I was watching one of Rev. Troy Perry's sermons online when another video caught my eye. It was called Queering Christ and the subtitle included the words "Metropolitan Community Cult". The video was published by Battling Christian and is also linked to a blog site (Journal of a Battling Christian). Erik, the man behind Battling Christian admits to struggling with sexuality himself. He says, interestingly in the past tense, "At the time I was going to either deny my faith and pursue homosexuality, attempt to accommodate my faith to meet my desires or end my life". This is a struggle. I and many other gay Christians know what he is going through.
Erik has studied gay theology (the study of what the Bible says on same-sex relationships). He concluded that people who say a man can have a relationship with Jesus and another man, are wrong. That's fair enough. I have no issue with people who (having thought it through) disagree with same-sex relationships. But Erik goes one step further and asserts that the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) is a cult. Why?
Erik says that there are 3 things cults have in common.
- They claim a link to the Biblical Jesus
- They twist Scripture
- They have secret beliefs
Erik claims that MCC meets these criteria and therefore is a cult. Really?
Like Erik I come from a conservative Evangelical background. I have not abandoned that - I still think of myself in those terms. I was brought up in a Presbyterian Church (Erik's denomination) but switched to the Baptist Church over the issue of baptising babies. Later I started attending an MCC, and now MCC is my main Church though I still frequently go to a Baptist Church. So I know something of what MCC believes, and how this compares to other mainstream Christian Churches. So I would like to challenge Erik's view that MCC is a cult. I would also like to challenge his criteria for a cult as I think he is missing one important factor - which most people recognise as being "cultish". Specifically to "avoid independent thinking" (to borrow the Jehovah's Witnesses terminology). He also discusses MCC in the same breath as JW's and Mormons so I will be making references to them as well (see also other posts on my blog about them)
His first criteria is only half true. Not only do cults claim a link to the Jesus of the Bible, so do all legitimate Christian Churches. So we can ask if a Church is Trinitarian, does it accept Jesus claims to be the one true God, equal to the Father and Holy Spirit? MCC's statement of faith says, "Christianity is the revelation of God in Jesus Christ and is the religion set forth in the Scriptures... We believe in In one triune God, omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient, of one substance and of three persons: God, our Parent-Creator; Jesus Christ, the only begotten son of God, God in flesh, human; and the Holy Spirit, God as our Sustainer". So, MCC maintains the same view of Jesus as Christians have held for 2,000 years.
Secondly he says that cults twist Scripture. I agree with that one, but this raises the question - how do we know who is twisting Scripture? It is telling that the JW's made their own version of the Bible, and the Mormons read the Bible through "Modern Scripture" - and both through what their organisations teach. If a JW or Mormon sees a verse, he is told what it means. "Independent thinking" is discouraged. MCC does not do this. Our Churches have Christians from a variety of backgrounds in our congregations. We hold varying beliefs on issues like creation/evolution, the end of the world etc. But on the core doctrines (Jesus, God, the Bible, salvation by grace through faith, etc) we agree. But we all hold to the Bible as our standard. MCC's statement of faith says, "the Bible is the divinely inspired Word of God, showing forth God to every person through the law and the prophets, and finally, completely and ultimately on earth in the being of Jesus Christ."
Differing opinions on side issues (divorce, women in ministry, same-sex relationships) do not mean a person has joined a cult. It is worth noting that the Church of Scotland (which is Presbyterian) has recently agreed that gay men currently in training can be ordained, and is considering opening this to all future ordinations as well. Has the Church of Scotland become a cult, too?
Finally Erik maintains that MCC must have secret beliefs. It's hard to argue with this one, since it's impossible to prove the non-existence of a non existent belief! All I can do is to give you my testimony, MCC is very up front about what it believes. Specifically that God loves us all, that he came here in the person of Jesus to pay the penalty for our sins so that we don't have to. Jesus died and rose again, and now intercedes for us before the Father. The Holy Spirit indwells all who trust Jesus for forgiveness. We try to follow God by seeking his will (through study of the Bible and through prayer). God calls us to a life of personal holiness, prayer and outreach. There are no "insider secret beliefs" in MCC.
Where MCC diverges (though many other Churches agree with this, and many Christians within Churches that officially don't also accept this) is that we not only believe that faithful monogamous relationships are fine (whether straight, gay, lesbian), we campaign for it. We also campaign for social justice across the board. We do reject much of what the gay community stands for in terms of promiscuity, just as we reject heterosexual promiscuity.
It is true that there are some liberal elements in MCC, but that is true of every Church. But for Erik to brand MCC a cult because he disagrees with what some people in MCC say is wrong. I would encourage Erik to cease slandering MCC, and to have an open honest dialogue about what the Bible says, because that is what matters. Churches make mistakes, people make mistakes, but we always need to go back to the Bible. It alone is our standard.
My final point is simple. I encountered the Holy Spirit in the Presbyterian Church and in the Baptist Church. The same Holy Spirit is active in the Metropolitan Community Church as well. How could that be so unless the people there are also the Body of Christ?
Image: MCC Logo, from Google Images, Logo (c) Metropolitan Community Church www.mccchurch.org
Sir,
ReplyDeleteI read your post which is a response to my blog. Before writing, you should do your homework. I did not come to my conclusions overnight but have been studying this for over three years and after reading 133 books on the subject, 57 of which are written by pro-gay theologians, 13 of which are from people in the MCC. I have also listened to and watched numerous sermons and messages on line.
In my last post I suggested that you read at least a couple of representatives from the MCC, namely Robert E. Goss and Patrick S. Cheng.
I have also provided numerous citations from Robert E. Goss, who is the pastor of the MCC in the Valley in North Hollywood, California in a previous post:
http://battlingchristian.blogspot.com/2011/04/illustration-queer-theology-transgender.html
In my post you refer to I said that there are three things that cults have in common (they have more, I am sure, I only named three), the third is not “they have secret beliefs” as you state, but rather what they tell you up front, is not what they REALLY are all about. In other words, just as the Mormons don’t come right out and say “We’re the Church of Latter Day Saints and we believe that Jesus is the spirit brother of Lucifer” so too the MCC does not openly states on their web sight “We’re the MCC and we believe Jesus was androgynous homosexual man who had sex the apostle John and a male prostitute the night before he was crucified.”
Yet, that is what many leaders in the MCC teach with impunity including its founder Troy Perry.
I am not making this stuff up. Take the time to READ their books.
They also teach that anal sex without a condom is a sacrament.
Sex with strangers is an expression of hospitality.
S&M in a leather dungeon is a sacrament.
I could go on and on.
You state that you were brought up in my denomination. No, you were not. Again, you need to do your research.
Within the USA there are around 30 Presbyterian denominations, the “mainline” one is the PCUSA which has for the most part become very liberal. In the 1930’s a number of professors departed from the PCUSA and form a new seminary (Westminster Theological Seminary) and several other more conservative denomination which some minor distinctives such as the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and the Presbyterian Church in America and my own denomination, the Covenant Presbyterian Church. While these all have historical roots back across the pond to Scotland, the PCUSA no longer reflects the doctrines or practices of their origins. I don’t know what Presbyterian denomination you came from, but it wasn’t mine.
(Continued)
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ReplyDeleteYou then go on to quote the MCC’s statement of faith. Do you know what they MEAN by those terms? Like all cults they use Biblical terminology and the language of the creeds and confessions but they pour a different meaning into them as do the Mormons (who also use the word “trinity”) and the JWS. How do I know this? I have read books and listened to their sermons of pastors and theologians in the MCC.
You then ask, “How do we know who is twisting Scripture?” Read the books I have suggested, they don not hide this fact in their books for they call it “queering” the Bible which is a means to subvert the intentions of itss authors who were, as they say, misogynistic, heterosexist homophobes. Furthermore, like many theologians in the PCUSA and the Jesus Seminar they read the Bible through the lens of Gnostic texts such as “The Gospel of Thomas” and the “Secret Gospel of Mark.”
You then state:
“Where MCC diverges (though many other Churches agree with this, and many Christians within Churches that officially don't also accept this) is that we not only believe that faithful monogamous relationships are fine (whether straight, gay, lesbian), we campaign for it. We also campaign for social justice across the board. We do reject much of what the gay community stands for in terms of promiscuity, just as we reject heterosexual promiscuity.”
This is not true. Here is what one of your pastors and theologians is teaching:
“…a community marked by holiness is one that exhibits radical generosity and hospitality to others. Kathy Rudy has written about how anonymous sexual encounters actually can be a form of hospitality and welcome to others. What Rudy proposes is an ethic of hospitality, which is essentially the reversal of the Sodom and Gomorrah narrative. Indeed, the early Christian church was marked by its generosity of welcoming those who were outsiders. As such, this ethic of hospitality should be the overriding norm for all issues, including sexuality. As a result, certain sexual acts—including anonymous or communal sex—would not be forbidden per se, but rather measured by the degree to which the actions are welcoming or hospitable… Thus, extrapolating from Rudy’s ethic of hospitality, queer people—indeed, all people—might very well find ecclesial holiness in a variety of unorthodox places, including a circuit party a gathering for nude erotic massage at the Body Electric School, or a sex party. This, indeed, would be a manifestation of church as radical love.” [Patrick S. Cheng, Radical Love: An Introduction to Queer Theology (Seabury Books; 1 edition, 2011), 108, 109]
Finally, you state:
“My final point is simple. I encountered the Holy Spirit in the Presbyterian Church and in the Baptist Church. The same Holy Spirit is active in the Metropolitan Community Church as well. How could that be so unless the people there are also the Body of Christ?”
The apostle Paul told that Church at Corinth that they were not lacking in any spiritual gift (1 Cor. 1:7) and yet he went on to castigate them for being tolerant for open sexual misconduct, particularly for violating Leviticus 18:8 (1 Cor. 5:1), and warned them to not be involved in sexual immorality with a prostitute (1 Cor. 6:15) and he stated that many of them were coming under the judgment of God for their sacrilege at the Lord’s Table (1 Cor. 11:30-32)
Whatever “spirit” is in the MCC, I guarantee you it is far from anything holy.
Again, I urge you to do your homework as I have, do not believe every spirit (1 John 4:1) test all things and hold to that which is true (1 Thess. 5:21).
I am praying for you.
Erik
Thanks for taking the time to reply.
ReplyDeleteI know MCC has some very liberal wings on it, but it also has very conservative elements as well. Like I say, we have people from every Church background. Goss and Cheng would seem to be examples of that. Allow me to state, categorically, that I disagree with them. Sex is scared, in that it's a spiritual and physical act. I do not think it's an expression of hospitality though.
As for MCC's statement of faith - I do know what these mean. I've been through membership classes where we studied what the Church believes. I've also sat through many sermons, Bible studies and workshops on many areas of Christian living, including sexuality.
I can honestly say that MCC is a diverse Church, with "High Anglican/Catholic" congregations, Evangelical congregations, conservative congregations and liberal congregations. Mine is in the middle, but I rarely hear anything I disagree with (and when I do, I am free to voice an opinion!).
Views such as the ones you cite would be received with horror by most (all?) of the people I know in my congregation. So, please, don't tar us all with the same brush. When I said we reject much of what the gay community does, I have heard this with my own ears on many occasions. I also believe that Jesus was a heterosexual, unmarried man. I don't know anyone who questions that (except in jest). I am not denying that some people think that - and that BTW is not exclusive to MCC.
You also imply that I think you formed your opinions overnight. I am very sorry if I left that impression. I did not mean to. I know you have put a lot of thought and prayer into this, as have I. We both know what it is to struggle with faith and sexuality, seeking God's will in this area as we strive (hopefully) to live out his will in our lives. Like you I have spent years reading gay theology (though my ratio is probably more anti-gay theology than pro-gay theology, and far less well read). In no way did I intend to belittle what you have studied or been through. As I say, I am sorry if I have misrepresented you.
I would like to thank you for your prayers, and I would genuinely ask you to keep praying for me. I don't have it all "sorted". But I worship a Jesus who said he IS the truth - and I trust him to guide me, and open my heart more and more to the Bible (which I love!).
Sir,
ReplyDeleteThese doctrines that are being taught in liberal mainline denominations and the MCC are not new nor are they mere variations that can be tolerated within historic Christianity. They are built upon Gnostic texts (such as The Gospels of Thomas, Mary and Judas), a Gnostic doctrine of God and creation, a Gnostic doctrine of Christ and Gnostic view of humanity and sexuality. They were opposed by the apostles and their successors in the early church. Gnosticism is in short, a syncretism between Eastern Paganism and Christianity.
Go to the MCC of Los Angeles' web site and download Neil G Thomas' dissertation "Queer Theology: An Introduction". Neil G Thomas replaced Troy Perry (the founder of the MCC) in which he endorses everything I am talking about.
The so-called "conservative" gay theology borrows their exegesis of the Bible from these apostates and then simply attempts to put an evangelical spin on them. But I assure you, a little yeast leavens the whole lump of dough and the logical consistent trajectory of the theoretical antinomianism of the writings of Rick Brentlinger, R.D. Weekly and the teaching of Justin Lee on GCN (who has already promoted transgender theology) leads to the same conclusions of Queer Theologians.
In fact, the ONLY exegetical and theological basis for bi and transgender theology IS Queer Theology which is thoroughly Gnostic.
One more note, if you want a good grasp on Gnosticism and how it is being taught and promoted (particularly in how it relates it sexuality) I suggest reading two very easy-to-understand books: Peter Jones, "Spirit Wars: Pagan Revival in America" (Escondido, CA; Wine Press Publishing, 1997) and Peter Jones, "The God of Sex" (Eastbourne, England David C. Cook, 2006)
ReplyDeletethere's something that grinds my gears and does come off as cultish, although i do not believe MCC is a cult. The current leader, rev. dr. nancy wilson, calls herself the "global leader" of MCC atop their press releases. i feel like "rev dr global leader" is way over the top and rubs me all kinds of wrong. in this case, her ph.d is not in medicine so she should drop both that and most def global leader. come down to earth just a smidge. rev nancy wilson, the president of (or somesuch) ... would suffice.
ReplyDeletei also have a problem with the way that the "global leader" of MCC has gender-neutralized ALL traditional hymns, prayers, etc. And she has enforced it upon all congregations. So, for "our father who art in heaven, thy kingdom come ..." they replace father and kingdom with creator and dominion. this is one example. it affects everything they sing there. here's the deal. i'm not a man hater. God can be a man. I do not have a problem with that. this is taking political correctness and gender issues way too far. just too over the top to the point that it's a turn off. MCC definitely has some special ways about it that make me uncomfortable. there's a lot of insinuating that certain characters in the bible were gay, even jesus. i don't care to hear that at church. it's never been proven and insinuating such at church feels inappropriate to me, even at a "gay" church. i really don't care who was gay in the bible. it's negligible when i go to worship. my bar is set like this: if i were to have my mom sitting there next to me and heard some of the stuff i hear there (in her presence) would i get squeamish. the answer is most often yes.
ReplyDeleteHi, sorry for the delay in replying to you. I do know what you mean - but you're only half right. Our congregation uses the traditional Lord's Prayer, only a couple of our songs are gender neutral and we do use male pronouns for God. MCC cannot enforce that on its congregations. Nancy Wilson (Global Leader!) is quite liberal on many fronts, and that's something that does not sit well with me either. Troy Perry (MCC's founder and first moderator) is more conservative and charismatic. I know MCC has extremely liberal elements within it, but it also has conservatives too. Each Church is very different, some are liberal, others evangelical, others charismatic, some more Catholic - so it's hard to just the whole denomination like that. I'm comfortable in our "middle of the road" Church, but if I moved I may not like the local MCC. And that's ok. I want to go to a Church which teaches the Bible, and allows me to worship God as I am. Oh - for the record, Jesus was NOT gay. The only one I MIGHT give credence to is the Roman centurion. Blessings!
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