Church shunned over leaflet on homosexuality
A church in Liverpool has been ostracised from other community groups in the city after it came to light that they had published a resource which labelled homosexuality “a sin” and suggested ways in which to help.
Frontline Church in Wavertree had made the “fact sheet” available on the website. There has been a strong reaction to the leaflet’s content, in particular its suggestion that people are not “born homosexual”.
One of Liverpool’s biggest housing agencies, Plus Dane, which runs a food bank that operates from the church premises, has broken ties with the church as a result.
The agency said: “We will continue to fund Food Bank, which is run by Salisbury-based charity the Trussell Trust, but staff have been told not to work with Frontline Church on this or any other project in future.
“As a neighbourhood investor we work with a wide range of groups, including many faith organisations.
“However, it has become apparent that aspects of Frontline's ministry are incompatible with our values, which seek to celebrate diversity and promote inclusion.”
Liverpool council, which has not funded the church in the past 5 years, said: “We would not fund an organisation or its activities where they contradicted our equalities and cohesion policy in the way alleged in this case.”
Merseyside Police also distanced themselves from the church. The force uses the church’s premises for neighbourhood meetings but stressed that “the religious beliefs of the churches whose buildings we use are entirely separate to and independent of the views and policies of Merseyside Police.”
Frontline Church leaders have pointed out that the leaflet was taken off the church’s website sometime ago and that the person who authored it has now left the church staff.
Andrea Williams, chief executive of Christian Concern, commented:
“Here is yet another example of how failing to approve of the homosexual lifestyle becomes a bar to involvement in public life and co-operation with other community groups. Anyone who does not ‘toe the line’ on this issue is branded ‘homophobic’ and subsequently ostracised.
“If this continues then Christians will be increasingly marginalised in British community life and the excellent work that so many churches do, like that of Frontline in Liverpool, will be greatly hampered.”
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