My Journal

I went last night to their 6:15pm service, then the 7:15 Bible Study for 20s/30s.

This is RCA Reformed church affiliated church, I didn't expect it to be a gay lesbian supporter until I went home and google with keywords matching "gay". I supposed I didn't read their website thoroughly before and placed too much confidence in RCA's member churches. An article in RCA's site stated the troubling struggle with homosexual view, even one part trying to enforce this as natural as genetic.

The church is incredibly open minded. Communion without the need of baptism, soft black gospel choir type music (well, at least for the Wednesday evening service), sermon was about faith: I do have problem with how the pastor (Michael Brown) relating our faith to some psychological confidence with the story about a guy died in an out of order 65F refrigerator thinking he was freezing. I would like to jump to the conclusion that this church is leaning towards prosperity theology.

In the fellowship, I suspected a few to be gays but was trying to give them the benefit of the doubt until I went home and did more research. So that didn't bother me, in fact, my main attack on homosexuality would be the want to be woman and sexual conduct pertaining to such, not soft tones, hand movements, etc. Although, many body language may suggest otherwise. The main problem I have would be obvious, it's a fellowship with very open discussion that doesn't want any authoritative guidance. It's the worse form I've seen thus far, and I thought some chinese churches were bad. We were talking about Jacob and Esau, some having their own views about how deception and God's grace can be mixed together. I finally voiced that Jacob got what he deserved many times for lying though his hunger for the birthright was good. Some of the "leaders" got a bit uncomfortable as if I should have shown some "positive energy" and not a single "negative" atom, thus ended by another, saying that Jacob didn't get what he deserve and equated his later struggles to that of Job's suffering.

It would be interesting if I should go back. The problem of churches in America today: Many traditional churches such as this (beautiful church indeed) are opening to crowds like the homosexuals in the name of love but I think is due to $$$. The primary cause is the lack of the spirit of preaching. Yes, many traditional churches in the West do not see preaching the Gospel as a duty of every individual believers, so in order to survive, they use programs like yoga, circus to attract people. Very sad indeed. If I am ever to deal with them in this manner again, it is to prepare myself to face the inevitable fate of this nation. That I may learn how to lead them back to Christ as Lord, to serve Him with fear and rejoice with trembling.

It then got me thinking, with all these problems in the West, would Malaysia and other places really be better? I doubt it, especially for Malaysia, since I have observed how some of those I knew since high school have grown up to be from how "spiritual" they appeared to be in high school. One would imagine with certain spiritual exhibition in a young age, they would grow to be more than just doctors talking about worldly matters. However, I do have high hopes for the other new lands elsewhere, I want to hope that they be free from all the false doctrines and lame practices those so called "Christians" are suddenly so eager to feed them with, but I can only pray for the strength and wisdom of God in those preachers and missionaries who are doing these hard works in building a firmer and stronger foundation in these.

After this alert, I have searched and listed these churches that support GLBT from this website, so I won't make the same mistake twice:

Beth Am, The People's Temple
178 Bennett Ave.
New York, NY 10040
(212) 927-2230

Broadway United Church of Christ
225 W. 99th St.
New York, NY
(212) 316-5700

Church of The Ascension
5th Ave & 10th St.
New York, NY 10014
(212) 254-8620

Church of the Holy Apostles (Episcopal)
296 Ninth Avenue at 28th Street
New York, NY 10001
212-807-6799
www.holyapostlesnyc.org
The Church of the Holy Apostles is an inclusive Landmark Chelsea Episcopal Parish that has been explicitly gay-friendly for many years.

Collegiate Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of America
of the City of New York (organized April 1628 A.D.)
Four churches
http://www.collegiatechurch.org

Community Church of New York
40 E. 35th St.
New York, NY 10016
(212) 683-4988

Congregation Beth Simchat Torah
57 Bethune St.
New York NY 10014
(212) 929-9498
http://www.cbst.org/

Dignity/NY
P.O. Box 1554, F.D.R. Station
New York, NY 10150
212 932-6609 / 212-620 0369
http://www.bway.net/~halsall/lgbh/lgbh-digny.html

The First Presbyterian Church in NY
12 W. 12th St. (5th Ave, between 11th/12th St)
New York, NY 10011
(212) 675-6150
http://www.firstpresnyc.org

Fort Washington Collegiate Church
729 West 181st Street
New York, NY 10033
(212) 568-4014
http://www.fortwashingtonchurch.org

Grace and St. Paul's Lutheran Church
123 W. 71st St.
New York, NY
(212) 877-5810

ICM Cristo Rey
30 E. 31st St.
New York, NY
(718) 355-6944

Grace Oasis Ministries
Rev. Charles C. Morrow, Jr.
FDR Station, P.O. Box 7901
New York, NY 10150-7901
718-452-8736
917-252-8207
www.graceoasisministries.com

Marble Collegiate Church
1 West 29th Street
New York, NY 10001-4596
(212) 686-2770
http://www.collegiatechurch.org/dir.marble.html

Metropolitan Community Church of New York
446 W. 36th St
New York, NY 10018
(212) 629-7440
http://www.nycnet.com/mccny

Middle Church
(Reformed Church of America)
Second Avenue At Seventh Street
50 East 7th Street
New York, NY 10003
(212) 477-0666
http://www.middlechurch.org

Our Savior's Atonement Lutheran Church
78 Benett Ave.
New York, NY
(212) 923-5757

Park Avenue Christian Church
1010 Park Ave @ 85th St.
New York, NY 10028-0991
(212) 288-3246

The Riverside Church
Riverside Drive and 122nd Street
(212) 870-6700
riverji@tiac.net
http://www.tiac.net/users/riverji/rji3.html

Rutgers Presbyterian Church
236 W. 73rd St.
New York, NY 10023

Spirit of the River
152 W. 66th St
New York, NY 10023
(212) 932-1085

St. Bartholemew's Church
109 E. 50th St
New York, NY 10022
(212) 378-0258
http://www.stbarts.org

St. Peter's Church
619 Lexington Ave. (54th St.)
New York, NY
(212) 935-2200
http://www.saintpeters.org

Stephen Wise Free Synagogue
30 W. 68th St.
New York, NY 10023
(212) 877-4050

Trinity Lutheran Church
168 W. 100th St
New York, NY
(212) 222-7045

Unity Fellowship Church
(718) 636-5646
http://members.aol.com/ufcnyc/
Services held on Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. at:
St. Mary's Episcopal Church
230 Classon Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11205
Pastor: Elder Zachary Jones

Washington Square Methodist Church
135 W. 4th St
New York, NY 10012
(212) 777-2528

West End Collegiate Church
West End Avenue at West 77th Street
Mailing address:
368 West End Avenue
New York, New York 10024
(212) 787-1566
http://www.westendchurch.org

West-Park Presbyterian Church
165 W. 86th St.
New York, NY 10024
(212) 362-4890 

"I'd rather have the whole world against me, than for me to have a single thread of disfavor from God."

Great words, but dangerous.

Dangerous when one holds firm to this conviction, one forgets to include oneself in the whole world.

While they accuse us of being sinners hating, I defend: We welcome sinners, we do not welcome sins.

If such is the point of the accusation, then clearly the statement is refuted by them. Why?

1. They welcome both sinners and sins, or,

2. They don't welcome sinners.

Both cases are possible for 1. They wish to maintain the sins in themselves, 2. They despise those sinners who particularly bring them no profit if not harm. These are just a few samples, of many hanging from those two reasons.

Classical Christian composers influence non-christian composers;
Non-christian composers of today influence Christian composers of today.

Of all sinners, there is a difference between those who seek to repent their sins and those who justify their sins.

Evangelism is by preaching the Gospel and the Gospel alone. If there is any other element incorporated into the process of the Gospel, there is a risk of heresy.

Good fellowships, testimonies, friendships, marriages, charity and such are the proven fruits of the Gospel. They are not tools for the Gospel.