What Say Your Honset Opinions and Thoughts about what this church is doing?... Is this Chirst-like OR are Interracial Dating or Marriage Relationships forbidden by God in the BIble?
By Bill Estep
A small Pike County church has voted not to accept interracial couples as members or let them take part in some worship activities.
The decision has caused sharp reaction and disapproval in the Eastern Kentucky county.
"It's not the spirit of the community in any way, shape or form," Randy Johnson, president of the Pike County Ministerial Association, said of the vote.
The issue came up at the Gulnare Freewill Baptist Church, said Dean Harville, a longtime member who serves as church secretary and clerk.
Attendance is usually around 40 people for a Sunday service at the church in the Johns Creek area, Harville said.
Harville said his daughter Stella Harville, who is pursuing a master's degree in optical engineering at a school in Indiana, brought her fianc�, Ticha Chikuni, to church in June and played the piano as he sang.
The couple performed I Surrender All, said Stella Harville, who is 24. Chikuni, 29, who works at Georgetown College, is black. He is a native of Zimbabwe.
Stella Harville grew up in the church and was baptized there, but she is not a member, Dean Harville said. Dean Harville said Melvin Thompson, who had been pastor for many years, told him in August that his daughter and her fianc� couldn't sing at the church again.
Thompson stepped down as pastor in August, citing health issues, but he refused Harville's requests to drop the issue, Harville said.
The new pastor, Stacy Stepp, said the couple could sing at the church if they wanted, Harville said.
In early November, Thompson proposed the church go on record saying that while all people were welcome to attend public worship services there, the church did not condone interracial marriage, according to a copy of the recommendation supplied by the Harvilles.
The proposal also said "parties of such marriages will not be received as members, nor will they be used in worship services" or other church functions, with the exception of funerals. The recommendation "is not intended to judge the salvation of anyone, but is intended to promote greater unity among the church body and the community we serve," the copy supplied to the Herald-Leader read.
Members at a business meeting decided to put the matter before the whole church. Last Sunday, nine people voted for the proposal and six voted against it, Harville said. There were more people in attendance, but some didn't want to take a stand, he said. Harville said the resolution was motivated by racism and has given the church, the community, the county and even God a black eye.
"It sure ain't Christian. It ain't nothing but the old devil working," Harville said.
Thompson, who owns a hardware store, told the Herald-Leader on Tuesday that the proposal has been taken out of context, but declined further comment.
Stella Harville said it has been hurtful that some members of her church family made such a decision."They're the people who are supposed to comfort me in times like these," she said.
East Kentucky Broadcasting, which owns several radio stations, first reported the story about the vote on Monday.
Hundreds of people have since posted comments disagreeing with the decision, said reporter Shannon Deskins.
Johnson, with the local ministerial association, said the reactions have included heartbreak and disbelief. "Most of us thought that we'd moved well beyond that," he said.
Harville said he plans to ask the conference of churches to which Gulnare Freewill Baptist belongs to overturn the vote.
Even if that happens, however, "I don't think I'll be able to go back there," his daughter said.
Ella, this is a sticky subject, I live in south Alabama the capital of racisim in this country I imagine, however I have very close friends that are black woman 2 of my very best friends as a matter of fact! People dont say much about same sex platonic relationships but when it comes to mixed boy girl relationships something like that will ruin a repetation! Its like this if a woman here decides to go with a black man then she is pretty much commited to only dating black men she is automaticly sterio typed as one who has joined the black community and she will most likely never find a local white man that will date her, they for some reason just wont go with a girl if she has in the past dated a black man! This is sad and it is racisim! I dont have any idea why they are like this, just like back in the first half of the last century they act like touching a blackk man or somone who has touched one will give them the cooties, they wont swim in the same pool its terrible!
I dont feel that way however my concerns with interracial marriges are different, and not because I am racisit, but the numbewr one reason I would resist a mixed relationship would be the children produced here in the south they are not excpted in either community! Its sad unfair and wrong but it is also a fact! I would never want to have a child and have them exposed to that sort of persecution! My number 2 reason is also about the children but maybe will sound a little racisit! But I assure you I am not or I dont mean to be I love the black community and support them and their cultures I am always interested in learning and participating in the traditions of my 2 black girl friends I hessitate to say this becasue it does sound racisit! here is goes, I think that God intended for their to be different races among the human species! He is completly in control and had he wanted us all one color we would already be all one color! So if everyone mixed races then eventualy we would all be the same race!
There wouldnt be whites and blacks or asians we would all be the same and thats not the way God intended! Now I maybe wrong about this! Its not something I got from the bible its only an observation!I love,love ,love my black sisters and brothers my church does have black families as members but I have never seen a mixed couple there. I am not racisist I just mostly think its wrong to have children who you know are going to be persecuted and outcasted becasue they are mixed. s far as just the relationship goes I have no problems really except the children born is all!
Well, it certainly is AMERICAN! It is within their rights to say "NO" to interracial dating and couples, and then it is everyone else's right to pick up and haul out of that Synagogue of Satan.
The same people who said this, also will tell you that they love Jesus, and He was of Semitic origin, as are Arabs.
Why do we talk of race in the first place? Or age? Neither are of faith, but reason and logic.
Now, I am against either blacks or whites, or people of race throughout the world, seeking another of the differing races, due to their desires to fulfill the lusts of their flesh. But, if one meets by the Sovereign Will of Almighty God, and He has drawn them together, it is God's business and no one else.
And in closing, one must remember the warped world in which we live.
I had a dear friend years ago who was black and was married to a white woman. They were dear people, and were just good honest people, but her family hated it, and they and their children suffered for it.
"Interracial" is an odd term in my ears. Here in Europe the mere use of the words race reveals that you got racist leanings.
Recent science puts the old speculations about blacks etc being less than white to shame. We are all the same great ape species with extremely few differences below the skin/surface.
In this Scripture Yeshua breaks the racial divide.
Yeshua has the Hebrew men go and Disciple the 'UNCLEAN,HEATHEN GHOYIM'
These Hebrew men were to go to those not of Hebrew descent and give the name(s) of YHWH to the Ethnos..
In Yeshua there is neither race,nationality,nor respect of persons.
In Yeshua there is only,BELIEVER IN YESHUA,OR UNBELIEVER.
In Yeshua the ground is level because of the cross,
and GRACE runs downhil,never up the mountain of PRIDE.
This place and thw so -called pastor or senior pastor is not of YHWH.
The body of believers is to be a HOSPITAL for the wounded from this life,
Not a place where people are subjected to humiliation.
Mat 28:17 And seeing Him, they worshiped Him. But they doubted.
Mat 28:18 And coming up Jesus talked with them, saying, All authority in Heaven and on earth was given to Me.
Mat 28:19 Then having gone, disciple all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
Mat 28:20 teaching them to observe all things, whatever I commanded you. And, behold, I am with you all the days until the completion of the age. Amen.
Yeshua came to seek and saved the lost,to give the dead life,and to set the captive free.
From the posted message this place needs Yeshua!!!!!!!
In the OT didn't people marry within their own race! I had a discussion with a friend of mine about this today at
dinner. Men and Women do not tend to follow God's leading in OT days or today. My personal belief is that people should court and marry within their own race.
However, I am open to other races if this is God's will for me.
I have dated many races and find that most men all somewhat alike except for the Arabic. I will not go into
WOW! All you guys gave some very good answers of how you personally feel about this matter. Thanks..
I think George come from a more spiritual view into this as it relates to the article, as well as AWM (althought I hate saying this...:laugh:). In that, the behavior of those in this church who say they are CHRISTIANS called by God's name, are not true Christians, and this is orven in their behavior and rules stating that no interracial couple can become a member of THEIR CHURCH... that's the key... THIER CHURCH, not GOD CHURCH, they are not behaving as Christians.
Not only this, they have proposed that NO INTERRACIAL coupel can even join their church or part take of any activities in the church. This lets us know that their CHURCH is NOT A BODY OF CHIRST. As George posted, there IS NOT COLOR OR RACE IN CHRIST. Jew or Greek, Black White, Hispanice or Korean.
Also, Elissha, I would like to address the myths that the children of interracial couple suffers and/or have problems and are not accepted by the white community or the black community. This is a myth of fear that comes out of the mouth of the white community, unless they couple lives in the deep south, but this myth is reflecting their OWN beliefs and racism. I have never heard of the Black community rejecting an interracila couple or their children of any mixed couple Black.white, Hispanic/white, Hispanic/blakc, Japanese/white, etc. I also have never heard of anything you stae that in Alabama there are NO MIXED COUPLES? What opart of Alabam do you live?:ROFL: Even when George Wallas was alive and governor there were interracila couple, even if the white man had to slip into his black woman's bed in the heat of the night pretend he was going to burn a cross on her lawn, they still were together... and if the black man had to pretend to be the yard man to get to his white woman they too were still together:ROFL:
I realize when people think of interracial couples they tend to narrow-mindedly ALWAYS thinking of Black men dating or married to White women, but here are many different races of interracial couple that many Whites look down upon especially when it is the White woman married to a man of any race outside of the White race.
Some of my BEST FRIENDS are interracial couples who have been married for over 10 to 40 years, and have children and were married back in the 60's in the South TEXAS, and many still live here in the heart of Texas during the civil rights movement, and they can only tell you about the racism they was experienced according to what was going on during this time overtly, and still continues covertly today. And their children can't tell you of anymore suffering or problems they experienced than what is experienced today. They can tell you about the looks and words they heard and experienced from some white people, but they can't tell you anything negative about the Black community rejecting them or their children. and most of these couple lived in all white communities. The Black community is more accepting of people than the white community, and that's just a reality and truth.
And guess what? These couples ARE NOT BLACK MEN MARRIED TO WHITE WOMEN, THESE ARE WHITE MEN MARRIED TO BLACK WOMEN, AND Asian women, and Hispanic women.
Another thing is, that when a white man is married to a blakc woman or a women of a different nationality, thier experiences are different than when the white woman is married to a man of another race... Because the white community is more accepting of the white man marrying outside his race, then when the white woman marries outside her race.
In the black and Hispanic communities, even with some Jewish interracial couples, if the man marries outside his race, its more acceptable. I have a Jewish friend who is married to a Black woman, and the family loves her and the children are beautiful, and from what they say, they have not experienced any negative suffering from people other than what is normal from many whites who resent seeing a white man married or dating any women who isn't white.
Biblically, you will find that Jesus geneology interracial marriages... Boaz and Ruth were an interracila couple, Mose and his wife were interracial and remember what God did to Marim when she laugh and talked about Moses' wife?
This church is not one that can be considered a church of the Living God, their rules are not based on what God speaks in His holy Word.
Good discourse everybody! Please respond if you think differently.
Bier said: "Interracial" is an odd term in my ears. Here in Europe the mere use of the words race reveals that you got racist leanings. Recent science puts the old speculations about blacks etc being less than white to shame. We are all the same great ape species with extremely few differences below the skin/surface.
Ella says: Bier, I love this comment, and you know what? YOU ARE SO RIGHT ON POINT! ... and Interracial is an odd term to many people's ears, but it is a term that is used to describe differences in races between couples ... coined by mainstream America in support of, and to benefit racism that is expressed in this article...
The definition of the word "race" was changed by Charles Darwin and his followers.
Before Darwin, one spoke of the "Irish race" or "Scottish race", because the word meant nationality or culture.
AFTER Darwin, it came to mean skin color and facial features.
The bible is Not silent on skin color, but Jesus DID say that Ethnic group would rise up against ethnic group.
As far as who we Christians court and marry, the only restriction we have is that it be the opposite gender, and that it be a Christian that we marry.
I would like to know what Scriptural data is being used to say that Christians of a certain type skin color and facial features, cannot marry another Christian who has a different skin color.
This is probably a fundamentalist group, which automatically means sub-Biblical theology.
alright I dont remember saying that there are no interracial couples here..lol there are many but they are cast out of the white community for the most part they join the black orr hispanic or whatever community! I do live in the deep south as southern as it gets just north of the florida line in alabama and I love it here! I am true blue southern girl to the bone! But let me tell you this I am not racisit what that church is doing is wrong do I think that God wants us to marry our own race... yes I do think so but thats like I said earlier just an observation! Ella the mixed children here are ostrisized and outcasted and there is a lot of rasisim here and its the black community that is the worst about it! My daughter drives 25 miles one way to a whole other city to go to a school thats not as bad as the only high school in Opp, The blacks are very agressive towards the whites. I am not racist but I prefere white men and I am gonna admit something here thats going to make me sound racisit (I remind you I have 2 vewry close black girl friends) but I am terrified of black men and I cant help it! Before I got saved I was a bartender , one night I had no ride home after work after I had a few drinks and some conversation with a much older black man he offerd to give me a ride! Me being about half drunk accepted it. About half way to my home in midland city alabama he pulled over and began runing his hand up my leg. I tried to stop him but he was forcewful so I fought back he punched me in the face and began to beat me severly, he hit me so hard one time that my teeth went all the way through my bottom lip. then he hit me again and broke the bones on the right side of my face he continued to beat me until I was knocked out then I think he assumed I was dead becasue he through my limp body out of his car onto the cold hard concrete in a parking lot and left me for dead. When I woke up I stumbeld to the nearest house. My face was bloody and swollen about 3 times the size it should have been I had blood pooling in both eyes a hole all the way through my bottom lip and blood all over my body from huge hungs of flesh that were knocked out when he through me onto the cement! I was in bad shape but alive , I was littarly beat and left for dead on the side of the road he was never caught I only know his name was greg and he lived somewhere in florida. Thats not all years before that I had a black man try to get me to get into his car when I refused he chased me through Panama City Fl with a pistol. He caught up to me (I was on foot) near an intersection and he cut me off got out and began to rais his gun to point it at me when he noticed cars piling up at the nearby redlight so I asune he knew he couldnt get away with shooting me right there so he drove off but he chased me for about another hour until I finaly found someone I knew that I trusted a man named Joe he owen a local bar called Joes Corner pub if you have ever been to PC you have driven by it and proabaly heard of their hot wings anyway he took me home. On top of that I have had the displeasure of being a bartender /waitress for many years before I got saved all over the south east and I have met many many many disgusting perverted gross men of all shapes and colors but the most aggresive and offinsive and pshy ones were always the black men! I know this doesnt apply to the Christian community but I cant help being afraid of them! See if you was ever attacket by a pitbull dog well in your mind you would know they wont all attack you! But you would still be afraid of them or at least leary! I dont hate anyone becasue of the color of their skin but I guess when it comes to men I am racial biast because of what black men have done to me and I havent ever dated one I would hate to know what I would have lived through If I had ventrued to go out with one! Like I said I realize they arent all like that, there are most certainly a lot of terrible white me as well, but I have had terrifying experiences with black men and I cant help being afraid of them! You knowq even now at the grocery store even when I am checking people out singing to the Lord quietly to myself its always the black men that stare at my chest I even had one ask me to hug him, I have had them slip me their numbers grab my hands when I am giving them change! There is no doubt about it black men are way way more aggresive, I know that was off the subject but I wanted yall to know why I dont date outside my race. The other things I said in the earlier post were just observations I dont know for sure what the Lord tinks about race mixing I do know he made us all different colors so I would think thats the way he wanted it, as far as the race mixing in the bible these people were from different tribes and so on but I think they were all pretty much the same color werent they? And didnt God tell israel to only marry other israelies? I know that was to preserve their blood lines and was probably for the purpose of the birth of christ but he still told them to do it, I think God made us all different for a reason and he wants us to stay different if he had wanted us to be al one color then he would have made us all the same color in the first place, but like I said thats not biblical that is an observation
