate God's commands? Deuteronomy 22:5:
“A woman shall not wear anything that pertains to a man, nor shall a man put on a woman’s garment, for all who do so are an abomination to the Lord your God."
A GoFundMe page launched in support of Duke has raised a little more than $57,000 through more than 1,400 separate donations as of Wednesday morning.
“Pastor Craig considers himself to be a man of faith, a father, a husband, a social justice advocate, and ally for the LGBTQIA+ community. Craig has a hope and has fought for a fully inclusive church that is welcoming to people of all races, all genders, and all sexual orientations,” reads the campaign page.
“Please join us in praying for Pastor Craig as he (and his family) navigates this time of transition. If you feel inclined to donate to help offset some of the family’s living expenses, it is greatly appreciated.”
Craig participated in the show in support of his daughter who identifies as pansexual. Duke told The Courier Press in a Tuesday interview that his wife, Linda, also stepped down from her role as the church’s youth pastor.
Another case of a pastor following his child out of God's grace.
Duke said he believes that “God loves all people as we are.”
So, he should try reading the Bible some time.
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