Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Florida Megachurch Pastor Sparks Anger From Congregation After Requiring 'Biblical Sexuality' Pledge

YouTube screenshot of Heath Lambert
First Baptist Church of Jacksonville/YouTube

Pastor Heath Lambert is giving members of the First Baptist Church in Jacksonville until March 19 to sign, otherwise they will no longer be members.

Heath Lambert, the pastor of the First Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida sparked online criticism for requiring churchgoers to sign and abide by a "biblical sexuality" pledge.

The pledge in question rejects LGBTQ+ people and unequivocally affirms the church's opposition to same-sex marriage. Lambert gave church members a deadline of March 19 to sign otherwise they will no longer be members.


It states:

"As a member of First Baptist Church, I believe that God creates people in his image as either male or female, and that this creation is a fixed matter of human biology, not individual choice."
"I believe marriage is instituted by God, not government, is between one man and one woman, and is the only context for sexual desire and expression.”

Lambert denied in an interview with Rolling Stone that the pledge discriminates against LGBTQ+ people, saying only it "does rule out the LGBTQ array of sins" and that rape, incest, polygamy, "and all sorts of things are ruled out just as much as homosexuality.”

In an official statement, the First Baptist Church said the pledge “is an exercise in clarity so that our members might understand our most fundamental commitments in a sexually confused world. It is also an exercise in love toward a lost world that desperately needs to know God’s standard for human sexuality.”

Lambert held an open mic event to address the community about the pledge's importance.

youtu.be

The open mic event was held in response to "concern, questions, and anger" the church acknowledges reared up since the pledge and its requirements were formally introduced.

Lambert insisted to reporters the pledge offers nothing controversial from a biblical standpoint and those who choose not to sign the pledge are still welcome to attend church services—they just won't be considered full members of the organization.

Mark Rutzen, a member of the congregation, toldAction News Jax only full members can become deacons, teach and "hold a position on staff here of any authority or anything like that."

However, community member Sheri Lynn signaled not everyone in the congregation is on board with the new policy, saying people "need to love on one another and embrace one another," not "judge" or "separate."

The news of the pledge exposed Lambert and the church to significant criticism online.



More information about the “Statement on Biblical Sexuality” can be found on the First Baptist Church Jacksonville website, which also requires church members to declare there are only two genders.

Lambert and the church denied the policy is transphobic as well as homophobic.

More from News/lgbtq

Martin Kove; Alicia Hannah-Kim
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images; Monica Schipper/Getty Images

'Cobra Kai' Star Kicked Out Of Fan Event After Allegedly Biting Costar 'So Hard He Nearly Drew Blood'

Actor Martin Kove is in hot water after allegedly biting his Cobra Kai costar Alicia Hannah-Kim on the arm.

Kove plays Sensei John Creese in the Netflix series and in the 1980s The Karate Kid on which it is based. He was kicked out of a recent fan meet-and-greet following an incident in which Hannah-Kim says Kove assaulted her.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kayleigh McEnany
Fox News

McEnany Mocked Over Bonkers Prediction About The Number Of 'Nobel Peace Prizes' Trump Will Win After Iran Strikes

Joining a chorus of MAGA Republican President Donald Trump's MAGA minions, current Fox News employee and former Trump administration member Kayleigh McEnany proclaimed Monday that Trump might get 34 Nobel Peace Prizes to offset his 34 felony convictions.

The Nobel prizes were established by Swedish inventor, entrepreneur, and businessman Alfred Nobel upon his death in 1896, although the first prizes were not given until 1901.

Keep ReadingShow less
Marjorie Taylor Greene; Donald Trump
Al Drago/Getty Images; Suzanne Plunkett/Pool/Getty Images

MTG Epically Melts Down Over 'Nasty' Journalists Who Claim She's Beefing With Trump

After media outlets reported on Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene's criticism of President Donald Trump's attack on Iran, Greene lashed out at journalists she claims are promoting the "fake narrative" that she's splitting from him after being one of his biggest supporters in Congress.

Earlier this week, she said that "when I’m frustrated and upset over the direction of things, you better be clear, the base is not happy," stressing that she "campaigned for no more foreign wars" and yet had to respond because "now we are supposedly on the verge of going to war with Iran."

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump; Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images; Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

AOC Offers Fiery Response After Trump Lashes Out At Her For Threatening 'Impeachment' Over Iran Strikes

President Donald Trump attacked New York Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in a post on Truth Social, saying "she should be forced to take the Cognitive Test" after she called for his impeachment following his attack on Iran without explicit approval from Congress.

Earlier, Ocasio-Cortez said Trump's "disastrous decision to bomb Iran without authorization is a grave violation of the Constitution and Congressional War Powers," adding:

Keep ReadingShow less

People Divulge The Biggest Secrets They're Keeping From Their Spouse

We've all heard how important it is for long-term couples, especially married couples, to not keep secrets from one another.

Unfortunately, some dark secrets, like affairs, second families, and terrible choices, lurk in the closets of even the most loving-looking couples.

Keep ReadingShow less