A small church in Indiana is being evicted from its building due to an outdoor sign that criticized homosexuality.
Remnant Fellowship Church in Auburn, Ind., posted a message on its sign that read: “LGBTQ is a hate crime against God. Repent.” WPTA-TV ran a story about the sign on June 27, focusing on the sign and the pushback by some in the community against it. On July 8, WPTA reported that the congregation had been booted from building by the landlord. A church member confirmed the news.
The pastor had told the television station that the sign was an attempt to “reach young people and steer them away from a lifestyle they believe is harmful to them.”
The controversy apparently began when one woman, Kristin Russell, was offended by the sign and changed it so it read, “Stay Open Minded.” She posted the picture of the new sign on Facebook, sparking the WPTA report.
“I kind of sat there for a little bit, what am I supposed to do about this?” Russell said. “I saw the message ‘stay open minded’ in the letters, so I thought, why don’t I just change it to that,” Russell said.
The church changed the sign back to the original message.
Now, the congregation is looking for a new home.
Readers on WPTA’s Facebook were split on the issue.
“Churches, I thought, were about love and forgiveness,” Gail Bailey Adams wrote.
Wrote Bleu Hefner, “Freedom of speech will end soon. Sad you can attack religious beliefs but if you’re for religious beliefs, well it’s fine to be attacked.”
Another person, Rose Marie, wrote, “So said … I hope you find another place real soon.”
Michael Foust is a freelance writer. Visit his blog, MichaelFoust.com
Photo courtesy: Facebook/Remnant Fellowship Church
Publication date: July 9, 2018
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