Inaugural Benediction To Be Delivered By Pastor Who Gave Vehemently Anti-Gay Sermon

[Newsjock]

Source: Think Progress

The Presidential Inauguration Committee announced Tuesday that the President Obama has selected Pastor Louie Giglio of the Georgia-based Passion City Church to deliver the benediction for his second inauguration.

In a mid-1990s sermon identified as Giglio’s, available online on a Christian training website, he preached rabidly anti-LGBT views. The 54-minute sermon, entitled “In Search of a Standard – Christian Response to Homosexuality,” advocates for dangerous “ex-gay” therapy for gay and lesbian people, references a biblical passage often interpreted to require gay people be executed, and impels Christians to “firmly respond to the aggressive agenda” and prevent the “homosexual lifestyle” from becoming accepted in society. Below are some of the most disturbing views in the sermon.

Read more: http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2013/01/09/1422021/inaugural-benediction-to-be-delivered-by-anti-gay-pastor/

[Fumesucker]

1. Evidently it's difficult to find a mainstream Christian who hasn't said something like this

[Are_grits_groceries]

6. No it isn't.

There are many religious leaders who have not made homophobic remarks. They may not be located in some place that would fit a strategic voter niche or strategy, but they are out there.

One could be found, but they would probably be considered too liberal and progressive. That would bring down boatloads of crap from some people.

I have no idea why it's okay to have somebody like that in the forefront when they are so nasty to and about your supporters. It isn't acceptable at all!

[Fumesucker]

11. I think I was the first to post that Medgar Evers' widow was doing the benediction

That was yesterday.

This guy was part of the release I put up and I deliberately didn't add him to my post because I thought there might be something like this.

Didn't want to spoil the moment.

[yardwork]

33. You're not the one spoiling the moment. President Obama made this decision.

He has a knack for inviting people who hate gay children and want to kill them to speak for his team. Interesting.

[Fumesucker]

39. There has to be political calculation behind it, it's too stupid otherwise

Obama and his people are definitely smarter than for this to be a mistake so it has to be something else.

[yardwork]

40. As I said, I don't think it's a mistake.

[Occulus]

18. If it is too hard for the President of the United States to find one for his second inauguration,

having also not found one four years ago, then they do not for any practical purpose exist to any degree that makes them a credible presence in their religion by any reasonable person with more than two neurons to run together. If they do exist, and such a speaker is considered by that same President be "too liberal" or "to progressive", then that President is not in any way a liberal or progressive by any measure. Such a President cannot even be called a centrist by any measure of decency or morality. Such a President sits further to the right than that at best, and his supporters need to avoid gilding their vaunted lily if they want to avoid being called a disingenuous pack of silver-tongued fucking liars.

[Are_grits_groceries]

22. Well, they do exist.

They just might not be the most readily apparent ones with teevee shows, megachurches and eleventy billion followers. If they couldn't find one, they weren't really looking.

[Occulus]

23. They don't exist to any meaningful degree.

If they did, they would be as easy to find as the single grain of pepper in a shaker of salt.

I can't legally marry because of these people and their religion. I'm not even comfortable showing affection in public because of these people and their religion. This has directly affected the quality of my adult life and none of the to all purposes invisible "good" christians (to my mind, itself an unresolvable paradox) have ever stood in visible opposition in anything remotely close to a meaningful measure.

I want you to understand that, to me, from where I sit, this religion and its adherents are poison. I despise this religion and deeply distrust its followers for very good and rational reason. I am right to take that position, and I will not ever apologize for it.

[ForgoTheConsequence]

32. Wrong.

A good amount of mainline Protestant clergy are not bigoted. All he has to do is look as far as his own church the UCC. If that wasn't good enough the ELCA and Episcopal church both have plenty of progressive clergy members.

[Occulus]

35. I am *stunningly* unconvinced and uncaring about the differences between sects

I, very simply, do not care that one sect has this interpretation and another has that interpretation. Those differences, to me, are the same sort of distinctions between bread and toast, or water and kool-aid.

If you can't even agree that the bible means something written in plain language, even among yourselves, your bible and its words aren't worth the paper they're printed on.

Even given that the sections of the bible I'm speaking to have been officially deprecated by later revisions (and the whole has, many many times over, between languages, and across thousands of years), not one of you have any excuse whatever to justify any disagreement over what a sentence written in plain language actually means.

To point out the differences in interpretation only tells me that not one goddamned one of you know one goddamned thing about what you're talking about.

I dismiss sectarian differences as meaningless infighting. If you can't even agree on what your own holy book means when it says something, that tells me your religion is bereft of value to the point of sterility and only serves to reinforce my general contempt for it.

[ForgoTheConsequence]

36. oh ok.

Glad you got to get that out of your system, feel better? I didn't know I had my own Bible, but that's cool to hear. I'm an agnostic btw and I think the who thing is ridiculous and disgusting.

[Occulus]

41. Sorry, I was using the editorial 'you' and 'your', not the personal one

I was speaking to DU's pompous and self-important holier-than-thou poor-us-we're-so-persecuted christians.

All of them who claim to be christians.

Every. Last. One.

[djean111]

2. Remember, Obama is president of all Americans, even the homophobes, right?

Right.
Nothing is right or wrong any more, evidently.

[Marrah_G]

3. Because there are apparently no non-bigoted asshole ministers out there?

Another inauguration I will not watch.

[forestpath]

4. Rick Warren wasn't homobphic enough?

[KitSileya]

5. Well, let's hope they can keep the inaugural pastor and the inaugural poet apart from each other,

or the poet might be harassed! Shame on Obama for yet again choosing a bigoted pastor for his inauguration.

[yardwork]

34. Unless the poet is a child he's probably safe. This Giglio, like other homophobes Obama likes,

seems to focus his hatred on children, including children who have committed suicide due to bullying.

[teenagebambam]

7. On the same day that Washington National Cathedral

announced that they will be performing same-sex weddings, I would think a LGBT-friendly priest would be an easy thing to find. They're a five-minute cab ride from the Capitol building.

[longship]

8. The inaugural is not a fucking church service!

And the US Constitution explicitly states the words for the oath of office to which government employees must swear or affirm. The word 'god' appears no where in that document, let alone the oath.

I despise this religious shit.

[dhill926]

27. totally agree.........

[Joe Shlabotnik]

30. +1

Personally I find the religiosity cheapens it, and turns me off completely. Loosing the dogma would give me far more hope for the future.

[DreamGypsy]

9. Another shill for Religion Incorporated?

I have not heard of this guy before, but a quick search suggests he's another Christo-capitalist - books, records, movies, megatheatre(oops, church) complexes. God is indescribable...except that we have decided 'HE' is male, white and wealthy.

On his anti-gay views, from the article:

A spokesman for Giglio was not immediately available to respond to questions about whether this sermon represents Giglio’s current thinking.

His staff is running financial models to discover the income impact of modifying his position.

[Solly Mack]

10. Is the list of pastors who have not preached hate and ignorance nonexistent?

Surely there are those who have not preached hate and ignorance to choose from...isn't there?

Isn't there? Right? Someone, somewhere?

Is Passion City one of those mega-churches? I suspect it is.

[Initech]

12. First he had psychopath Rick Warren and now another religious asshole.

[FreeState]

13. People with these types of extreme beliefs

should not be propped up as examples. I cant imagine a member of the KKK or any other hate group being chosen to give it, somehow we still give our politicians a pass on homophobia.

(And yes, if you are advocating to wipe out the gay community, be it via God or otherwise, you are a hate group)

[1-Old-Man]

14. Same as last time.

[Sheldon Cooper]

15. For the love of god, why?

He couldn't find one single minister who hasn't preached hate? Disgusting.

[bullwinkle428]

16. When I saw the word "evangelical" in association with this guy in yesterday's report,

I had kind of a sick feeling it wouldn't be long before something like this was revealed regarding his past. Did the oppo. research department take the day off that day?

[FreeState]

17. Tell the comity what you think

You can send a message via Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/2013inauguration

[WinkyDink]

19. Obama seems to have a problem in selecting a mainstream Protestant minister.

Not that the person whould be Protestant, but J/S.

[PennsylvaniaMatt]

20. The President should have selected a Catholic Reverend by the name of Richard T. Lawrence

He is from Baltimore's St. Vincent de Paul Church, and recently spoke in favor of gay marriage.

http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2012-11-03/news/bs-md-rodricks-1104-20121103_1_church-law-gay-marriage-civil-marriage

"Could we not then say that [a gay couple's] devotion to and support of each other ... could be recognized by the church as a valid sacrament of God's unrelenting faithfulness to us just as much as the union of an elderly straight couple? Neither will procreate children, but both can be sacraments of God's faithfulness in the living out of their commitment to each other. ...

"It seems to me," he said, "that even if we do not believe that gay marriage ever could or should be allowed in the church, we could live with a provision that allows civil marriage of gay and lesbian couples."

[michigandem58]

21. Have his views changed?

Many have. A lot has happened in the last 15+ years.

[Occulus]

24. The selection speaks for itself.

Remember- Obama had to be dragged metaphorically kicking and screaming, and given lots of bad publicity, into getting rid of DADT. His DOD isn't even giving back pay and reinstatement to those dismissed from service under that policy prior to 2004. Obama appears to be silent on that fact as well. That silence also speaks for itself in a voice louder than Obama, or any of the political "realities" that shape his decisions, can command.

That would never have happened if he had not been dragged into it and given no politically acceptable choice (let alone any mention of basic morality and human dignity). GLBTs even here on DU were given a lot of grief for pushing for that, and most of that came from Obama's most ardent supporters.

This doesn't quite make me regret voting for him a second time, but it does bring me a lot closer to it, and makes me question whether my own personal integrity and self-respect are worth a short-term political "win" for a candidate who quite obviously and emphatically does not support the idea of me and those like me being full equals in American society.

[michigandem58]

25. *IF* he has changed his views, he's a great choice

Someone that represents evolution of thought and attitude.

[FreeState]

29. Thats a mighty big if

he identifies as a conservative evangelical christian on his website. I seriously doubt there is any chance he has changed his positions. All that has changed is he knows not to talk when asked about it.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

37. This is from 1994-95

I listened to the sermon, and he plays a clip from Entertainment Tonight that references the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" episode of "Roseanne" (which aired in 1994) and the clip says that it aired recently. Given the attention span of Entertainment Tonight, I assume the episode aired no more than one week earlier.

In any case, starting in 1995, Giglio has been deeply involved in youth ministries. Since young people are the least homophobic segment of our society (and he's done spectacularly well) I'm going to assume that he has either changed or moderated his views.

What's in the sermon is pretty straight-forward Old Testament condemnation. Not the worst that I've ever heard (think James Dobson and his ilk), it's still not very good. I'll hold my fire for a moment to see if Giglio explains himself.

[jsr]

26. Same shit, different inauguration

[WorseBeforeBetter]

28. PROGRESSIVE Pullen Memorial Baptist Church...

with "lesbian minister Nancy Petty."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pullen_Memorial_Baptist_Church

Seriously, WTF is the Obama Administration doing... again?

[ForgoTheConsequence]

31. Its not hard to find a non hateful minister.

There are plenty of priests, ministers, pastors, rabbis, imams (watch freeper heads explode) who are not hate mongers.

[fiddlesticks]

38. At least he is not as bad as Romney.

We can be happy about that, I suppose.

[QC]

42. Reachy-outy kick. n/t