Northland Community Church and Pastor Joel Hunter hosted the Orlando LGBT event, “Elevating the Dialogue on LGBTQ Inclusion and Understanding in the Church,” on May 18, with the apparent purpose to “affirm” LGBTQ by distorting the Bible and changing church doctrine.

Prior to attending the event, attendees were encouraged to complete a survey. The survey was created by The Reformation Project (TRP), a so-called “Bible-based, Christian grassroots organization” that works “to promote inclusion of LGBT people by reforming church teaching on sexual orientation and gender identity” with the goal for a global church that fully affirms LGBT people. The survey was quickly removed from the internet after Liberty Counsel’s previous press release was distributed.

The survey included the following questions with multiple choice answer options:

-          I am opposed to same-sex relationships; LGBTQ Christians should be celibate.

-        I do not support same-sex relationships, but I would like the church to be more welcoming and inclusive.

-          I am not sure what I believe on this topic.

-      I lean toward supporting LGBTQ people in the church, but I still have unresolved theological questions.

-          I am fully affirming and would like to see the church ordain and marry LGBTQ people.

-          Other

-          Yes, No or Maybe

-          None

-          Some

-          I’ve studied multiple non-affirming resources on this topic.

-          I’ve studied multiple affirming resources on this topic.

-          I’ve studied multiple non-affirming AND affirming resources on this topic.

-          Straight; Gay or lesbian; Bisexual; Transgender; Queer; Questioning/unsure; Other

Notice the last question has no option for “Heterosexual.” A pamphlet, The Bible and Same-Sex Relationships, created by TRP, was distributed to attendees at the Northland Church event. TRP’s executive director, Matthew Vines, also offered his book, God and the Gay Christian.

The event at Northland featured a panel with Hunter, Bishop Kelvin Cobaris, founding pastor of The Impact Church of Orlando, and Reverend Terri Steed Pierce, who is in a same-sex relationship and senior pastor of Joy Metropolitan Community Church. This was moderated by Amelia Markham, the Atlanta organizer for TRP, and the Q&A session was facilitated by Matthew Vines. The panel discussion and the Q&A session were not designed to address respectful dialogue but were designed to move the church to change doctrine and the Bible.

Read the Press Release and join the conversation on Facebook!