Help others and you may be surprized what you get back

Help others and you may be surprized what you get back
Who knows what happened to this pastor, maybe he was abused as a kid too. It is hard for this world to understand and accept homosexuality. It was hard for me to accept too for my self.
It is better to help eachother by lifting eachother up then to pound them into the ground.

Just though this story was worth sharing, and we all struggle with something. Empathy is in order.


Homophobic Southern Baptist Pastor Arrested For Public Lewdness Friday, 5:57 PM
Homophobic Southern Baptist Pastor Arrested For Public Lewdness
(Pastor accused of propositioning a male cop)

The Rev. Lonnie Latham, an outspoken opponent of homosexuality and a national figure in the Southern Baptist Convention, was arrested Tuesday in Oklahoma City and charged with propositioning a male undercover police officer.

"I was set up," he protested while leaving jail. "I was in the area pastoring to police."

Latham was in the parking lot of the Habana Inn, an area not known for police officers but rather for male prostitutes who flag down cars, police Capt. Jeffrey Becker told the Associated Press.

Becker said Latham asked an undercover officer to join him in his hotel room for oral sex.

Police arrested the pastor and impounded his 2005 Mercedes. He was charged with a misdemeanor count of offering to engage in an act of lewdness and was released on $500 bail Wednesday afternoon.

Latham could be sentenced to a year in jail. He also faces a $2,500 fine.

Latham will also face a puzzled congregation at South Tulsa Baptist Church, where he is the senior pastor.

Latham, a member of the Southern Baptists' executive committee, has spoken out against same-sex marriage and has supported a Southern Baptist convention directive aimed at converting gays into heterosexuals. Southern Baptists are urged to befriend gays and lesbians and try to convince them that they can become heterosexual "if they accept Jesus Christ as their savior and reject their 'sinful, destructive lifestyle.' "(bold is mine)

His church has posted a note on its Web site that reads, "We are deeply grieved to hear the news about our pastor, Lonnie Latham. Our first concerns are with Lonnie, his family, and our church family. We will be focused on doing what we can to minister to everyone in this difficult time. Our church has a great history and a great future of ministry in this community. We would appreciate your prayers."

The Southern Baptist Convention is the largest Protestant denomination in the United States.

The Rev. Robyn Murphy, a spokeswoman for Soulforce, an organization devoted to changing the hearts and minds of religious leaders who engage in anti-gay campaigns, was sympathetic to Latham.

"The anti-gay bias has now claimed another victim," Murphy said. "Now he will be ridiculed for being gay."

"What he needs some is some sanity and grace, and that's the message he should have been spreading all along," she said. "We wish him well, and we wish he didn't have to be outed in this fashion."

Matt Foreman, the executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, suggested that Latham's arrest was indicative of a larger pattern.

"This is just another example of people who are the most viciously homophobic and at the same time are clearly gay," he told the PlanetOut Network, adding that he suspects the same is true for many anti-gay leaders. (bold is mine)

"It's nearly impossible to explain the irrational hatred of our opponents, other than to think they have internal conflicts about their own sexuality," Foreman concluded

Homophobic Pastor Resigns ( Read Church Statements)
https://stbc.net/statement.jpg
https://stbc.net/bgcostatement.jpg

Those who live in glass houses shouldnt throw stones!!!
This homophobic pastor has been throwing stones at gay men for
years.
 
MJ,

That is a good story. The louder they are in opposition, the more I suspect they are hiding from their own homosexual desires. How the hell could he have been set up? They did not make him proposition the cop for oral sex. Ignorance of this sort just pushes every last button I have.

I dislike people like this and I think he is getting exactly what he deserves!
 
but he needs to be treated ok even if he lied to save face, none of us knows the reason he was doing this. His past may have things in it like ours. The people in his parish are behind him and I think we need to love more and hate less.

Unless we have more infomation we don't know what all happened. Empathy, kindness, are in order. Hate brings on more hate. I hope he gets some help.
 
MJ,

You are so right.

In response to today's news that the Rev. Lonnie Latham, a prominent figure in the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) and senior pastor of South Tulsa Baptist Church, was arrested Tuesday for propositioning a male undercover police officer, Soulforce founder Rev. Dr. Mel White says, "No one should have to come out via an undercover sting operation. That is its own evil. Until the Southern Baptist Convention ends their spiritual violence against gay and lesbian people, tragedies like this will continue."
from https://www.soulforce.org/article/741

Whether of the Southern Baptist church or of the OK City police, Lonnie Latham is, I hate to admit, a victim too. And given the circumstances of his arrest, it wouldn't surprise me if he's got some abuse history to deal with as well. So sad that he spent so much of his professional life railing against the same people he was seeking sex with -- that's one very very sorry and self-loathing individual. And, despite their hate-the-sin-love-the-sinner blather, I see his church and the SBC executive counsel have both kicked his ass out. He must really be hurting right about now. Wonder if he'll show up in chat? LOL.

Suppressing my schadenfreude,
John
 
MJ,

Yes I do agree with you that he still needs to be treated ok. I most certainly do not want him to be mistreated. There is a saying, what comes around goes around and that is now what he is experiencing. It is unfortunate that it has to be so dramatic, but that is really a reflection of how dramatic he was in his outward rally against homosexuals.
 
Well without talking to him personally it is hard to say. One thing is for sure he is having major problems with this issue. I don't know what happened to cause this I just hope he gets some help. And with so much hate crimes and gay bashing esp from religious groups I know exactly where you were comming from.

Thanks Dominic for your responce. Obviously he doesn't reject the lifestyle since he tried to do things. I just hope he figures out what he really wants, and that maybe homosexuals are not all going to hell.

MJ
 
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