Dan Davidson, the Auburn Hills Presbyterian Church building caretaker, was featured in the worship service last Sunday---in drag, reading an LGBTQ story to the church, with the kids gathered in front at the altar.
All in celebration of June Pride Month.
The church's response is troubling. Very troubling.
Be informed.
The mockery.
Davidson, an employee of Auburn Hills Presbyterian Church, led in celebration of LGBTQ Pride Month.
Dan Davidson calls his "alter-ego" woman identity, "Sparkle Leigh."
The Cincinnati Enquirer says,
"On Sunday, June 16, church caretaker Davidson woke up before the sun to get ready for a new role at the church that morning. He spent hours applying layers and layers of make-up and glitter to transform himself into "Sparkle Leigh."
The Enquirer notes that he "stood at the church door, greeting members as they came in and gawked at her outfit, exclaiming how good it was to see her and kissing her on the cheek."
One woman commented, "I don't think I could walk in those," pointing to Sparkle's high heel shoes.
The church choir opened the worship service with the Hymn, "God Welcomes All." Then the pastor called the church's children to the front near the altar and Davidson emerged as "Sparkle," wearing a pink dress and green, curly hair. He read the book, "Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and The Rainbow Flag."
Auburn Hills Presbyterian Church, a member of the Presbyterian Church U.S.A., had also decorated their sanctuary walls with rainbow flags and used rainbow candles on the platform.
Sparkle says, "I'm excited to just be able to point to diversity and help kids not be afraid of people who are different but to embrace them to learn from them and find out more about them."
During the service, a man stood and gave his testimony of coming out.
Is this what Jesus was crucified and died for?
Sparkle's story is the sad story of deception.
Sparkle Leigh previously performed as a drag queen in Seattle. After experiencing a hate crime and being hit by a car while "he" was in full dress, Davidson decided to move on and found a new home in Cincinnati.
He says teaching the kids in this Sunday worship service had a particular kind of poignancy for him.
Davidson recalls that his conversion therapy sessions had taken place just down the street from this Presbyterian Church.
The fresh message of acceptance, he says, resonated with him, and he hopes other LGBTQ people can find a place in this and other similar welcoming churches---and they won't let negative past experiences turn them away from religion.
"Sparkle" is concerned that "in today's digital age, what children aren't taught, they will figure out for themselves and that gender and sexuality are issues that should be discussed more and broken down for children to be able to understand."
So under the guise of a Christian worship service, the church invited a drag queen to teach the little kids what they would otherwise learn from the Internet.
Sparkle says, "Love more, love better."
The Truth.
This episode last Sunday at Auburn Hills Presbyterian is by no means isolated. CBN has also reported on similar instances.
Homosexual advocates have been remarkably effective in selling their twisted interpretations of passages of Scripture that address homosexuality.
There is nothing in the narrative of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the atonement of our sins that suggest homosexuality is to be affirmed or celebrated---in church or anywhere else.
The notion of Christian Churches fulfilling the commands of Christ to love one another by affirming homosexual behavior is heresy.
Today's homosexual activists have twisted Scripture to "prove" to uninformed Christians and leaders that it is somehow compassionate and biblical to "affirm" a behavior that God clearly condemns. While it may cause certain leaders within the church, and their parishioners to feel good about themselves, Christ died and rose again so all who have sinned could be delivered, forgiven and transformed by the power of the Gospel.
God does not affirm sin---including homosexuality. All of us have sinned, and all of us need forgiveness, deliverance, and restoration.
God's condemnation of homosexuality is abundantly clear. He opposes it in every age:
- In the patriarchs (Genesis 19: 1-28 )
- In the Law of Moses (Leviticus 18:22; 20:13)
- In the Prophets (Ezekiel 16: 46-50)
- In the New Testament (Romans 1: 18-27; I Corinthians 6:9-10; Jude 7-8)
Homosexuals, transgenders, etc., don't need healing. Homosexuality is not a disease. They don't need therapy---homosexuality is not a psychological condition. Homosexuals need forgiveness, because homosexual behavior is sin.
All of us have sinned. All of us need forgiveness---not affirmation in our sin.
Christian Churches should not be "affirming" sins, they should be preaching the transforming Gospel of Jesus Christ.
God condemns homosexuality because it overturns His fundamental design for human relationships---a design that pictures the complementary relationship between a man and a woman (Genesis 2:18-25; Matthew 19: 4-6; Ephesians 5:22-33).
The reason homosexual's revision of Scripture has been so successful in churches like Auburn Hills Pres and many others, is because people want to be convinced. And they're uninformed. Or, they feel the guilt of their own sins.
To deal with their conscience, people including pastors and leaders like Tim Keller, Matthew Vines, Tony Campolo and his wife, Jim Wallis and many, many others have embraced error on the subject.
"Men loved darkness rather than light" (John 3:19).
Those like "Sparkle Leigh" and other homosexual activists are living in denial and in darkness according to the Bible.
Romans 1:24,26,28 explains the destructive power of their passions. So does Romans 7:5. They are not "gay," they are sad because of their chosen behavior.
The Christian response.
It must be a Gospel response, not a social one. Share the Truth of God's Word with the individual regarding the sin. But also share that God loves them very much. God's love transcends merely trying to make them feel better in their sin by being "welcoming" and "affirming" and "inclusive."
This is how we "love more--love better." Share the Truth of God's Word, and the depth of His love.
His love brings complete forgiveness, deliverance, restoration and eternal life.
Be Faithful. Be Informed. Be Discerning. Be Vigilant. Be Prayerful.