Its hard not to admire a church and its pastor for holding their fundamentalist Christian services at a community centre in a neighbourhood with a growing gay population. But thats where Vancouver West Church has set up shop.
According to reporter Sandra Thomass story on the church in todays paper the pastors choice of the Roundhouse Community Centre in Yaletown was God-inspired. Its not the only church operating regularly out of a Vancouver community centre, but it is the most recent.
(Despite the similarities in name, Vancouver West Church is not affiliated with Westside Church, which the Courier reported on last week for its plans to purchase the plush Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts. But since West Church is the newest, could it not have not come up with a different name to avoid confusion?)
There are many evangelical Christian churches and other orthodox faiths operating in the city and across the Lower Mainland, and I usually pay them little to no attention unless they have plans to buy an expensive theatre in downtown Vancouver or rent out space for religious services in a publicly run community centre.
Perhaps its the timing of the churchs recent planting so close to International Day against Homophobia this Friday that caught my attention on this one.
Im uneasy with any fundamentalist religious group operating regular weekly services at a community centre, especially one that believes the Bible gives a true history of the creation of heaven, earth and humanity and containing a correct prophecy of the ages to come regarding heaven, earth and the destiny of humanity. Moreover, there is no salvation outside of what is taught in its pages. These beliefs are unsettling for they sound like Vancouver West Church, which is affiliated with United Pentecostal Church International, cannot accept people as they are, despite Pastor Anthony Ens openness to welcoming gays but comparing homosexuality to alcoholism. People are just people, Ens told Thomas. Its like alcoholism. I know what alcohol does to a lot of families because some people are predisposed to go too far and do things they wish they didnt do. I have zero problems with friends who do those kinds of things.
Hmmm
(My father was an abusive alcoholic. If I had a choice, I would have preferred being raised by two loving same-sex parents than a verbally and physically abusive father, who, I might add, was also a regular church-goer.)
It is mystifying that in the 21st century, there are people who still believe homosexuality is a lifestyle choice that can be easily switched. Ask the gays and lesbians in the 78 countries that criminalize gay activities with varying degrees of punishment, including the death penalty, if their lifestyle is a choice. Places like Iran, Pakistan, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Yemen.
Pastor Ens, an American, has a right to preach his interpretation of the Bible, but should he be doing it in a community centre? Given the Vancouver park boards mandate for inclusion one commissioner is working to make park board facilities more accessible to the transgendered community you cant help but wonder how a same-sex couple in a yoga class might feel knowing a pastor is preaching anti-gay themes (as subtle as they are) in the room next door. Isnt it vital that every patron feel safe and welcome at their community centre? Unlike me, however, the Vancouver Park Board has no issue with faiths such as Vancouver West Church. It welcomes any group religious, political and commercial to rent out its facilities as a means to generate revenue.
Im sure to get letters accusing me of being anti-religion. My issue with any faith group lies squarely in how it treats people. Any group that treats gays or women (making them enter a mosque by a side door into a smaller prayer area for instance) as lesser human beings or second-class citizens is simply un-Canadian.
I admire faiths that genuinely treat everyone as equal and welcome, such as a United Church of Canada in my neighbourhood, which takes the Bible seriously, but not literally and where people of all ages and backgrounds [are welcome] to experience the sacred in community... We acknowledge and respect many pathways to the sacred and draw on the Christian story as our primary source of guidance and inspiration. Because we value each individuals search for meaning in their lives, we strive to companion one another in seeking truth rather than insisting on right belief.
At the core of this churchs belief is compassion and how we live is more important than what we believe. As comfortable as I am with the United Church, Im not sure Id want it to deliver weekly services in a community centre. But I guess my hardline rule would have to apply to many other organizations, which raises the question: Where do you draw the line?
The irony here is that while the park board practices the concept of inclusion, some of the groups it rents space to dont.
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