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Gay-Friendly Portland Gets Antigay Megachurch

Gay-Friendly Portland Gets Antigay Megachurch

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An antigay megachurch is moving into an ultraliberal, LGBT-friendly section of an ultraliberal, LGBT-friendly city -- Portland, Ore.

The Mars Hill Church, which is based in another highly liberal city -- Seattle -- has bought a vacant church building in southeast Portland and will begin offering services there this weekend, The Oregonian reports.

Mars Hill has nine church campuses in the western United States, with three more to be added soon, including the one in Portland. Its founder, Mark Driscoll, often preaches against homosexuality. "A gay couple walks into your group, you're supposed to tell them to repent," he said in a sermon posted on the church website. "And if at any point you don't tell them to repent, you're not faithful to Biblical Christianity."

The Oregonian notes, "The arrival of the church in a gay-friendly city with a gay mayor has prompted reactions that range from anger to incredulity." Logan Lynn, a staff member at Q Center, the city's LGBT community center, told the paper Mars Hill is "a strange fit for our town," but added that Q Center will reach out to the congregants and invite them to visit the center. "We'll be respectful of them and try to make friends," Lynn said.

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Trudy Ring

Trudy Ring is The Advocate’s senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she’s interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud “old movie weirdo” and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.
Trudy Ring is The Advocate’s senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she’s interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud “old movie weirdo” and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.