TD Jakes, Andrew Merritt linked to gay church movement

The Fellowship, Bishop Yvette Flunder’s black version of the Metropolitan Community Churches, has finally gotten brave enough to list the men and women behind her apostate movement of pro-homosexual churches. This is actually good news because it affords GCM Watch the long awaited opportunity to examine and publish the wider associations of those in cahoots with pushing this  fake designer Christianity. On its website, Bishop Flunder makes a gallant attempt at de facto linguistical finesse:

“The doctrines and tenets of Christianity presently practiced by African Americans in this country were learned in the context of chattel slavery where classism, racism and sexism were the rule. Over time, the institution of the African American Church itself creates the margins of society by this mode of oppressive exclusion. Many African American churches have achieved substantial power and influence within their respective communities by virtue of marginalizing certain segments of society. Furthermore, this external marginalizing often is mirrored within the very structure of authority of churches, which typically are patriarchal and rigidly hierarchical.”

Translated: we demand homosexuality be fully incorporated and celebrated in the church without any restrictions whatsoever.

As soon as we began to investigate these individuals, we (surprisingly) found several strong links to so-called traditional churches and ministers, who may or may not know the extent or context of The Fellowship’s false doctrine and aversion to biblical sexual morality.

We want to first take note of Bishop Robert M. Taylor, a member of The Fellowship’s Ecclesiastical Board and partially responsible for the organization’s “spiritual direction and formation.”  Taylor had founded and pastored Fellowship Tabernacle in Philadelphia, a “gay-friendly” church  since 1979.  But in 2004, Taylor exited Fellowship Tabernacle abruptly and  preceded to set up the International Covenant Ministries Fellowship (ICMF), a small conglomerate of churches sprinkled across the country with headquarters in Statesville, NC. He attributed the sudden change to divine instruction from God to turn over the church to his “spiritual sons and daughters” because God said to establish churches abroad. But three years after leaving Philadelphia, Taylor presides only over a few churches mainly on the US east coast.  We were told that Taylor allegedly left due to some type of criminal sexual activity which occured under his watch. 

Taylor triples as a bishop in the Higher Ground Always Abounding Assemblies, headquartered in Columbus, OH. That’s the same denomination where Dallas  luminary Bishop T.D. Jakes and Detroit pastor Andrew Merritt of Straight Gate Church preside as two of the top three church bishops.  Taylor is a member of the “National Executive Board of Senior Bishops.” Watch Taylor and Jakes in this video of the HGAAA 2006 convention.

Is HGAAA aware that Bishop Taylor is a principal advisor of alleged spiritual direction of a denomination of homosexual churches? Interestingly enough, in October 2003, Merritt joined fellow Detroit megabishops Keith Butler, Charles Ellis III and Marvin Winans to issue this joint statement  in support of amending Michigan’s constitution against homosexual marriage.  The statement included this remark:

“Homosexuality is a lifestyle that is neither normal nor natural. It is a decision, a choice. We oppose the depiction of it to children as being normal; children are easily influenced what they see and hear. Our children must be protected from this type of lifestyle.”

That certainly conflicts with The Fellowship’s blunt declaration that homosexuality is not sinful. On January 25, 2006 we sent an email to HGAAA administrative offices  stating that we were “writing to inquire as to whether Bishop Robert Taylor, formerly of Philadelphia is in “good standing” with your organization.  Thank you for your reply in advance.”

An individual indentified only as Topsy83 [at]aol.com issued a sparse reply: “Yes, he is.”

If Bishop Taylor is in good standing, does this mean his approval and promotion of gay christian heresy is accepted in his denomination? And what about the pastors in his ICMF? Do they accept this false teaching? Is Bishop TD Jakes not aware of one of his organization’s senior executive bishops is a leader in a homosexual denomination? Taylor claims that he has been under the tutelage of Bishop Jakes whom he describes as his “spiritual mentor.” Is this why Bishop Jakes makes contradictory public statements on homosexuality and AIDS?

Read more about Yvette Flunder and The Fellowship in these articles.