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| Mat Staver of the Liberty Counsel |
However, recent statements by the group regarding a church in Florida raises questions as to just whose religious liberty is the Liberty Counsel interested in preserving.
From the American Family Association's fake online news service, One News Now:
Northland Community Church in Orlando recently hosted the event, which was titled: "Elevating the Dialogue on LGBTQ Inclusion and Understanding of the Church." It was sponsored by The Reformation Project, founded by Mathew Vines, author of the book God and the Gay Christian. Joel Hunter, pastor of Northland Community Church, told Charisma News his church hasn't wavered on the belief that marriage is between one man and one woman. But he said he invited Vines "because his organization helps churches – including churches that do not agree with him – have a conversation to increase understanding between the two normally adversarial groups." Hunter also told The Orlando Sentinel: "It's not about our church's position about homosexuality. It's about how we treat each other when we're different in our perspectives."
And here is where the Liberty Counsel comes in the conversation:
However, a litigation, education and policy organization based in Orlando has some concerns about the event. Roger Gannam is assistant vice president for legal affairs for Liberty Counsel.
"It's one thing to host a conversation, a panel discussion, or a debate where different sides of an issue are presented," says Gannam. "But for a church to invite into its walls an organization led by a man who espouses basically heresy – something that is not biblical at all – it's very disappointing and it's very alarming."
The founder of Liberty Counsel, Mat Staver, believes Pastor Hunter has fallen into a trap. "For him to host that pro-LGBT event is heresy," he adds.
Liberty Counsel argues that the purpose of the event was to "distort the Bible and change theology in order to affirm an alternate sexual lifestyle as normative."
And there you have it. Under the guise of religious liberty, the Liberty Counsel will defend a government employee (Kim Davis) who discriminates against same-sex couples even though her salary in part is paid by their tax dollars.
Then the organization will make a 180 degree turn to criticize a church for having a simple dialogue about lgbtq issues.
Apparently the Liberty Counsel is more interested in preserving the religious liberty of those who would treat the lgbtq community as second class citizens rather than those who would treat us as human beings.
