A Southern Baptist church in California decided not to terminate its pastor, despite his pro-gay views. Pastor Danny Cortez of New Heart Community Church announced in February that he is in favor of affirming gay Christians after his son came out as homosexual.
Cortez wrote that when his son confided that he was gay “my heart skipped a beat and I turned towards him and we gave one another the biggest and longest hug as we cried. And all I could tell him was that I loved him so much and that I accepted him just as he was.”
Several months afterward, Cortez gave a sermon saying “the body of Christ is segregated every Sunday between gay-affirming and non-gay affirming” and he believes in supporting homosexuals.
After a vote, the congregation decided that they would support Cortez and identify as a “Third Way” church reports Christian News.
In a letter posted online Cortez wrote, “This is a huge step for a Southern Baptist church!! So, now, we will accept the LGBT community even though they may be in a relationship. We will choose to remain the body of Christ and not cast judgment. All of this to say, I believe God is moving in beautiful ways.”
The letter was met with both support and criticism from hundreds of commenters.
Publication date: June 5, 2014