Danny Cortez was a Southern Baptist pastor who, upon his son becoming a homosexual, changed his own views on sodomy. In response, Cortez’ repudiation of the Bible’s clear teaching on homosexuality, the Southern Baptist congregation voted to neither approve nor condemn sodomy and instead chose to embrace a “Third Way,” an attempted compromise similar to a “don’t ask-don’t tell” ethos toward the subject. After months of consideration, Cortez’ church was disfellowshiped by the Southern Baptist Convention, while Cortez remained at the pulpit (we first reported on this subject in May of 2014). Cortez has now resigned – approximately four years later – from the pastorate.
You can find the initial video of Cortez affirming sodomy below.
Cortez argued that Romans 1:27, “and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error“ was a reference to a certain historical figure “Caligula” who raped his commanding officer and then was stabbed in the testicles and not a reference to the act of sodomy itself through unnatural insertion.
He also claimed to have developed his pro-sodomy position after intentionally immersing himself into homoerotic literature (source link).
In Cortez’ Easter sermon preached yesterday, entitled, “Carrying the Cross and Relinquishing Privilege,” Cortez lamented ethnic and socio-economic privilege and claimed that there was a certain “privilege” that accompanied the pastorate. The best way to demonstrate that he wanted to repent of privilege, according to Cortez, was to resign the pastorate.
Cortez says that he approached a female associate pastor on his staff and asked her if she would be interested in the position, but she declined.
According to Baptist News Global, Cortez asked himself if he would be willing to step away from the “perks” that come with being a pastor. He said, “I came to realize that part of what it means to carry the cross is to recognize my privilege…It was like for the first time in the history of New Heart that I felt like I was relinquishing control. I was setting aside my privilege. I was really giving up this power. It wasn’t just power, it was my financial ability to pay my mortgage.”
Preaching about Jesus driving money changers out of the temple, Cortez claimed that God never intended church to become “institutionalized” and paid clergy was a deviation from God’s intentions. Cortez claimed that institutionalized churches “use people.”
Cortez said on Twitter the week prior to Easter that Jesus should return with a horse whip and cleanse his church. Later, Cortez suggested that included him as well, and should include anyone in the institutional church.
[Editor’s Note: HT Baptist News Global]
