In Des Moines, Iowa, about 100 protesters are headed home, as are churchgoers, after a Sunday morning sermon about homosexuality at the Fort Des Moines Church of Christ. The group gathered at the Army Post Road site to protest an incident last week regarding a sign outside the church that read "Gay is not okay." Most protesters stayed on public sidewalks, though some stood on a church lawn while talking with each other before the protest, and later moved. The Des Moines Register reports that inside the church, senior pastor the Reverend Michael Demastus served up an icebreaker at the beginning of the service that earned a few chuckles. “Welcome to any other Sunday at Fort Des Moines Church of Christ,” he said. But the pastor quickly acknowledged that was not quite the case by warning anyone who protested during the worship service itself they would be escorted out of the building and possibly arrested. No such protest took place during the hour-long service despite a handful of protesters being present for at least part of the service. Those who entered the church on Sunday were asked if they were either a protester or belonged to Westboro Baptist Church, which is known nationwide for its vitriolic demonstrations against homosexuality. Demastus opened up his sermon by saying that Westboro’s tactics are not Christian in spirit and that the sin of homosexuality should not be singled out as unique or somehow unlike the sins of adultery and sex outside of marriage. “It is not an unpardonable sin,” Demastus said. But a sin it is nonetheless, he continued, asking his audience of about 150 people if any “God-fearing” person can be gay. “Absolutely not,” he said. “You cannot be God-fearing and disobey God at the same time.” For those who believe homosexuals are born that way, Demastus asked why the same approach to biology is not used to endorse alcoholism – which some also say can have a genetic component. He also crafted an analogy around the purchase of an iPad and the instructions for how to use it. If people don’t follow those instructions, he said, they will not be happy with the results. They wrote those instructions for my benefit,” Demastus said. “God created sex. He knows how it works.”
Patrick Boltinghouse, 28, of Des Moines, took the picture of the marquee that was posted last week on Facebook. He said within an hour there were 100 responses. Outside the church this morning, Boltinghouse said he didn’t organize the protest. He said he wanted to come out and make sure a peaceful voice was heard. “For someone to say ‘Gay is not OK’ is pushing kids more in the closet,” he said. “We’re in the 21st Century. You’d think that gays could be part of humanity.” At around 10:00 am, radio talk show host Ed Fallon, a former state representative and outspoken Des Moines liberal, approached the church and asked to speak to the pastor. Fallon said he wanted to invite Demastus onto his show, Fallon Forum 98.3 FM, but he’s not confident it will happen.“I believe messages of hate need to be challenged,” he said. Fallon asked church members at the door if he could come in to the building. When asked if he was planning on protesting or worshipping, Fallon said neither. Fallon was declined his request.
Last week, Demastus, 41, set off an uproar on social media by posting "Gay is not okay" on his church's marquee Wednesday morning. He altered the message (changing “Gay” to “Adultery”) about 12 hours later, but criticism endorsed by hundreds of people on Facebook created a more lasting controversy. Planning for the protest took form Thursday, as Demastus was interviewed by newspapers, television stations and radio hosts. He said the message was meant to preview his sermon on homosexuality and was not a condemnation of gays. "It's not a sin to be tempted, by the way, with homosexuality; it is a sin to act out on that," he said. Demastus has been the subject of controversy before, including after a prayer at the Iowa Legislature last year in which he asked for God’s forgiveness for abortions.
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