Thank you from The Center West for GLBT support here
We wish to publicly thank the Black Hills area community for the incredible support they’ve shown during our fund-raising campaign to move The Center West into a full service community center to better serve the needs of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender community.
While we’ve not yet reached our goal, thanks to the generosity of this community, we’re getting close. The good support we’ve received from the LGBT community has been appreciated. We love our LGBT brothers and sisters. We’re also very grateful to the straight community for being so incredibly helpful and generous in support of our efforts to expand.
What has truly humbled us and brought tears of joy has been the overwhelming support we’ve received from parents and family members. Of all our contributors, our PFLAG moms, dads, brothers and sisters have been the most generous. Real family values are alive and well in the Black Hills.
We do have a place available that we wish to rent and are continuing to accept donations. Hopefully, the community’s continued generosity will allow us to move within a short time. Contributions can be sent to The Center West, 3601 Canyon Lake Dr. Suite 4, Rapid City, SD 57702
Michael M. Coats, TCW Director
Rapid City
Speak the truth in love, even when it isn't popular to do so
In response to Nancy Hook's letter of March 31: While many Old Testament laws were abolished with the advent of Christianity, the New Testament continue to teach that homosexuality is condemned by God. (Romans 1:26,27 and I Corinthians 6:9,10) Christians are admonished to warn those who are in error (James 5:19,20) while speaking the truth in love, (Ephesians 4;15). Notice we aren't instructed to merely "speak love" but to "speak the truth." which is seldom popular or considered politically correct.
When my children were young, they knew that I wouldn't let them play in the highway because I love them. Likewise my homosexual friends understand I'm concerned for their spiritual welfare because I care about them, not because I'm a hateful bigot.Current attitudes slamming Christians for speaking out against spiritually destructive lifestyles stem form both a selective misrepresentation of the word of God (II Peter 3:16) and more significantly, hatred toward Christianity, which was foretold by Jesus (John 15:18) and will increase in intensity until his return.
Peggy Reitzel
Hermosa
There is nothing more dangerous than those who are convinced of their own self-righteousness to the point that they consider themselves to be in sole possession of the truth even though they have not taken the time or the effort to explore both sides of the issue and to possibly understand how that fits into the historical and cultural context of the time it was written.
Ms. Reitzel is a classic example of this. She has decided ahead of time what her position is on the issue and then does a pretty good tap dance through the Bible to justify it. Also she claims to represent the only Christian view on the subject when in fact many Christian denominations and Biblical scholars totally disagree with her assessment of what God has intended.
The fact that the term homosexual is only about 140 years old doesn't seem to have any bearing on her thinking at all.
I am also glad to hear that she is so pure in her own heart that she could pass judgement on the rest of us.
Bottom line is that she is entitled to her beliefs and her own opinions. But, when she and others like her try to discriminate or pass laws that interfere with my ability to practice my Christian faith and my God-given ability to love and be intimate, then, she has crossed the line and is going against the very principles of freedom and equality that this country was founded upon. (O.M.)
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