Anti-LGBTQ+ evangelical pastor arrested for allegedly groping a man in public
Jeffrey Smith, a 67-year-old pastor with the anti-LGBTQ+ Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC), has been charged for allegedly groping another man at a Walmart in Melbane, North Carolina. The EPC disapproves of homosexuality, same-sex marriages and transgender identities.Smith allegedly approached the man in the retail store on Monday morning and touched him through his clothes. The pastor then reportedly fled, according to WXII, and was apprehended by police in the woods behind a Sheetz gas station. Related She used to teach teens being gay is a sin. Now this former pastor is a fierce LGBTQ+ activist. Rachel Dennis was inspired to change by her daughter, Aubree. The pastor has been charged with one count of misdemeanor sexual battery and booked into the Alamance County Detention Center. He was released after posting his $3,000 bail. Stay connected to your community Connect with the issues and events that impact your community at home and beyond by subscribing to our newsletter. Subscribe to our Newsletter today His church, the EPC New River Presbytery, said in a statement, that it was very sad to hear about these allegations and is praying for the pastor, his family, the church, and anyone else involved in the incident.The EPC denomination consists of over 600 churches with approximately 145,000 members, according to the EPC website.The EPCs position paper on human sexuality released during Pride Month 2017 defines marriage as being only between a man and a woman.God helping us, we shall continue, within our churches and in the public arena, to teach against and to refuse to condone or participate in any sinful form of sexual practice, the paper says. It then lists various sexual sins like homosexual conduct, same-sex union and gender reassignment alongside others like pornography, sexual abuse, divorce, remarriage and sexual lust.The paper also seems to endorse conversion therapy in a section that reads, Those in and out of the Church struggling with various forms of sexual disorientation or gender dysphoria should experience from Gods people a deep desire to identify with them in their struggles, to walk lovingly with them, and to invite them to join us in following the Lord. Together as a people, we must all seek healing for our own lives and for each others lives, discovering what it means to be godly men and women in the circumstances decreed by His providence.The bottom of the EPCs position paper states, A Position Paper is not to be regarded as binding on the conscience of churches or individuals.