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News & ArtsMonday, January 14, 2013
Religion Mars Hill: We Intend to Help the Capitol Hill "AIDS Victims" with Food and Jesus
Posted by Dominic Holden on Mon, Jan 14, 2013 at 1:52 PM
By moving their congregation a scant one-third of a mile closer to Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood, the Mars Hill Church is better able to target "AIDS victims" with charity work and the word of Christ, says spokesman Justin Dean. He was responding to my questions—which I posted earlier and posed to him by phone—asking what their pastor meant in a morning announcement when he said that "being closer to Capitol Hill is a blessing as we are serving and ministering to those who are infected with AIDS on the hill.”
"Our desire is to work with organizations and individuals who are trying to make a difference for those living with, or who are at risk of HIV/AIDS," says Dean, who was ostensibly speaking about Seattle's historically gay neighborhood but could easily have been referring to the billions of sexually active humans on the planet at risk for HIV. "We are currently at the beginning stages of volunteering with the Lifelong AIDS Alliance to build relationships and walk in love with those in the Capitol Hill area, and beyond, who are affected by these chronic conditions."
Dean says the large church—which bans gay members and is notoriously cultish—has started a new ministry to this effect.
"Their desire is for everyone to know Jesus, especially those whom they have met in their community who are suffering and hurting," says Dean, who added that by moving the congregation from its Belltown location to a downtown location negligibly closer to Capitol Hill that it would "allow us to work closer with Life Long [AIDS Alliance] and other organizations in the area." He added that those volunteers are still in training, but they hope to offer "many food and donation drives for HIV/AIDS victims."
I've got a call into Lifelong checking on their arrangement with a group that bans gay members.
UPDATE at 5:00 p.m.: Lifelong says that, while they've spoken to Mars Hill, the church hasn't filled out volunteer forms and has "no relationship" with the charity.
1
Mars Hill on Cap Hill sounds like an excellent way to provide "plausible deniability" to the homosexual members of that church.
5
Can we open a gay bar next door to Mars Hill to preach the Glory of the Bung to those heathens who dare not mention its name?
6
Wow, he actually called you back? I'm surprised. Too bad none of his answers make any logical sense. Opening a new franchise literally one neighborhood over doesn't make much geographical difference, and lots of organizations coordinate using newfangled things like phones, email, and the Internet.
7
Something tells me that they consider anybody who doesn't subscribe to their beliefs to be "at risk."
8
This all depends - are they worshiping bear Jesus or otter Jesus? And before you say it - ain't nobody worshiping no twink Jesus.
10
"...and walk in love with those in the Capitol Hill area, and beyond, who are affected by these chronic conditions." Gotta applaud that passive-aggressive, abusive use of the word "love."
13
I'm not a fan of this organization but I do know an openly gay friend who
Attends. Please explain. I'm not sure the ban you refer to exists. Although I'm sure the judgement does.
Attends. Please explain. I'm not sure the ban you refer to exists. Although I'm sure the judgement does.
14
I hope you'll follow up and share Lifelong's response. I find the entire situation curioser and curiouser.
15
Are they buying or leasing the building? Glossing over that I don't really know anything—it's possible they're attempting a tax shelter, which would explain why they're so forthcoming with an explanation for this expansion.
16
I've been fed the Jesus bullshit my whole life. You can't escape it. Everyone knows about Jesus.
They want to make gay people miserable with their Jesus. They can't bear that anyone gay could be happy. So they want to add their special ingredient of shame and guilt. Well, guess what Mars Hill? Come and give your speeches. It's not something we haven't heard a million times before. If it makes you feel superior and holy than fuck you.
They want to make gay people miserable with their Jesus. They can't bear that anyone gay could be happy. So they want to add their special ingredient of shame and guilt. Well, guess what Mars Hill? Come and give your speeches. It's not something we haven't heard a million times before. If it makes you feel superior and holy than fuck you.
17
"being closer to Capitol Hill is a blessing as we are serving and ministering to those who are infected with AIDS on the hill.”
In my humble estimation (and I've worked for Lifelong for several years), this statement shows they know little to nothing of the issues they speak of, and they are probably just using this whole thing as a slimy propaganda/culture.war salvo. The whiff of "anti-gay" is all over this.
Fuck off, "Mars Hill". You can't even "interpret" the Bible correctly.
In my humble estimation (and I've worked for Lifelong for several years), this statement shows they know little to nothing of the issues they speak of, and they are probably just using this whole thing as a slimy propaganda/culture.war salvo. The whiff of "anti-gay" is all over this.
Fuck off, "Mars Hill". You can't even "interpret" the Bible correctly.
18
Not sure if @1 or @17 is correct, but both sound like reasonable explanations. I wouldn't put either past the Driscollites.
19
@14 - I'm quite sure Lifelong will be incredibly diplomatic about it, but will hopefully, -privately-, tell them to go fuck themselves.
On the other hand, if Mars Hill can provide legions of volunteers to actually staff the kitchen and take food to the sick and homebound that Lifelong serves, that might go a ways to breaking down the homophobe and anti-gay barriers MH has. This could totally blow back in the MH leaders' faces. Lifelong has no place for "ministering", that's for sure.
Time will tell.
On the other hand, if Mars Hill can provide legions of volunteers to actually staff the kitchen and take food to the sick and homebound that Lifelong serves, that might go a ways to breaking down the homophobe and anti-gay barriers MH has. This could totally blow back in the MH leaders' faces. Lifelong has no place for "ministering", that's for sure.
Time will tell.
20
If it's god's plan for certain people to get aids, then isn't it a bit pretentious for this church to ask jesus to help them?
22
In Portland they actively stirred up queer activists, rather personally and directly at times, and someone hurled rocks through their windows. They used this to basically drive a wedge between the Q Center and many LGBT activists, radical and mainstream alike, against this nebulous idea of queer ultra violence. This also bolstered their claims of victimhood.
I still feel the rock throwing was false flag.
I still feel the rock throwing was false flag.
23
@13 I dunno, but I would never EVER be part of a group that put out anti-masturbation literature with this sentence: "First, masturbation can be a form of homosexuality because it is a sexual act that does not involve a woman." In part because it is anti-gay, and in part because it's fucking dumb.
http://theresurgence.com/books/porn_agai…
http://theresurgence.com/books/porn_agai…
24
@23, Did they ever mention female masturbation? Because I am pretty sure when us ladies do the what what when we are all by ourselves, there definitely is a woman involved.
25
At this point, it seems they're getting all of their twisted press releases right off the Landover Baptist's church's website. How can there be this many delusional, hate-KKKrazed, Christofascist, glassy-eyed supplicants in Seattle that love to hear how everyone except for them is gonna fry in eternal hay-ell?
http://www.landoverbaptist.org/
http://www.landoverbaptist.org/
We have a permanent injunction against all unsaved persons. If you are unsaved, you are not allowed within a 10-mile radius of our church, nor are you allowed on this website. Kindly leave, and be about the Devil's business, for you are not welcome here. Glory!
26
@13: The same way they tolerate "rebellious" women until they're shamed into being homebound, pregnant and barefoot submissive partners, as Jesus wants them to be.
They're not happy he's gay you fucking idiot.
So, I ask for the zillionth time, if Supergenius tattoo is a part of Mars Hill, why do they get so much money from Wildrose-frequenting customers? They hate the gay, they really don't need Cap Hill's business.
They're not happy he's gay you fucking idiot.
So, I ask for the zillionth time, if Supergenius tattoo is a part of Mars Hill, why do they get so much money from Wildrose-frequenting customers? They hate the gay, they really don't need Cap Hill's business.
29
This has been said before, but deserves another posting ...
Mark Driscoll is about as obvious a closet case as there ever was. Just like Ted Haggard (hiding behind his beard wife & five kids) & George "Lifting My Luggage" Rekers before him, Driscoll incessantly rails against "the gays" & "the gay agenda".
To repeat: No straight man secure in his own sexuality - oddball preacher or not - feels such a need to expend endlessly energy attacking THE GAYS. It is like the old Nazi trick of shooting one of your own to prove you're not one of them.
Is there a smoking gun to prove this; i.e., that Driscoll is secretly gay himself? ...just wait, i don't think it's a coincidence that Mars Hill employs a bunch of cute young guys. How about it Mark? Who have you seduced on your male-only "spiritual retreats"?
Who will be the first to come forward & talk about what this freaky self-promoter does behind closed doors? ...awaiting the inevitable day when Mark's purse falls out of the closet...
Mark Driscoll is about as obvious a closet case as there ever was. Just like Ted Haggard (hiding behind his beard wife & five kids) & George "Lifting My Luggage" Rekers before him, Driscoll incessantly rails against "the gays" & "the gay agenda".
To repeat: No straight man secure in his own sexuality - oddball preacher or not - feels such a need to expend endlessly energy attacking THE GAYS. It is like the old Nazi trick of shooting one of your own to prove you're not one of them.
Is there a smoking gun to prove this; i.e., that Driscoll is secretly gay himself? ...just wait, i don't think it's a coincidence that Mars Hill employs a bunch of cute young guys. How about it Mark? Who have you seduced on your male-only "spiritual retreats"?
Who will be the first to come forward & talk about what this freaky self-promoter does behind closed doors? ...awaiting the inevitable day when Mark's purse falls out of the closet...
30
@24: Fundamentalists always care more about the male on male "gross" anal sex and pretend lesbians don't exist and/or "just need the right man" aka "they need a good deep dickin'"
They're scum.
They're scum.
33
@ 24 - silly, women's masturbation isn't an issue because everybody knows women don't have any of their own sexual desires or anything like that *eye roll*
35
@32 - "The Areopagus or Mars Hill is a bare marble hill next to the Acropolis in Athens. It is especially popular with travelers for its connections with a speech made by Paul the Apostle."
"The Areopagus, like most city-state institutions, continued to function in Roman times, and it was then that the Apostle Paul delivered his famous speech about the identity of "the Unknown God." According to the biblical account (Acts 17):
(link)
More...
"The Areopagus, like most city-state institutions, continued to function in Roman times, and it was then that the Apostle Paul delivered his famous speech about the identity of "the Unknown God." According to the biblical account (Acts 17):
A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked, "What is this babbler trying to say?" Others remarked, "He seems to be advocating foreign gods." They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection."
Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, "May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean. (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)
Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you."
...When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, "We want to hear you again on this subject." At that, Paul left the Council. A few men became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.
(link)
36
@35 perhaps the owners of Portland's Acropolis should open a location next to this new Mars Hill.
38
At 29. I am very anti-Driscoll, but your accusation of him being a closet case is in itself homophobic and not really the point here. He does happen to be a devisive homophobic and sexist ass. He is also really good at branding his business by making sure his people know who their enemy is. And most gay men I know don't have purses you jerk face.
39
I am mortified by the nasty comments you people have made, and especially against my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I'd be careful how I talk about Him, as it might come back to bite you. And I think the interpretation of non-gay members would mean active gays. Read the book of Romans and the book of Leviticus to see what the Bible says about gays.
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