LONDON, July 13, 2018 (LifeSiteNews) – The oldest Methodist chapel in the world is about to be the site of an LGBT “celebration,” in direct contradiction of Scripture and the chapel’s own founder.
On Saturday, the pro-homosexual group Christians At Bristol Pride will hold a “Service of Celebration” at The New Room in John Wesley’s chapel in London, Christian Concern reports. The chapel was built in 1778 under the direction of English theologian John Wesley, the founder of Methodism.
The pro-gay group says the event will be “an affirming service with songs, prayers and symbolic actions,” after which attendees will be invited to attend the LGBT “pride” march in Bristol town center. Christians at Bristol Pride have also printed materials bearing the message “God affirms you” for homosexuals.
“It's true that all people, made in God's image, have inherent dignity – and that all who turn to Jesus are welcomed – but the message 'God affirms you' leaves out the need to turn away from what is wrong in God's eyes, and is incompatible with being a disciple of Jesus,” Christian Concern responds. “It seems loving, but actually leaves people abandoned to ‘the ways of the flesh.’”
According to the Bible, God designed men and women to complement one another, and sexual relations between members of the same sex defy that design. Christian Concern notes that Wesley himself said the homosexual acts referenced in Romans 1:27 were “as horrible a dishonour to the body, as their idolatry was to God.”
Christian Concern also notes that while the Methodist Church has compromised its teachings on sexuality in recent years, in 1993 its annual conference also reaffirmed the “traditional teaching of the Church on human sexuality; namely chastity for all outside marriage and fidelity within it.”
“The heritage of sound biblical teaching on human sexuality that was faithfully proclaimed by Christian men like John Wesley should be upheld by the church, not torn down,” Christian Concern chief executive Andrea Williams said. “Methodism is dear to my heart, and I find it very sad to see buildings intended for the proclamation of the glorious gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ being used to celebrate a sexual lifestyle that He condemned.”
Christian Concern plans to respond with a witness from Pastor Dia Moodley of Spirit of Life Church, Bristol, and a rally outside Wesley’s chapel Saturday at 9:30 a.m. The group asks that those who cannot personally attend pray for a biblical witness and understanding to be proclaimed at the rally, for the Methodist Church to “respond strongly” to the pro-homosexual use of the chapel, and for the Church to “be bold” in speaking about biblical sexuality.