Chicago Pastor Catches Heat for Expelling Crossdresser From Church

He had to know he was going to be stepping on some toes, delivering such a firm rebuke of sin in the church, while situated in the liberal stronghold of Chicago, Illinois.

The “he” in question is Pastor Antonio Rocquemore, head of Power House International Ministries. Pastor Rocquemore is catching heat from the LGBT community for a powerful video clip that was posted recently, showing him call out a member of the congregation – a male – who had made the conscious choice to dress up as a woman and come to church that particular day.

According to what the pastor was saying in the clip, the man he was addressing had been repeatedly admonished about his lifestyle choice, and warned that he would not be allowed to come to a worship service dressed as a woman.

So, here is my take on that: He’s not wrong.

God made man and woman, separate, unique, and equally loved by God. They were created with purpose, and God does not make mistakes.

If you choose to live such a lifestyle, where you blur the lines of creation to meet your own desires, rather than to remain true and respectful of God’s plan, then why go into a house of worship and flaunt that disrespect?

So was Pastor Rocquemore wrong to embarrass the man? To call him out before the whole congregation?

If it is as he said, that he had already spoken with this gentleman on multiple occasions, then he was in the absolute right.

Matthew 18:15-17 gives direction on how to address someone in the church who is in spiritual error.

“¹⁵ “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens and pays attention to you, you have won back your brother. ¹⁶ But if he does not listen, take along with you one or two others, so that every word may be confirmed by the testimony of two or three witnesses. ¹⁷ If he pays no attention to them [refusing to listen and obey], tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile (unbeliever) and a tax collector.” (AMP)

Now, I don’t know if the pastor ever approached this man with others from the church, in an attempt to correct his behavior, but he did say he warned him multiple times, so there’s that.

It doesn’t end there.

1 Timothy 5:20 (CEB) – “²⁰ Discipline those who are sinning in front of everyone so that all the others will be afraid.”

There’s more:

Titus 3:10-11 (AMP) – “¹⁰ After a first and second warning reject a divisive man [who promotes heresy and causes dissension—ban him from your fellowship and have nothing more to do with him], ¹¹ well aware that such a person is twisted and is sinning; he is convicted and self-condemned [and is gratified by causing confusion among believers].”

But lest anyone accuse us of having a harsh, unforgiving God, it is the complete opposite.

James 5:19-20 (NLT) – “¹⁹ My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back, ²⁰ you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back from wandering will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins.”

God always makes a way, but it has to be His way, because if man had any ability to get it right on his own, there would have been no need for a risen savior.

Pastor Rocquemore appears to have handled this situation correctly, and listening to his words, I found no fault, only truth.

“The presence of the Lord is here … if you stop believing, standing for something, you will fall for anything. And God can’t move the way he wants to because of the standard. He set a standard. Stand by him, even if it costs you friends because you’ll always be approved by heaven. I’m at a point in my life where I’d rather heaven be pleased with me than people speak to me. Speaking to me don’t bother or stop where I’m going,” he said.

“Can you leave my church and go put on man clothes?” he asked firmly.

“And don’t come here like that no more,” he continued as someone can be heard in the video declaring “thank you Jesus!”

“I hold a standard in here. Whatever you do on the outside is your business, but I will not let drag queens come in here. And if you’re gonna come in here you’re gonna come in here dressed like a man …. If you’re a man, dress like a man. If you’re a woman, dress like a woman. I’m not going to allow it. My salvation is more important and God is holding me accountable,” he added. “… you will not be wearing weaves and heels and fooling people up in here.”

He was absolutely on point, and there was nothing harsh or hateful in his words.

Of course, as I mentioned, not everyone appreciated his timely, godly message.

A gentleman by the name of Christian James Lhuillier went on a particularly scathing tirade, in regards to the pastor’s actions.

“Some of y’all are going to have to excuse my language but I am tired of this sh*t. In a place that is supposed to be a place of change, a place of deliverance, whatever you want to call it why would you destroy someone in front of a room full of people?” Lhuillier asked.

Go ahead and refer to my earlier comments about the proper procedure for calling out someone in willful, unrepentant sin, brazenly displaying it in the middle of the church.

If you’re not keeping that sanctuary holy, then what good is your church to the coming kingdom of God?

“This is the kind of bullsh*t that causes people to go home and commit suicide. Sh*t like this is the reason that the church has no power in 2018 because they are so worried about the wrong things. I know drag queens and transsexuals that can pray you out of sickness faster and some of these preachers that collect your love offerings every Sunday,” he continued.

If they’re drag queens and transsexuals, they may say the right words and deliver them with passion, but that doesn’t mean they’re being heard by God, because they are in sin, and pretending that God gave us life to pervert to our selfish passions, forsaking everything else is just wrong.

Also, if someone is uncomfortable with the biological certainties of their own bodies, then it is mental instability that causes suicide. Nothing else.

I would also go on to say what I’ve said many times before: Compromise is the death of faith. The church is not meant to bend to the will of man. It is to be a fortress for the weak man to take refuge in. Don’t bring the problems you have on the street into the church and look for validation. You come to the church to seek comfort, healing, and the Word of God.

“I would have turned that church clean out do you hear me!!!!!!!!! It’s time for us to stand up for what we believe and stand in our truth and walk away from these ministries that bash who we are. Too many illegitimate relationships have been created trying to conform to a mold you were never meant to fit. I have a great deal of respect for the house of God. But I wish upon wishes upon wishes that had been me. The city of Chicago would never forget my name!” Lhuillier ended.

It would appear Lhuillier’s main concern is his own glory, and not the glory of God. He is of the false belief that his “truth” takes precedence over God’s truth.

It does not, and if he finds a church that caters to his whims, rather than speaks the Word of God correctly and in love, then he does not have the love of God in him and he will not see the kingdom of God.

The pastor later explained what was going on with the young man who was put out.

The young man in question knew what was expected of him at the church. He was counseled in what was expected, and apparently told the leadership that he wanted to conform to the Biblical model of manhood. He was also warned that he would be expected to dress appropriately for services.

Apparently, he wasn’t as serious about following the rules as he made himself out to be.

“He was not put out the church because he was gay. First of all I don’t bash nothing. I don’t separate sin. Sin is sin. There is no need to bash one or the other if you’re preaching the word,” Rocquemore said.

“… When you join my church, all the rules and regulations is told to you then. If you ever slip up [on the rules] we would still take you privately and go over them again. This particular situation, this young man was told several times in private. I went to him personally myself,” the pastor said.

So consider this: The young man never intended to conform to God. He had been attending for several months, and in that time, had he truly wanted to be a member of the congregation, it would have been a very simple matter of dressing appropriately for the times he was in the church.

No. He was there to challenge the church, challenge the faith, and to challenge the Word of God.

Pastor Roquemore has a duty to protect the rest of his congregation.

“He challenged me publicly and I challenged him back publicly. I asked the young man to leave. There was no security taking him out … sir can you please change clothes,” he said.

God doesn’t change. Why should He? He created all things, and with a blink of an eye, He could cause everything we know to cease to be.

I believe with all my heart that it is important to reach out to the LGBT community with love and compassion, offering them a place to come and be transformed, but in no way should a house of God be compromised, or God’s powerful message of hope and everlasting life be twisted to make those in sin comfortable.

Kudos to Pastor Rocquemore for setting an example for his congregation, who needed to see the shepherd of the house stand strong on God’s Word. Too few, when faced with the wolves at the doors, are willing to hold that line.

You can watch the video here.