Louisville's Crcent Hill Baptist Church lls gay man as -pastor

Contents:

• HIGHLAND BAPTIST PLANS GAY MARRIAGE MAY
• HISTORIC BAPTIST CHURCH'S NEW -PASTOR, A GAY MAN, SAYS LLG IS 'THE HONOR OF MY LIFE'
• KENTUCKY BAPTIST CHURCH TO HOLD GAY WEDDG
• BAPTIST CHURCH KY. PLANS FIRST GAY WEDDG
• GAY AND BAPTIST: HOW AN OXYMORON MAY SAVE THE CHURCH
• HISTORIC BAPTIST CHURCH'S NEW -PASTOR, A GAY MAN, SAYS LLG IS 'THE HONOR OF MY LIFE'

HIGHLAND BAPTIST PLANS GAY MARRIAGE MAY

But only recently did they have the right to be married at their Bannister Jr., 29, and Steven Carr, 25, are to be married next May at Highland Baptist Church, which will break wh most church s nomatn by performg s first gay marriage ceremony.

HISTORIC BAPTIST CHURCH'S NEW -PASTOR, A GAY MAN, SAYS LLG IS 'THE HONOR OF MY LIFE'

"As state law stands, the marriage will not be regnized by the state of Kentucky, which is appealg a urt lg requirg to regnize same-sex marriag performed other while a district urt led Tuday that same-sex marriag performed Kentucky are legal, the judge stayed the cisn, haltg any legal gay marriag for church's cisn "may fluence the bate, " said Sam Marsson, a law profsor at the Universy of Louisville.

"The church's move is part of a trend toward gay marriage across the untry. In recent years, the Epispal Church began blsg same-sex unns and the Evangelil Lutheran Church Ameri cid to allow misters to perform gay marriag if they cisns did not e whout some nsternatn, however, and that was te for Highland Baptist. "When Phelps first arrived at Highland Baptist 1997, he said there was a don't ask, don't tell policy regardg followg year, a gay uple's photograph appeared the church directory, and slowly, the church began to openly wele lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr members and dite their children, he 2012, ordaed an openly gay mister, the Rev.

KENTUCKY BAPTIST CHURCH TO HOLD GAY WEDDG

Mrice "Bojangl" Blanchard, who leads a gay mistry at the church. "To vote on is to basilly ask the qutn, 'Are gay people fully human like the rt of ? Circu Court of Appeals cis gay-marriage s om Kentucky and three other stat.

Kentucky's chapter director of the Amerin Civil Liberti Unn Michael Aldridge knows Highland Baptist Church left the Southern Baptist Conventn years ago, jog what many would ll the more morate-to-liberal-Cooperative Baptist also knows the CBF tak no posn on gay marriage. So to hear that Highland Baptist will soon perform weddgs for gay and lbian upl?

"We have elected gay and lbian dividuals to serve as ans, weled gay and lbian members as teachers and lears throughout the church and have dited babi of same sex upl. Derek Penwell, senr pastor for Douglass Boulevard Christian Discipl of Christ-affiliate opened s doors to the gay, lbian and transgenr muni 2008. Palm Sunday 2011, s ngregatn voted to perform marriag for gay upl and to ntue performg such servic for oppose-sex upl.

BAPTIST CHURCH KY. PLANS FIRST GAY WEDDG

Now 29, the Knott County native was lled last month to serve at the Louisville church where he was ordaed earlier this year, markg the first time the Crcent Hill tablishment has been led by a gay pastor.

GAY AND BAPTIST: HOW AN OXYMORON MAY SAVE THE CHURCH

"In fact, I thk folks will e to our church, bee they have heard of a church where there's not only gay man servg as -pastor, but my -pastor Andrea Woolley is a woman. At the time, he said, he was told to not go to Crcent Hill Baptist Church bee women preached, and there were gay men who served as ans. He had not yet e out as gay while at the Louisville school, and he said what he had been tght about the LGBTQ muny affected his mental state.

"That was my biggt fear over my time over there, is that someone would fd out that I was gay. "Conley me out as gay 2014, after he left Boyce College whout fishg his gree. A Baptist ngregatn Kentucky has garnered natnal headl for s tentn to hold a gay weddg at s facily, spe most of their fellow Baptist church' disapproval.

HISTORIC BAPTIST CHURCH'S NEW -PASTOR, A GAY MAN, SAYS LLG IS 'THE HONOR OF MY LIFE'

It is schled for next Phelps, pastor at Highland Baptist, told The Christian Post that the gay uple "have been active and fahful members of the ngregatn for over five years. ""Our ans nclud that nscience would not allow to wele gay and lbian members as full members of our ngregatn … whout also grantg them both the rponsibili and rights of all our other members, " said Phelps. Lra Barclay, spokwoman wh the Kentucky Baptist Fellowship, told CP that her anizatn do not have an official posn on gay marriage.

"The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship do not issue official posns on homosexualy bee vlat the Fellowship's missn as a work of dividuals and church, " said Huett. "CBF valu and rpects the tonomy of each dividual and lol church to evaluate and make their own cisn regardg social issu like homosexualy. "Highland Baptist is not part of the ultranservative Southern Baptist Conventn, which strongly oppos marriage equaly and nsirs homosexualy a s.

It is affiliated wh the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, which allows member church to set their own polici on LGBT issu (although the fellowship will not employ so-lled practicg homosexuals on s own staff), and the Kentucky Baptist Fellowship, which embrac a policy of "diversy and openns to any believer God lls to learship and mistry, " acrdg to s, who joed Highland Baptist 1997, said the church has gradually bee an LGBT-welg ngregatn durg his tenure.