BAYTOWN, Texas—The pastor of a church removed from membership in the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention (t1:PersonName w:st="on">SBTC) says his relationship to a homosexual-affirming ministry does not constitute an endorsement of homosexuality.

Also, in comments to the Southern Baptist Texan and in published reports in the Baytown (t1:State w:st="on">Texas) Sun and the Associated Press, pastor Randy Haney of Faith Harbour in Baytown said he believes homosexuality is sinful—a stance contrary to the leader of Eklektos, the group Haney has associated with and is lending meeting space to.

Wendy Bailey, an ordained Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) minister and leader of Eklektos, told the Baytown Sun Jan. 19: “This ministry is willing to leave in that tension (concerning homosexuality). Our perspective is we want to create a place where people can come to Scripture and can discover truth for themselves without any prejudged sense of what that is."

Eklektos meets in a storefront space Faith Harbour leases and has a link on Faith Harbour’s Web log (blog), although Haney told the Texan he doesn’t believe that constitutes affirmation or endorsement of homosexuality.

Further, Haney said Eklektos is not a church, contrary to what the Texan reported earlier, and Bailey, on the Eklektos Web site, said Eklektos “is not a ‘church’ in any official capacity.”

Bailey is the associate general presbyter for Evangelism, Renewal and New Church Development of the New Covenant Presbytery based in Houston, the presbytery’s staff listings show.

“Number one, I do not affirm the homosexual lifestyle,” Haney told the Texan. “Homosexuality is part of the sinful nature. It is listed, as are many other sins that are acts of the sinful nature. However, I do not hate people who are in that lifestyle. I have friends who are in that lifestyle and they know my stance.”

He added, “Wendy (Bailey) and I differ on that.”