Church Cancells Veteran's Memorial

Cecil Howard Sinclair was a Navy veteran of the first Gulf War.
His brother works as a janitor at High Point Church in Arlington, TX, so when Cecil died, the church offered to hold a memorial service for him.
People in the church worked with his sister, Kathleen Wright, to choose photographs for a video which they kindly volunteered to do. They planned food for over 100 people.
24 hours before the service, the Pastor of the 5,000-member church, Gary Simons, cancelled the memorial.
An unnamed person from the church called the family and said a string of errors was made, and the family would be unable to use the church for their memorial. When asked why, the person simply said a mistake had been made.
The next day, the niece called the church and demanded to know the reason for the cancellation. A procession of excuses followed, from blaming construction to forbidding outside food, to a scheduling conflict. When asked what event was scheduled, the call was disconnected.
Neither the minister, nor any member of the board, ever spoke to Cecil's family or his life partner, Paul Wagner.
Finally the family learned: while putting together the video, church members came to realize that Cecil Sinclair was gay. They claimed there were photos of men hugging and kissing. (Paul Wagner and Kathleen Wright says that was not the case; the photos were very carefully chosen and sister Kathleen went through the photos with the members responsible for the video.)
Paul also says that he was introduced to the member, who had offered the church for the memorial, as Cecil's "life partner". He says this member was fully aware that he and Cecil were a couple.
After this slap in the face, Gary Simons' dance with the press began. He said that if they held the memorial at High Point Church, they would seem to be condoning Cecil's lifestyle. They based their decision on "principle"-not out of hate or discrimination. He also said the church went "above and beyond" for the family, putting together a video, preparing food for 100 people and offering to pay for another location.
In other words, to do what they had already agreed to do. And the location they wanted to move Cecil's memorial to? A community center. The video? It had been edited. Is that "above and beyond"?
In further comments, Simons speculated, what if the mother of a murderer wanted to hold the service there? Of course the church would volunteer to hold the service. "But would the mother submit photos of her son murdering someone? That's a red light going off."
Once again, a Fundamentalist, Right-Wing, rabid hypocritical preacher chooses to equate gays with murderers and thieves. Once again, Fundamentalists choose to see only the part of Cecil's life that concerns the gender of his love. And once again, they come out of the bargain looking like the lying, petty, rabid hypocrites they are. Both Cecil and Paul served our country, fighting and working so that despicable specimens of humanity like Gary Simons and his church would have the right to do what they did. I'm sure that never entered Gary Simons' mind, when he was cowering behind a church member doing his dirty work, calling the family in the midst of their grief to lie about why they were being cut off.
It's interesting that, when it came to the press wanting answers, Simons came out of his hole into the limelight...which quickly turned sour.
A huge majority of news articles and blogs saw Simons and his church for exactly what they are; opportunistic, hypocritical, lying pieces of dirt daring to call themselves followers of Christ.
Please tell me how conducting a memorial service for one of your employees' relatives is condoning any type of lifestyle? According to Simons, they would have "certainly" done a memorial for a murderer; how, then, is that not condoning murder?
Simons is a megalomaniac whose stated mission is to "evangelize the world". He believes he was given a "mandate by God" to go to Arlington, TX and build his 423,000 sq foot facility which he calls "Jerusalem". The Arlington Metroplex is linked by 400 "touchpoints" (small groups) which he calls "Judea".
When creatures like Simons gets a "mandate from God", every principle of human behavior goes out the window. Suddenly, because he is "anointed", he is infallible, a demi-god, free to do and act as he pleases. Certainly right now Simons is weeping in the bosom of his congregation, wailing over the misunderstanding and persecution he has had to endure since treating Cecil Sinclair's family like murdering scum.
I'm tired of "Christians" like Gary Simons, and sick of the people who support them. And as long as the "true" Christian community (and I seriously doubt that any such thing exists) allows these demagogues to continue unchecked and unrebuked, there will always be persecution, and I tell you, if you refuse to cleanse your own house, you deserve it.
http://www.benedictionblogson.com/?p=3327
http://www.churchunusual.com/index.html
Peace