OUTRAGE: California Church Sign: “Bruce Jenner Is Still A Man. Homosexuality Is Still Sin”, Stands by Thousands of Years of Doctrine
CALIFORNIA: Protesters demonstrated against a church in northern California, demanding its pastor remove a church marquee message they believe is hateful toward the LGBT community.
The marquee message, posted by Trinity Bible Presbyterian Church pastor Justin Hoke, reads โBruce Jenner is still a man. Homosexuality is still sin. The culture may change. The Bible does not.โ
The sign angered LGBT citizens of Siskiyou County, who gathered outside the church Sunday to demand the pastor take the message down and keep such beliefs within the churchโs walls.
A crowd is gathering in front of the Trinity Bible Presbyterian Church in Weed to protest this sign, reading โBruce Jenner is still a man. Homosexuality is still a sin…โ pic.twitter.com/SsYPHVInqI
โ Jennevieve Fong (@JennevieveKTVL) January 6, 2019
โKeep it in your church. If itโs not something hopeful for the community, if itโs not loving, keep it in your church,โ Charolette Kalayjian, the organizer for the protest, told NBC5. โKeep it in your house. Keep it โ donโt share it with everybody.โ
Hoke, however, contended the sign was not hateful and that it expressed Biblical teaching about gender and sexuality.
โI strongly โฆ thatโs very offensive to call that sign hateful,โ Hoke said. โThere is no hate at all in that sign.โ
โPeople are getting upset because weโre saying this is wrong, itโs always been wrong, it still is wrong according to our God,โ Hoke added.
Protesters balked at the prospect of the pastor openly disagreeing with their lifestyle choices.
โI should be able to love my partner, to hold her, to hold her hand wherever I want to go and shouldnโt have people being hateful,โ local Tawnya Mobbley said. โI donโt think that my kid should feel having two mothers is a bad thing.โ
Hoke said, in light of the protests, he plans to keep the sign up until the demonstrations stop. Kalayjian and other lead protesters accepted the challenge, however, saying they would protest outside the church every Sunday until the pastor removes the message.