Month: December 2018

It is clear that the Broadway Coffeehouse, which is run by the Salem Alliance Church, does indeed discriminate against LBGTQ people as my previous posts on this subject have laid out. See:
Two reports of how Broadway Coffee House/Commons discriminates against gay people
Salem Alliance Church pastor talks about sin of same-sex sex

As you can read below, I've asked representatives of the coffeehouse and church if the coffeehouse would refuse to hire someone otherwise well qualified but who was gay, in a same-sex marriage, or engaging in same-sex sex. The same questions have been asked by a KATU reporter and by another interested person, Johnny Green.

Those representatives have refused to give an answer to whether the Broadway Coffeehouse discriminates against LBGTQ people. I even posed the question by saying that the job applicant was a member of the Salem Alliance Church, but is openly gay and in a same-sex marriage. The applicant just considers that it isn't a sin to have same-sex sex, as the church maintains.

Again, no answer. So it seems clear that the Broadway Coffeehouse is indeed a gay unfriendly place, despite their protestations that they are an "inclusive gathering place." I don't consider homophobia to be inclusive, loving, or what Jesus would do.

(I'm an atheist, but my understanding is that the root of the Christian belief that same-sex sex is a sin comes from the Old Testament.)

KATU reporter Joe Douglass contacted me after he read my first blog post about the Broadway Coffeehouse. Later, he sent me a Facebook link to a post where Douglass shared a statement from Robb Childs, the executive pastor for Salem Alliance Church. Here's what Douglass' post says. I didn't include the link to my blog post/article since it is above.

In response to accusations the Broadway Coffeehouse and Commons in Salem discriminates against LGBTQ people as described in the below article by Brian Hines, Salem Alliance Church, which owns the coffeehouse, sent me a statement claiming they don’t ask prospective employees about their sexual orientation. It also says, “We intentionally hire followers of Jesus,” and that the church affirms an “orthodox view of marriage.”

Robb Childs, the church’s executive pastor, sent me the statement. He would not answer follow-up questions as to whether the coffeehouse would hire LGBTQ people if their orientation became known and whether any LGBTQ people work at the business.

Following is the entire statement from Childs:

“Broadway Commons was built by Salem Alliance Church as an inclusive gathering place for anyone and everyone under a vision that church, community and commerce could come together for the common good.  Broadway Coffeehouse is a business/ministry of Salem Alliance Church located in the Broadway Commons building.

For nearly 100 years, Salem Alliance Church has been committed to loving all individuals through all of its ministries. We believe everyone is created in God’s image with inestimable worth, and therefore, we seek to treat every individual, even those with whom we might disagree, with dignity and respect.

It is with this mission that we operate Broadway Coffeehouse.  While we intentionally hire followers of Jesus at Broadway Coffeehouse, it has not been our practice to ask sexual orientation questions during the hiring process.

While Salem Alliance Church affirms the long-standing, orthodox view of marriage that the Church has affirmed for centuries, we have not sought to use Broadway Coffeehouse as a religious platform.  Instead, we strive to demonstrate a welcoming spirit and provide exceptional service to everyone in our diverse community.  Jesus had a beautiful way of interacting with the people of His day with grace and truth and we want to be a reflection of Him.  We love our community and we work hard to be good neighbors, open to all who visit our church, use our facilities or stop by for coffee as we serve our city following Christ’s example.”

It's disturbing that Salem Alliance Church calls homosexuality and same-sex sex a sin in the privacy of their sermons, but isn't willing to be honest about this in its public persona. Rather, in the statement above Childs dances around the question I, the KATU reporter, Johnny Green, and many other people want answered by the church:

Would you refuse to hire a qualified  gay person to work at the Broadway Coffeehouse if they were open and upfront about their homosexuality, even if they were a member of the Salem Alliance Church?

I don't buy the "we hate the sin but love the sinner" spin that Childs tries to get away with.

Same-sex marriage is legal everywhere in the United States. Same-sex marriage has the approval of 67% of Americans. Sexuality is an integral part of marriage. Science has learned that sexual orientation is wholly or mostly determined by genetics and isn't a choice. The excerpt is from the first link:

Hating the sin of same-sex sex is the same as hating people in same-sex relationships. 

The bigoted attitude of the Salem Alliance Church and the Broadway Coffeehouse is rapidly becoming a relic of an unenlightened time, in much the same way that racial prejudice has endured among a minority of people in our country even though our laws and culture are moving forward on this front.

I will never set foot in the Broadway Commons now that I know how the Salem Alliance Church looks upon same-sex relationships. In short, as a sin.

In a continuation to this post you can read a comment on my first blog post from Luke, who apparently is a manager at the Broadway Coffeehouse. As you'll see, I took him up on his offer to ask some questions, but I never heard back from Luke, or anyone else. Two of my follow-up emails also are copied in.