UK - Threatened with ‘eternal damnation’ and told he was akin to a paedophile, Seth Pinnock says he has finally found acceptance and hopes to ‘help change the trajectory of someone’s life’. The declaration by a highly influential black Christian gospel star that he is gay has exposed a generational divide in attitudes towards sexuality that could signal a transformation within evangelical churches. Seth Pinnock, who founded a gospel choir and youth orchestra and was hailed by the Tony Blair Foundation as a “young leader to watch”, experienced depression, anxiety, self-hatred and drug addiction as a result of believing his sexuality was sinful.
Now, he told the Guardian, “just as churches have come to apologise for their entanglement with [historical] slavery, I can see a time when they will apologise for distancing and silencing queer people”. Over the years, Pinnock was warned of “eternal damnation”, that he was possessed by demons, and that his sexuality was akin to paedophilia.
Eventually, he found progressive pastors who “helped me unlearn and relearn scripture, and to see this as a justice issue. I realised this was bigger than me, and that the platform I have means I could help change the trajectory of someone’s life.”
"There are hundreds of thousands of young people who will now feel they too can be free. I know of churches that are already beginning to discuss LGBT+ issues because of my action.” In the past, churches had colluded in slavery, permitted men to beat their wives, said divorce was wrong and forbidden women’s ministry based on Bible readings, said Pinnock. “We need to approach scripture with a modern, critical lens.”
“Just what is an APOSTLE?”
Today we find the Church of God in a “wilderness of religious confusion!”
The confusion is not merely around the Church – within the religions of the world outside – but WITHIN the very heart of The True Church itself!
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