Note: The Pastors of Providence Church have faxed and e-mailed an official letter to the Mayor’s office and Pensacola News Journal regarding the mayoral proclamation found here. If you would like a copy, please e-mail me at uriesou@gmail.com
To the Honorable Mayor Ashton J. Hayward III of Pensacola, Florida:
It is with great sadness that we, pastors of Providence Church in Pensacola, Florida write to condemn your endorsement of the Pensacola Pride Festival Week, and also the approval of accompanying activities, which are designed to give further affirmation to the homosexual lifestyle, which is contrary to the words of the Apostle Paul. Your signature on the Pensacola Pride Festival Week proclamation of the First of June, 2012 officially unites the city of Pensacola with those practices, and elevates them as something to be admired and encouraged.
This country continues to incur the wrath of the God of Scriptures who reveals Himself as Father, Son, and Spirit by continually despising and scorning the Name of Jesus Christ, which is above every name. A nation that does not humble herself before God, who perpetually turns to wicked ways, will not receive the forgiveness of God or be healed by the One who made heaven and earth.
Mr. Mayor, marriage is grounded in Creation. God established that a man and woman must unite for the sake of companionship and procreation. It is a divine decree, which must not be ridiculed or made to be one of many competing ideas. This covenant between a man and a woman is the most sacred of vows; the foundational stone for a stable and prosperous society. Your signature undermines this foundation, which is tantamount to an approval of sin and its dire consequences.
We humbly beseech you by the mercies of God to turn away from your endorsement, and to pursue righteousness in this city; to strive to please God and His commandments in all things, and to not sacrifice purity for the sake of plurality.
In the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Sincerely,
Pastors
Uriesou Brito and Alan Stout
Reblogged this on Unapologetics | aint nothing sacred.
The thing is, homosexuality is founded on creation too. It is innate.
The only alternative is that, faced with hostility such as yours, which was far more widespread in the past, people have chosen to be gay knowing that they would be outcast and vilified. No, it is not a choice.
Condemning people for how they are created is wrong.
Clare, what is your basis for the affirmation that a certain practice is founded in creation? One, you are assuming there is a creation, which implies some form of beginning. Two, you are also assuming there is some form of standard to make such a qualification. I await your reply. Thanks for visiting my blog.
Creation, how God has made the world: creation by God’s action continuing now. Practical theology. Human beings form pairs naturally, “It is not good for the man to be alone”. Gay people are attracted to our own sex, again naturally.
Clare, there is absolutely nothing natural with that statement. In fact, Paul spoke abundantly clear about its unnaturalness. Further, God also spoke clearly when he answered the “alone” question by providing someone who could be his companion and able to produce other image-bearers. The homosexual lifestyle fails in the most fundamental pre-requisite of creation.
Uri, Thank you for writing this letter. I stand in agreement with you. Putting a signature on a piece of paper has long-term ramifications. (see Declaration of Independence) And concerning Clare’s comments, I do not see any condemnation in this letter. It is a letter of belief, values and principles. People are born into Adam and Eve’s sin but they are not created in sin. The WHOLE gospel message rests on the biblical fact that we were all born in sin and we must ALL find forgiveness at the cross of Jesus. Being sexually active with other people (gay or straight) outside the biblical context of marriage cannot co-exist with the message of Jesus.
Thank you for your words, Joe. Our prayer is that politicians of all stripes will begin to assume responsibilities for their actions and their words. The mayor has stated elsewhere that he was not endorsing the event, but his signature speaks against him.
Amen! Thank you, Pastor Brito for speaking up.
You are welcome, Ginger. Thanks for visiting the blog.
All sin is innate and comes naturally to us (Galatians 5:17). That most certainly does not excuse us from the consequences of sin nor provide justification for engaging in it. Even our heterosexuality has bounds placed upon it (I Thess. 4:3-5; I Cor. 6:9, 10). Therefore, the argument that someone is ‘born that way’ is irrelevant. We are all born sinners. If acting according to ‘how we are born’ were acceptable, there would have been no need for Jesus to suffer and die in our stead.
Thank you for the clarity of your words. Blessings be upon you.
Excellent- kudos, and amen!
Thank you for your public stand.
Glad to do so.
Apparently you have never read the Book of Samuel:
1 Samuel 18:1-5; Now it came about when he had finished speaking to Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as himself. Saul took him that day and did not let him return to his father’s house. Then Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his armor, including his sword and his bow and his belt. So David went out wherever Saul sent him, and prospered; and Saul set him over the men of war.
1 Samuel 20: 41-42; David in the wilderness
“…David rose from beside the stone heap and prostrated himself with his face to the ground. He bowed three times, and they kissed each other, and wept with each other; David wept the more. Then Jonathan said to David, ‘Go in peace, since both of us have sworn in the name of the LORD, saying, “The LORD shall be between me and you, and between my descendants and your descendants, for ever.”‘ He got up and left and Jonathan went into the city.”
11 Samuel 1: 23, 25-27; The death of Jonathan
Saul and Jonathan, beloved and pleasant in their life, And in their death they were not parted; They were swifter than eagles, They were stronger than lions… “How have the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! Jonathan is slain on your high places. “I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; You have been very pleasant to me. Your love to me was more wonderful THAN THE LOVE OF WOMEN. “How have the mighty fallen, And the weapons of war perished!
It is MOST AWSOME that Pensacola has a Mayor who looks out for ALL CITIZENS OF HIS CITY. Mayor Haywood is a Blest Person
James, David was saying that their love transcended sexual love. Spiritual love is always more beautiful than human sexual love. David and Jonathan did not have sexual relations. They lived in a culture where men and women would greet each other with a kiss when they would meet and when they would part. God is a Holy God and chose David to be a Holy King. David wasn’t perfect as no one is but he was not a homosexual or bi.
The Word of God is foolishness to those who have not been enlightened (received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior). Therefore those who do not want to face/acknowlege their sin and what God thinks about it will usually twist scripture so that it means what they want it to mean. However, that doesn’t change the Word. Jesus died for all humanity, a free gift to us all but it cost Him His life. To receive the gift of salvation we must first acknowledge that we are sinners, turn away from our sin, and accept that Jesus paid our penalty for sin. We all come to him the same way – gay or straight. So if we have been saved by Jesus and we continue in our sin we have not ben saved. This is a heart condition not a head condition.
I have had many gay friends in my former life whom I loved and cherished yet I did not agree with their choices. Many have died from aids and some have not. My heart breaks for them because they have been blinded and refuse to see. They excuse Sodom and Gamorah as something else instead of God’s judgement on homosexuality.
On the othere hand, I have other friends who were once gay who have received the gift of salvation and are now married to the opposite sex and have a wonderful relationship with the Lord and a wonderful life.
I can’t take my grandchildren to SF because gays can legally walk around naked. I used to love that city. I can’t take my grandchildren to P’cola beach on Memorial Day because it is overrun with gays. My grandchildren will not be taught that homosexuality is natural or that two dads or two moms are just like a mom and a dad. If God wanted us to choose which way we would go then he would have made man/women with both genitalia. Why can’t people see this? Because they don’t want to. Sin will take you farther than you wanted to go and keep you longer than you wanted to stay.
Kathy it sounds like your a BIGOT and forget to ask WWJD, Jesus was never a BIGOT, nor did he ever pass judgement on anybody. Being LGBT is not a choice, you are born that way and God does not make junk. I am not LGBT but I am a Happliy married ALLIE of the LGBT Community. SOunds like you forgot how to read or REFUSE to read the BIBLE WITH A OPEN MIND. You need to be proud that Pensacola has a Mayor who recoginises ALL HIS CONSTITUTES and is NOT A CLOSED MINDED BIGOT. GOD BLESSES ALL OF HIS CHILDREN.
James, sorry you see the Word of God as bigoted. I didn’t say it, He did. I know many straight people who agree with you however, that doesn’t make them right either. I am not a bigot but I am responsible to teach my grandchildren the Word of God and not the whims of the world. Salvation is not based on feelings it is based on faith. You are right that Jesus was not a bigot and Jesus would love the LGBT’s of this world as I have, but we all have a choice of which way we will go and what we will choose. I choose to believe the entire Word of God. God didn’t make me a sinner, Adam did, and God doesn’t make people LGBT either, they choose which way they will go. I am not proud of a Mayor who would give up his city for the deep pockets of the gay community. We need people who are willing to stand for God in all our governments, local, state and country. James, I pray blessings on you and hope you will loose the spirit of intollerance. Why is it that you become angry when I don’t agree with you but I’m supposed to be tollerant of all your views and beliefs? Somehow the LGBT community always scream for tollerance unless you disagree with them. WWJD? He would tell the woman who was caught in
adultry, “Go and sin no more.”
First: The so so weak use of the relationship of David and Jonathan is just all used up. If that is the strongest argument, using scripture, one has then hang up your hat. When I was not a believer and after becoming a believer I experienced relationships with guy buds that were like Jonathan and David’s. More of those relationships happen now than then. Never have I felt the urge to do anything gross with them. I have guy friends that I just want to wrap my arms around them and pat them on the back over and over to let them know I sure do love them. It is something that my dad put in me which was compounded and perfected with what my Father has put in me. Love. Love for a man does not include abominable acts that go against “nature”.
Second: I noticed that Clare, way up at the top, didn’t respond to the natural part of the pastor’s response. Because it is not natural. When a man and a woman, in marriage, come together they fit. When a man and man or woman and woman do, there is no fit. Think about what has to be done in order for those abominable acts to happen. This is not, not even close to, rocket science. There are things that I was doing in my “old self” that were not lining up with the Creator. I saw it and changed it. Simple as that. I quit doing it.
Since Jonathan named me, I will respond. “Natural” means by nature, as created, and nothing is more natural for human beings than love: and it is natural for men who love men to love men. God is fine with that. Sorry, guys. You know nothing of God. You know nothing of love. You are talking about what you do not understand.
Why do you think it is called “Good” news? Yet you pervert it, you turn it round, you make it into the News of Hell, all the people God created who are going to be damned. Wake up!!
@ Kathy, I NEVER SAID GOD’S WORD IS BIGOT. IT WAS YOU THAT PUT THAT COMMENT IN MY MOUTH AND IT NEVER CAME OUT OF MY MOUTH. You need to STOP PUTTING WORDS IN OTHER PEOPLES MOUTHS.