Add Pastor Ben Bailey of the Central Church of Christ in McMinnville, Tenn., to the list of those endorsing stoning for gay people, or at least seeing a biblical basis for it.
In his sermon last Sunday, video of which was shared by Raw Story, Bailey denounced people who seek churches that have "relaxed and liberal views." They want "things like women preaching, women leading in service, where homosexuals and gay marriage were accepted openly," he said. But that's not God's way, he added.
"He has a definite standard and it is not the liberal mindset that we see today," Bailey said. "This book [the Bible] does not condone things like women preaching. ... God does not approve of homosexuality or gay marriage." The Bible considers homosexuality "vile, unnatural, and deserving of a penalty," he said, and "an abomination that under the Old Testament deserved stoning."
The Churches of Christ are autonomous congregations united by common beliefs, chief of which is a literal view of the Bible. As for similarly named denominations, the United Church of Christ has long been LGBT-affirming, and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) has taken LGBT-friendly stances in recent years.
Watch the clip below, from Central Church's TV program The Gospel of Christ, courtesy of Raw Story.