It never ceases to amaze me what people who call themselves “Christian” will do “in the name of God.”
Take, for instance, this story I found on the Rev. Stephen Sprinkle‘s “Unfinished Lives” blog:
On Wednesday, Sept. 28, Jerry Pittman Jr. and his boyfriend, Dustin Lee, drove up to Grace Fellowship Church near Humbolt, Tenn., to attend Wednesday night services. Pittman’s father, Jerry Pittman Sr., is the pastor at Grace Fellowship, and his uncle, Patrick Flatt, is a deacon there. The two young men knew that the church folks at Grace Fellowship didn’t approve of their relationship, and that the elder Pittman had even preached anti-gay sermons during services when his son and Lee were not there.
But Pittman Jr. and Lee had attended services there before without any problems, and Lee had even been asked to sing at the church before.
So it caught them off guard that Wednesday evening when, as they arrived and started to get out of the car to go into the church, they heard Pastor Pittman yell out, “Sic ’em!” And Deacon Flatt and two other church deacons ran to the car and began to beat up the two young men. Pittman Jr. and Lee said that even after a Gibson County sheriff’s deputy arrived, the pastor and deacons continued to yell anti-gay slurs and insults.
And to add insult to injury, the sheriff’s deputy refused to allow Pittman Jr. and Lee to press charges against their attackers. Gibson County Sheriff Chuck Arnold later told reporters that it would have been “out of character” for the deputy to refuse to allow the gay couple to press charges “unless they were causing a problem themselves.” Arnold, however, decided later to temper his remarks in subsequent interviews, the Unfinished Lives blog reports.
Rev. Sprinkle, by the way, is an openly gay minister and a professor at TCU’s Brite Divinity School. Unfinished Lives is also the name of the book he has written about LGBT people killed in hate crimes.
“Would Jesus condone anti-gay violence?” the Unfinished LIves blog asks. “If not, then why is such prejudice overtly and covertly incubated in the nation’s communities of faith, like Grace Fellowship? While it may be simple for many Christians to dismiss the Grace Fellowship hate crime as an aberration in an embarrassing, Pentecostal byway, the silence from every other church in the surrounding area is deafening.”
Religion is teh root of all evil!!
“I do not feel challenged by organized religion. In some cases it is helpful, and often is harmful.”Morris Kight, a Comanche County Texas Legend
I have long mainted that organized religion is the worst thing that has ever happened to Christianity. This incident only solidifies my belief. My heart goes out to these two boys. God Bless You!
@Scott: every battle has 2 sides, and the blanketed statement can always be used : take away one side and there is no battle. Religion isn’t the problem, people are.
@Steven: Completely agree.
Not sure this is the same “Grace Fellowship” but I thought this URL was interesting: https://www.gracefellowship.com/harmony/harmony/
First off, by no way is what happened short of a a despicable hate crime. The people responsible should be punished.
On a separate note, I have always made it a point not to screw around with or antagonize big dumb bulls. I am not sure what their mentality or the big picture of the situation was.
There is a difference between:
“I have been attending this church every weekend, but this time I brought my boyfriend and was beat up”
— vs —
“I’m sick of daddy’s anti gay sermons, so I am going to bring my boyfriend and snicker in the back of the room while he teaches.”
The latter is a slap in the face to a big dumb bull … not to say anything that would be “deserved” in that case, but if that be the case, then you gotta shrug and say: “…..well…. really, what’d you expect from a big dumb bull that gets slapped in the face”
Also, given the latter, I would understand the sheriff’s statements.
Grace Fellowship in Christ Jesus in Dallas IS NOT part of this church/denomination. GFIC Dallas welcomes ALL people that includes GLBTQ community & str8. The people who did this in TN will answer to God for their hate. 1 John 4:7-8 “Dear Friends, Let us LOVE one another, for Love comes from God…Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” How can anyone declare that they love God and then beat & hate some of His children? No Way according to the Bible. “Anyone who hates their brother or sister is a murderer.”
RingO: I cannot say this with 100 percent certainty, but I don’t believe this was a situation where Pittman Jr. suddenly and out of the blue took his boyfriend to church with him. I believe, from what I read at the Unfinished Lives blog, that they had attended together before. Follow the link and read the complete post there. I believe Pittman Sr.’s wife had just left him, and that may have played a part in him suddenly deciding to attack his son and his son’s partner.
Pittman Sr.’s wife had just left him? Gee, imagine that.
Can anybody spell cult? If they have still be unable to bring charges then Lambda Legal needs to get involved.
There’s a reason I left Texas years ago and plan never to return. What’s amazing is that this made any sort of news.
Nolan: This happened in Tennessee, not Texas
Typo due to not having enough coffee, Tammye. Sorry.
This is pretty typical in small towns. I grew up watching grown men with hands in the air, yelling and screaming as they skipped in a circle, watching grown women clapping quickly in a vertical formation as they cried and various churchgoers twitching on the floor. I was even cornered once saying that I needed to be saved. The list goes on. It’s very scary and sad, especially for gay youth having to deal with the aftermath and mentality of these small-town churches.
Hate in any form has nothing to do with God. Just like many religions have nothing to do with God. We are all sinners saved by Grace. Everyone falls short, no one deserves salvation it is a free gift. Given thru LOVE. A lot of folks don’t want to hear it but Jesus would that all men would be saved. Every last one! Forgiveness is for all mankind not just the do goers… A personal relationship with Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation! And just so everyone knows he doesn’t exclude anyone! Sorry got on a soap box didn’t I…