A person who says he is a sexually active gay man who is “sexually active, with my husband, exclusively,” claims that he attends a Southern Baptist church which has welcomed him as “a brother in Christ.”

I am also working with the children’s pastor of the church right now to develop a “read the Bible in a year”-type corporate bible study (unaffiliated with the church) to engage people in becoming more biblically literate—an area that is sorely lacking in (arguably) most churches today.

The person, who goes by the online name of “John” says that the Church he attends, Autumn Creek Baptist Church in Houston, TX is aware of his sexual life, but not currently pursuing any form of discipline against him. This is to be expected, as church discipline is only for members, however, the person states he has the “general consent” of the congregation and “they understand that I am a brother in Christ and should be welcome in the church.”

If true, that’s a problem.

Reformation Charlotte reached out to the church hoping to speak with a member of the pastoral staff for comment but was unable to reach anyone at the time who is familiar with the situation. Ther person said he would pass my request on to the pastoral staff.

This person claims he was baptized in a Southern Baptist Church and is currently a member of First Baptist Church of Cypress in Cypress, TX and says that the leadership at that church “are aware of my sexual orientation and my [gay] marriage.”

While it is acknowledged that the allegations against the church could be completely false, more likely, the person making the allegations is misinterpreting an unclear position held by the church. While Southern Baptist churches typically reject membership for active homosexuals, many have adopted a stance of incorporating them into the church as non-members.

The person also stated that he acknowledged the “distinct possibility of opposition” if he were to pursue membership or service in the church.