Oak Lawn United Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas, reacted to a directive from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott against painting sidewalks rainbow by painting their front steps in rainbow colors instead.
The progressive church, which described itself as a “long-standing inclusive faith community in Dallas and a reconciling congregation” in a recent news release, framed the move to paint the steps as “not one of defiance, but of faith.”
“It’s important because silence is not neutral — silence in the face of harm always sides with the oppressor,” Rachel Griffin-Allison, who called herself the senior pastor of Oak Lawn United Methodist Church, said in a statement.
A pastor at Oak Lawn UMC explains why the church is painting its steps in rainbow colors. pic.twitter.com/ISLk5beFXN
— WFAA (@wfaa) October 22, 2025
“Painting our steps in the colors of the rainbow is a visible witness to the gospel we preach: that every person is created in the image of God and worthy of safety, dignity and belonging,” she claimed.
The painting project started on Oct. 21 and was expected to be finished two weeks from that point.
Despite the positive framing from certain self-described leaders of the church, many Christians on social media rejected the move.
“It is clear to me that Satan has taken over the United Methodist Church here in Dallas and across the globe,” an account known as Amuse said.
PRIDE? It is clear to me that Satan has taken over the United Methodist Church here in Dallas and across the globe. Thankfully as it has embraced the LGBTQ litergy its membership has declined from a peak of 11M to 5M today. Were you a member of the UMC church? When did you leave… pic.twitter.com/xLANRLK47B
— @amuse (@amuse) October 22, 2025
“Thankfully as it has embraced the LGBTQ liturgy, its membership has declined from a peak of 11M to 5M today,” the account noted.
Michael Quinn Sullivan, a commentator based in Texas, said that “my family and I left the Methodist Church in the late 1980s.”
That move was because “the youth pastor at our church spent most of the youth group time on Sunday evenings bashing the U.S. military and anyone who served.”
Many members and congregations have left the United Methodist Church in recent years as the denomination has capitulated on LGBT issues and other Christian ethical concerns.
Rejecting the broader trend toward liberalism, African Methodist leaders issued a statement on biblical sexual ethics last month.
“We uphold our long-standing theological and cultural understanding that marriage is a sacred covenant between one man and one woman, in accordance with Scripture,” the statement noted.
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