North Carolina pastor Patrick Wooden criticized the Southern Poverty Law Center for implying that Black leaders cannot think for themselves and had to be "brought" to the SPLC press conference by "white organizers." Here he is interviewed by a Montgomery TV reporter after the AFTAH press conference. In the background is a large SPLC banner decrying "HATE." Click on photo to enlarge.

Here is the audio [click HERE to listen] for AFTAH’s press conference January 17, 2012, outside the headquarters of the Southern Poverty Law Center, in Montgomery, Alabama, featuring a coalition of African American pastors and pro-family leaders challenging the SPLC’s tendentious “hate group” designation against Americans For Truth and other pro-family groups. Total length is 33 minutes.

The following speakers appeared (with beginning times on recording):

• Peter LaBarbera, President, Americans For Truth About Homosexuality;
• Dr. Patrick Wooden, Pastor, Upper Room Church of God in Christ, Raleigh, NC; 3:03
• DL Foster, Founder, Gay Christian Movement Watch and Witness Freedom Ministries, Atlanta, Ga.; 7;10
• Matt Barber, Vice President, Liberty Council Action, Lynchburg, Va.; Board Chairman,  AFTAH; 13:07
• Tim Johnson, Chairman and Founder, Frederick Douglass Foundation; 17:07
• Wil Nichols, Pastor, Victorious Praise Fellowship Church of God in Christ, Durham, NC; 20:00
• Rochelle Conner, representing Scott Lively and Abiding Truth Ministries [Conner flew in from California]; 22:22
• Troy Towns, representing Apostle Kyle Searcy, Fresh Annointing House of Worship, Montgomery, AL; 26:05
• Glenn Sawyer, Pastor, New Mt. Zion Church of God in Christ, Elizabeth City, NC; 28:30
• Jon Robinson, Pastor, Kingdon C.O.M.E. Ministries, Clairton, Pa.; 29:50

Referenced links: Click HERE for the SPLC’s racist-tinged blog post by Mark Potok issued just before the press conference — alleging that “the white organizers of the press conference are bringing along a set of black pastors.” Click HERE for the SPLC “Hate Map [Illinois]” referenced by LaBarbera showing the Neo-Nazis.

_______________________________

HOW TO LISTEN: This is an mp3 file, supported in most operating systems by Windows Media Player, Quick Time and/or I-Tunes.  Real Player is not supported and there may be difficulty when attempting to listen with it.  Left click once on the link below to play. (Please be patient, depending upon the speed of your internet connection it may take a moment to load.)  OR right click the link then “save target as” to download the entire segment.

SPLC Press Conf Audio, 1-17-12

Pastor Paul Blair of Fairview Baptist Church in Edmond, OK received death threats and vile threats against his wife after Blair testified against a pro-homosexual law in OK City.

Maybe the “T” in the homosexuals’ and transgenders’ LGBT formula also stands for “Terrorize” — because that’s how at least a portion of America’s radical pro-homosexual activists treat their public opponents.  (See story on the recent paver brick attack against AFTAH’s banquet host Christian Liberty Academy HERE.) This interview – Part One of a two-part interview with Paul Blair, pastor of Fairview Baptist Church in Oklahoma City, and Matt Barber, Director of Cultural Affairs at Liberty Counsel – aired Dec. 10, 2011. Blair recently was on the receiving end of some scary death threats and vile hate calls targeting his wife – which were phoned in to his church right after he’d testified against a pro-homosexual “Sexual Orientation” ordinance in Oklahoma City. Here he tells the story which — unlike the pro-”gay” attack in liberal Chicago — rec.eived some major TV news coverage in OK City. (You can listen to a few of the actual recorded threats HERE.) Barber discusses the pattern of homosexual activist aggression that aims to intimidate Christians and others into silence on this critical moral issue. Blair, a former lineman with the Chicago Bears, is also Chairman of Reclaiming America for Christ. — Peter LaBarbera, www.aftah.org

HOW TO LISTEN: This is an mp3 file, supported in most operating systems by Windows Media Player, Quick Time and/or I-Tunes.  Real Player is not supported and there may be difficulty when attempting to listen with it.  Left click once on the link below to play. (Please be patient, depending upon the speed of your internet connection it may take a moment or two to load.)  OR right click the link then “save target as” to download the whole show.

12-10-11, Matt Barber & Paul Blair, Part One

Scott Lively addressing the AFTAH banquet in October. Lively received AFTAH's "Americans Truth Teller" award for 2011.

Part Five of the AFTAH interview [click HERE to listen] with Scott Lively of Defending the Family International.  This was pre-recorded and aired Dec. 3, 2011. Go to the AFTAH Radio Hour Archive for the rest of this very informative interview. In the course of AFTAH President Peter LaBarbera’s interview with Lively, the two discussed:

• The dire state of the American Christian Church vis-a-vis the aggressive movement to normalize homosexual behavior and gender confusion in the culture;
• The “terror” tactics and aggressive campaigns used by homosexual activists to intimidate good people into silence on this issue;
• Lively’s personal experience with the dirty tactics and lies used by radical LGBT activists against pro-family leaders attempting to stop the “gay” revolution (including one notorious fake “anti-gay hate crime” in Oregon). Lively more than almost any pro-family conservative alive today has experienced these tactics firsthand in more than 20 years of working on the front lines (here and abroad) against the homosexualist agenda;
• The futility of relying on politics and the courts to contain the advance of government-backed homosexuality — and how many “ministry-minded” or apathetic believers are woefully naive about the Culture War raging on this issue;
• The campaign of lies used by pro-homosexual militants (and repeated by the media) to smear Lively and others as allegedly supporting the murder of homosexuals in Uganda;
• The corruption of words by the pro-homosexual Left, including “gay,” “sexual orientation” and “marriage equality”;
• The appearance of PRO-homosexuality “evangelicals” like Grove City College’s Warren Throckmorton and Chicago’s Andrew Marin – who confuse Christians and undermine biblical truth on the issue by capitulating to pro-”gay” ideology and semantics;
• The connection of homosexuality and sexual deviance to the Nazi Party in Germany. (See Lively’s book, The Pink Swastika);
• The very real threat to religious liberty posed by the tremendous rise of homosexual (“gay”) power in the United States.

HOW TO LISTEN: This is an mp3 file, supported in most operating systems by Windows Media Player, Quick Time and/or I-Tunes.  Real Player is not supported and there may be difficulty when attempting to listen with it.  Left click once on the link below to play. (Please be patient, depending upon the speed of your internet connection it may take a moment or two to load.)  OR right click the link then “save target as” to download the whole show.

12-3-11, Scott Lively, Part Five

TV report on death threat delivered by voicemail to Fairview Baptist Church in Oklahoma City, the day after Pastor Paul Blair testified against a proposed pro-homosexual Sexual Orientation meaasure.

Folks, Pastor Paul Blair of Fairview Baptist Church in Edmond, Oklahoma (a suburb of Oklahoma City) is the latest Christian to be targeted for publicly standing against the homosexual activist movement. Tragically, it has now become commonplace for pro-”queer” thugs to target the Church, even as they decry “hate” against homosexuals. The good news is that charges have been filed against David Michael Moxley, for his alleged crime. (In Oklahoma, the reddest state in the Union, hateful and violent threats against Christians are still taken seriously.) You can listen to our cleaned-up selection of Moxley’s creepy phone threats against Pastor Blair and his family by clicking the link below.

Link to online MP3 audio of phone threats: Fairview Baptist,Hate calls,11-16-11 (Abbreviated)

As one who recently spoke at Fairview Baptist, I am honored to call Paul Blair — who in addition to his pastoral duties heads up Reclaiming America For Christ – a friend and co-laborer in the battle for Truth.  Another thing about Paul: even if he were not a retired NFL lineman (he played three years for the Bears) [read his testimony HERE], he would never allow such cowardly actions to intimidate him into silence on the homosexual issue. (Here is Blair’s “rap sheet” by the leftist and badly named “People For the American Way.”) Like him, we must never give in to Secular Left bullying. You can write Paul to thank him for his unwaving defense of the family at pblair@fairviewbaptistedmond.org. — Peter LaBarbera, www.aftah.org

________________________________________

Pastor Blair sent out this informational release following the vulgar and threatening harassment:

To our friends in the Media:

November 16, 2011

From:  Pastor Paul Blair, Fairview Baptist Church/Edmond

Relating to the Oklahoma City Council meeting yesterday and the action taken to include sexual orientation as a protected class, I wanted to make you aware of the threats that I have received here at the church within the last 24 hours.

Pastor Paul Blair

As a pastor, I did not even reference scripture in opposition to this policy.  My points were, first, that the policy was unnecessary because the city and city attorneys clearly stated that there was currently and had not been discrimination based upon sexual orientation.  Second, it was unprecedented in that we would be creating a special class of protection based upon someone’s behavior.  This was not a civil rights issue.  We are not talking about race or gender, but behavior.  And finally, I reminded the council that this was a GLBT effort and to remember the “T”.  With a policy to provide special protection for transgenders, it would be discriminatory to forbid a man from using the ladies shower or restroom in City Buildings.  What about the rights of women?  As you know, the measure passed 7-2.

This morning [Nov. 16] beginning at 4:15 AM our church office began receiving phone calls.  More were received during the lunch hour and more this afternoon.  Below is a transcript of the calls and attached are the voice recordings.

Christians are constantly called “haters” by the homosexual community.  We are called “intolerant” because we love Jesus and believe the Bible.  Even Councilman Ed Shadid was recorded by the Oklahoman to “liken allowing discrimination against gay people to Adolf Hitler targeting groups for hate in Germany.”

Wow, the Nazi card!  Really, Councilman?

I have never witnessed an action of “hate” committed by a true born again believer in Jesus Christ.  However, countless acts of violence, hate and terrorism were committed AGAINST many pastor friends of mine during the Prop 8 vote in California [.  Now, my secretary, my staff, our private elementary school and my church is exposed to this vile language and these threats of domestic terrorism.

Thought you'd like to know.  The police have been notified.  (The police asked that we not take his call and not call back.)

Thank you for your time,

Pastor Paul Blair

__________________________________

Messages:

November 16, 2011 @ 4:12AM

I have committed homicide more than one time and in more than one state – and yet have not been caught or charged. Think about that.

November 16, 2011 @ 4:13AM

I will be coming to visit you at 1230 North Sooner Road. I will be seeing you, bringing you something.

November 16, 2011 @ 4:15AM

The Baptist religion is not recognized by Christ. It is an American religion that was formed years after Christ acknowledged the Catholic Church as its religion. The Baptist Church is not acknowledged by Christ. I will be coming to see you at 1230 North Sooner Road.

November 16, 2011 @ 4:16AM

Once you receive this message you will already be seen going into the building at 1230 North Sooner Road. I will see you soon.

November 16, 2011 @ 12:47PM (Back to a “Terminator” voice)

I suggest you listen to this message clearly. A (muffled – sounds like “bomb”) has been placed on your property in the building, as well as some visitors will be visiting Pastor Blair at his residence. This is just to let you know. Thank you. Detonate it, Detonate.

November 16, 2011 @ 12:48PM

I wanna [f***] your wife. I’m gonna [f***] Mr. Blair’s wife.

November 16, 2011 @ 2:07PM

(Clearly in a more agitated state): It is highly recommended that you have somebody to answer the phone of your church, especially the dumb a** Pastor Blair. Women should not be in a position in a church of employment… That is non-Christian. Women should be f***** their husbands and reproducing children only. While the man chooses his partner to f*** for pleasure. It is recommen-DED! that a man answer the phone at your f******* establishment. I will be seeing you soon!!

November 16, 2011 @ 2:08PM

I have committed homicide more than one time in more than one state. It is suggested that someone answer the phone and not a woman. I will be visiting you soon; I am letting you know right now.

November 16, 2011 @ 2:10PM

It is really getting a little old hearing this old b**** records / (voice) on your answering machine. You have been asked to call me back at 917-5904. I will be waiting your call.

November 16, 2011 @ 2:11PM

Would someone get off their ugly a** and please call me back at 917-5904. Otherwise you can continue to be listening to these messages. Thank you.

Prof. Ken Howell

This is Part One of AFTAH’s interview with Professor Ken Howell, Senior Fellow at the School of Catholic Thought of the John Paul II Newman Center, which resides at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC).  Prof. Howell was fired (and the reinstated) by the University of Illinois (Champaign) last year for teaching the Catholic “Natural Moral Law” understanding of homosexuality. This interview was pre-recorded and aired Nov. 5, 2011. Howell explains the circumstances surrounding his firing, and how he ended up at UIC (but not actually teaching for UIC).

HOW TO LISTEN: This is an mp3 file, supported in most operating systems by Windows Media Player, Quick Time and/or I-Tunes.  Real Player is not supported and there may be difficulty when attempting to listen with it.  Left click once on the link below to play. (Please be patient, depending upon the speed of your internet connection it may take a moment or two to load.)  OR right click the link then “save target as” to download the whole show.

11-5-11, Ken Howell, Part One

“It is the central (but patently false) narrative of the left that all criticism of homosexuality leads inevitably to violence and murder.” – Scott Lively, recipient of AFTAH’s 2011 “American Truth Teller” Award; from his essay, “Murdering Uganda”

“Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.”—Jesus Christ, in Matthew 5:11 (NASB)

_______________________________________

Moody pastor Erwin Lutzer is being pressured by a hateful homosexual group to pull out as keynote speaker for AFTAH's Oct. 15 banqet.

Come out and support Scott, Dr. Lutzer and AFTAH! Please join us this Saturday, Oct. 15th at the AFTAH banquet with Dr. Lutzer (doors open at 6:00 PM at Christian Liberty Academy, 502 W. Euclid Ave., Arlington Heights, IL; tickets $10; $20 at the door). Dr. Lutzer will address the escalating persecution against Christians under pro-homosexuality laws. (Dr. Lively also will give a brief speech as we present him with the 2011 AFTAH “American Truth Teller” award.)

Friday speech by Lively: There is a second opportunity to hear Scott Lively, who will give a speech Friday, Oct. 14 at 7:00 PM at Grace Gospel Fellowship church in Bensenville, IL, (located on Route 83 just north of I-290)  The event is FREE but there will be a freewill offering taken for Americans For Truth – to help us combat homosexual extremism as typified by GLN.  This event will include time for Q & A with Scott.  Thank you for standing with us!

________________________________________

By Peter LaBarbera

Dear AFTAH Readers,

A Chicago Marxist group, Gay Liberation Network, is pressuring Moody Church Pastor Dr. Erwin Lutzer to pull out as keynote speaker at the Americans For Truth banquet this Saturday because AFTAH is honoring Scott Lively, who GLN falsely claims has a “history as a vicious gay basher.” At the October 15 event, AFTAH will present Lively with its 2011 “American Truth Teller” award for his years of defending truth on the homosexual issue.Scott Lively has been the target of a malicious homosexual campaign of lies claiming he supports violence against homosexuals.”]

Scott Lively has been the target of a malicious homosexual campaign of lies claiming he supports violence against homosexuals.

Lively sent me (and Dr. Lutzer) the following two letters in response to GLN leader Bob Schwartz’s outlandish claims. A verbatim copy of the contents of the GLN letter, sent to Lutzer by certified mail September 27, 2011, follows Scott’s letters below.

In his letter to Lutzer, GLN’s Bob Schwartz writes:

“Are you aware of Lively’s history as a vicious gay basher?…In addition, as you may know, LaBarbera’s organization [AFTAH] and Lively’s Abiding Truth Ministries are both described as ‘hate groups’ by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Are these the kinds of organizations with which you wish to associate the Moody Church? …[W]e take you at your word when you say you oppose violence against gays. We therefore assume that you would not want to be associated with those, like Lively and LaBarbera, who either support violence outright, or honor those who do.”

This is a monstrous lie. From the beginning of my involvement in the homosexuality debate, I – like Scott – have repeatedly and consistently condemned all violence and genuine hatred directed at homosexuals. So when Schwartz and the GLN urged Pastor Lutzer not to “[associate] with those, like Lively and LaBarbera, who either support violence outright, or honor those who do” – they slandered me as well as Scott.

The chutzpah of the Chicago-based GLN and its co-leader, Bob Schwartz, is hard to overstate – for it was Schwartz himself who once made a thinly-veiled threat of violence against this writer as I was standing in opposition to a Chicago “gay youth” event in downtown Chicago (as then-Executive Director of Illinois Family Institute). Schwartz pointed to a few Chicago policemen standing nearby and told me that if it weren’t for the presence of my “friends” (the police), he would push me into oncoming traffic. Since I began writing about the incident, Schwartz has never denied making the nasty remark. Of course, had it been the other way around and I’d made the same violence-tinged threat against a homosexual advocate like Schwartz, there likely would have been “hate crimes” charges filed against me!

From the Gay Liberation Network website: crass anti-Christian bigotry and distortion of biblical truth. Click on graphic to enlarge.

The Gay Liberation Network is one of the most vicious and extreme homosexualist organizations I have ever encountered.  They hatefully smeared Dr. James Dobson’s good name and accused him of “hate speech” when he was inducted into the Chicago-based Museum of Broadcast Communications’ Hall of Fame.  And they blasted Dr. Lutzer as a “hater” simply because he wrote a book against same-sex “marriage.”  (The GLN protesters even disparaged the venerable Moody Church as a “House of Hate”!) Also, see Bob Schwartz’s letter HERE supporting the University of Illinois’ firing of Catholic professor Ken Howell because he taught the Catholic, natural law opposition to homosexual practice (who was later reinstated).

Thus, it is completely in line with GLN’s malicious track record to see them cruelly malign and lie about Scott – a godly and courageous Christian man – as a “vicious gay basher.”  Still, as one who has also been lied about on a regular basis by homosexual militants, it grieves my heart to see this good man portrayed as evil (Isaiah 5:20).

We are grateful to Dr. Lutzer for not giving in to this deceitful and despicable GLN campaign against Lively — who daily models the Christian’s noble calling to speak Gospel truth in love – and who has been mercilessly demonized by the liberal media and LGBT activists for boldly proclaiming the unswerving truth about homosexuality, year in and year out.

Peter LaBarbera
Americans For Truth About Homosexuality
www.aftah.org
E-mail: americansfortruth@gmail.com

___________________________________________

Letter to Dr. Lutzer from Scott Lively Oct. 10, 2011:

Dear Peter [LaBarbera],

As you well know, I am a Bible-believing Christian who abhors violence against anyone, and have never advocated violence or hatred against homosexuals.  You may recall that when we first met in Framingham, MA in 1992, my wife and I and our four young sons had for several months been nursing a former homosexual man with AIDS in our own home.  He lived with us until his death from that horrific disease later that year.  I have worked with dozens of people seeking an exit from that lifestyle over the years, including my own sister (who repented and overcame it), and have worked with men seeking recovery from homosexuality in my inner-city church in Springfield, MA.  The website of my Springfield mission is www.redemptiongate.org.

GLN leader Bob Schwartz once told AFTAH President Peter LaBarbera that he would like to push him into oncoming traffic.

While I am compelled by Christ to love those who struggle with homosexual sin as individuals, I am also strongly opposed to the homosexual political agenda, which I view as an existential threat to Christian civilization around the world.  I have long considered myself a missionary to the global pro-family movement and have ministered in more than two dozen countries as a university lecturer, consultant to government officials and advisor to pastors and Christian leaders.  As you know, I hold a Juris Doctor degree from Trinity Law School, a TH.D. from the Pentecostal Assemblies of God, and a Certificate in Human Rights from the International Institute of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France.

One of the countries in which I have ministered is Uganda.  I was keynote speaker at their first national pro-family conference, sponsored by the Minister of Ethics and Integrity in 2002(?).  My wife and I returned the following year to help the movement develop, and in 2009 I was invited to give a seminar to government officials and other community leaders about the homosexual issue.  They were planning to draft legislation to curb the rapid spread of homosexuality in the country.

The text for my lectures was based entirely on my textbook ”Redeeming the Rainbow: A Christian Response to the ‘Gay’ Agenda” which was then in manuscript form but has since been published in print form and in PDF; the latter is downloadable without charge at http://www.defendthefamily.com/rtr/.  I have also attached a copy.  You will not find a single sentence in this book that promotes hatred or violence against homosexuals.

During my 2009 trip I also addressed members of the Ugandan Parliament in their national assembly hall.  My advice to the MPs regarding the law they were contemplating but had not yet drafted was to focus on rehabilitation of homosexuals and not punishment.  I urged them to become the first government in the world to develop a state-sponsored recovery system for homosexuality on the model we have in the United States for alcoholism.

In contradiction to my advice, a few months after the seminar an MP introduced a bill to criminalize homosexuality.  The terms of the bill were harsh, as is very common in African countries, including capital punishment for a category of crimes called “aggravated homosexuality.”  That category was aimed at pedophilia and sexual abuse of disabled persons but was inartfully worded so as to potentially also encompass simple homosexuality.

I do not support capital punishment for any sex crimes, let alone simple homosexuality, which I view as a treatable behavioral disorder, and so I opposed the bill.  I was nevertheless accused in the international media of not only endorsing the bill but of advocating for it.  These false accusations were not deterred by my written responses which attempted to set the record straight.  The first was an editorial titled “The Death Penalty in Uganda” and the second was a copy of my letter to the Ugandan Parliament together with its response.  They are published on my website here  http://www.defendthefamily.com/pfrc/newsarchives.php?id=4480922  and here http://www.defendthefamily.com/pfrc/newsarchives.php?id=3261726.

I am no stranger to persecution for my commitment to Biblical truth, and over the twenty plus years I have worked primarily in this ministry I have been maligned and slandered to an extreme degree.  This is a tactic of all leftists but especially of the “gays,” who are the most adept and vicious of all in the use of malicious propaganda, as should be no surprise to any Christian familiar with Romans 1:26-31.

Following the introduction of the Uganda Bill I was personally attacked as the supposed “mastermind” behind it in feature stories in the New York Times, London Guardian, Canadian National Post, ABC News, and PBS, among others.  Later, not once, but twice, when supposed homosexual activists in Uganda were killed, it was implied by the liberal western media that I was responsible.  In both cases the accusations were published before the facts were even known to the police.  In both cases the deaths were later proved to be unrelated to the passions surrounding the Ugandan bill.  The first killing turned out to be the work of pagan witch doctors involved in some bizarre ritual.  The original story is no longer on the Ugandan news site but the following item from a “gay” blog admits their facts were wrong (while casting themselves as victims of a “hoax”):    http://www.religiondispatches.org/dispatches/candacechellew-hodge/2930/hoax_underscores_urgency_for_lgbt_people_in_uganda/.

The second case, involving the grisly murder of Ugandan homosexual activist David Cato, turned out to be a crime of passion by a male prostitute whom Cato had bailed out of jail and taken to be his houseboy:   http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ihVH6Ahnbnhdo3CqrEDT3mCBknKg?docId=CNG.9057dbf4f3db02f92ea39216b26eb623.8a1

In neither of these cases was an apology written, nor was a correction on the facts made; neither did ANY mainstream media outlet issue a retraction of the false implication that I was somehow involved in these killings.

In the two years since the propaganda campaign against me was launched, I have received hundreds if not thousands of hate mails, including a plausible death threat which led to judicial action by the police.  I have been shunned as a resource by several Christian organizations (and numerous pastors), and my church has been picketed numerous times and a rock thrown through the front window once.  One time a man stuck his head in the door during my sermon to yell “Scott Lively is a murderer.”  I was also attacked on the front page of the Boston Globe in a purely gratuitous ”hit piece,” centered on the Ugandan story, designed to discredit my Christian mission in Springfield.

I am fully content to know that those who desire to live Godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution and I have not shrunk, nor will I shrink from standing boldly for the truth of God’s word, come what may.  Neither will I succumb to the urge for revenge or hatred toward those who hate and attack me with such hysteria.  They truly know not what they do.

I must, however, exhort my fellow Christians not to allow themselves to be influenced by the propaganda nor intimidated by the harassment tactics of LGBT activists.  It has always been the case that the cause of Christ is advanced only through selfless courage in the face of determined opposition.  Not even the gates of hell can prevail against us when we abide unshakably in Him.  Even today believers must stand fast to the point of death in some places in the world.  How can we dare to shrink from our challenge when we face merely slander by our foes and shunning by weaker brothers?

Many Blessings,

Scott

__________________________________________

Below is a short, subsequent message from Lively regarding the Gay Liberation Network’s cynical claim that he “justified anti-gay violence” toward Uganda’s most prominent pro-homosexuality activist; we have attached a copy of Scott’s piece, “Murdering Uganda,”

Hi Peter,

My prior message covers all the aspects of this letter except the accusation that I justified violence in Uganda.  Their quote is from my attached essay “Murdering Uganda” which shall serve as a complete rebuttal to their misrepresentation.  Please forward this to Pastor Lutzer along with my prior message to you.

In Jesus,

Scott

__________________________________________

Murdering Uganda

By Pastor Scott Lively, J.D., Th.D.

President, Defend the Family International

www.defendthefamily.com

Uganda is being murdered.  The nation once called “The Pearl of Africa” by Winston Churchill, a lush and beautiful country as fertile as the Nile Delta.  It is the nation that retained its self-rule through centuries of African colonialism, the society that survived even the atrocities of the cannibal cultist Idi Amin, the culture that has been thriving in Christian revival for over a dozen years.

This great and honorable nation, alone in Africa to have all but conquered the scourge of AIDS  through abstinence — and whose First Lady led a holy gathering of thousands of believers on the eve of the millennium, dedicating her homeland “to Jesus Christ for a thousand years” — this Uganda, a shining light in the Dark Continent, is being murdered.

The murderers are the lavender Marxists, the now-global network of sexual revolutionaries bent on remaking the entire world in their own perverted image, whose juggernaut has toppled even once mighty Britain, crushing under their lavender boots after eight centuries the symbol of its Christian power: the Magna Charta, whose first principle had proclaimed, “The English church must be free!”  These revolutionists of Sodom, who march triumphantly through all the major cities of the western world to flaunt their defeat of moral law, and who hold both Hollywood and the heart of America’s president in their iron grip: these very same zealots have fixed their malevolent gaze on Christian Uganda.

Uganda is the only country in the world with a national holiday commemorating its rejection of sexual perversion.  Every June 3 it honors the 22 young men and boys who were tortured and roasted alive in 1886 by homosexual King Mwanga, because they refused to submit to sodomy.   Is it any wonder, then, that Uganda has reacted violently against the army of agitators, led by George Soros, who now seek to re-homosexualize Ugandan culture?

It is as if the militant ranks of “Code Pink” were transported back to 1890s America to agitate for “sexual freedom.”  Our great grandparents would not have countenanced this.  There would have been violence, as there has now been in Uganda.  And that is, of course, the strategy: the agents provocateur are goading unsophisticated natives into over-reacting, while the “gay” media lie in wait to catch the images and spin the propaganda that is even now poisoning the gullible against the Ugandans.

Ugandan homosexual activist David Kato was recently beaten to death with a hammer, a horrific crime.  These very media rushed eagerly to judge this a hate crime and to blame those, like me, who have spoken against homosexuality in Uganda.  It is the central (but patently false) narrative of the left that all criticism of homosexuality leads inevitably to violence and murder. Yet the killer has now been caught and confessed that he was a live-in male prostitute who murdered Kato for failing to pay him as promised.  The “gay” hate-narrative has failed, the Ugandan rejection of “gay” culture has been vindicated, and the finger-pointing media have pulled quietly back into the shadows — for now.

There is indeed evil in Uganda today, but it is not the reaction of Christian and Moslem citizens to the rape of their culture. It is the pink-gloved hand of western powers that are cutting the throat of Africa’s most God-fearing country, and one of the world‘s most promising Christian democracies.

______________________________________

Gay Liberation Network letter to Dr. Erwin Lutzer, filled with falsehoods against Scott Lively and Peter LaBarbera:
Gay Liberation Network

4404 N. Magnolia, #420, Chicago, IL 60640

LGBTLiberation@aol.com
www.GayLiberation.net
773-209-1187

September 27, 2011

Pastor Erwin Lutzer

The Moody Church

1635 N. LaSalle Street

Chicago, IL 60614

Via certified mail, restricted delivery

Dear Pastor Lutzer:

We in Gay Liberation Network are aware that you are the scheduled main speaker at an October 15 fundraising dinner of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality. Do you know that one Scott Lively is to be honored at that dinner by Peter LaBarbera. Are you aware of Scott Lively’s history as a vicious gay basher?

LaBarbera identifies Lively as a “veteran Christian culture warrior who has been leading the resistance against the homosexualist juggernaut—in the USA and across the world.” LaBarbera says Lively has “suffered greatly for doing good and honoring God and His Truth.”

“Honoring God and His Truth”?

Scott Lively journeyed to Uganda in 2009 with other US evangelical gay bashers to stage a “Seminar on Exposing the Homosexual Agenda” even though homosexuality was already illegal in that nation. Lively helped stoke anti-gay animus by playing the “child molestation” card, asserting that gays are “looking for other people to prey upon, and that went they see someone from a broken home, it’s like they have a flashing neon sign over their head…male homosexuality has not traditionally been adult to adult, it’s men adult to teenager….The gay movement is an evil institution.”

It was following Lively’s “seminar” that legislation was introduced into the Ugandan parliament that would impose the death penalty for so-called aggravated homosexuality.” All gay meetings would be banned under this draconian measure, and heterosexuals could be jailed as well for any advocacy of homosexuality or defense of gay people. Please note that Scott Lively has supported this further criminalizing of homosexuality, even as some evangelicals like Rick Warren have distanced themselves from it. (Lively advised against death sentences for Ugandan gays, since it could result in “public sympathy” for them; he prefers forced “rehabilitation.”)

More recently, Lively justified anti-gay violence when Uganda’s leading gay advocate was murdered. Lively wrote, “It is as if the militant ranks of ‘Code Pink’ were transported back to 1890s America to agitate for ‘sexual freedom.’ Our great grandparents would not have countenanced this. There would have been violence, as there has now been in Uganda [emphasis added by Schwartz]

In addition, as you may know, LaBarbera’s organization [AFTAH] and Lively’s Abiding Truth Ministries are both described as “hate groups” by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Are these the kind of organizations with which you wish to associate the Moody Church?

Although our differences with you are sharp and distinct, due to your opposition to marriage equality for lesbian and gay people, we take you at your word when you say that you oppose violence against gays. We therefore assume that you would not want to be associated with those, like Lively and LaBarbera, who either support violence outright, or honor those who do.

We hope, therefore, you will rethink your decision to appear at LaBarbera’s banquet. Whatever your decision, we will be at the Christian Liberty Academy to protest those who oppose our equal rights, and particularly those who countenance violence against our community or participate in honoring those who do.

Truly yours,

Bob Schwartz

For the Gay Liberation Network

_________________________________________________

Biography of Dr. Scott Lively

Dr. Scott Lively is President of Defend the Family International, a United States-based human rights organization which defends family values and religious freedom. An attorney, author and ordained minister, Dr. Lively is a staunch advocate of what he terms “Masculine Christianity,” — a scripturally-rooted doctrine of Christian cultural and political assertiveness.  Dr. Lively is also an internationally recognized expert on the global homosexual movement, which he identifies as a leading threat to Christianity in the modern age.

Education:

Dr. Lively holds the degrees of Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from Trinity Law School in Santa Ana, California, and Doctor of Theology from the School of Bible Theology Seminary and University in San Jacinto, California.  He also holds a Certificate in Human Rights, from the International Institute of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France.

Published Works:

Redeeming the Rainbow: A Christian Response to the “Gay” Agenda, (2010);

My Life in His Hands: A Testimony of God’s Grace and Goodness (2007);

The Pink Swastika: Homosexuality in the Nazi Party, 4^th Edition (2002), with co-author Kevin E. Abrams;

The Poisoned Stream: “Gay” Influence in Human History (1996);

Seven Steps to Recruit-Proof Your Child (1997);

Why and How to Defeat the “Gay” Movement (2001);

Defeating “Gay” Arguments With Simple Logic (2003);

Balance in the Classroom: A teacher’s guide to explaining the pro-family viewpoint in non-religious terms (2003);

Reprobate Theology: the homosexual seduction of the American Church (2003).

Professional History

Senior Pastor, The Coffee House Church, Springfield, MA, 2010-Present.

Founder and President, Redemption Gate Mission Society, Springfield, MA 2008-Present, www.redemptiongate.org;

Founder and President, Abiding Truth Ministries (parent-organization of Defend The Family International), 1997-Present, www.defendthefamily.com;

Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Lively, Ackerman & Cowles Law Firm, 2003-2006.

Founder and Chairman, The Pro-Family Law Center, 1999-2006.

State Communications Director, Oregon Citizens Alliance, 1989-1997.

Personal History

Raised in a home shattered by the mental illness of his father, Scott Lively became an alcoholic at age 12, a drug addict by 14, was homeless at 16.  After sixteen years in the throes of addiction, several of them as a penniless drifter, Scott was miraculously healed and delivered in prayer in 1986, going on to become a leading Christian social activist and later an attorney and pastor. Scott is married to Anne, and has four grown sons.

You may reach Dr. Lively through his website at www.defendthefamily.com or by writing to Abiding Truth Ministries, PO Box 2373, Springfield MA 01101.

Scott Lively, author of "The Pink Swastika," has been targeted and lied about by homosexual militants for years because he defends God's truth about the changeable sin of homosexuality. He speaks for AFTAH Friday, Oct. 14 at 7:00 PM at Grace Gospel Church in Bensenville, IL, located on Route 83 just north of I-290. The Friday event is FREE. Lively also will be honored at the AFTAH dinner-banquet the next day (Sat., Oct. 15, 6:00 PM) at Christian Liberty Academy; tickets for the banquet are just $10/person, $20 at the door.

Dear AFTAH Supporters,

I’m delighted to announce that a man I greatly admire — Christian pro-family veteran and “Pink Swastika” author Scott Lively — has agreed to give a separate talk for Americans For Truth on Friday, Oct. 14, at Grace Gospel Fellowship church in Bensenville.  That’s the day before AFTAH’s Sat., Oct. 15 banquet with Moody senior pastor Dr. Erwin Lutzer.  

At the Sat., Oct. 15 banquet, I will present Scott with the 2011 “American Truth Teller” award for his decades of dedicated service in opposing the Homosexual Lobby and educating the public on the threat of the organized Homosexuality (“Gay”) movement — which, as he writes below, “is not about tolerance but control.”  It simply was “cruel and unusual punishment” to give Scott just 10 minutes to speak at the banquet, so he graciously agreed to give a talk Friday night, which will also raise much-needed funds for AFTAH.

FRIDAY, Oct. 14 EVENT: Scott’s presentation will be held Friday Oct. 14 at 7:00 PM, at Grace Gospel Fellowship church in Bensenville, Illinois – pastored by my friend and awesome Culture Warrior John Kirkwood (go HERE listen to Part One of my AFTAH interview with John).  The church is located on Route 83 just north of I-290 (4 North 220 Route 83 – Frontage Rd., Bensenville, IL; phone #: 630-834-0550).  The Friday event is FREE (there is no dinner), but we will take up a collection to support AFTAH’s critical work. E-mail us at americansfortruth@gmail.com to RSVP or if you have any questions.

BANQUET SAT., Oct 15th: The AFTAH dinner-banquet with Dr. Lutzer is shaping up to be a spectacular night of truth-telling that will get your pro-family batteries charged for another year!  In addition to Dr. Lutzer, who is revered across the nation but especially in the Midwest for his faithful Bible preaching, you will meet Walt Heyer, a FORMER transsexual who returned to his God-given male identity with the Lord’s help.  Walt once identified as “Laura,” and went through a body-disfiguring “sex-change” operation, but now he is reaching out at www.SexChangeRegret.com to gender-confused people with the message: “Don’t make my mistake!”  I’m so excited to meet Walt after my extended AFTAH interview with him (go HERE for the Part 4 of the interview). 

Lastly, we will hear from Truth-Teller Award recipient Scott Lively, who — like myself and AFTAH — has been the target of incredible, ongoing vilification by homosexual militants due to his desire to stand without compromise for God’s Truth about same-sex sin.  Thank you so much for your support, and please tell your friends about both Americans For Truth events!  Remember, we priced the banquet at just $10 (dinner included) because we know these are tough times and I want you and your family to be blessed by this special evening!

– Peter LaBarbera, www.aftah.org

Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love. (1 Corinthians 16:13-14)

____________________________________________________________

Oct. 15 BANQUET ESSENTIALS:

• Who: Dr. Erwin Lutzer, Senior Pastor, Moody Church, Chicago, Illinois. Pro-family culture warrior Scott Lively will also be honored at the banquet
• When: Saturday, October 15, 2011; doors open at 6:00 PM.
• Where: Christian Liberty Academy, 502 W. Euclid Ave., Arlington Heights, IL 60004, northwest of Chicago; website HERE.
• What: Dinner banquet to raise funds for Americans For Truth About Homosexuality. Expect a delicious dinner, wonderful speeches and possibly a contingent of homosexual protesters outside the building chanting lies about AFTAH.
• Discount Pricing: $10 per person in advance; $20 per person at the door.  Sign up for $10/person online at www.americansfortruth.com/donate/ or mail your check to: Americans For Truth, PO Box 5522, Naperville, IL 60567-5522.  RSVP/inquiries to americansfortruth@gmail.com.  Please consider buying extra tickets for your friends, family and co-workers! And if you cannot come, please send us a gift to make our work possible.

___________________________________________________

Below is Scott’s sober analysis in WorldNetDaily of where the movement to stop the normalization of homosexuality in America stands – and why the battle will be over if Christians do not get involved and defend biblical morality and Truth:

‘Gay’ culture war: It’s nearly lost

Posted: September 23, 2011, WorldNetDaily.com

By Scott Lively

Many Christians are only now awakening to the seriousness of the threat to our society posed by the homosexual movement. But, unfortunately for us all, it is only the sounding of the victory trumpets by “gay” activists that has stirred Christians from their slumber. The watchman’s walls have been broken and breached, the village is in flames, and triumphal “gay” culture warriors are leading a long string of young prisoners by their necks into the woods. Most disturbingly, many of the captives, including some of the children of these still sleepy-eyed Christian parents, seem happy to go.

I have long warned that the homosexual agenda is not about tolerance but control. It started, of course, with a plea for tolerance, but then immediately shifted to a demand for acceptance and in due time to celebration of all things “gay.”

It wasn’t enough, however, for prominent public officials in every major city to lead the “Gay Pride” parades. No, the agenda continued to unfold to another level, requiring forced participation in “gay” culture. Much of the country is on that cusp of celebration/coercion today, led by California with it’s new aggressive K-12 homosexual advocacy curriculum, mandated by law.

Even conservative Texas is not immune. Just this week Fox News covered the story of a ninth grader suspended from school for telling a classmate he believes homosexuality is wrong.

The outraged teacher who demanded punishment for the boy reportedly keeps a picture on the classroom wall of two men kissing and frequently steers classroom discussions to the homosexual issue.

It took the intervention of a Christian public-interest law firm to get the school to rescind the suspension. But how many students of this same teacher have over the years simply assimilated his values as normal, their parents none the wiser?

More importantly, how many other classrooms across America are headed by such men and women? Their activist network, the Gay Lesbian Straight Teachers Network (GLSTN – later changed to “education network” GLSEN to hide the teacher/activist association) was powerful enough to launch its founder Kevin Jennings to the position of Obama White House “safe schools” czar for a time. I’d guess their agenda is an influence in just about every classroom by now.

I’m old enough to remember the debate about whether homosexuals should be allowed to be teachers at all, let alone allowed to punish students for disagreeing with the class-time advocacy of their sexual lifestyle. I remember the protestations from the pro-homosexual side, that “gays and lesbians just want the right to be left alone. They would NEVER interject their private lives into the classroom.” They all lied, and we believed them, and now our children and grandchildren are being forced to celebrate “gay” culture under penalty of law.

That is the end game for the “gays.” The final stage of their agenda, which has always been about taking control of things, is the power to punish dissent: to silence or crush their detractors. They only have this level of control in a few places yet, but they are moving fast to achieve it everywhere, and the momentum is on their side. And wherever they have it, they use it.

This brings me, in conclusion, to the subject of “gay marriage.” Huh? How does “gay marriage” in any way relate to homosexual propaganda in schools? Or to Christian parents awakening late to the indoctrination of their children?

It is the same issue, my friends. “Gay marriage,” “gay” curriculum, “gay” parades, “gay” TV shows, “gay” soldiers, “gay” adoption, “gay” diseases, “gay” recruitment and on and on. So many seemingly separate issues that are really just one issue: the unnatural, dysfunctional, personally and socially destructive phenomenon of homosexual sin. We are warned clearly and emphatically about it in the Bible. We have seen its corrupting effect in history. And we are literally watching its ethic of sexual anarchy supplant the biblical model of family as the guiding value system of our society.

I’m not going to add here how much I really love homosexuals and just hate their sin. As a question of public policy it really shouldn’t matter what I think about the perpetrators, just whether I am telling the truth about their agenda. I don’t want to reinforce the ridiculous assumption that Christians need to offer a disclaimer to prove they aren’t haters. It wouldn’t mitigate their hostility toward me for saying it anyhow. Trust me.

I’m not saying here that Christians are without hope of overcoming the challenge before us. Nothing, after all, is impossible with God. What I am saying is that we cannot possibly win, especially at this late stage of the game, if our “heroes” continue to fiddle about with the “definition of marriage” and fall all over themselves trying to prove they’re not haters by endorsing other, non-marriage-related bits of the “gay” agenda.

We need to stand firmly and unapologetically on the hard truth that homosexuality is not a benign, morally neutral social phenomenon. It is an insidious and contagious form of sexual perversion condemned by God as an abomination. I cringe even writing these words because I know the wrath I am inviting on myself. Still, someone needs to say this boldly and publicly because it is the truth, and only the truth can set us free of the political correctness that has imprisoned us until now.

The homosexual agenda represents an existential threat to Christian civilization and we’re in the final phase of the war, losing badly. It all hinges upon you, Christian reader. Either get into the “game” in earnest, immediately, or wave goodbye.

Dr. Scott Lively is an attorney, pastor and author of several books on the homosexual agenda, including “The Pink Swastika: Homosexuality in the Nazi Party” (co-authored by Jewish researcher Kevin E. Abrams).

Reprinted from WorldNetDaily.com: ‘Gay’ culture war: It’s nearly lost

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=348101#ixzz1ZlTYkDDf

Here is Part 2 of our interview with Oklahoma State Representative Sally Kern (R) [click HERE to listen], author of “The Stoning of Sally Kern: The Liberal Attack on Christian Conservatism and Why We Must Take a Stand.” This interview was pre-recorded and aired September 1o, 2011. AFTAH is offering Kern’s book for $20, which includes postage. After our first interview with Sally, in which she explains her comments comparing the destructiveness of homosexuality to terrorism, she and her office were once again barraged with homosexual calls. The Human Rights Campaign, the leading homosexual lobby group in the United States, put out a special e-mail alert slamming Kerns. The “gay” pressure group targeted Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin (R) and the Oklahoma senate with their campaign, which falsely accuses Kern of “slandering” homosexuals. HRC claims that 200,000 calls flooded into Oklahoma. For Part One of the Kern interview, go HERE.

HOW TO LISTEN: This is an mp3 file, supported in most operating systems by Windows Media Player, Quick Time and/or I-Tunes.  Real Player is not supported and there may be difficulty when attempting to listen with it.  Left click once on the link below to play. (Please be patient, depending upon the speed of your internet connection it may take a moment or two to load.)  OR right click the link then “save target as” to download the whole show.

9-10-11, Sally Kern, Part Two

"The Stoning of Sally Kern: The Liberal Attack on Christian Conservatism -- and Why We Must Take a Stand"

This is the first of a Two-Part interview with Oklahoma State Rep. Sally Kern (R) [click HERE to listen]. It was pre-recorded August 31 and aired September 3, 2011. Sally Kern is Christian conservative Republican lawmaker in Oklahoma who was deluged with hate-mail and hate-calls after the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund (GLVF) published excerpts from a secretly-recorded 2008 speech she gave in which she said, among other things, that “the homosexual agenda is destroying this nation,” and that it’s a bigger threat to America than terrorism. [Listen to GLVF's SELECTIVELY EDITED video excerpting Kern's speech HERE.]

Oklahoma State Rep. Sally Kern

Sally talks about her new book, “The Stoning of Sally Kern,” [available from AFTAH at the discounted price of $20 including postage; send check specifying "Kern book" to: Americans For Truth, PO Box 5522, Naperville, IL 60567-5522.] She describes the day, March 7, 2008, that changed her life forever — when thousands of hostile homosexual e-mails flooded her inbox. (Angry phone calls jammed her office phone system, and then started coming to her home.) Ironically, homosexual militants who denounced Sally’s alleged “hate” subjected her and her family to the sort of vicious attacks that most Americans could hardly conceive of — including publishing false reports that her son Jesse was a homosexual — and smearing Sally’s husband, Pastor Steve Kern, as a past member of the KKK. Sally discusses the role of her and her family’s Christian faith in sustaining them in the face of the hate-campaign, and AFTAH President Peter LaBarbera praises Kern for not backing down in the face of such evil attacks.

HOW TO LISTEN: This is an mp3 file, supported in most operating systems by Windows Media Player, Quick Time and/or I-Tunes.  Real Player is not supported and there may be difficulty when attempting to listen with it.  Left click once on the link below to play. (Please be patient, depending upon the speed of your internet connection it may take a moment or two to load.)  OR right click the link then “save target as” to download the whole show.

9-3-11, Sally Kern, Part One

Jerry Buehl

[UPDATE 8/25/11: Jerry Buehl has been reinstated in the classroom at Mt. Dora High School following protests by pro-family citizens nationwide. Congrats to Mr. Buehl, and to Liberty Counsel, American Family Association and all those who defended his First Amendment freedom to voice his beliefs about homosexuality.]

WARNING: Graphic content and links

Folks, kudos to one-time Florida “Teacher of the Year,” Jerry Buehl, for not groveling before the media or the “Gay” Thought Police for his PRIVATE comment denigrating homosexual “marriage” — for which he is now being persecuted. The good teacher — and this short CNN video shows just how good he is — now gives the lesson of his lifetime on the First Amendment and freedom. He deserves our prayers and support.

Regarding that “cesspool” of homosexuality (behavior), I heartily agree with my friend Laurie Higgins. Whole generations of Americans had a natural revulsion toward this perversion, but now — thanks to decades of liberal “tolerance” propaganda — people recoil at frank denunciations of homosexual acts rather than the vile acts themselves. (Well, let’s be honest: most people are shielded from the repulsive and destructive reality of homosexuality; check out this AFTAH story on a pro-homosexual California AIDS flier that lays out the extreme health risks — e.g., bleeding after anal sex — associated with unnatural male homosexual behaviors. And it doesn’t get much more “cesspoolish” than “rimming.”)

Before holier-than-thou Christians and PC-minded “conservatives” get all over Buehl’s case, we should remember: wasn’t it God Himself who declared it “detestable” for a man to lie with a man as with a woman? (Leviticus 18:22) What does that tell you about a society moving toward the embrace of homosexuality-based “marriage”? – Peter LaBarbera, www.aftah.org

Following is a CNN news clip featuring Buehl and his Liberty Counsel attorney, followed by an article on the case by Laurie Higgins of Illinois Family Institute:

Florida Teacher Investigated for Criticizing Homosexuality

8/22/2011
By Laurie Higgins, Illinois Family Institute; reprinted from the IFI website

There’s troubling news coming out of Florida that provides evidence that the cultural movement to normalize homosexuality poses a serious threat to First Amendment speech and religious rights.

Mount Dora High School social studies teacher and winner of the 2010 “Teacher of the Year” award, Jerry Buell, wrote this on his private Facebook page during non-work time:

I’m watching the news, eating dinner, when the story about New York okaying same sex unions came on and I almost threw up.

If they want to call it a union, go ahead. But don’t insult a man and woman’s marriage by throwing it in the same cesspool as same-sex whatever! God will not be mocked. When did this sin become acceptable???

The administrative response to this veteran teacher’s condemnation of government-endorsement of abominable (God’s word, not Buell’s) relationships is to suspend him from the classroom and begin an investigation.

Society has become so desensitized to the offense of cesspoolish acts that calling them cesspoolish constitutes an offense. Our cultural moral compass has become so broken that citizens do not recognize that homosexual acts are, indeed, cesspoolish. In a very literal sense, the primary sexual act engaged in by homosexual men is cesspoolish in that a cesspool is a waste receptacle, but the term “cesspool” also refers to corrupt, depraved acts. Although Buell’s word choice was indelicate and politically incorrect, it strikes me as accurate. (For recent CDC information on HIV infections among Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM), click HERE, and for shigellosis information click HERE. [Editor's note: AFTAH substituted the latter link due to a problem with the original link in the IFI article.])

Christians have become deluded into believing that saying that homosexual acts are cesspoolish is an unchristian act, and they have been bullied into self-censorship by exactly the kind of repercussions Buell is experiencing.

Americans, including leaders in government, education, and even the church, increasingly accept the dangerous notion that the First Amendment should be subordinate to the “feelings” of homosexuals. What next? Will speech rights and religious liberty be subordinated to the feelings of “minority-attracted” persons (aka pedophiles) and polyamorists? How long will it be before yet another group committed to normalizing their particular sinful proclivity starts talking about how marginalized, stigmatized, and “unsafe” they “feel”?

Some questions for Mount Dora High School administrators:

• If teachers are not permitted to express their moral and political beliefs during their free time on their private Facebook pages, should they be permitted to express their beliefs on blogs?
• Should they be permitted to express them in letters to their local press?
• Should they be permitted to express them in conversations in public restaurants where they may be overheard by others?
• Should they be able to express them in radio or print interviews?
• Was it the word “cesspool” that generated the investigation and suspension of Buell, or was it his disapproval of the legalization of same-sex “marriage” and homosexuality?
• If it was the word choice that got the administrators’ panties in a bundle, will these language-dictators provide a list of acceptable denunciatory words? Remember, it’s our educators who are promoters of diversity and the free exchange of ideas and defenders of even obscene language when it’s found in the books they teach our children.
• If it were not merely the word “cesspool” but rather any expression of disapproval of homosexuality, is it just homosexuality that teachers may not condemn in their free time or are there other topics of which they may only safely express approval? If so, what are those topics and who decides?
• The First Amendment was intended to protect the expression of even unpopular ideas. How does Big Brother–I mean the Mount Dora High School administration–reconcile its draconian response to Buell with the First Amendment?

The Mount Dora administration might defend their actions by citing the need to keep students “safe.” What school administrations rarely do, however, is define “safety.” The entire homosexuality-affirming juggernaut depends on the tricksy manipulation of rhetoric. “Safety,” which formerly meant the absence of physical threat, has now come to mean the absence of emotional or intellectual discomfort. Of course, liberal activists in public schools won’t admit this (and conservative teachers are too fearful to expose it).

Intellectual and ethical consistency–never the forte of liberals–is not found in public schools even on the topic of “safety.” Liberal activists have no problem making conservative students feel uncomfortable (i.e. “unsafe”) if it’s in the service of eradicating conservative moral beliefs. In so doing, increasing numbers of homosexual students and their “allies” (another rhetorical buzz saw in the homosexuality-normalizing tool box) are becoming presumptuous ideological dictators. They treat all encounters with dissenting moral propositions with high dudgeon and an expectation of administrative censorship.

The exaltation of subjective feelings through the self-actualization and self-esteem movements and the demonization of shame have collided with the tyrannical homosexual “rights” revolution, resulting in the cultural collapse that’s happening right in front of our eyes. (And what do conservatives do? Cover their eyes, plug their ears, and shut their mouths.)

My advice: exercise your right to express unpopular ideas while you can.

[Note: to read Laurie Higgins' Postscript to this story, go HERE]

We are delighted to announce that Moody Church Senior Pastor and author Dr. Erwin Lutzer will be the keynote speaker at Americans For Truth’s annual banquet Saturday, October 15^th at Christian Liberty Academy in Arlington Heights, Illinois, northwest of Chicago. Dr. Lutzer is a keen observer of moral and spiritual trends in America and we welcome his insights on the growth of homosexual power in the United States and its effect on our liberties.

Who: Dr. Erwin Lutzer, Senior Pastor, Moody Church, Chicago, Illinois. Pro-family culture warrior Scott Lively will also be honored at the banquet

When: Saturday, October 15, 2011; doors open at 6:00 PM.

Where: Christian Liberty Academy, 502 W. Euclid Ave., Arlington Heights, IL 60004, northwest of Chicago; website HERE.

What: Dinner banquet to raise funds for Americans For Truth About Homosexuality. Expect a delicious dinner, wonderful speeches and a contingent of homosexual protesters outside the building chanting lies about AFTAH.

Cost: $10 per person in advance; $20 per person at the door.  Sign up for $10/person online at www.americansfortruth.com/donate/; or mail your check to: Americans For Truth, PO Box 5522, Naperville, IL 60567-552.  RSVP/inquiries to americansfortruth@gmail.com.  Please consider buying extra tickets for your friends, family and co-workers!

Dr. Lutzer: Preacher and Author

For those of you outside Chicagoland and the Midwest who may be unfamiliar with Dr Lutzer, he is a gifted preacher who pastors the historic Moody Church in Chicago (founded by the great evangelist Dwight L. Moody). Lutzer is also the author of numerous books, including: “The Truth About Same-Sex Marriage” (for which Lutzer was branded a “hater” by the Marxist “Gay Liberation Network” in Chicago); “When a Nation Forgets God: 7 lessons we must learn from Nazi Germany”: “Hitler’s Cross”; and “Oprah, Miracles and the New Earth: A Critique.” Here is an Amazon.com link where most of Dr. Lutzer’s books can be purchased.

Dr. Lutzer, who was born in Canada and became an American citzen, has blessed many with his gift for clearly explaining biblical truths. He has a keen grasp on the pivotal ideas and spiritual and cultural developments that decide a nation’s course. And he has the integrity not to compromise on God’s Word even when it becomes politically incorrect. As one who has heard Pastor Lutzer preach on the radio many times (and once at Moody Church), I can safely assure you that you will be blessed by his message and godly counsel for America.

Lower Cost; Buy Bulk Tickets!

We are trying something new for this banquet – lowering the entrance price to just $10/person for advance ticket purchases, and $20/person at the door. We know the economy is rough and we want as many people as possible to attend and hear Dr. Lutzer. So please support us by sharing this event with your network of friends or even buying a table of 10 or 5 tickets so your friends and family can attend. Send queries and RSVPs to americansfortruth@gmail.com.

Scott Lively to be honored

NOTE: We have added a second event with Scott Lively as speaker, Friday, Oct. 14th at 7:00 PM. He will be appearing at Grace Gospel Fellowship church in Bensenville, IL (on Route 83 just north of I-290). This is a FREE event but a freewill offering will be taken to support AFTAH’s work.

As you will know if you have ever attended an Americans For Truth banquet or speaking event, they are very special occasions. Our banquet this year will be made more special by the appearance of Scott Lively (right), a brilliant, veteran Christian culture warrior who has been leading the resistance against the homosexualist juggernaut — in the USA and across the world –  for more than two decades. We will honor Scott, who has suffered greatly for doing good and honoring God and His Truth.

As always, we are grateful to Christian Liberty Academy and Pastor Calvin Lindstrom of the Church of Christian Liberty for their hospitality in graciously offering CLA as the host of Americans For Truth and our annual fund-raising banquet. Please pray for our event and make a much-needed gift to AFTAH even if you cannot make it Oct. 15th. God bless.

Peter LaBarbera

President, Americans For Truth

The following is reprinted from PFOX’s (Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays) website. Greg Quinlan was a presenter at both AFTAH Truth Academies:

I Am a Man

By Greg Quinlan

Why have gay activists instigated media attention over ex-gays and the husband of Presidential candidate Michelle Bachmann?

Apparently, Mr. Bachmann, who has a PhD in clinical psychology, operates several counseling centers which also offer services to homosexual clients seeking to overcome unwanted same-sex attractions.  But because even one ex-gay proves that homosexual behavior is not innate or immutable, the gay lobby’s fear of their former members results in false claims and attacks aimed at preventing homosexuals from exercising their right to self-determination. They cannot bear to have even one homosexual leave homosexuality, hence their outrage at Dr. Bachmann.

I know because I am ex-gay myself.  I suffer more harassment as a former homosexual than I ever did as an out and proud homosexual.

The ex-gay community includes thousands of former homosexuals like myself who benefited from counseling.  We did not choose our homosexual feelings, but we did exercise our right to seek help to change those feelings.  As a registered nurse, I saw hundreds of gay men die of AIDS before I finally left the gay lifestyle.

Contrary to the myths being generated by outraged homosexuals, counseling for unwanted same-sex attractions is not prohibited by any medical association.  Unhappy homosexuals are not children in need of parental permission and can freely choose their own therapeutic treatment just like anyone else.

The Bachmann incident demonstrates that as homosexuals gain more civil rights, heterosexuals are losing theirs.  Because gays are a wealthy and politically powerful minority, they claim access to media attention, political power and corporate influence that middle America does not have.

Dependent on the wealth of the gay community for his election and reelection campaigns, President Obama vigorously implements gay, bisexual and transgender policies at every level of the federal government, yet omits the only unpopular status of sexual orientation — that of ex-gay.  But to his credit, Obama refused to cave in to homosexuals when they demanded he remove ex-gay singer Donnie McClurkin from a campaign fundraiser.

President Obama needs to demonstrate that kind of courage once more, and support those who change their sexual orientation as much as he supports those who change their gender. But who will ask him? A jittery media fearful of gay reprisals remain silent, a further testament to homosexual influence and power.

While the media look the other way, the ex-gay community is being harassed and publicly denounced by unforgiving gay activists because of our unpopular sexual orientation.

Wayne Besen of the hate group Truth Wins Out, and other modern day Sauls, stalk and expose ‘out’ ex-gays in a negative light to ensure that they retreat back into the closet.  Lambda Legal supports the establishment of GLBT Centers at public universities but blocks any attempt at ex-gay equal access.  Corporate shareholder resolutions to include ex-gays in anti-discrimination policies are repeatedly defeated by the gay community.

The Human Rights Campaign demands same-sex marriage for gays while fighting ex-gay equality. One of their latest victories is to successfully bully the World Bank into denying funds to ex-gay charities while allowing gay organizations to participate.

Yet ex-gays are not dangerous or deluded as homosexual extremists charge.  We are the National Education Association’s Ex-Gay Educators Caucus.  We are Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays, which successfully sued the District of Columbia government for refusing to recognize former homosexuals in its sexual orientation protections.  We are your doctors, teachers, ministers, family, and neighbors.

The American Psychological Association adheres to a code of ethics which calls on their members to respect a person’s right to self-determination.  Therefore the only question about the Dr. Bachmann news is this:  Should homosexuals have the right to determine heterosexuality?  That is, if a gay man decides he wants to live as a healthy heterosexual, as I decided, should homosexuals have the right to veto that decision?

The answer will determine if America is to be ruled by a politically powerful minority like the gay community, or if equality and justice for all will prevail.  As for me, I long to live in an America where my friends and I are not hounded by gay activists because I chose to change from gay to straight.

###

Greg Quinlan is President of Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays and Executive Director of Equality and Justice For All.

http://pfox-exgays.blogspot.com/2011/07/michelle-bachman-and-ex-gays.html

Frank Turek

Editor’s Note/Correction: our original story labeled Frank Turek as an “employee” of Cisco Systems. Turek was in fact a vendor with Cisco (with high marks for his performance). Thus he lacked the protections of an actual employee. This does not detract from the main story of Cisco’s hypocrisy and anti-Christian bigotry (we call it homo-fascism), which led Turek to be fired abruptly for his private, pro-traditional-marriage advocacy — by a company that champions “diversity.”  — Peter LaBarbera

_________________________________

Below is a reprint of a Townhall.com column by Christian apologist Frank Turek, an eloquent defender of natural (i.e., real) marriage – who was recently fired as a vendor by Cisco Systems (408-526-4000) due to his off-the-job, pro-family advocacy. Turek’s sudden firing was instigated by a homosexual fellow-employee at Cisco who — acting like a homo-fascist — turned in Turek to the Cisco authorities (actually an HR exec), despite the latter’s stellar and completely professional work record.

Conservative columnist Mike Adams has written three terrific pieces about “diversity”-touting Cisco’s outrageous action. (Read them in order HERE, HERE and HERE.) Needless to say, if Turek were a practicing homosexual who had been canned, this would be a huge media story and Cisco would be contracting with the services of GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation).

I have never met Mr. Turek – I’ve only read some of his excellent columns – but I gather that he is a compassionate man who models the Christian ideal of speaking the Truth boldly, in love. One reason I deduce this is that while attending (undercover) the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force “Creating Change” meeting earlier this year, I listened as a homosexual activist described (to a room full of fellow “gay” activists) a church talk given by Turek that he had attended as a critic. The homosexual advocate described Turek’s presentation and demeanor as kind and bereft of malice. This particular LGBT activist works diligently to convert Christians to a pro-“gay rights” mindset, and yet – even as he opposed Turek’s ideas – he found no hatred for homosexuals in the man. (You can buy Turek’s book, “Correct, Not Politically Correct: How Same-Sex ‘Marriage’ Hurts Everyone” HERE; and watch him debate atheist Christopher Hitchens HERE; also see Turek’s outstanding Christian youth site here: http://crossexamined.org/.)

The bottom line for Christians and opponents of homosexuality who are not silent about their moral beliefs? If it’s OK to fire Frank Turek merely because he disagrees with homosexuality and “same-sex marriage,” then you, too, are vulnerable. Christians and all defenders of sexual normalcy: we have no other choice but to fight back against the emerging liberal homo-fascism — unless you are content to live as a muted serf in the land of the “free.” – Peter LaBarbera, www.aftah.org 

Write Cisco here:

Mr. John Chambers
Office of the President
Cisco Systems, Inc.
Mail Stop SJC10/5/4
300 East Tasman Drive
San Jose, California 95134

Phone: 408-526-4000; hit “0″ for operator

________________________________________

Frank Turek’s column in Townhall: 

Sex at Work?

6/28/2011  Townhall.com

Are you supposed to have sex at work? I guess it depends on your profession, but for most of us the answer is “no.” Why then is corporate America obsessed with training about sex?

As described in several recent columns by Mike Adams, I was fired as a vendor by Cisco for my conservative beliefs about sex and marriage even though my beliefs were never expressed on the job. When a homosexual manager found out on the Internet that I had authored a book giving evidence that maintaining our current marriage laws would be best for society, he couldn’t tolerate me and requested I be fired. An HR executive canned me within hours without ever speaking to me. This happened despite the fact that the leadership and teambuilding programs I led always received high marks (even from the homosexual manager!).

How could an experienced HR professional commit such a blatant act of discrimination unless the Cisco culture was decidedly tilted left? Why didn’t Cisco’s relentless emphasis and training on “inclusion and diversity” serve to prevent this? Maybe it’s because “inclusion and diversity” means something different to corporate elites than to normal Americans. That’s why their training didn’t prevent the problem but actually created an environment of intolerance that led to the problem.

Cisco’s chief “Inclusion and Diversity” officer, Ms. Marilyn Nagel, had trouble on the phone defining what “inclusion and diversity” actually means at Cisco, so she sent me several links from the Cisco website. As in our conversation, I found no specific definition on the website but plenty of platitudes, such as Cisco is committed to “valuing and encouraging different perspectives, styles, thoughts, and ideas.”

If that’s the case, then why not value my “perspectives, styles, thoughts and ideas?”

Because only certain perspectives, styles, thoughts and ideas are approved, you see. “Inclusion and diversity” to corporate elites actually means exclusion for those that don’t agree with the approved views. Whoops, there goes “diversity.”

Shouldn’t the real intent of Cisco’s value of “inclusion and diversity” be to ensure that people in that diverse workforce work together cordially and professionally even when they inevitably disagree on certain political, moral or religious questions? It would seem so. In a large multicultural workforce, people need to work together despite political or religious differences. That’s a noble and necessary goal. It’s totalitarian, however, to subject people to “diversity” training and corporate sponsorships that go beyond teaching respect for people to advocacy of what they do in bed.

All employees should treat one another with kindness and respect because they are fellow human beings, not because of their sexual behavior. If people are to be respected simply on the basis of their behavior, then none of us qualify for respect because we have all behaved badly on occasion.

So instead of trying to force all employees to accept any sexual behavior—especially something as controversial as homosexuality—the inclusion and diversity police should be urging us to treat all people with respect simply because we are human beings. That’s all you need to be productive at work anyway.

But as soon as you start telling people from different religious and cultural backgrounds what they must think about homosexuality, you will offend and create conflict andr resentment. As a Christian, I am commanded to respect all people. That’s what I was doing at Cisco. But don’t tell me that I have to respect and celebrate what people do in bed. Don’t tell me that I must violate my conscience or my God in order to make widgets. That’s not only immoral and un-American; it’s manipulative and stupid. How does accepting homosexual behavior have anything to do with job productivity? Are we supposed to have sex at work?

There simply is no business reason to judge my beliefs about sexual behavior or anyone else’s. And even if some corporate nanny could dream up a reason, it would not justify the assault on an employee’s conscience or religion.

Notice that Cisco did not have a problem with my behavior. My job performance was deemed excellent, and I was “inclusive and diverse” by working in a respectful manner with people of all moral, religious and political views.

Cisco had a problem with my thoughts. Although I certainly accepted homosexuals, I committed the thought crime of disagreeing with homosexual behavior and homosexual political goals. So despite all their talk about “inclusion and diversity,” Cisco deemed my thoughts about something irrelevant to the workplace as grounds for immediate exclusion. Do you think they would have excluded me if I had pro-same-sex marriage thoughts? Of course not—that’s an approved view that Cisco actually sponsors (even though they deny it).

But people who don’t accept homosexual behavior don’t have to work at Cisco then!

True, they don’t. But if Cisco or any other company wants to make it a requirement that every employee and vendor personally accept the behavior of homosexuality or homosexual political goals such as same-sex marriage, then tell us directly. Broadcast it to the world. Cisco can’t and won’t because such a requirement would be a clear violation of the religious protections codified in the Civil Rights Act, and it would result in a mass exodus of employees and customers.

Instead, they create an oppressive culture of political correctness under the false banner of “inclusion and diversity” to achieve the same ends. They tell the world that they value and encourage “different perspectives, styles, thoughts, and ideas” while they punish or intimidate into silence people who have “different perspectives, styles, thoughts, and ideas.” While Cisco executives would never admit this, their actions reveal this twisted truth: Cisco values homosexual behavior more than honesty, freedom of religion and freedom of conscience.

Is it the same at your workplace? Are you tired of having to hide your conservative or religious beliefs as if you live in a totalitarian state rather than America? If you continue to cower in silence before an intolerant militant minority, it will only get worse. To paraphrase Edmund Burke, “All that is necessary for evil to prevail is for good people to do nothing.” It’s time to do something—speak up.

Note: it is outrageous that the State of lllinois would even consider FORCING religious adoption agencies (or irreligious agencies, for that matter) to place children in homes that are motherless or fatherless by design. Adults (proudly) practicing homosexuality are not good role models for impressionable children, who need a mom and a dad. (No, the sexes are not  interchangeable.) The new Illinois “Civil Unions” law — rammed through Springfield in a lame-duck session — must be repealed to preserve religious liberty in the Land of Lincoln. ”Exemptions” — even if they are strengthened – won’t preserve freedom.

In the meantime, a new movement has been launched to place an Advisory Referendum on “same-sex marriage” (and “civil unions”) on the Illinois ballot in 2012. Almost 300,000 signatures of Illinos voters must be gathered and turned into the Illlinois Board of Elections by April 2012 to make that happen. To get involved, go to www.DefendMarriageIllinois.org and download a petition and instructions. — Peter LaBarbera, www.aftah.org   

______________________________________________

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                     

CONTACT:  Tom Ciesielka, 312-422-1333; tc@tcpr.net; June 7, 2011                                                                                                                   

Catholic Leaders Take Legal Action Over Risk of Losing Foster Care Services

Catholic Charities in Illinois Seek Remedy for Best Interests of Children, Families

(SPRINGFIELD, IL) Leaders of three Catholic dioceses – the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois, Peoria and Joliet – took legal action today as their charities fight to continue their work in serving the best interests of thousands of needy children and families throughout the state.

In March of this year, the Attorney General’s office issued a letter stating that the office “received notice that Catholic Charities … discriminates against Illinois citizens based on race, marital status and sexual orientation” in the provision of foster care and adoption services and demanded that Catholic Charities turn over a wide range of documents in response. The June 1 law authorizing civil unions in Illinois has raised further questions and criticism about Catholic Charities’ longstanding position not to place children for adoption and foster care with non-married couples who live together – regardless of sexual orientation.

This lawsuit, filed in Sangamon County Circuit Court, seeks a declaration that the charities are in full compliance with Illinois law in their current practices and an injunction against further action by Illinois government officials to the contrary. The charities argue both that the Illinois Human Rights Act exempts religious adoption agencies from the provisions relied upon by the Attorney General’s office and that the new Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act includes an express protection for the religious freedom of entities like Catholic Charities.

The charities ask the court to declare that they are legally justified to continue their current practices of working only with married couples and single, non-cohabiting individuals. Civil union couples are free to choose among dozens of other organizations for these services.

“Child welfare advocates know it is in the best interest of Illinois children for Catholic Charities to stay in this business,” said Steven Roach, Executive Director for Catholic Charities in the Springfield Diocese. “It’s tragic that there are people who believe unnecessarily disrupting the lives of thousands of vulnerable children is an acceptable outcome in this situation.”

Catholic Charities have served thousands of children and families with top-quality, nurturing care since 1921 and handle about 20 percent of the cases in Illinois. Charities’ leaders are extremely concerned what will happen with those children and families if they are forced out of this work.

“Religious and faith-based entities need not check their beliefs at the door when providing vital social services for the benefit of needy and vulnerable children and families in Illinois. Catholic Charities has a clear right under Illinois law to pursue its charitable good works in the true spirit of the Gospels and the Sermon on the Mount, faithful to the essential tenets of its Catholic faith. We will advocate strongly to protect Catholic Charities’ continuing its mission of social service,” said Tom Brejcha of the Thomas More Society, which is representing the charities in the lawsuit.

About the Thomas More Society

Formed in 1997, the Thomas More Society is a national public interest law firm based in Chicago. The Society defends religious liberty, marriage, and the sanctity of human life in courtrooms across the country. For more information, please visit www.thomasmoresociety.org.

###

The following presentation [click HERE to listen] is excerpted from a speech by Liberty University School of Law Prof. Rena Lindevaldsen was made at the Truth Academy in Columbus, Ohio, April 1-2, 2011 — sponsored jointly by Americans For Truth About Homosexuality and Mission America. We aired Prof. Lindevaldsen’s talk (edited down slightly from the original, without the ‘Q&A’ session) on the “Americans For Truth Hour” radio program May 21, 2011. Lindevaldsen discusses the escalating ”gay” activist campaign to establish homosexuality — and same-sex “marriage” – as a “civil right.” She discusses the growing threat to religious and First Amendment freedoms arising from pro-homosexual court rulings and policies. Lindevaldsen explains how President Obama is undermining the Defense of Marriage Act, and warns that religious liberty will suffer a crushing blow if homosexuals receive favored “suspect class” status in the law. NOTE: All of Prof. Lindevaldsen’t excellent presentations at AFTAH’s Truth Academies are available below:

Order Truth Academy Sets: DVDs of Chicago 2010 or CDs of Columbus 2011 – Rena Lindevaldsen has spoken at both of AFTAH’s Truth Academies.  Columbus 2011: A 13-CD AUDIO set of this year’s two-day Truth Academy in Columbus, OH – co-sponsored by Mission America — is available for just $49 postpaid.  This 13-CD set includes the full talk above by Prof. Lindevaldsen, as well as presentations by Greg Quinlan, Matt Barber, Linda Harvey, Gary Glenn, Prof. Rob Gagnon, Peter LaBarbera and WorldNetDaily’s David Kupelian. Chicago 2010: A DVD-video set of the entire three-day Truth Academy — featuring two talks by Rena Lindevaldsen — is available for $89 (including postage). Other Chicago speakers include: Robert Knight, Barber, Quinlan, Ryan Sorba, Laurie Higgins, Gagnon, Arthur Goldberg, Cliff Kincaid and AFTAH President Peter LaBarbera. Double order discount: Order BOTH Truth Academy sets (the Chicago DVD-VIDEO and the Columbus CD-AUDIO) for a discount price of $129 (postage included). Send your check and specify your order to AFTAH, PO Box 5522, Naperville, IL 60567-5522; or give online at www.americansfortruth.com/donate/ (please use PayPal if possible). Send queries to americans

HOW TO LISTEN: This is an mp3 file, supported in most operating systems by Windows Media Player, Quick Time and/or I-Tunes.  Do not use Real Player.  It is not supported and there may be difficulty listening with it.  Left click once on the link below to play.  (Please be patient, depending upon the speed of your internet connection it may take a moment or two to load.)  OR right click the link then “save target as” to download the whole show.

5-21-11, Prof. Rena Lindevaldsen

Pro-family advocates in Chicago rally against the new "Civil Unions" law in Illinois. The bill, HB 1716, was passed in a lame-duck session and ironically called the "Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Unions Act" despite the fact that its passage immediately put Illinois citizens' religious and First Amendment liberties in jeopardy. Photo by Lynn Thomas; click to enlarge.

Americans For Truth About Homosexuality (www.aftah.org); June 1, 2011

Contact: Peter LaBarbera: 630-717-7631; americansfortruth@gmail.com

CHICAGO–Peter LaBarbera, president of Americans For Truth About Homosexuality and a principal behind the Illinois Defense of Marriage Initiative (www.DefendMarriageIL.org), issued the following statement on the new Illinois “Civil Unions” law that takes effect today:

Homosexual behavior is always wrong, according to the broad sweep of Judeo-Christian history, so it is tragic to behold the State of Illinois – or any government entity – recognizing immoral same-sex relationships and treating them like marriage. Moreover, for the City of Chicago and Gov. Pat Quinn to celebrate homosexuality with a mass Civil Union ceremony June 2^nd is an act of hubris and defiance toward the Creator that mocks His wonderful plan for real marriage – the sacred union of a man and a woman to produce children and family. The pandering Quinn – epitomizing the modern Democratic politician –mocks his own professed Catholicism by working tirelessly to undermine its clear moral dictates.

The anti-Christian Civil Unions law must be repealed. It was passed in a lame-duck session that once again revealed the contempt that liberal Illinois lawmakers have for the citizens they are supposed to serve. Ironically, shortly after passage of this bill – mischievously titled the Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Unions Act –religious liberty for Illinois citizens and religious institutions was immediately put in jeopardy. A homosexual male couple targeted Paxton, Illinois, bed-and-breakfast owners Jim and Beth Walder – who now face prosecution by the State because they refuse – as Christians – to hold “civil union” ceremonies celebrating homosexuality on their own business property. And the Rockford Diocese’s Catholic Charities announced that it will halt its state-funded foster care and adoption services rather than be forced by the State of Illinois to place children in same-sex households that are motherless or fatherless by design.

These sad developments in the Land of Lincoln constitute further proof that homosexuality-based “rights” and religious freedom cannot co-exist. “Gay” activism – empowered by Illinois’ “sexual orientation” law and the new Civil Unions law — will drive out the free expression of religion and morality, which must include the right to oppose sexual behavior historically regarded as disordered and sinful. (Thankfully, homosexuality is also changeable, as evidenced by Chicago Christian ex-lesbian Linda Jernigan, who spoke at Friday’s rally launching the Illinois Defense of Marriage Initiative.)  [Upcoming Event Notice: Jernigan will be giving a dinner-lecture at AFTAH's office in Carol Stream, IL, 25W560 Geneva Rd., on Friday, June 17th, on the topic "What's Wrong with 'Gay Pride'?"; e-mail us for more information: americansfortruth@gmail.com.]

Already, there are “conservative, pro-family” defeatists who argue that the radical Civil Unions bill cannot be repealed. It’s funny how “gay” activists never display such timidity. The well-financed Homosexual Lobby sees “Civil Unions” as a mere pathway to full, legalized “same-sex marriage.” We must work diligently to repeal this anti-Christian law, while also collecting 300,000 signatures to put a referendum on “same-sex marriage” on the Illinois ballot in 2012. Also, we will continue to push for House Speaker Mike Madigan to stop blocking a vote on a binding constitutional marriage amendment that will permanently prevent the radical redefinition of marriage in our state.

Dear AFTAH Readers,

Homo-fascism is escalating, and good people — and the national interest – are its tragic victims.  The idea that Americans should be smeared as ”hateful” because they take a stand against oxymoronic “same-sex marriage” — when citizens in 31 states voted to defend traditional (real) marriage — is beyond absurd.  (In fact, it is hateful!)  The name of the game is INTIMIDATION — and after so many years of practice, the “gay” activists are quite good at it.  But their strategy could not work without the liberal media acting as a de facto arm of the Homosexual Lobby.

Of course, my heart goes out to Peter Vidmar — and all victims of homosexualist intolerance — but at some point leaders will have to stand up to the “gay” bullies or America will cease to be a free land.  You can call or write Vidmar (760-603-8010) using THIS FORM, or send him an e-mail at info@speakersoffice.com.  To call Congress to voice your strong opposition to the Employment Non-Discrimination Act – a federal “sexual orientation” bill that would surely create thousands of new “Peter Vidmars” (always in the name of “tolerance” and ”gay civil rights,” of course…) – call 202-224-3121 (Senate) or 202-225-3121 (House).  Or go to www.Congress.org.  [More info on ENDA: Click HERE for a GovTrack report on the 2011 version of ENDA, HR 1397; click HERE to read my piece: "14 Good Reasons to Oppose the 'ENDA Our Freedom' Bill"]

Stay strong: the homo-fascists may be winning now, but Americans will see through their schemes, and fight back against their evil agenda of demonizing religious people by equating the defense of historic Judeo-Christian values with  ”hate and bigotry.”  – Peter LaBarbera, www.aftah.org; americansfortruth@gmail.com    

American Family Association’s “One News Now” reports:

_______________________________________________________

Gold medalist resigns, thanks to pro-’gay’ criticism

Charlie Butts – OneNewsNow – 5/12/2011 [Click HERE to read story online; to listen to the report, click the microphone icon at the upper right of the story on the One News Now page.]

Pressure from homosexual activist groups has compelled the head of the 2012 U.S. Olympic gymnastics team to quit.

Two-time gymnastics gold medal winner Peter Vidmar has resigned upon receiving harsh criticism from homosexual and lesbian athletes and activists, who complained that he had donated $2,000 to promote California’s Proposition 8, which defines marriage as between one man and one woman.

“I wish that Peter Vidmar had not resigned,” laments Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality (AFTAH). “I wish that he’d stood up for his right to defend marriage, and I wish that he’d forced them to fire him if that’s what they were going to do, because that would engender the sort of national discussion that we need against this escalating intolerance against…opposition to gay marriage.”

And he disagrees with openly homosexual Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir, who describes Vidmar’s position on marriage as “disgraceful.”

“How dare he seek to marginalize Peter Vidmar, who simply stood up for his beliefs,” LaBarbera contends. “Most people believe that marriage is between a man and a woman. The radical redefinition of marriage still does not have majority support in this country, despite the huge media blitz in support of it.”

The AFTAH president concludes that the homosexual movement is clearly “seeking to intimidate people into silence, and we’ve got to stand up to their bullying.”

Maggie Gallagher, chairman of the National Organization for Marriage, does not fault Vidmar for his decision. She told CitizenLink that the Olympic medalist’s entire career and livelihood were at risk when the “gay rights movement decided to go after him.” Vidmar, she points out, is currently one of the leading corporate motivational speakers in America.

April 21, 2011 [WARNING: Offensive content in video] 

This man in drag and member of the "Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence" is wearing a shirt that says "Bottom For Jesus" at the sadistic-sex-celebrating Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco in 2007. "Bottom" refers to the receiving position in anal sodomy. Every year on Easter Sunday, the "Sisters" hosts the blasphemous "Hunky Jesus" contest. See video below, and click on photo above to enlarge.

Contact: Peter LaBarbera: americansfortruth@gmail.com  

CHICAGO – This Easter Sunday in San Francisco’s Delores Park, Christianity-spoofing homosexual drag queen “nuns” calling themselves the “Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence” will stage their annual “Hunky Jesus” contest — mocking the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ — as shirtless men in “crucifixion” costumes parade on stage in an atmosphere of haughty, homoerotic humor. 

The profane and shockingly insensitive spectacle illustrates the secular, pro-“gay” Left’s hypocrisy in demanding “respect” for homosexuals and transsexuals — even as they cynically mock Christ and true religion on the holiest day of the year for Christians, says Peter LaBarbera, president of Americans For Truth About Homosexuality (AFTAH). 

“There’s nothing that delights arrogant, pro-homosexual liberals more than making fun of Bible-believing Christians – as evidenced by this blasphemous Easter ‘contest,’” LaBarbera said. “Of course, it goes without saying that these defiant champions of ‘tolerance and diversity’ wouldn’t dare hold a ‘Hunky Muhammad’ contest during Ramadan — so it seems even envelope-pushing, in-your-face, pro-perversion libertines know their limits. (Muslims: beware: LGBT activists will end up hating you as much as they hate Christians.)” [Watch YouTube below; press release continues after the page jump and video:] 

LaBarbera said the “Hunky Jesus” contest symbolizes the contempt that many homosexual militants have for God and religion. Politically this translates into their growing advocacy of pro-homosexuality laws that use State power to crush Americans’ historic religious and First Amendment liberties – i.e., to reject homosexuality and other immoral, destructive behaviors. 

“Gay activists are out of the closet in their plans to criminalize Christianity insofar as it relates to their particular politically-correct sin,” he said, “One way they do that is by reviling and ridiculing committed Christians and others who oppose homosexuality — portraying them as sociopaths and the heartless equivalent of deranged racists. But the fact that African-Americans now poll strongest against ‘same-sex marriage’ throws a wrench into this evil ‘frame.’” 

LaBarbera said the “Hunky Jesus” contest – despicable as it is — actually is less threatening to Christendom than the escalating campaign by “LGBT” activists to re-define Christianity and other religions as “gay-friendly.” 

“Homosexual political groups are strategizing on how best to persuade evangelicals that supporting pro-homosexuality-laws including ‘same-sex marriage’ is part of the Christian’s duty to ‘love thy neighbor,’” he said. “Who knew that creating a system of superior legal ‘rights’ based on a sin that God’s own Word, the Bible, says is ‘detestable’ was part of the divine plan?! 

“Truth is, the most compassionate thing a Christian can do for people practicing homosexuality is to reach out to them with the Gospel – with an uncompromising ‘tough love’ that says proud homosexuality is never part of God’s plan for anyone’s life. The same Jesus Christ whom the San Francisco liberals mock not only will judge them one day – but He has helped innumerable men and women — like Trace McNutt and Denise Jones — leave homosexuality behind.”

Apple Inc. has dropped two pro-family "apps" from its iPhone following protest campaigns by homosexual activists.

TAKE ACTION: Contact Apple Inc regarding its open hostility to faith-based customers defending traditional morality and its capitulation to homosexual activists. Call 408-996-1010.

Apple Inc.
1 Infinite Loop
Cupertino, CA 95014
408-996-1010

By Peter LaBarbera

On Wednesday, Apple Inc. succumbed to a web-based homosexual lobbying blitz demanding that it drop an “app” for the ex-”gay” ministry Exodus International from its iPhone. This capitulation is only the latest to reward a creeping ’homo-fascism’ that is spreading across America and the world — and which is integral to the wider LGBT activist strategy of demonizing and marginalizing religious people opposed to homosexuality. We don’t use this term lightly — the Homosexual Lobby’s hardball strategy is built on lies, intimidation and even bullying of well-meaning, compassionate Christians and religious people who simply disagree with the practice of homosexuality.

Incredibly, a tiny Sexual Sin Lobby–  purporting to represent perhaps 1-2 percent (or less) of any given population — presumes to dictate to the rest of us what is and is not acceptable speech, ideas, and conduct with regard to homosexuality and same-sex “marriage.” (They even claim to be the arbiter of what is ”love” and “hate.”) The failure of the national media — stuck in “gays-as-victims” mode – to question the growing pro-LGBT intolerance, demonization, and oppression of adherents to Judeo-Christian  moral teachings, itself contributes greatly to the persecution of people of faith.

How absurd that in a nation still split on the morality of homosexuality (despite the media’s and Hollywood’s relentless pro-homosexual bias), only groups that encourage the embrace of this unhealthy and unnatural behavior are to be tolerated and receive corporate and government support. Even more ridiculous is the idea of affixing a ”civil rights” label to homosexual militants like ”Truth Wins Out” (TWO) who are devoted to crushing the civil rights and voice of opposing pro-family advocates. Good is evil. Evil is good (Isaiah 5:20). (Click HERE and especially HERE to read TWO’s rationale for opposing the Exodus iPhone app; it is typical of homosexual activist arguments that conflate disagreement with TWO’s pro-homosexual ideology with “hate.”)

Exodus’ ‘niceness’ gets them nowhere

There are some interesting side stories and ironies to this second of two Apple cave-ins to LGBT pressure-campaigns. One is that Exodus International — a leading umbrella group for people desiring to abandon homosexual practice or resist unwanted same-sex desires – has gone out of its way (too far, in our view) NOT to offend homosexual activists. And look where it got them. In fact, a while back Exodus declared that it was disengaging from the ”Culture War” over homosexuality (in favor of ministry pursuits) – yet now it is thrust right back into it. This is a lesson for all naive Christians who think that by somehow sidestepping the cultural battle over homosexuality, it won’t rage on,  with homosexual activists attempting to muzzle the Gospel.

Christians and moral-minded Americans MUST actively defend truth on this issue against the many “gay” lies (even the activist term “gay” is a lie…) — and realize that the end-game of the LGBT movement (not all, but many self-styled “queer” activists) is to shut down critics and alternative voices on this issue – first in the private sector, and then using Government power. Aggressive homo-fascism hates dissent, religious or otherwise. For goodness sake, 31 out of 31 states provided the opportunity have voted down “same-sex marriage,” and yet opposition to same sex marriage is now widely derided as “hate” by all major homosexualist organizations!

What Exodus’ well-intentioned leaders — and millions of “ministry-minded” Christians — do not understand regarding this cultural debate is that no matter how “nice” you are to the likes of TWO, the only thing that counts is that you oppose homosexual behavior. Though Christians must lovingly extend the Gospel of grace and salvation through Jesus Christ to all sexual strugglers, we also must stand against the growing tyranny engendered and envisioned by pro-homosexual militants. The expanding list of victimized Christians [click HERE and HERE] makes clear: our very freedom to act on our beliefs and to preach the full Gospel to all sinners, including people practicing homosexuality, is in danger. (Of course, LGBT activists claim to support religious freedom, but what good is liberty if we cannot publicly proclaim and act upon our historic biblical beliefs about sex, marriage and family?)

Cultural bullies

Far from being victims, the best way to think of name-calling homosexual activists like TWO’s Wayne Besen is as bullies: the more you try to appease them – e.g., by constantly apologizing for alleged “anti-gay hate” in the Church, or adopting the dubious semantics of “gay rights” and “gay” identity (at the expense of biblical fidelity) – the more they sense weakness, leading them to castigate and target you all the more.

A sexual/gender movement built upon the Big Lie that changeable sexual perversion is the basis for: a) a healthy identity; and b) ”civil rights” has zero respect for the religious beliefs and freedoms of citizens committed to God’s Truth. And, of course, any “civil rights” movement that aggressively seeks to deny the civil and religious liberties of others is, well, not a civil rights movement at all.

Truth Wins Out: the real haters

Demonizaton of opponents is critical to the LGBT campaign to push Christians and moral critics of homosexuality out of the cultural debate over homosexuality. Take special note of “Truth Wins Out’s” preposterous characterization of Exodus as “hateful and bigoted.” Any rational observer who compares TWO’s and Exodus’ rhetoric will see who the real “haters” are, and it’s not Exodus. TWO regularly engages in extreme, ad hominem, and blatantly anti-Christian rhetoric. (Wayne Besen proudly came up with the ugly “Porno Pete” smear to tar this writer.) Substituting “gay” ideology for reality, they simply deny the existence of former homosexuals — and then they have the gall to accuse others of “dehumanization.” (Recall that homosexual activists once chanted, “We here, we’re queer, get used to it!”…) TWO actively demonizes anyone who goes public about overcoming homosexuality in their life – and especially mocks those who claim to have done so with the divine help of Christ. (Besen’s snarky attack-slogan for Christian, ex-homosexual overcomers is “Pray Away the Gay.”)

Media enablers

Homosexualist intolerance would not so easily flourish if the “mainstream” (liberal) media were not almost completely sold out to the “gay rights” cause. Too often reporters and editors cater to the left-wing notion that ideas (especially Christian ones) are hateful, as opposed to actual actions and speech that are objectively caustic, hateful and mean-spirited.  The lack of media accountablity enables and empowers homosexual activists’ who employ an end-justifies-the-means rationale to fight and vilify the “haters” — including shutting down their speech.

To be sure, the Gay Thought Police’s penchant for squelching the opposition’s voice isn’t new — over a decade ago homosexual activists led by GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) lobbied major media to deny ads featuring happy ex-”gays” — but there is a special intensity to the current censorship campaign, perhaps due to the media’s suffocating political correctness.

Precious few journalists are willing to call out the Homosexual Lobby on its totalitarian-like, censorious approach to ideas and biblical/religious truths that it does not like, so we must. Christians need to wake up and stay fully engaged in this raging Culture War before it is too late and our freedom to disagree with homosexuality is destroyed.

Fellow advocate of godly morality, please understand this: militants on the homosexual-bisexual-transgender Left hate you enough to shut down your voice anywhere they can. If you value Truth and your constitutional, God-given freedom to defend it, do not let them.

–Peter LaBarbera, www.AFTAH.org; write me at americansfortruth@gmail.com

____________________________________________

The following is reprinted from LifeSiteNews; March 23, 2011; [to sign up for LifeSite's e-News updates, go HERE]

Apple pulls ex-gay app after complaints from gay activists

CUPERTINO, California, March 23, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Apple has now pulled the iPhone application that caused such a stir this week after the homosexual activist group Truth Wins Out (TWO) complained that it was “hateful and bigoted.”

This marks the second time that Apple has pulled an app because it promoted a traditional Christian view of homosexuality. In November of last year Apple pulled an app created for the Manhattan Declaration, a pro-life and pro-family document signed by nearly 500,000 people. The app was attacked because it opposed same-sex “marriage.”

The recent app, created by the international Christian ex-gay ministry Exodus International and available through Apple’s online iTunes store, originally received a 4+ rating from Apple, meaning that it was found to contain no objectionable content. The app provided a gateway to the ministry’s news, blog, podcasts, and other social networking and resource materials.

Exodus International denied that the app was aimed at “curing” homosexuality, as was claimed by its critics.  “In no way shape or form is our message about trying to cure or do we try to promote that type of methodology or message,” Jeff Buchanan, Exodus International’s Senior Director of Church Equipping & Student Ministries, told The Christian Post.

“This is a label that has been put forth by opponents to the application to serve as propaganda in order to stigmatize and really label the application in a false way and provoking a response such as you are seeing with the application.”

Meanwhile, TWO and Change.org praised Apple for removing the app.  “Apple made a wise and responsible decision to dump an offensive app that demonized gay and lesbian people,” said Wayne Besen, Executive Director of Truth Wins Out. “The real winners today are LGBT youth who are safer and less at risk for receiving Exodus’ malice and misinformation.”

“We’re thrilled that Apple has removed this ‘gay cure’ app from the iTunes store after more than 150,000 people signed this petition,” said Mike Jones, Editor at Change.org, the platform used by TWO to launch the petition. “The message Apple is sending here is clear: there is no place for ‘ex-gay therapy’ on the Apple platform.”

TWO claimed the app “relied on twisting legitimate research” to “dehumanize LGBT people” and by dropping the app, Apple joined the line of “every respected mental health organization in the nation.”
“We are disheartened at the fact that there are activists who are rising up to silence our voice on the Exodus iTunes platform,” Exodus’ Buchanan said on Tuesday. “We want to ask that there would be fair and equal representation of religious belief on this platform.”

“We are helping those who have unwanted same-sex attractions. Those who are gay or identify themselves that way, in no way, shape or form are we trying to speak to their position or trying to impose anything upon them,” he said.  “Exodus believes the opposite of homosexuality is not heterosexuality. It is holiness. We promote the belief that one can live a life that is congruent with their faith. That is our mission – period.”

Contact:

Apple Inc.
1 Infinite Loop
Cupertino, CA 95014
408.996.1010