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Megachurch Pastor Comes Out Of Closet

danarhea

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ROCKDALE COUNTY, Ga. -- The pastor of a Rockdale County megachurch has publicly announced he is gay.

Jim Swilley, bishop of Conyers’ Church in the Now, said he hopes his coming out will change attitudes toward homosexuality.“I know a lot of straight people think it is a choice. It is not,” Swilley told Channel 2’s Diana Davis.

Kudos to Jim Swilley for disowning hypocrisy and being honest, not only to his parishioners, but to himself as well. Yes, Jesus loves gays too. He only hates hypocrites.

Well done, pastor, and God bless you.

Article is here.
 
Kudos to Jim Swilley for disowning hypocrisy and being honest, not only to his parishioners, but to himself as well. Yes, Jesus loves gays too. He only hates hypocrites.

Well done, pastor, and God bless you.

Article is here.

I whole heartedly agree with your assessment sir.
 
Ex wife tells him to stop living the lie.. Known since he was a boy, has 4 kids, and says his wife also knew but explained it away that "some women marry gay men because they think they can change them"

How incredibly brave of him to "keep" his secret for 52 years, father 4 children, and marry a woman, and now have the "courage" to "come out"..

Gawd, is anyone else sick and tired of these people?


Tim-
 
Ex wife tells him to stop living the lie.. Known since he was a boy, has 4 kids, and says his wife also knew but explained it away that "some women marry gay men because they think they can change them"

How incredibly brave of him to "keep" his secret for 52 years, father 4 children, and marry a woman, and now have the "courage" to "come out"..

Gawd, is anyone else sick and tired of these people?


Tim-

Why is any of this a problem? His wife knew going in, and there are no "victims" here, so why be upset or sick of it?
 
Why is any of this a problem? His wife knew going in, and there are no "victims" here, so why be upset or sick of it?

I think the point of his post was that, this pastor is less likely to be or have been gay, and more likely to be an attention seeking man-whore, much like many others who have recently "come out"...Adam Lambert anyone?.
 
I think the point of his post was that, this pastor is less likely to be or have been gay, and more likely to be an attention seeking man-whore, much like many others who have recently "come out"...Adam Lambert anyone?.

Based on what?
 
No, just sick and tired of people calling people that have been hypocrits for years suddenly not being hyporcits when they come out? Besides, Redress how do you know for sure his wife knew all along? I saw no direct comment from her? Why are they divorced? Lot of missing details in this NON STORY..


Tim-
 
I think the key here is if pastor Jim Swilley is going to or is already practicing homosexuality. He says it is not a choice, and it is true that homosexuals are predesposed towards it. Perhaps even genetically, although that has never been proven. However, we are all genetically predesposed towards sin. The question is if we act on it or not, and when we do if we recognize it for what it is and seek God's grace. Practicing homosexuality is a sin. It's not a worse sin than any other, but it is still a sin. If Pastor Swilley recognizes it as such, then this is a non story.
 
Based on what?

How incredibly brave of him to "keep" his secret for 52 years, father 4 children, and marry a woman, and now have the "courage" to "come out"..

I don't know many gay people that can marry a woman, much less, father 4 children...I guess at most, he could be bi.
 
I don't know many gay people that can marry a woman, much less, father 4 children...I guess at most, he could be bi.

Not necessarily. Primarily attracted to men is not the same thing as only attracted to men.
 
I don't know many gay people that can marry a woman, much less, father 4 children...I guess at most, he could be bi.

Not necessarily. Primarily attracted to men is not the same thing as only attracted to men.

Since when is attraction a requirement for marrying or impregnating someone?

edit: Your penis does not know where it is or who it's with, is what I'm saying. :D
 
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yeah, this kind of stuff goes on

in september bishop eddie long's new birth missionary baptist megachurch and empire in upscale lithonia, georgia, outside atlanta, was rocked by a scandal a bit more troubling

4 young men from the self ordained bishop's longfellow's youth forum "accused him of repeatedly coercing them into homosexual acts and of abusing his considerable moral authority over them while plying them with cash, new cars, lodging and lavish trips"

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/26/us/26pastor.html

according to the grey lady (nyt), bishop regularly "rails against homosexuality"

he wants a "ban on gay marriage" and "even holds seminars promising to 'cure' homosexuals"

it should be noted the bishop denies these accusations, and by the accounts of the young men themselves they were all above age of consent when these things allegedly happened

is it hypocrisy?

is it weakness, failure to live up to one's own standards?

is it mine to judge?

how much do i care?

it's sad, it's human, it happens

i hope he, y'know, repents, gets right on this, finds a better place

i hope the young men are ok

take care, y'all

enjoy the elections, they're gonna be wild, either way
 
Since he seems to be an unrepentant sinner, he shouldn't be preaching. I would leave the church if he stayed.
 
Since when is attraction a requirement for marrying or impregnating someone?

edit: Your penis does not know where it is or who it's with, is what I'm saying. :D

Attraction determines orientation was my point, and being gay does not mean a complete lack of attraction to some one of the opposite sex.
 
Since he seems to be an unrepentant sinner, he shouldn't be preaching. I would leave the church if he stayed.

That, of course, operates under the assumption that being gay is a sin.

Attraction determines orientation was my point, and being gay does not mean a complete lack of attraction to some one of the opposite sex.

Right, and I'm just adding that you don't even have to be the least bit attracted to someone to marry or impregnate them.
 
Since he seems to be an unrepentant sinner, he shouldn't be preaching. I would leave the church if he stayed.

This is your opinion, and is entirely irrelevant to what he actually does.
 
This is your opinion, and is entirely irrelevant to what he actually does.

Yes, it's my opinion based on the fact that homosexuality is a sin. It's irrelevant to what he does, of course. It's his choice.
 
Yes, it's my opinion based on the fact that homosexuality is a sin. It's irrelevant to what he does, of course. It's his choice.

I do not think this word "fact" means what you think it does. Your opinion is not fact, it is opinion.
 
No it isn't.


..............

Yes it is according to the Bible. Since the Bible is the authority of his chosen religion, I am certain he knows this already.

As long as he repents, and asks forgiveness, he can still stay on the path according to the Bible. In the end though, it is between him and God alone.
 
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Yes it is according to the Bible. Since the Bible is the authority of his chosen religion, I am certain he knows this already.

Not even all Christian sects agree with this.
 
No, just sick and tired of people calling people that have been hypocrits for years suddenly not being hyporcits when they come out?

Dude. People are told that being gay is a choice, and that if they resist temptation, God will give them the victory. You call it hypocrisy for someone to do what the church told them to do and then finally realizing that no matter how much they resist temptation, God made them gay? Ridiculous.

I get even more tired of posts like yours.
 
Not even all Christian sects agree with this.

And they do not follow the word as it is written in the Bible. Anyone can call themselves a Christian, this does not necessarily make them one.

Again, this is between him and God, period. All I can do is follow the word as it is written and decide for myself.
 
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BD, if we carry this out, I am going to enter the realm of attacking your religious beliefs. I would rather not do it, so let's just take go with an "agree to disagree" thing here please.
 
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