The following report is from The Christian Post:
The PCUSA project Unbound: An Interactive Journal of Christian Social Justice is kicking off the new series “Queering the Bible” with a 16-part study of the Gospel of Mark that will run through July 22.
Rev. Lee Catoe, the project’s editor, told Presbyterian News Service that the study looks at the Gospel as a way of “learning about how we experience God as queer folk, and how we experience Scripture as queer people.”
Mark has some very interesting stories that speak about inclusion and what that means, that has stories where Jesus is encountering people who have different experiences, marginalized folk, and so I just think it speaks to the queer experience, very much, right now.
Catoe said
According to Catoe, the inspiration for “Queering the Bible” came from a desire to go beyond rainbow flags and t-shirts during the LGBT pride ritual and challenge PCUSA to “go deeper in our welcoming of queer folk.”
He said the Gospel of Mark was a perfect introduction to the series because of its length.
Prominent Jesuit Priest Encourages Churches To Celebrate Gay Pride Month
The “Queering” Mark 1 study by Rev. Benjamin Perry, for instance, compares John the Baptist’s experience to those of LGBT individuals.
LGBTQIA+ people have long lived like John, holding in our voices and bodies a love that transcends the ways culture tries to confine it — crying out in the wilderness about what will not only free us, but what will liberate all people.
Perry writes
In the conversation with Presbyterian News Service, Catoe suggested traditional biblical hermeneutics have contributed to Mark and other texts being “interpreted in very unhealthy ways,” specifically because of the theological groundwork of “straight white men.”
Oftentimes when we’re looking at Scripture, historically, it’s been a lot of straight white men who have interpreted Scripture and then creating theologies. So, when we’re talking about queering the Bible, we really are wanting to have the voice of queer folk, trans folk, who read Scripture, look at Scripture and interpret that Scripture through that lens.
He said
He added that “Queering the Bible” focuses on “going against all the heteronormative ways that Scripture has been interpreted and creating some new theologies that we can use.”
PCUSA did not respond to a request for comment by The Christian Post.
‘Unprecedented Drop’ Reported In the Number of Bible Readers In The US
Unbound is published by the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and works with the Compassion, Peace & Justice ministries of the Presbyterian Mission Agency. Unbound’s website state that it is “guided by the policies of the Church but open to sometimes-controversial new ideas, challenges, and matters of self-critique.”
Unbound is a ministry of the Presbyterian Church USA but holds to the ecumenical voice of the Church universal.
The website reads
Mark Tooley, president of the Washington, D.C.-based ecumenical religious think tank Institute on Religion & Democracy, told The Christian Post that by hosting projects such as “Queering the Bible,” PC(USA) is “replacing the Gospel of redemption with their own journey of self-actualization.”
Christ bids to listen and follow, dying to self. This project seeks to appropriate and bend the Bible towards self-justification. Ironically, nobody will truly find it to be fulfilling. The Gospel offers words of true life.
Tooley, a Methodist layman, said
As PC(USA) pushes forward with a more progressive theological stance, the denomination continues to lose members.
In April, the largest Presbyterian denomination in the United States announced the release of its annual statistics, which were compiled by the PC(USA) Office of the General Assembly.
According to the latest numbers, PC(USA) saw congregations drop from 8,925 in 2020 to 8,813 in 2021. It also saw its active membership decline from approximately 1.24 million in 2020 to 1.19 million in 2021.
The mainline Protestant denomination also saw a decline of 372 clergy members — 18,785 ministers in 2020 to 18,458 in 2021.
The denomination slipped below 2 million active members in 2011 and below 10,000 congregations in 2014.
The Mass Exodus From The Churches
AUTHOR COMMENTARY
[10] For the land is full of adulterers; for because of swearing the land mourneth; the pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up, and their course is evil, and their force is not right. [11] For both prophet and priest are profane; yea, in my house have I found their wickedness, saith the LORD. [12] Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery ways in the darkness: they shall be driven on, and fall therein: for I will bring evil upon them, even the year of their visitation, saith the LORD. [13] And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria; they prophesied in Baal, and caused my people Israel to err. [14] I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah.Jeremiah 23:10-14
History is repeating itself once again. We have these abominable reprobates claiming to speak in the name of the Lord; and while this is very easy to see through and needs no debunking, it is still insidious all the same and the Lord is not going to be putting up with this any longer.
The Presbyterians were built upon sand since their inception, as the traditional ones hold to John Calvin’s philosphical and blasphemous TULIP dogmas; and the mainstream branches as a whole have long been in the backpocket of Rome for quite sometime. The Protestants are all in bed with the Vatican, and have been for a very long time, nor is it a secret.
[7] Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? [8] Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also? [9] For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? [10] Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. (1 Corinthians 9:7-10).
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17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
I Peter 4:17
These church buildings conservative or liberal, LGBTQ or otherwise, and every Vatican daughter denomination are going to get struck the hardest-harder than the rest of Great Satan America-and i for one, am excited for it!
I’ve been inside a Presbyterian cult building when I was still in the pentecostal cult system-and I tell ya what, it was the bleakest, most depressing, and off putting experience I have had thus far. A cold chill ran down my spine, being inside that satanic cave of religious death. Might as well have been in a Catholic temple-in fact I was because Catholics and Protestants are one in the same with the former being their mother and leading the way!
I’m vexed by the sodomy! Where I’m currently living, Laredo, Texas-one of Satan’s favorite cities as it’s a Catholic stronghold, I see a billboard that says “CHOOSE LOVE” and it’s designed with the rainbow colors-no you chose sodomy and God’s judgement and wrath!
I’ve just finished writing brother Bryan a letter and it’s going to talk about how I pray for judgement on America and this hellish city I’m in.
Andy, you speak as a muslim, American is not the great satan! if you hate our country move to Iran or Afghanistan, I bet you would love it there!
I’m not a Muslim, God knows I’m not part of that satanic cult that came out of the Vatican as well.
I’m not going to support a nation that has become so wanton evil that even other nations are criticizing America for it and with good reason.
“Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit. Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not; And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations?” —Jeremiah 7:10
That verse describes America flawlessly, and I say “no I won’t leave, the false converts and heathens leave!”
well, if you hate America, just leave the country, go find one that you love! like I said I think Iran or Afghanistan would be a great place for you to live your life!
Thankfully, I have not seen this kind of billboard anywhere near me, but I do not doubt they exist. I’ve seen these mainstream Protestant babel buildings drape the rainbow flag on their premises when I’ve taken a trip into a larger city. A Presbyterian church a few towns away held some sort of fund raiser for Ukraine a few weeks ago, which is bad enough, but I think in my neck of the woods people do not tolerate having the LGBTQ agenda loom over them 24/7/365.
That’s a start, Liz, not tolerating LGBTQ sodomy in your neck of the woods. Hopefully that’ll buffer some of the worst of God’s judgement-but nevertheless this nation is finished and is heading for total destruction.
They’ll blame the Illuminati and the elitists, the jesuits, council of foreign relations (Rick Warren is part of them) United Nations, and so on for America’s destruction-but its Jesus that’s using them as tools of His judgement.
As if I didn’t have a bad enough headache already, I had to go and read this pile of trash…
The Presbyterians were instrumental in our area in promoting ‘community’ Christian activities etc which looked good on the surface, but which were elitist, ecumenical and gnostic in character. We participated for a time, and far longer than we should have, but then we became troubled because they would draw these large crowds in the name of Jesus Christ….and then never give the Gospel, & the messaging was increasingly idolatrous humanist & Romish; false authorities lifted up to be blindly followed were promoted etc: now they call it social justice. Preachers we were associated with would talk about it outside the milieu as ‘a problem’, but never address it. Shortly after we spent the Christmas concert time outside in the cold tracting cars with the true Gospel, our family got hit HARD.
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Because it was a neighboring community & not our own, we gradually learned that the fellow who led the whole deal was unmarried, in his 40’s and lived with his mother……played jazz in local bars. Then there was a swiftly buried scandal on a state fair community choir event….blaming a kid from ‘a family like THAT’ as the education admin & establishment church leadership (and Masons) would put it……and we knew that those strange undercurrents & things were not just our ‘imagination’.
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The Lord led us back to the King James Bible & repentance, and shortly thereafter Brother Beller’s work ‘America in Crimson Red’ explained a lot about how things had gone so askew; and as we learned more about the Bible issue, became acquainted with the teaching & preaching of men like Bryan Denlinger, & others who exposed these things. It’s presented as a ‘liberal’ issue, but it’s not, & the so-called ‘conservative’ and ‘traditional Christian’ arm of the queering thing is the most deceptive, most organized & deceptive. The REAL driving force of the organizing and linked straight back to Rome, and specifically to the Jesuits and the old Weishaupt incarnation of the thing ‘Les Perfectibles’….the gnostic ascending ‘gods’ etc.
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They remove from public knowledge every legitimate King James Bible resistance to evil, & then gather & centralize the people into their ‘traditional Christian’ unity, community etc …and ultimately into gross ecumenical paganism with anything. Bottom of the Romans 1 slide.
The only thing that puts Americans in a worse position is the great blessing & privilege that was ours as those furthest out of Romanism and every pagan cult with the King James Bible our unifying standard for doctrine & practice, underlying our founding documents in spite of the compromise of many of the so-called founders. God caused the old Masonic and Romish, Augustinian European power grab post War for American Independence to fail, using the same minority persecuted ‘little people’ that he did to preserve his word. Patrick Henry alerted the little people that they were about to be pushed back to serf status & the people united to reject the first Constitution, refusing to ratify without the Bill of Rights protecting the rights of the little people & holding back centralized, monopolized, federalized power.
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What was formed was not a ‘Christian’ nation in the illegit theocratic or European sense, but one influenced by Christian truth & true tolerance which is absolutely distinct from the fake forced ‘affirming’ ‘intolerant tolerance’. It’s been under attack ever since…..with the world returning to the old despotic pagan ways as Americans succumbed to apathy, forgetfulness, the great demoralization and dumbing down to the new dark age coming in today, and no telling how long the Lord will allow even the redeemed & truly rapture ready, before saying ‘enough’……chastening & refining.
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Many will succumb to pride….and not just to ‘queer’ pride, but to arrogance, supposed superiority and hate linked to self-righteousness rather than to the righteousness of Christ according to the word & true salvation. These trials are a time to examine ourselves along the scriptures.
Kdd,
It’s all been written! As King Solomon said, “nothing new under the sun”
Get out and save souls!! You’re all spending too much TIME as men on the internet. Amen.
God bless.
There is no fear nor worries for those in Christ Jesus!
Jesus Christ clearly tells us all the end game in Holy Scriptures-KJV. 2 Timothy 2:15, etc.
These things MUST happen… Then the end will come so rejoice and be glad it’s almost over. Amen.
God be with you all.
and a big AMEN!