Source: Christian Post, Soulforce press release
Houston -- Jay Bakker, a New York City pastor and supporter of gay rights, met privately with Joel Osteen of Lakewood Church to talk about faith and sexuality issues.
Son of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, Jay and a group of gays and lesbians attended one of Lakewood Church's worship services in an effort to change the influential pastor's view on gays and lesbians. Osteen welcomed the group, according to Christian Post, but "did not affirm homosexuality."
The visit was the first of six megachurch stops in a campaign for tolerance called The American Family Outing -- a collaboration between Soulforce, COLAGE, National Black Justice Coalition, and the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches. About 30 LGBT persons and supporters took their national campaign to the country's largest church on Mother's Day to create dialogue around LGBT issues with members of the megachurch.
"Families come in all forms," said Kim Beggs, a lesbian mother and also an Osteen fan, according to the Houston Chronicle. "God loves us."
The group of 30 met with Osteen after service as the megapastor was greeting hundreds of visitors. The Osteens – including the pastor's mother, Dodie, and wife, Victoria – welcomed Bakker and the guests from Soulforce, according to Lakewood spokesman Donald Iloff, who added that the church does not turn visitors away.
Earlier in the week, Lakewood officials had expressed an unwillingness to meet with Bakker and The American Family Outing. A tip from a Lakewood Church member led Bakker to seek out Osteen after the Saturday evening service, during the time when the pastor greets new visitors to Lakewood. The two exchanged remembrances of Bakker's late mother, Tammy Faye Bakker Messner, and arranged to meet privately the next day, according to a Soulforce press release.
Earlier on Saturday, American Family Outing hosted a picnic in a Houston park for families from Lakewood Church. A handful of Lakewood members attended the picnic and expressed their appreciation for the effort to start an open conversation about the status of LGBT people at Lakewood.
Opportunities to connect one-on-one and family-to-family are the goal of the American Family Outing, which was created in the belief that it is possible for families to have meaningful conversations in spite of perceived differences.
On Sunday, Joel Osteen, his brother, Paul, and Iloff then met privately with Bakker to discuss faith, family and LGBT people.
"It was a very cordial, very nice meeting." Iloff told The Christian Post on Tuesday. "But ultimately through our conversations, we continued to disagree with Soulforce and Jay's position."
Iloff says Bakker, whose mother is somewhat of a legend in the LGBT community, and the groups involved in the pro-gay campaign want the megachurches not to see homosexuality as sin.
Although Osteen and leaders at Lakewood open their doors to all visitors, Iloff says they "believe homosexuality is sin" and that "it is disobedience under God."
He said that they would maintain that position, despite the meeting.
Osteen, who authored bestselling book Your Best Life Now, had remained largely mum about the issue of homosexuality but indicated in public interviews that he doesn't agree with it.
"I will say we don't see homosexuality as the worst sin," Iloff commented. "Sin is sin."
Churches continue to struggle with the issue of homosexuality especially at a time when many view the church as judgmental and anti-gay. More Christians are urging churches to show compassion while not compromising what they hold as truth.
Full article: Joel Osteen Maintains Homosexuality as Sin | Christianpost.com
American Family Outing Begins Dialog with Lakewood | Soulforce press release