Metropolitan Community Church

Website: http://www.mccsd.org

Church Review
Scriptural View: 1/5
Beliefs: 1/5
Community: 3/5

Website Review
Site Usabilility: 4/5
Site Design: 3/5
Site Content: 3/5

Summary: The MCC is an open and affirming Christian community. From their site: “This means that we embrace people of any race, ethnic identity, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, age, economic status or life situation to be a contribution to this ministry. We are about bringing people into a vibrant, life-changing relationship (as opposed to religion) that following Christ was originally intended to be.” The first MCC was established by Rev. Troy Perry in Los Angeles in 1968, as a particular ministry to the Gay Lesbian Bi-Sexual and Transgender(GBLT) community.

The goal of this church is changing attitudes in the GLBT community toward Christ, and the Christian commmunity toward GLBT people. I agree with this but not in the way MCC intends. It is true that often Christians attacked the GLBT community and are more concerned with specific sin that they forget that Christ conquered sin, all sin. This means that homosexuality is NOT the focus in sharing the gospel with gays. The focus is all are sinners and have fallen short of God’s perfect and eternal laws. (see Romans 3) But clearly MCC has a socio-political agenda that is built on accepting all lifestyles, which is clearly not something that the Bible tells us. Yes we are to LOVE all people, but all of us need to come to the cross and seek forgiveness and leave our lives of sin.

I would not recommend this church as indicated by a poor position on Scripture.

15 Comments

  1. Hi,
    I attend MCCSD on a weekly basis and have found it to be a safe worship space that has fed my soul and my walk with Jesus Christ. Before I went to MCCSD I was not a Christian partly because of the bible thumping viewpoint most Modern Day Christians have abused homosexuals with. I am also a Native American and come from a family that was culturally abused by Christian Missionaries and I find it extremely harmful that you would post such an awful review of MCCSD. MCCSD has saved me and reminded me that God loves me too.

    I understand and even accept that your viewpoint is one of condemnation of homosexuals. What I don’t accept or understand is why you would allow your own homophobia to influence your ability to review a church in a non-judgemental way. I find that very offensive. Have you visited MCCSD? From your review, it sounds like you’ve only been to the website.

    I just wanted to remind you that only God has the right to judge. And when I read the Bible, the message of love Jesus was sharing seemed more about forgiveness and UNCONDITIONAL LOVE not JUDGEMENT. As Christians we strive to be Christ-like but none of us will ever reach that perfection because there is only one Jesus. God knew that humans did not have the capacity for perfection so God sent Jesus to have mercy on mankind and to bridge that gap.

    Please don’t spout your biased opinion and hurt more people. Every Christian church out there has squabbled over scripture and the validity of some spiritual gifts like exorcism and speaking in tongues. That’s what makes being a Christian so interesting and thought provoking. But guess what, Jesus died for everyone’s sins, not just heterosexual sins.

    It’s not up to Modern Day Christians to pick and choose who is to count and who’s right or wrong about homosexuality. As for the social and political message you think MCCSD is sharing, the only message that stands out to me, “Is to love your neighbor as you would love yourself.” I don’t feel this coming across from you as a Christian brother of mine when I read your review of MCCSD.

    So please all I ask is for you to take a look at your review, pray, and re-review MCCSD after you have visited. If then you still feel MCCSD is lacking, please let me know why so that maybe if there is more validity to your claims then just homophobia, I can take it up with the MCCSD staff so that someone like yourself, a God-fearing heterosexual man, would see that all people deserve a safe non-judgemental space to worship the One True God. Thank you.

  2. Yolanda,

    Thank you for your thoughtful comment. I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts on this review.

    I would encourage you to re-consider your thoughts about Jesus bringing a message of UNCONDITIONAL LOVE. Are these ideas coming from the Bible or from what you feel? Because the concept of unconditional love permeates society and because it is often thought of as the highest form of human love, it is natural for a Christian to mistakenly use this term to describe God. After all, His love is far greater than any human love imaginable. God’s love for humanity is so great that “He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Oh, the magnitude of the cost! We cannot even fathom His love even though our very breath depends upon it! His love indeed reaches to the heights and depths. But again, is God’s love truly unconditional?

    God’s love is available to human beings by grace alone. There is nothing that men can do to earn that love. There is no good work that is either demanded or even possible. But does that make God’s love unconditional? “That whosoever will” is most certainly not a work, but it is a condition. Otherwise we would end up with universalism (all people saved) rather than salvation by grace received through faith.

    God chooses upon whom He will place His love and the benefits of His love. Did Jesus ever imply that God’s love is unconditional? He said to His disciples:

    “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me: and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him” (John 14:21).

    But perhaps one could say that God’s love for the Christian is unconditional since the Christian partakes of His love and grace through faith. Wouldn’t it be better to say that the conditions have been met? Jesus met the first condition, to wash away the sin that God hates. The believer meets the second condition, but only by God’s grace through faith.

    Further, I agree with you that we should not act as the ultimate ‘judge’ over people but as believers we are called to make certain ‘judgements’. We make judgements about who would do the best job as leaders, we make judgements about which church we attend and we should also make judgements on whether a church is teaching the Bible as truth. I could even argue that you made judgements against me. For example, you have judged me as a homophobic person. I am not homophobic, I am a follower of Christ. I believe what I have written is an accurate assesment of the MCC. Should you then not judge my comments?

    Here are some other views from Jesus on judging:

    “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” (John 7:24).

    From John:
    “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” (I John 4:1)

    Other passages:
    “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual,
    restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.” (Gal 6:1)

    “The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace.” – Isaiah 59:8

    “The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment.” – Psalm 37:30

    I can go on and on about how, when, why and under what circumstance we ARE told to judge/discern truth from error. Suffice to say, as believers we are called to make judgements but we cannot JUDGE who will go to heaven or hell and our judgements are not our own but God’s who has given them to us in His Word.

    I hope this helps…

  3. I too, attend, and am involved with ministry at MCC San Diego. I appreciate your comments, SiteAdmin, but am concerned with your statements and with your review of this church. While I certainly feel each person is entitled to their own opinions and statements, your statements do not seem to be corroborated well by your evidence – this is my opinion. Also, I think that your statements and scores may need to be re-evaluated.

    First, I would like to note that God does love all people – and this is an unconditional love. You noted John 3:16, but cut off the first part ”For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (KJV). This does not say “for God loved heterosexuals” or “for God loved those who loved Him.” It says “for God so loved the WORLD.” In fact, in Matthew 5:46,48, we are told “For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans the same? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (KJV) This notes that we are to be like God – loving even when we are not loved…like God loves the world.

    I think you stated it best when you noted “God’s love is available to human beings by grace alone. There is nothing that men can do to earn that love. There is no good work that is either demanded or even possible.” While there are things God asks/requests/demands from us, these do not alter the love God has. For we are all sinners (Romans 3:23) and undeserving, but through the gift of God’s son, Jesus, we are given Grace.

    Also…

    In looking at your notes on the ranking system, you almost entirely rank it on the Word of God. While I agree this is very important – I think it’s also important that what we do with the Word is important, as well. It seems, to me, that your main (if not only) reason for giving us a score of 1 is because our church does not condemn homosexuality. I understand that it is your belief that homosexuality is wrong, and, while I disagree, I am not here to argue that point. It has been my experience, however limited, that most every church has at least a verse or two that they disagree with another church about – otherwise there wouldn’t be so many different churches with so many different beliefs. So, while we may disagree about the implications of these few verses, I think if you listened to people – including our pastor – talk about the other 30,000+ other verses, I’m sure you would find that we ‘hold scripture as true and preach from God’s Word so that we may provide the counsel of God’s Word and application it to believers’ lives.’

    I would like you to consider what score we may truly deserve – based on our church as a whole, not on one belief. For example, we have many small groups – some designed to help people grow closer to God and to one another through Bible Study and discussion, some reach out to help the community and beyond. We are a welcoming community of believers – from the ushers waiting to greet to members of our church who gladly walk over, introducing themselves to new attendees. We are steadfast in prayer, and strive to follow both the “Great Commission” and the “Great Commandment.” We reach out to the community we minister to as well as the community in general and beyond to tell of God’s great love for each of us so that people may begin to look to God instead of away, that people who once gave up on God because of what other Christians taught will once again look to God and seek after His will for them. We strive love our neighbors, our brothers, our sisters, our community, as we would want to be loved – as God loves us – unconditionally.

    I have never met someone to enter our church and not recognize the presence of God within that place and/or within the people there. This causes me to wonder if you have actually attended one of our services after praying to God and being in a spiritual space of a heart of worship. If you have not, I would like to invite you. And, I will keep your experience in prayer, as well – that God would help you to have the heart and mind, and be in connection with God, to grow during any service you may attend and to provide you with the insight as to what God would want you leave with. And, if you choose not to attend, I pray that you will not base your decisions/judgements purely on what you perceive to be the case and that you would grow through this ministry. I believe the idea of this site is beneficial, but I think there are several things that need to be considered and worked on.

    May we always remember “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40 (KJV)

    I love God and I believe in Jesus Christ. I am a follower of Jesus Christ and have been saved through the grace He gave through His death and Resurrection. I yearn and strive and try my might to be Christ-like. I am loved by God, sanctified by God, and follow God. This is the most important thing in my life, in the world, in everything – God is my everything…words cannot describe. I love God as much as my very being can and, alike, I love my neighbor, my sister, and my brother. I am not perfect. I am a Christian. And…I just so happen to be a lesbian.

  4. Carol,

    Yes as believers we are called to love everyone as God has called us to. I also agree God does love the world as you quoted in John 3:16. This word “world” in the Greek is “cosmos”. There are different uses for the word “world” in the New Testament. Here are some different ways this word is used: (from BlueLetterBible)

    1) an apt and harmonious arrangement or constitution, order, government
    2) ornament, decoration, adornment, i.e. the arrangement of the stars,
    ‘the heavenly hosts’, as the ornament of the heavens. 1 Pet. 3:3
    3) the world, the universe
    4) the circle of the earth, the earth
    5) the inhabitants of the earth, men, the human family
    6) the ungodly multitude; the whole mass of men alienated from God, and therefore hostile to the cause of Christ
    7) world affairs, the aggregate of things earthly
    a) the whole circle of earthly goods, endowments riches, advantages, pleasures, etc, which although hollow and frail and fleeting, stir desire, seduce from God and are obstacles to the cause of Christ 8) any aggregate or general collection of particulars of any sort
    a) the Gentiles as contrasted to the Jews (Rom. 11:12 etc)
    b) of believers only, John 1:29; 3:16; 3:17; 6:33; 12:47 1 Cor. 4:9; 2 Cor. 5:19

    Who is Jesus talking to in John 3:16? He is talking to a a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. The Jews up to this point were ‘God’s chosen people’ and what Jesus was telling Nicodemus was radical. God loves the entire world, all nations not just the Jews and through Jesus God was now pursuing those who will believe and in His love give them reconciliation and peace with God through the work of Jesus Christ.

    While God does love the whole world, I would say this is not God unconditionally loving all people everywhere who have ever existed. Do you believe people are going to hell as Scripture says? If so, is this part of God’s unconditional love? I have a hard time believing that God would unconditionally love those who are in eternal seperation and judgement from Him.

    “It seems, to me, that your main (if not only) reason for giving us a score of 1 is because our church does not condemn homosexuality.”
    This is not true. The reason I gave you a low score was because of how Scripture is approached. I do the same with universalists (First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego), legalists (San Diego Church of Christ) and churches that distort scripture (Mission Valley Christian Fellowship).

    “It has been my experience, however limited, that most every church has at least a verse or two that they disagree with another church about – otherwise there wouldn’t be so many different churches with so many different beliefs.”
    This is true, but a distinction is whether the disagreement is over areas that are principles or methods. For example, if two churches disagree with whether to immerse or sprinkle water during baptism this is quiet different from a church who believes Jesus was a good man and another one that He is the Son of God and part of the trinity.

    I hope this helps clear up any misconceptions on my comments and why we’ve decided to rank MCC the way we have. I appreciate your taking the time to discuss this with me and I thank you for the kindness in how you’ve approached these subjects. While we may disagree I still want to treat you with love.

    God Bless…

  5. Hi,

    This is such stimulating and thought provoking discussion! How awesome is it that we can dialogue with one another on such profound spiritual issues.

    I just wanted to jump in with a quick note about the unconditional love issue. We must recognize that God is a God of love, grace, justice and truth. It seems that it would be a “flaw” in His character if He wasn’t unconditionally loving. I truely beleive He loves all people including mass murderer, rapists, etc. Obviously, God detests sin, but continues to love us for who He is, not who we are or what we do.

    However, God is also completely just. He is the standard of right and wrong and never deviates from it – God’s “righteousness”. God requires his law to be obeyed, and He enforces it equally – God’s “justice”.

    A holy, just, and righteous God cannot dismiss sin any more than an honest judge can ignore crime. Such a violation of justice would disqualify the judge from the bench. Likewise, God’s holliness must address sin, or He’s no longer holy. By pouring out his “wrath” on Christ, God satisfies His justice and preserves His character.

    God honored His justice through Christ. Yet, He doesn’t force us to go to heaven, just like he doesnt force anyone to hell. He provides us, during our lifetime, with the option to either recieve his gift of grace… or not.

    With this said, i don’t believe that God doesn’t stop loving those who reject Him. God pursues us until the moment our earthly bodies die. Then, to those who never recieved Christ, He will give them their wish – eternal seperation from Him.

    Let’s be humble stewards of God’s Word. Peace

  6. As a former homosexual, who repented of that life and that terrible sin, I can emphatically state that I am now truly liberated. For thirty years, I was involved in the gay life and attended some services at MCC and what they preach is a total lie. Their doctrine is not based on solid theological scholarship or even remotely correct Biblical interpretation. Their teachings are designed for one purpose. Not to lead the the sinner into repentence from sin, but to manipulate them into accepting their sin of homosexuality as a natural creative trait from God. The Bible warns us not to be deceived by wolves who masquerade in sheep’s clothing, as is the case of Troy Perry and his prophets of Baal who are teaching and preaching at MCC “churches”.

    Love never requires us to compromise God’s Word and one who calls themselve a Christian would never ask another lost soul to particpate in behavior that is destructive to the body, the soul and the spirit.

    The MCC in San Diego has played host to graphic gay sex events being presented by the S & M Community and everything about this church is blackness and evil.

    MCC also adhered to a very perverted doctrine of teaching that homosexuality is a gift from God and that Jesus was in fact, gay and that He had sexual relations with some of the apostles.

    They also teach that David had a sexual affair with Jonathan.

    These vile teachings should be publicly repudiated by every Christian in every Church in America.

    I am living proof that one can leave the sin of homosexuality and never look back. My life proves that the teachings of MCC are a sham and damnable heresy.

    James

  7. What a crock of monkey poop.

    You state that the mission of this church is socio-political. Look into your own motive for the negative review and tell me that it is not political in nature.

    Your attitude toward homosexuals as sinners is contemptuous at best.

    The Christian church is full of individuals who display pride, greed, envy, gluttony, lust, sloth and all other items that the church should people of ridding in order to achieve a more fulfilling life. I am making the assumption that you do not consider yourself a homosexual. Regardless, your intentional misrepresentation of the MCC mission is reprehensible.

    I would encourage you to ask God forgiveness for your arrogance.

  8. To follow God is to follow all of his requirements. Chief among those requirements is to repent. According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, repent is defined as “1 : to turn from sin and dedicate oneself to the amendment of one’s life
    2 a : to feel regret or contrition b : to change one’s mind.”

    From Leviticus 18:22 KJV, “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination,” is clear that this was a the last in a littany of commands from God for Moses to give to the people of Israel. The prior had to do with incest and adultary. All of the listed sexual acts were an abomination including homosexuality. Abomination is defined as: extreme disgust and hatred.

    Now with the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus the commandments as well as blessing of God extended past Israel to the Gentiles.

    Then to follow logically, homosexuality is as sin plain and simple. Then Jesus says in, Joh 8:34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
    So for those who claim to be gay and lesbian Christians they are at odds with God on this well defined sin.

    To continue willingly in a known sin and ignore the conviction of that sin by the Holy Spirit makes us like the Pharasies that Jesus condemed through out his ministry. He loved them as he preached to them. Yet they did not listen.

    Further Jesus says in Joh 8:43-44 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot, hear my word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

    It was once told to me by a minister that, Satan gains a foot hold on us by burying an ounce of lie in a ton of truth. Also Satan knows the words of God probably better than all of us combined. He is also the master deceiver. He twist the words of the Bible, hides some and promotes others that we might stumble and then stands before God and says see. We know this from the story of Job.

    Then in Joh 9:41 Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have, no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth. In other words unlike our secular society that claims ignorance of the law is no excuse, Jesus says, that it is not sin if you don’t know but once you have opened your eyes then it is sin.

    Lastly we have Jesus’ words in Mat 5:27-28 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
    But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. Sin does not originate in the action it originates in the heart. The heart and the mind are inseparable, if it is in the heart it is in the mind. To call oneself a Christian and then also call oneself a Gay or Lesbian is the epitomy of hypocracy.

    Now Jesus at the time of his trial was accused of fellowship with tax collectors, adulterers, paupers, heathens, etc. He did not deny it. It was they that needed redemption. The chief priest of the day also were in his sights but they resisted openly because their cares were of this world and the political struggle with Rome. A very nice job of deception and confusion by the prince of the air, Satan held them in check from receiving the glorious gift of salvation. As it was then it is now. Churches should do all that they can to bring people to the Word of God. But before they can do that they must have people come to repentance of their own accord. No one can make you repent except yourself. Through the preachers and ministers and prophets God convicts us. They are not the judge as the unrepentant like to claim they are. They are just the instruments of God and his will that all be saved.

    Yet if you say you repent but continue in sin then it is a lie. Even John the Baptist preached repentance. Likewise Jesus told the apostles in Luk 9:5 And whosoever, will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them. These men of God did judge to the extent they were told to do so by Jesus himself. It was not their judgement of anyone but God’s judgement and their testimony.

    If you are asked who you are then what would you say? I am a man, a scientist, a mother, a father, a gay or a lesbian. These are not who you are but attributes of the physical being while on this earth. Who you are comes from where your came from even in your mother’s womb. You were not a man or woman then, nor scientist, nor politician nor gay nor lesbian. Those came later. Who you are is an eternal truth about you that existed before you stepped foot on this earth and will remain long after you are gone. You are as I am, a beloved child of God.

    To lay claim to attributes of this physical world as your identity will mislead you. To claim being gay or lesbian, says that you cannot repent of a clearly defined sin. The same goes for alcholics, adulterers, liars, and all other habitual sins. These are but problems that you face for whatever reason. They are also the very tools with which, if you will allow the Holy Spirit to work in you, you will overcome and move closer to God and understand his ways.

    Peter denied Jesus 3 times as it was foretold to him. Paul persecuted and executed Christians yet the New Testatment is filled with their teachings. When I asked why I was told because the repented of their sins. When a mere man points out to you a sin you have committed, it is not he who judges you but God through him. Attacking the messenger and holding fast to your sin is not Godly.

    Finally as Jesus spoke through the apostle John on the isle of Patmos: Rev 3:15-16 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth. If you are a self avowed child of God then doing all that he commands including repenting of sin, that is to let go of it and do it no more, confessing it for forgiveness, then you fall in the hot category. Likewise if you outright deny God and sin to your hearts content you fall in the cold category. But to be claiming the gift of salvation yet willfully continuing in sin is to make you luke warm. How do I know this because I was luke warm, I was also convicted of it by the Holy Spirit and the lesson well learned by me. These are not the days in which you may freely waffle on the fence. You must, as Jesus shows above, jump off that fence and plant your feet on one side or the other. I only pray that it is on the side of an eternity in heaven. The other two options will condem you to an eternity in hell. The choice is yours and yours alone. Fortunately you have up until the moment you take your last breath. Pray that God doesn’t allow that to happen so quickly that you fail to make the choice for heaven before you leave this world.

    May the PEACE of God rest with you all.

  9. Look you guys If anyone here needs to repent it is James Hartline. He has and is still suffering from anti-social personality disorder, ortherwise known as being a sociopath. You want to know the definition of a sociopath, it is one who knows the rules but they don’t apply to him/her. You know what you are doing is wrong you just don’t care, and as far as being cured of aids it will NEVER HAPPEN. You will die just as surely as the sun rises each morning, and as how when most people die the world is worse off, but when you and people like yourself die the world breathes a sigh of relief. That is the undeniable truth.

  10. i find it so difficult to understand people sometimes.

    if you are a “heterosexual”, do you think you understand the “homosexual”?

    some of the people here don’t seem to realize the diversity of experience. it’s as if the way THEY experience life is the way everyone else does, and therefore his/her standards and thinking can apply to everyone else.

    isn’t it our aim to have a personal relationship with God? if our earthly relationships are anything to go by, do you not think that God interacts with us, speaks to us and guides us all in His way FOR us. he doesn’t move in your life the same way he moves in mine.

    So why is it that many take for granted the one-size-fits-all narratives that exist in our culture? any critical thinking individual would know that there is no one truth, as we understand it, that will explain everything. there are always exceptions to theories, formulas, rules, and yet why do many persist in a certain theological narrative, one system of interpretation, as applicable to the life experiences of every single person on this planet?

    you claim to refrain from judging the homosexual and yet you believe that no matter who he/she is, regardless of what their relationship with God is like, that person will spend eternity separated from God. is that the righteousness of God? or is it self-righteousness that you don’t verbalize for fear of being called a bigot?

    God’s greatest gift to us is the right to choose, it’s what started all of this. paradise would’ve remained paradise if not for man’s desire for knowledge. God respects our choice to accept him as well as reject him. he will always offer his hand but never force it upon us.

    it is my choice to believe in God and to believe that he doesn’t condemn me for my sexuality but for the way I conduct my life as a consequence of it. just as you choose to believe in your experience of God and your interpretation of his desire for your life.

    i’ve always been curious about why god commands the things he commands. for example, why did he command the israelites to NOT eat lobster? sounds pretty odd but even that has a reason. some scholars say that all the food restrictions god ordered in Leviticus were to protect the fledgling israelite nation, until its population increased. that’s ONE explanation, a fairly logical one, but the point is, God has a reason.

    God does not hate the sinner, he hates sin. many christians say they don’t hate the homosexual, they hate homosexuality. for a second, let’s believe that. then please tell me, WHY does god hate homosexuality? if you say God hates homosexuality, which you know because of your interpretation of the Bible, then WHY? god must have a reason, after all, he’s the root, the origin of all reason and knowledge.

    don’t spout those verses that we, homosexuals, already know by heart because of the great despair that they once brought or still bring to our hearts. don’t speak from your personal inclinations, and use words such as unnatural, penis fits vagina, abomination, etc.

    try to think about it please, and see if a real answer comes.

    if not, do you think it is right to condemn (verbally or mentally) a large part of a gay person’s identity (his sexuality) when all you can answer to the question (why does God hate homosexuality) is: “because the bible says so…therefore…. just because.”

    you can say, we can’t fathom ALL of god’s reasons, we can’t KNOW why he says or commands certain things. very true. then how can you be so confident in saying to a homosexual: you’re a sinner, and your sin is an abomination unto God (i don’t really know WHY, it’s just so icky the thought of two men kissing), and you must repent and live a life that I think, and many smart people like me think (coz we all know how the majority knows best), is the one that God wants you to live.

    please think about it, i’d love to hear the answer.

  11. Good for you James for heeding the voice of the Lord. My husband is a pastor and we teach the bible. We teach, among many things, that we need to be holy for Jesus is holy. Whether you are having sex with a man or a woman outside of marriage it is a sin. Also God did not design marriage for the same sex, otherwise He would have mentioned it. The bible says an elder/pastor should be the husband of one wife. Not the husband of one husband or for that matter the wife of one husband. We need to be very carefull not to compromise God’s word to suit ourselves and our selfish lusts and desires. Homosexuality is not a worse sin than lying, stealing, gossip, gluttony, sexual immorality etc. They all need to be cut off. the following scriptures are about sexual immorality.
    Romans 13:13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.

    1 Corinth 6:13″Food for the stomach and the stomach for food”—but God will destroy them both. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.

    1 Corinth 6:17But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit.

    18Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. 19Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;

    Ephesians 5:2and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

    3But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. 4Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.

    1 Thess 4:3It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable,

    1 corinthians 6:9-10 9Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

    So if you follow the bible none of us can justify any form of sin, if we dont follow the bible we are living in disobedience. If we justify sin, including sexual immorality – whether hetrosexual or homosexual – is still dissobedience. We need to ask for forgiveness, repent and cut off that which hinders. Remember we all need to give an account to our Maker one day.
    I pray for you that you will recieve revelation of your lifestyle as James has done. I live in a predominantly homosexual area and I love them like I love the people in our church, which is what we are called to do, but by no means will we condone their sin or anyone in our church’s sin. Sin is sin and it needs to be cut off. We cannot have fellowship with God if we are living a life of sin.

  12. Hi Folks:

    I am a non-gay aka heterosexual woman, and I have been attending MCCSD for almost one year. I proudly accepted membership in the church a few months ago, and was even baptized by Pastor Dan, an amazing and Godly man whose love for Jesus and the Holy Scripture humbles me, inspires me, touches me, and blows me away.

    The focus at MCCSD is not on being gay; it’s on being Godly. The message is one of love and acceptance for all of God’s creations, without imposing human nature’s inclination toward judgment, or hatred of those things and those people we do not understand.

    I do not understand the need for some of my brothers and sisters to judge members of the family of God, but I love them anyway. I pray for them. I respect them. I don’t judge their need to interpret the Bible in a way that justifies their hatred of others. I simply love them and know that they are God’s beautiful creations just as we are, just as I am.

    I recommend this church to anyone who is sincerely seeking a relationship with God, anyone who is seeking opportunities to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ, and to anyone who truly desires to love and to be loved in the way that Christ compels us to love one another.

    You are invited to come worship the Living God with us, and we welcome you with open hearts and with open minds.

    In Christian Love…

  13. You fault MCC and assess them with a poor score because they do not do what they do not wish to do – i.e., conform to what they consider to be an exclusionary model that does not represent their view of Christianity. In short, you have given a lawn mower a poor rating because it does not function well as a wheelbarrow.

    Any rating system breaks down when objective and subjective aspects are evaluated interchangeably. In my drama classes, I routinely evaluate projection and enunciation, posture and openness to the audience. I evaluate how well the presentation conforms to the specifics of the audience. However, wouldn’t it be wrong of me to evaluate based on whether the performer’s message or implied beliefs conformed with mine?

    Yet that is what you do when you mix the objective and the subjective in your ratings. It would be far more honest and far more beneficial to visitors to your website if you were to eliminate “theology” and “worship” and replace them with “conforms to fundamentalist doctrine.”

    I think I have studied your web site with a more dispassionate eye than you have demonstrated toward MCC. I have attended MCC services and social functions and my wife has recently become a member, but as a nonbeliever, I think I can dispassionately evaluate MCC. I believe that many of the claims you make are faulty, and I suspect your error is due to your discomfort with homosexuality. In fact, the most egregious error you make in your review is your statement that homosexuality is MCC’s main focus in sharing the Gospel; the focus is the Gospel.

    Your criteria for your reviews seem objective. However, if they truly were, the worst recommendation you could make would be “recommend with reservations” with a warning that this is a church that believes in the dignity and worth of all humans and furthermore, believes that such beliefs are compatible with Christianity.

    Community: You might fault them for not “holding people accountable”, but in truth, you would be doing so only to fault them for believing that one can be gay and still be Christian. Beyond that, this is truly a church that disciples, strengthens, supports and guides its congregants. There are a number of ministers, each with particular strengths in supporting and guiding the faithful, and a very powerful lay ministry.

    Purpose of the church: You list worship, evangelizing, training, encouragement, fellowship, service, glorification and worship and reaching out to the lost. This church lives by al of those, particularly the last one. As this church was founded forty years ago in a response to good Christian men and women being forced out and abandoned by their churches, the people of the church have a great heart for reaching out to the lost, the troubled and people who have felt discarded by other churches. People at MCC see themselves as sinners and with a few glaring exceptions, their definition of sin is probably quite similar to yours.

    Worship: Your list for the requirements of worship: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. You quote the old song, “They will know we are Christians by our love.” This is a Christian church, and your list defines their worship.

    The Bible: Some have remarked that the Bible is not used enough in MCC’s worship. However, the service is based on the Bible and focused on its teachings, which they consider to be inspired. However, to believe that the Bible is inspired is not necessarily to believe that it is infallible or immutable. I inferred that you believe in the inerrancy and absolute sufficiency of the Bible. On that point, you and most of the good people at MCC would part ways. Due to age, translation and societal changes over the past 2,500 or so years since the first versions of the Bible were written, a dynamic interpretation of the Bible seems the only logical approach. I think the people at MCC would object to the opposing viewpoint only inasmuch as it divides believers.

    Finally, Beliefs: MCC shares with you the core beliefs as listed on your website. It seems a shame that you would choose other beliefs that are subject to wildly divergent interpretations and choose to divide over them.

    You seem an honorable person, though one I would consider misguided. I hope this post helps in clarifying a few things, if not in altering your world view. I hope you will reconsider and realize that the people of MCC are, in fact, your honorable and faithful spiritual neighbors.

    Best wishes.

  14. As a Christian I believe all sin is equal in God’s eyes, and all humans are sinners. However, it is clear that mainstream Christianity treats certain sin much differently. Jesus spoke against divorce several times in the New Testament, yet evangelical Christians have a slightly higher divorce rate than the rest of the country. Jesus himself never said one word about homosexuality, but mainstream Christians sure do like to condemn it!
    I’m thankful for this site because I just moved to San Diego from out of state with my husband, who is in the military. It is hard to find a new church in a new city. I will begin my search at MCC! Thanks again, God uses all for his glory!

    • Kristeen, I agree with you, We are new to San Diego and have been looking for a church, from what I have read here I am looking forward to trying MCC. it is good to find a church that follows all of Jeuse’s teachings. I don’t think some people realize how the sin of hate comes though in their comments. the devil wears many coats.
      MCC may not end up being the church for us we will have to see. But I think they won the first round.
      thank you All
      may God Bless you.

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