In Apprising Ministries pieces like Homosexuality Removed From Hillsong College Student Handbook and Tsunami of Pro-Homosexual Books from “Gay Christians” and Supporters I’ve been warning you concerning the powerful pro-homosexual lobby. ((For example, I explained why there’s such a push for the acceptance of homosexual marriage in Dan Haseltine of CCM band Jars of Clay in support of Homosexual Marriage.))

It’s now even made serious inroads into the mainstream evangelical camp. For example, we take Ken Wilson, pastor of Vineyard Church in Ann Arbor, Michigan and his book A Letter To My Congregation where he reveals that he’s changed his views on homosexuality. ((We’re not surpassed to find out that Wilson is deeply immersed in corrupt Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism: http://renewedmess.wordpress.com/2010/05/21/book-review-mystically-wired-by-ken-wilson/, accessed 5/30/14.))

Wilson now believes the deviant and sinful lifestyle of having sexual relations with another of the same sex, i.e homosexuality, is a viable one for the regenerated Christian. Sadly, evangelicalism is set to pay a huge price for turning away from the proper Christian spirituality of sola Scriptura. ((In On Contemplative Spirituality and Charismania I show you the very grave spiritual consequences the evangelical community will face because of this ill-fated decision.))

More and more people have moved instead toward the subjective spirituality of personal mysticism and are now deciding issues based upon their feelings. ((I showed you an example of gay-affirming “pastor” Jay Bakker doing this himself in Tsunami of Pro-Homosexual Books from “Gay Christians” and Supporters.)) It’s only a matter of time before more and more people cave-in on homosexuality. You are about to meet one more example in pastor Danny Cortez.

Cortez has been pastor of New Heart Community Church (NHCC) in La Mirada, CA for some sixteen years. Below you’ll be able to listen to pastor Cortez tell you why he has now also changed his mind about homosexuality. And now this issue moves deeper into the Southern Baptist Convention itself. ((The SBC is reputed to have the correct Biblical stance concerning homosexuality, e.g. see: http://www.hrc.org/resources/entry/stances-of-faiths-on-lgbt-issues-southern-baptist-convention, accessed 5/30/14 and: http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/1224, accessed 5/30/14.))

As you can see from the following NHCC is still listed as a member of the Los Angeles Southern Baptist Association of the SBC:

(source)

For a bit of backstory we turn first to John Shore and his post Southern Baptist pastor accepts his gay son, changes his church, which contains a letter from pastor Cortez who tells us:

My name is Danny Cortez and I pastor a small Southern Baptist Church in La Mirada, CA. We’re about a mile from Biola University in a very conservative neighborhood.

Anyway, I recently became gay affirming after a 15-year journey of having multiple people in my congregation come out to me every year. I scoured through your whole website and read everything I could. And it was especially the testimony of my gay friends that helped me to see how they have been marginalized that my eyes became open to the injustice that the church has wrought.

In August of 2013, on a sunny day at the beach, I realized I no longer believed in the traditional teachings regarding homosexuality.

LGBT advocate Kathy Baldock gives us some more insight concerning how the pro-homosexual lobby within his NHCC had been working him:

God had been preparing Pastor Danny for several years. Four years ago, a lesbian in his congregation came out to him and asked that he watch “Through My Eyes”. The example of her Christian witness and life, and the stories of other young gay Christians on the documentary challenged Pastor Danny to reexamine the Scriptures about faith and sexual orientation. (source)

There’s no need to reexamine what God’s Word says on homosexuality because it’s crystal clear that it is sexual relations outside of the marriage covenant, and therefore, a sin of sexual immorality. ((I addressed this most recently in Jesus Already Defined Marriage for His Creation.)) 

Pastor Cortez then continues:

As I was trying to figure out what to tell my church, I was driving in the car with my 15-year-old son Drew when a song on the radio came on. I asked Drew who sang it, and he said, “Mackelmore.” And then he asked me why I was interested in it. I told him that I liked the song. ((The song in question is Same Love by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Mary Lambert: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vxDzZi44UA, accessed 5/30/14. This next clip from Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ performance of Same Love at this years’s Grammy awards gives you a clear picture where all of this is headed when at 4:20 into the video Queen Latifa “marries” a number of homosexual couples: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRdn7u-sTfA, accessed 5/30/14.))

He was startled and he asked me if I knew that the song’s message was gay affirming. I told him that I did know and that’s why I liked the song. I also told him that I no longer believed what I used to believe. (source)

His son Drew also mentions this story below in his coming out video:

Lastly, pastor Cortez goes on to inform us that now he’s led his own local church right along into this apostasy with him:

I then told my church on Feb 9 about my new position. [See Danny’s video {above}.] However, I expressed that my goal wasn’t about trying to convince everyone what I believe, but that we should allow room for grace in the midst of disagreement. I shared that the body of Christ is segregated every sunday between gay affirming and non-gay affirming and that there must be unity and love.

Unfortunately, many weren’t pleased, so the church had to vote whether to terminate me or accept my proposition. On March 9, the church voted instead to prolong the period of prayer, study and discernment until May 18. We then invited teachers, both gay and straight, from both sides of the debate to speak to our church.

The church just voted two Sundays ago, on May 18, 2014, to not dismiss me, and to instead become a Third Way church (agree to disagree and not cast judgement on one another—see Ken Wilson’s book, “A Letter to my Congregation”). This is a huge step for a Southern Baptist Church!!

So now, we will accept the LGBT community even though they may be in a relationship. (source)

The question now becomes: What will the SBC do about this; will they expel this church that has turned its back on the Word of God, ((cf. 1 Corinthians 5:1-13)) or will they merely continue to cower behind their Idol of Autonomy? ((It’s not the first time this issue has come up. e.g. see: http://www.bpnews.net/printerfriendly.asp?id=10227, accessed 5/30/14 and: http://www.christianpost.com/news/sbc-committee-decides-against-expelling-members-of-pro-gay-bapist-alliance-49169/, accessed 5/30/14.))

In closing this, for now, here’s pastor Danny Cortez as he initially addressed his SBC congregation:

HT: Fighting For The Faith

Further reading

• THE SIN OF HOMOSEXUALITY IS DIFFERENT
• DOUG PAGITT AND THE EMERGING CHURCH GAY AGENDA
• JAY BAKKER CRITIQUES KEN SILVA AT RELIGION DISPATCHES