Fresno pastor disparages The Bee in his Sunday sermon. I ask him to explain, man to man
A Fresno faith leader with curious thoughts on masculinity declined to meet up and explain disparaging remarks he made about The Fresno Bee during his Sunday sermon.
Despite me asking Pastor Anthony Flores to do so, multiple times, man to man.
“The whole man to man thing? What does that mean exactly?” Flores wrote in response to my initial message. “Not sure what you’re implying.”
Well, he should. At the time of our exchange, barely a day had passed since Flores told his congregation that “reclaiming masculinity” was part of Adventure Church’s mission.
“We aren’t going to go for that other stuff,” Flores said from the Tower Theatre stage.
Wearing a pink button down that buttressed his own male-ness, the bearded, barrel-chested pastor did not elaborate on what “other stuff” meant. Rather, he added: “It’s OK when men are men. And when men know how to lead.”
Flores must not realize that a vast majority of this nation’s government branches, corporations and religious organizations (including his own) are led by men. Someone ought to tell him.
For his next false narrative, the pastor at the center of the legal and moral dispute over the Tower Theatre’s potential sale shifted his focus to Central California’s largest newspaper. Specifically, our recent reporting on the city-permitted gutting of 104-year-old Hardy’s Theater.
Except Flores didn’t call us The Fresno Bee. He called us “The Fresno Bee-worthless.”
“Despite what The Fresno Bee-worthless writes, look at this beautiful theater,” Flores said. “It’s not condemned. It’s not being treated like the Hardy’s or whatever was in the article.”
Pointing to the Tower Theatre’s rows of seats and “beautiful” carpet — both of which appeared intact from my vantage point on YouTube — Flores added, “That’s why you’ve got to be real careful what you read. Hello. Gotta be real careful what you read.”
Faith leader speaks an untruth
Flores is either poor at reading comprehension or he’s one of those “false teachers” the Bible warns us about.
Because nowhere has The Bee reported the Tower Theatre was “condemned” or “treated like Hardy’s.” Not even close.
And for Flores to say or insinuate otherwise is dishonest. Shouldn’t faith leaders hold themselves to a higher standard?
Perhaps Flores is the wrong person to ask. After all, he’s the same evangelical pastor who sermonized about how difficult it is to work out at the gym in the presence of women dressed in sports bras and spandex.
“You can’t stand there at the buffet and not sample — hello,” Flores bemoaned in remarks archived by Save the Tower Theatre, the community activists behind the 32 consecutive weeks of Sunday protests against the sale.
Reclaiming masculinity, indeed. Gotta make the world safe for all men who can’t get the devil out of their own heads.
So, yes, I sent Flores a direct message on Facebook requesting an in person meeting so we could discuss his derogatory remarks about my longtime place of employment.
After all, we’re both men. And what do men do when they have a disagreement? We sit down, man to man, and talk things over. Anything else wouldn’t be … well, manly.
Flores seemed a little taken aback. First, he wanted to know who I was (the words “Fresno Bee columnist” beneath my name weren’t enough of a clue, evidently). He wanted to know if I could bring the articles. He wanted to know if I was for or against the sale. He wanted to know if we’d be talking about the building or his comments.
Freedom to worship, belief in zoning laws
I answered honestly and thoroughly. Even though I support the rights of all Americans to worship as they please, there’s also such a thing as zoning laws. Fresno’s arts and entertainment hub is not a suitable location for any church, particularly one that doesn’t appear very welcoming to the LBGTQ+ community.
Of course I’d want to ask Flores about all of it — anything less would be irresponsible. And I’d bring my laptop so that we could go over every article that mentioned the Tower Theatre sale.
“The only meetings I’m having is about the alleged zoning issues,” Flores replied.
With that, Flores cut off communication. He ignored my challenge to back up his assertions that people should “be real careful” of what they read in The Bee. Didn’t respond to questions about his beliefs on masculinity and gender roles.
I considered goading Flores some more, except that would make me the toxic male bully in this situation.
So that was the end of our dialogue. The fraidy cat chickened out. (Kidding, kidding.)
My experiences with Flores apparently aren’t unique. Others say he is quick to respond to social media detractors, then cuts off communication once the talk starts getting uncomfortable. Questions left on Adventure Church’s Facebook page about whether LBGTQ+ people are welcome go unanswered and are soon deleted.
But I did find a post from Aug. 11. It reads: “One of the main traits of a leader is personal accountability. When we are accountable and responsible, God increases our capacity to lead.”
Personal accountability, huh? Such as a willingness to back up your public assertions? Must not apply to the senior pastor’s sermons.
Or perhaps I missed the time in Sunday school when we went over the proverb that says, “Do as I say, not as I do.”
This story was originally published August 19, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
