The Kirksville Church of Christ in Missouri has a few “facts” that they would like you to know. The “Bible is the only creed,” for example. No surprise there.

If you visit their Facebook page, they get even more specific. Like this message saying you must not have sex outside of marriage, especially none of that gay stuff.

Same with this one saying “Flee Fornication!”

You would think Barry Poyner would know all this since he’s one of the church’s three elders in addition to being a professor at nearby Truman State University.

And yet Poyner was just arrested and you’ll never guess why.

Okay. I’ll give you one guess.

Barry Cole Poyner, 57, of Kirksville, has been charged with a class B misdemeanor count of patronizing prostitution. According to court documents, Poyner faces up to six months in prison and/or a fine up to $1,000 if convicted. Documents state the Truman State University Police Department received a tip that Poyner has been “harassing male Truman students for sexual contact as well as offering to pay for items for sexual favors by using the app Grindr.”

Poyner apparently reached out to an undercover cop posing as an 18-year-old. He offered to pay for the student’s gas in exchange for a sexual favor, adding that he “might throw in an Arby’s card LOL.” (Not exactly a good time to make a dad joke.)

We’ve said it before. We’ll say it again. No one thinks about gay sex as much as Christian leaders who speak out against gay sex.

This guy didn’t just commit a sin. He was trying to set some kind of personal record.

The school took quick action:

Truman State University issued a statement Friday evening saying Poyner has been placed on suspension. “He has been placed on suspension and informed that he is not allowed on campus, cannot have contact with any student organizations or participate in any campus events or activities,” the statement said.

The church, on the other hand, hasn’t said anything publicly. But they did remove his name from the list of elders and took down his sermons from their website.

I don’t even care about this guy’s personal life, but the hypocrisy is appalling. While his church is actively demonizing gay people, one of its leaders thinks it’s okay to take advantage of guys on the side. The criminal aspect of this is one thing. But the ethics of this Christian leader are despicable.

(Thanks to Julie for the link)

