Promoting Human Wrongs in the Name of Human Rights: HRC and its president, Joe Solmonese, love to smear defenders of traditional marriage and the Bible’s teaching on homosexuality (including preachers) as “haters” and “extremists.” Barack Obama demeans the office of the presidency of the United States by celebrating this radical and profoundly anti-Christian organization.

President Barack Obama is telegraphing his left-wing sympathies and defiance of America’s historic, Judeo-Christian-based morality to the world. The same man who didn’t have time for the National Day of Prayer has worked into his busy schedule a keynote address at a fundraiser Saturday for the world’s largest homosexual lobby group — one that glories in its anti-religious bigotry (masquerading as tolerance, of course). Yes, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is really all about Human Wrongs — whether it’s demonizing as “extremists” Americans who are simply trying to protect the age-old definition of marriage; crusading for legislation that denies our First Amendment right to defend normalcy and Judeo-Christian mores; lobbying for taxpayer funding of transsexual “sex-change” mutilations operations; or its ongoing attempt to redefine the clear Word of God to serve the sinful cause of “proud” homosexuality. (HRC’s Harry Knox — an Obama “faith council” appointee — outrageously calls his own homosexuality a “gift from God.”) At bottom is the HRC press release below highlighting Obama’s address Saturday evening.

Obama’s friend, HRC President Joe Solmonese (above left), is to true respect and “tolerance” what John Edwards and Mark Sanford are to “family values.” Solmonese revels in his role as D.C.’s top homosexual power-broker. A former exec with the pro-abortion PAC EMILY’s List, he embodies the spirit of the age that elevates subjective feelings and libertine, godless ideologies over timeless revelation of right versus wrong. Moreover, Solmonese and fellow “queer” advocates arrogantly behave as if there is no legitimate “other side” to their homosexual movement. He has no problem castigating religious foes of the homosexualist agenda — including pastors, who he accuses of “preaching hatred from the pulpit” for merely agreeing with God about homosexual sin. (Much as they hate religious “fundamentalists,” those homosexual activists sure do have their own set of absolute “fundamentals” down pat, huh?)

Solmonese even has the chutzpah to accuse the Vatican of having a “truth” problem when the Catholic Church tries to deal with its crisis caused by homosexual priests (you know, the ones with a sexual preference for adolescent boys). What he and fellow “gay” activists call a witch-hunt was actually an attempt by the church to prevent further man-boy predations that have badly damaged its reputation. When the pope condemns same-sex “marriage,” HRC and Solmonese dismiss him as “anti-gay” and say he is out to divide “faithful Catholics.” (Last I heard, people who champion sins are not called “faithful.”)

I remember way, way back when HRC joined other “gay” organizations in blacking out its websites following the murder of college student Matt Shepard — and shamelessly used the tragedy as an opportunity to promote “Hate Crimes” legislation. They cynically demonized Christian pro-family groups as somehow having a role in the crime. This is a profoundly anti-Christian organization, so when President Obama celebrates HRC and helps it raise funds, he honors their particular brand of animus and bigotry, which equates genuine, God-fearing Christians (and orthodox Jews, and traditional Muslims) with “hatred” and vile prejudice. That makes this a hateful act by Mr. Obama, and one that demeans the office of the presidency of the United States. Pray for Obama — he cannot serve both God and a Bible-distorting sin group. You can contact the White House HERE. — Peter LaBarbera, www.aftah.org

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HRC’s press release follows:

President Barack Obama to Deliver Keynote Address at the 13th Annual Human Rights Campaign Dinner

U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy will also present first Edward M. Kennedy National Leadership Award to Judy and Dennis Shepard

10/5/2009

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization, announced today that President Barack Obama will deliver the keynote address at the 13th Annual National Dinner on Saturday, October 10th, in Washington, D.C.  U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy will also present the first-ever Edward M. Kennedy National Leadership Award to Judy and Dennis Shepard.  The award is named in honor of the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA), a champion in the fight for LGBT equality.

“We are honored to share this night with President Obama, who has called upon our nation to embrace LGBT people as brothers and sisters,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese.  “It is fitting that he will speak to our community on the night that we pay tribute to his friend and mentor Senator Edward Kennedy, who knew that as president, Barack Obama would take on the unfinished business of this nation – equal rights for the LGBT community, and for every person who believes in liberty and justice for all.”

The event will begin at 7 p.m. at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.  All media planning to attend the Human Rights Campaign National Dinner must pre-register by Thursday, October 8.  ….

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.

Folks, take a look at the shocking photo at left and the Idaho Statesman article sent our way by conservative blogger Clayton Cramer — about a transsexual prisoner who received a state-funded “sex-change” operation. I agree with Gary Glenn of American Family Association of Michigan about the absurdity of how words are twisted to accommodate the “trans” agenda.

Glenn remarks:

“One of the both most inane and insidious aspects of the ‘transgender’ issue is the mainstream media’s depiction of delusion as if it were reality…

“She cut off her own testicles.”

“She amputated the tip of her penis.”

These reporters must either have mush for brains or, in rare cases, feel like total idiots for being forced to report something so obviously inane.

But this is a delusion that the opposition will compel us all by force of law to treat as reality.  And subsidize with our tax dollars.

Hmmm. I didn’t know “she’s” had testicles, but then again, Gary and I (and Clayton) are just a bunch of “transphobes” (another preposterous GLBT term).

Glenn was reacting to conservative blogger Clayton Cramer, who wisely points out that body-disfiguring “sex change” operations are already funded by the taxpayer, making it likely that they ultimately would be covered under “Obama-care” (just like abortions, by the way). That is, unless Americans stand up and say, “NO!” — Peter LaBarbera, www.aftah.org

TAKE ACTION: Call your Congressman and Senators (202-224-3121; 202-225-3121; www.congress.org) and urge them to reject Obama-care with its likely result of taxpayer-paid abortions and sex-change mutilations operations.  

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Cramer writes:

Why I Get Real Nervous About Government Health Care

By Clayton Cramer

Here’s a purely elective medical treatment being done for convicted felons because a judge ordered it done. From the August 6, 2009 Idaho Statesman:

BOISE, Idaho — The Idaho Department of Correction has settled
lawsuits with two transgender inmates who castrated themselves after
they were denied feminizing hormone therapy.

The terms of the settlements were not disclosed, but the department
has changed its policy for identifying and treating transgender
inmates. The policy now limits the time inmates must wait for
treatment, specifies how they may be diagnosed, and clarifies when
they qualify for hormone therapy.

Josephime Von Isaak sued the state in 2006 and Jenniffer Ann Spencer
sued the following year. Both inmates, who were born with male
anatomy but consider themselves female, contended they were
subjected to cruel and unusual punishment because they were denied
treatment for gender identity disorder.

Spencer was serving time on a 2000 conviction for possession of a
stolen car and escape when she cut off her own testicles with a
disposable razor blade in 2004 an apparent effort to rid her body of
testosterone. Spencer survived the self-castration, and prison
doctors prescribed testosterone replacement therapy – refusing to
prescribe the estrogen Spencer wanted.

Isaak, who is serving a life sentence for second-degree murder, said
she was also compelled to remove her own testicles with a razor in
2004 after the state failed to diagnose and treat her disorder. Even
then, Isaak said in the lawsuit, she went without the estrogen
treatment she wanted, and a year after self-castrating she amputated
the tip of her penis with a razor blade.

The state cited Isaak’s birth gender and schizophrenia diagnosis
when it denied her female hormones and a surgical sex change. In
Spencer’s case, the state said a diagnosis of gender identity
disorder wasn’t warranted and that Spencer had lied about living as
a woman and taking birth control pills before her incarceration.

These are convicted felons — and a judge orders the state to provide them with medical treatment to assist them with self-inflicted sex changes.

What do you suppose the chances are that judges are going to order the “government option” to cover this?

Editor’s Note: we have received several letters in response to this post asking us to clarify that the “Lutherans” in question represent only the liberal Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) — and not the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod, which is the Lutheran denomination that rejects homosexual clergy and remains faithful to Scripture and the historic tenets of the Christian faith. 

By Peter LaBarbera

The recent vote by liberal Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) — the liberal “Lutheran” denomination — to embrace homosexual clergy is yet another sign of America’s spiritual and moral confusion, and how far down the of road of social decay we have traveled. [Click HERE to read the response to ELCA by the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.] The New York Times reports:

By a vote of 559 to 451, delegates to the denomination’s national assembly in Minneapolis approved a resolution declaring that the church would find a way for people in “publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous same-gender relationships” to serve as official ministers. (The church already allows celibate gay men and lesbians to become members of the clergy.)

If you take the Bible seriously and thus reject as unscriptural the modern, “gay” activist construct of homosexuality as a benign “sexual orientation,” then you might join me in asking: would the ELCA ever have a vote on hiring pastors addicted to pornography? Would the ELCA deliberate on whether pastors practicing adultery or incest should be welcomed into the fold? Certainly not, yet all of these, like homosexuality, are sexual sins. Once again, homosexuality gets a special indulgence from liberals who, sadly, have lost faith in the Bible as inerrant, divinely authored Truth — and Jesus Christ’s ability to help lift people out of sin.

There are some important lessons from the ELCA story:

1. The folly of putting God’s law up for a vote — especially in a morally compromised church: Alan Medinger, a former homosexual and dean of Christian ex-gay ministry (with Regeneration), once opined that there is no need to have a church dialogue on homosexuality because the Bible has already spoken clearly on the subject. Medinger is right: the ELCA vote is as preposterous as the liberal “Jesus Seminar” scholars taking votes on which portions of Scripture are legitimate (”true”) — in their quest to identify the “historical Jesus” as opposed to the Christ of the Bible. If Lutherans can vote for special treatment of this particular sin, why not others? (How about shoplifting in these economically troubled times?) That the self-styled “queer” movement and media have succeeded in changing the terms of the debate does not alter the truth that we are talking about sexual misbehavior that God calls an abomination (detestable) in the Old Testament — and a sin that is changeable through Christ in the New;
2. The role of radical feminism and shared victimology in the church’s embrace of homosexuality: note the linkage of the alleged victim status of women and homosexuals to serve the GLBT agenda. However, even if one accepts female ordination, it has nothing to do with the GLBT agenda, as the latter (sexual behavior) is changeable while the former (one’s biological sex) is not;
3. The practical, direct role of lesbian feminists and homosexuals in subverting historic Biblical teaching: Note the lesbian Bronx pastor, “Rev.” Katrina Fostor, in this AP story [see photo below]: for Foster to accept biblical truth, she would have to shed an artificial “identity” based upon her proud embrace of sinful sexual impulses. As it stands now, she is on the road to hell and I hope and pray that she repents. (Can I still say that or is it a hate crime?) There are many homosexuals in various denominations working to undermine Biblical truth. If you believe in politically-driven, “democratic” “morality,” changing creeds becomes a numbers game. And politically-driven morality is precisely what is behind the “Gay” Lobby’s recent foray into Christian theology: they know that religious people who agree with God about marriage and sexual sin are the last impediment to achieving their overall agenda. And so they set out to radically redefine Christianity itself;
4. The role of “proud” homosexuals and their desperate need for approval in destroying good organizations: so often homosexuality is presented as a personal issue — as if opposing “gay rights” means sticking your busybody’s nose in someone else’s private business. Such notions now seem quaint given the far-flung demands of the “Gay” Lobby — including giving first-graders propagandistic lessons on homosexuality — and its adherents’ willingness to trample over the First Amendment freedoms of traditionalists.  The homosexual activists’ relentless drive for approval, coupled with their deep resentment of God’s Word (or at least historic Judeo-Christian wisdom) as it applies to their pet sin, leads them to elevate their supposed “rights” over the best interests and beliefs of the targeted institution. Case in point: the Boy Scouts of America, which had no “sexual agenda” except to live by its own “morally straight” code. No matter: “gay” activist lawyers went all the way to the Supreme Court in their unsuccessful attempt to force the BSA to abandon its creed. To this day homosexual activists are maligning the poor Scouts — and punishing them financially — even if it means harming the welfare of boys. Who are the real victims here? Of course, the most compelling example of homosexual infiltration nearly destroying an institution is the homosexual-priest-predator scandal in the American Catholic Church: read author Michael Rose’s Good Bye Good Men to learn the whole sad story;
5. The pivotal role that (false) “LGBT” (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) identity plays in negating traditional norms and fueling the homosexualist “civil rights” charade: again, nomenclature and semantics are key here. (Allegedly unchangeable) “gay” “orientation” is the shaky foundation for the homosexuals activists’ bogus claim that their cause is a continuation of “civil rights.” If they are wrong and the Bible is right — and same-sex sexual behavior is but one of many changeable sin patterns — then their entire movement crashes to the ground. This is why professional homosexual zealots like Wayne Besen work so hard to demonize and deny the existence of “ex-gays”: every changed homosexual is a reminder that homosexuality is nothing like race and that “gay and lesbian” activists, too, can leave the lifestyle;
6. Lastly, if ever there was an exercise in futility, this was it: moral truth comes from a holy God, not sinful man. Make no mistake: the homosexual activists act as if they possess absolute truth — that’s what makes them so dangerous. These dedicated social revolutionaries — with their naive (albeit often well-meaning) straight allies in tow — do not flinch at dismissing Biblical Christianity as “hateful” and “discriminatory.” Seems our overly judgmental God is Himself a bigot. Go figure. In their minds and hearts, the GLBT ideologues are morally superior to us, even though their radical truth claims come up empty, resting as they do essentially on subjective feelings and sexual/gender confusion. This is indeed a “Culture War” to define Truth — yet so many Christians are AWOL. But at least they are not traitors: shame on the ELCA majority for passing this measure that does great violence to the Word of God. There are atheists with a better understanding of Christian sexual morality than these religionists with their trendy heresies. Political and cultural power — and the ability to organize a vote — does not equate with truth. It’s time for faithful Christians to come out of their church closets and get busy reinstating God’s Word as the true standard of morality in America.

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Associated Press and AFA’s One News Now report:

Evangelical Lutherans Abandon Bible teaching on homosexuality
Patrick Condon – Associated Press Writer – 8/22/2009

MINNEAPOLIS – Even though the Rev. Mark Chavez believes the leaders of his church made a decision in direct contradiction of the Bible by lifting a ban on sexually active, monogamous gays and lesbians as clergy, he said he’s staying with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA).

“I’m not leaving,” Chavez said Friday night, promising an effort to keep the church moving even further toward what he sees as an embrace of behavior condemned by Scripture.

Chavez, of Landisville, Pa., is director of Lutheran CORE, a conservative group within the ELCA that fought the homosexual clergy policy. The group will hold a convention in Indianapolis in September to review its next steps, but Chavez said he thinks some ELCA clergy, congregations and individual members will walk away from the nation’s largest Lutheran denomination.

The change to gay clergy policy passed with the support of 68 percent of about 1,000 delegates at the ELCA’s national assembly. It makes the group, with about 4.7 million members in the U.S., one of the largest U.S. Christian denominations yet to abandon the authority of God’s Word on homosexuality.

“I have seen these same-gender relationships function in the same way as heterosexual relationships — bringing joy and blessings as well as trials and hardships,” the Rev. Leslie Williamson, associate pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Des Plaines, Ill., said during the hours of debate. “The same-gender couples I know live in love and faithfulness and are called to proclaim the word of God as are all of us.”

But the change may be too much for some Lutherans. Conservative congregations will not be forced to hire gay clergy, but opponents nevertheless warned there could be spiritual consequences for a church that strays from Scripture.

“This will cause an ever greater loss in members and finances. I can’t believe the church I loved and served for 40 years can condone what God condemns,” said the Rev. Richard Mahan, pastor at St. Timothy Lutheran Church in Charleston, W.Va. “Nowhere in Scripture does it say homosexuality and same-sex marriage is acceptable to God. Instead, it says it is immoral and perverted.”

Mahan said he believed a majority of his congregation would want to now break away from the ELCA.

Other leaders indicated they might leave as well. The Rev. Tim Housholder, pastor of St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Cottage Grove, Minn., described himself during the debate as a rostered ELCA pastor “at least for a few more hours.” The Rev. Marshall Hahn, pastor at St. Olaf Lutheran Parish in Dubuque, Iowa, said he’d need to talk to his bishop “to discuss what this means for my future with this church.”

Other Christian denominations in the United States have struggled to remain united in the face of such debates. In 2003, the 2 million-member Episcopal Church consecrated its first openly gay bishop, a move that alienated American Episcopalians from its worldwide parent church, the Anglican Communion. The divide has led to the formation of the more conservative Anglican Church in North America, which claims 100,000 members.

But ELCA supporters of its denomination’s change said failure to ratify it ran just as great a risk of alienating large portions of the membership, particularly younger ones.

The Rev. Katrina Foster (pictured at left), pastor at Fordham Evangelical Lutheran Church in The Bronx, N.Y., said Lutherans heard similar warnings about flouting Scripture when they made past changes that are now seen as successful — chiefly, the ordination of women.

“We can learn not to define ourselves by negation,” said Foster, a lesbian. “By not only saying what we are against, which always seems to be the same — against gay people. We should be against poverty. I wish we were as zealous about that.”

Under the new policy, heterosexual clergy and professional lay workers must still abstain from sex outside marriage. The proposed change would cover those in “lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationships.”

Folks, we hope that Rachel Maddow (left) — the lesbian MSNBC talker who is as “out” in her homosexuality promotion as in her left-wing activism — takes up the offer of my good friend Matt Barber and lets him appear as a guest on her show. That seems only fair after Maddow lied about Barber’s statement on Obama-care and “sex-change” operations.

We understand that liberals don’t want to talk (rationally, anyway) about Obama-care covering abortions and grotesque transsexual “sex-change” procedures as “health care.” That is why we must discuss these awful possibilities. (By the way, even before Barber’s column, below, the conservative Heritage Foundation’s blog noted that President Obama’s favorite think tank, the liberal-left Center for American Progress, was beating the drums for adding “sex change operations to the list of medical procedures that all health insurance policies in the nation must cover.”) — Peter LaBarbera, www.americansfortruth.com

BANQUET REMINDER:  Culture warrior and former professional boxer Matt Barber (right) is coming to Chicago on Saturday, Oct. 24 to keynote the AFTAH fundraising banquet. The dinner is being held at the Christian Liberty Academy in Arlington Heights, IL, and tickets are $50 per person. You can prepay online (just note “AFTAH banquet” in the Paypal or Credit Card form) or mail your check (designate it “AFTAH Banquet”) to: Americans For Truth, PO Box 5522, Naperville, IL 60567-5522. Please spread the word and make plans to come! E-mail aftahangela@gmail.com or americansfortruth@comcast.net for more information.

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Matt Barber writes:

Sex-Change-apalooza: ObamaCare Likely to Mandate Free ‘Sex-Change’ Surgeries

By Matt Barber, August 5, 2009

I got a call a couple days ago from a producer with MSNBC. He wanted a hard copy of a press release I sent out entitled: “ObamaCare Likely to Mandate Free ‘Sex-Change’ Surgeries.” In the release I addressed the likelihood that, under Obama’s monolithic socialized healthcare scheme, taxpayers may well end up funding elective and entirely cosmetic “gender reassignment” surgeries. I was happy to oblige and asked which program he produced. “Rachel Maddow,” he reluctantly divulged. I chuckled and joked, “Oh, I’m sure Rachel will give me a glowing review.”

I then suggested that it would be better still if Rachel actually had me on the show to defend and debate the substance of my release. He declined. Understandable, though. Ms. Maddow—a hard-left lesbian activist who plays a pseudo-journalist on TV—certainly wouldn’t want me confusing all 242 of her wide-eyed, spoon-fed, Kool-Aid swilling viewers with the facts. (By the way, Rachel, sweetheart, if you have the guts, the offer still stands.)

In what was apparently an awkward attempt at ridicule, Maddow then focused like a laser on the title of my release. True to form, she twisted and spun like the Michelle Kwan of yellow journalism. I was disappointed. Not because she transparently distorted my words. I counted on that. I was disappointed because I actually expected the allegedly clever, Oxford educated talking-head to pull it off with some degree of satirical dexterity.

She did not.

Did Maddow mock me for suggesting that ObamCare might provide taxpayer funded “sex-change” operations? No. Did she deride me for mean-spiritedness, insensitivity and “transphobia”? No. Instead, she just lied. She dishonestly suggested that I claimed the government was going to “mandate sex-change operations.” Get it? That, if ObamaCare becomes reality, healthcare officials will knock down your door, drag you away and force you to undergo a “gender reassignment” surgery. I know—Silly.

Still, what Maddow didn’t say speaks volumes. She didn’t refute any of the substance of my release. She didn’t deny the real likelihood that such cosmetic procedures will be covered at taxpayer expense. And she certainly didn’t give me the opportunity to respond to her propagandist obfuscation.

But it didn’t stop with Maddow. Those adorable, patchouli soaked little left-wing lemmings at the Daily Kos, Wonkette and elsewhere also picked up on my release. I was surprised to see that many of them, in fact, agreed with the substance of my argument. Quite a few opined that “sex-change” surgeries should be covered at taxpayer expense and a number of them conceded that they almost certainly will.

So what prompted me to break this story in the first place? Well, when Sen. Orin Hatch (R-UT) asked Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) whether President Obama’s proposed socialized healthcare plan will mandate taxpayer funded abortion, she admitted that it will require “any service deemed medically necessary or medically appropriate.” It now appears that the plan’s “medically appropriate” umbrella is far more expansive than most Americans could have imagined.

In addition to abortion on demand, the weight of the evidence indicates that, in fact, cosmetic “gender reassignment” surgeries for both U.S. citizens and illegal immigrants who suffer from APA recognized “Gender Identity Disorder” (GID) may indeed be provided—free of charge—courtesy of the U.S. taxpayer. The current price tag for such a procedure can exceed $50,000.

Page 972 of the House version of the bill (H.R. 3200) provides for “standards, as appropriate, for the collection of accurate data on health and health care” based on “sex, sexual orientation [and] gender identity.” [Click HERE to read Peter Fleckenstein analysis of HR 3200 posted by Liberty Counsel.] The Senate draft indicates that the government will “detect and monitor trends in health disparities,” requiring the Department of Health and Human Services to “develop standards for the measurement of¬†gender.” (i.e., officially recognize subjectively self-determined “transgender” or “transsexual” gender identities). It further mandates “participation in the institutions’ programs of individuals and groups from…different genders and sexual orientations.”

So, does ObamaCare expressly stipulate that taxpayer funded “sex-change” operations will be provided? No, but neither does it explicitly require coverage for heart bypass surgery. Don’t forget; we’re talking about what’s “medically appropriate” here, and look who gets to make that subjective determination: Your doctor? No, it’s “Rachel Maddow-minded” bureaucrats within the Democratic Party. It’s a liberal-Democrat appointed government “Health Benefits Advisory Committee.” And if you think they’re not itching to pay back the homosexual, transgender and pro-abortion pressure groups that helped get them elected, I’ve got a house at 1600 Pennsylvania I want to sell you.

Still, there’s a gulf of difference between what Obama and liberals in Congress, and the American people deem “medically appropriate;” especially when it’s “we the people” footing the bill. It’s unconscionable to force Americans, against their conscience, to fund abortion on demand and to facilitate gender confusion by subsidizing the elective practice of genital “sex-change” mutilation.

But don’t just take my word for it. After hearing Sen. Mikulski’s “any service deemed…medically appropriate” admission, I was prompted to dig a little deeper. I contacted the offices of Sen. Harry Reid, Rep. Charlie Rangel, Rep. Barney Frank and the House Subcommittee on Health. I asked, very simply, for “an assurance that the proposed healthcare plan will not allow taxpayer funded ‘gender reassignment’ surgeries or hormone therapies.” When faced with the bill’s relevant language, every staffer I spoke with either declined to answer or would neither confirm nor deny that such procedures would be covered.

Indeed it’s no wonder that—as Americans find out what’s hidden within this socialized ObamaCare monstrosity—support for the plan is plummeting faster than MSNBC’s ratings.

It’s time for the mainstream press—yes you too Rachel Maddow—to do its job and demand straight answers. Instead of prancing around like little ObamaCare cheerleaders, journalists need to ask the same questions I did and refuse to take “no answer” for an answer.

But don’t hold your breath.

Thankfully, we don’t have to. Wanna have a little fun? Contact your Congressional representative (202-224-3121; 202-225-3121; www.congress.org) and ask the following question: “Will you personally guarantee that, under this plan, no taxpayer dollars will go to fund abortion or ‘sex-change’ operations?’”

Then sit back and watch them squirm.

Matt Barber is a Board Member of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality (AFTAH), and an attorney concentrating in constitutional law. He serves as Director of Cultural Affairs with both Liberty Counsel and Liberty Alliance Action. Click HERE for information on Barber’s appearance as keynote speaker at AFTAH’s fund-raising banquet on Saturday, Oct. 24. Send comments to Matt at: jmattbarber@comcast.net .

“Coalition of Conscience” crowd of more than 500 prepares to offer Gospel witness at homosexual “pride” event in Charlotte, N.C.  Their message: “God has a better way.” See www.godhasabetterway.com.

Dear Readers,

I commend to you my friend Dr. Michael Brown’s and the Coalition of Conscience’s response to the “gay pride” movement in Charlotte, N.C. In a speech last week to Reclaiming Oklahoma for Christ, I said that the appropriate Christian response to homosexual/”trans” activism and homosexual strugglers is a tightrope walk — balancing a witness for truth on the one side and the gracious love of Christ for sinners on the other. I too often fall off that tightrope, but Michael hangs on it as well as any pro-family leader I have observed in the last 20 years. (My only cautionary note is Brown’s use of the term “homophobia” [see this excellent NARTH analysis] — an artificial construct that is now so elastically defined that almost any rejection of homosexualist goals (including same-sex “marriage”) can be and is deemed “homophobic” by “gay” activists and the liberal media. That said, his point it correct: it is wrong to fear and hate men and women trapped in homosexuality — people who need God’s love and grace.)

How I wish that decades ago Christian leaders in Chicago had taken Dr. Brown’s “God has a better way” approach of a mobilized witness against “proud” homosexuality and the dangerous agenda that goes with it. Perhaps if they had, we wouldn’t be seeing the annual, raucous, debauched homosexuality “pride” celebrations on Chicago streets with attendees (”gay” and straight) numbering in the hundreds of thousands. The Church of Jesus Christ in America has largely abdicated its role as a bold witness for truth and Biblical morality in the culture. (And who says proclaiming the Gospel and confronting sexual sin agendas must be mutually exclusive?) I challenged Oklahoma Christians to be as aggressive in defending God’s truth about homosexuality as self-described “queer” activists are in advancing their lies (enumerated below). Such is the spirit that Michael Brown and the Coalition of Conscience have displayed in Charlotte; believers across the nation would do well to learn from and imitate them. — Peter LaBarbera, AFTAH, www.americansfortruth.org

P.S. As if to prove my theory that no matter how loving biblically faithful Christians are, they will always be cast as hateful, “homophobic” bigots by radical “queer” activists, click HERE to read homosexual militant Wayne Besen’s response to Michael Brown’s “God has a better way” campaign. It is vicious, even by Besen’s low standard.

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Dr. Michael Brown

STATEMENT TO THE MEDIA, JULY 25, 2009
GOD HAS A BETTER WAY RALLY, CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA

DR. MICHAEL BROWN, DIRECTOR, THE COALITION OF CONSCIENCE [links added by AFTAH]
www.coalitionofconscience.org; www.godhasabetterway.com

We are here today to reach out and resist –– to reach out to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community with compassion, as neighbors and friends and fellow-workers, and to declare God’s great love for GLBT [gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender] people. And we are here to resist the gay activist agenda and to send a message to the nation.

As followers of Jesus, we first confess our own sins –– our lack of ardent love for homosexual men and women, our lack of compassion for their struggles, our adding to their sense of rejection through insensitive words and deeds.

We acknowledge the fact that homophobia is alive and well in some churches, and we renounce and repudiate that hateful and destructive attitude.

Our love also compels us to speak the truth, and we do not believe that all sexual orientations should be celebrated.

We do not celebrate the fact that some people believe they are women trapped in men’s bodies;

We do not celebrate the fact that two men or two women cannot reproduce their own unique offspring and that same-sex families guarantee that a child will never have either a mother or a father;

We do not celebrate the fact that some people choose to surgically mutilate their God-given organs and must take hormones for the rest of their lives just to be at peace with themselves;

We do not celebrate the sexual confusion that exists in many young people today, to the point that they can only identify themselves “as genderqueer”;

We do not celebrate the pain and brokenness that exists in the lives of many of those attending Pride Charlotte today –– completely apart from societal rejection –– and we proclaim to our GLBT friends that God has a better way, that there is a place of wholeness and transformation to be found in Jesus. And we are here for the long-term to help them on that journey.

And because of our sense of justice and rightness, we take strong exception to the gay activist agenda. We watch its trajectory, we see where it has gone and where it is going, and we say, “It stops here in Charlotte.”

Since gay pride events have been rallying points for GLBT activism, we take our stand here today and declare:

We don’t believe that elementary school children should be taught to find their “inner-trannie” (meaning their inner transgender identity) as advocated in GLSEN’s training materials.

We don’t believe that it is in the best interest of our society to seek to eradicate gender or to multiply it exponentially.

We completely reject the Los Angeles Unified School District Reference Guide when it states that Gender identity “refers to one’s understanding, interests, outlook, and feelings about whether one is female or male, or both, or neither, regardless of one’s biological sex.”

We don’t believe it is good or right for four-year-old children to have their preschool teachers read them books like One Dad, Two Dads, Brown Dad, Blue Dads or to be lined up by sneaker color rather than gender so they don’t feel “boxed in.”

We don’t believe in “Queering Elementary Education,” to use the title of a well-known book.

We believe it is outrageous when an African American woman is fired from her university position of vice-president of human resources because she writes an editorial objecting to the concept that sexual orientation is equivalent to skin color.

We believe it is outrageous for the media to cover up the gay identity of a sexual predator who repeatedly raped his adopted, five-year-old African American son and offered him for sex through the internet – for fear of making homosexual couples look bad.

We believe it is outrageous for the mayor of San Francisco to welcome warmly a public fair featuring nude, sado-masochistic displays, and to do so in the name of “diversity.”

And what does it say of our country today when our president, in the White House, could say “We are very proud of you” to a man who leads an organization devoted to making harder core pornography more readily available and who says that bestiality is fine as long as the animal doesn’t mind?

We don’t believe in fining a Christian photographer in New Mexico for politely declining to shoot a lesbian commitment ceremony, or punishing an Anglican bishop in England for choosing not to hire an openly gay youth worker, or for putting a lifetime ban on Christian leaders in Canada, forbidding them from expressing the biblical teaching on homosexual practice and threatening them with imprisonment.

We don’t believe in laws that could jail the owner of a Christian bookstore for choosing not to hire a cross-dresser as a receptionist.

We don’t believe in a Hate Crimes bill that is so flawed that even the ACLU is concerned that it could restrict freedom of speech.

We don’t believe it is right for major Charlotte-based companies like Bank of America and Wachovia and Duke Energy to pour tens of thousands of dollars into a radical organization like the Human Rights Campaign, an organization that has stated that supporters of male-female marriage are “right wing extremists” and that mandates that businesses must have special bathroom accommodations for employees undergoing sex-change surgery.

We are saddened by the fact that some of those who came out of the closet forty years now are now trying to put conservative Christians in the closet.

We don’t believe in tampering with the foundations of human society –– male-female marriage and family –– and creating a new institution previously unknown in human history.

We utterly reject the new theologies that advocate “Queering Christ” and writing “Queer Commentaries” on the Bible, and we say to Charlotte and the nation, “By God’s grace, it stops here.”

So, we say “Enough is enough” to the destructive goals of gay activism, and we say to the GLBT community, “Jesus loves you and God has a better way!”

Folks, I agree with the statement below by my friend Regina Griggs of PFOX (Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays). I am a huge Dick Cheney fan in most respects. I think he is doing the nation a tremendous service by holding President Obama accountable on foreign policy.  He and President Bush helped keep America safe for eight years — and anyone who has incurred as much wrath as he has from the Hateful, Hard Left is almost a hero by definition. (Or maybe I’m wrong: perhaps we would have been safer had ‘Vice President Olbermann’ had the President’s ear during the Bush years. After all, the MSNBC twit host has called Cheney “as insane as any terrorist.”)

But on homosexuality-related issues Cheney — father or openly lesbian Mary –  is letting his emotions cloud his considerable intellect. I agree with some of my friends in the pro-family movement that he is likely a big part of the reason why President Bush never used his executive power to really push hard for a Federal Marriage Amendment. Bottom line: loving your son or daughter never means embracing everything they do, and homosexuality will always be immoral behavior no matter how many celebs and VIPs say otherwise. (Then again: I still haven’t read that fifth Gospel According to Ellen.)

If the GOP abandons the homosexual issue or does worse — by treating the appallingly decadent spectacle of sodomy-based “marriage” as a “freedom” issue — as so many libertarian and “money”-oriented Republicans are calling for — it could serve as a catalyst for the creation of a serious third party built in part on social issues. That party could enthusiastically take on the “Evil Trinity” (to quote the great pro-family attorney Jan LaRue): Abortion; Homosexual activism; and Pornography. Throw in a party that truly cuts government spending and taxes, and takes on radical feminism and illegal immigration, and you’ve got something that could draw enough support to become at least a “swing” player in major elections. The GOP must stop the hemorrhaging of good conservatives fleeing to more principled pastures, or the hemorrhaging will only get worse.

Homosexuality is a moral issue. It’s a God issue — not a “feelings,” tolerance or “identity” issue. And it certainly is not a freedom issue (any more than abortion is) — by which I mean principled freedom in the context of a healthy moral order as opposed to license and libertinism. I am a Republican, but I will never put party before God and His Truth. Please pray for Mary Cheney, that she will see the light as so many former lesbians have, and repent and leave the homosexual lifestyle. — Peter LaBarbera, www.aftah.com

____________________________________

PFOX News Release

June 2, 2009

Dick Cheney and Gay Marriage

Children Need Freedom to Know and Love their Mother and Father

News Advisory:  June 3, 2009

Contact:  Regina Griggs, Director, Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays (PFOX)

______________________________

In response to Dick Cheney’s statements regarding same-sex marriage, Regina Griggs of PFOX made the following comments:

“Former Vice President Dick Cheney has stated that ‘people ought to get a shot’ at same-sex marriage and referenced his lesbian daughter, Mary.  My heart goes out to Vice President Cheney.  As the mother of a homosexual, I understand how Mr. Cheney feels.

But what I think is best for society, especially children, is for children to have both a mother and a father.  As responsible members of society, we must look to what is best for our culture as a whole.  Marriage goes beyond the individuals involved and affects society every day.

For example, children do best when raised by their Mom and Dad.  When adults make a decision to enter into genderless marriage and deliberately deny a child a mother and father, it is about self-gratification.  The forced restructuring of society and attempts to deny Americans the right to vote against redefining marriage will not provide approval for homosexual couples nor a Mom and Dad for children.  Which one of you would deliberately forfeit your mother or father?

President Ronald Reagan never let his children’s liberal views get in the way of his running the nation according to his conservative philosophy.  He did what he felt was right for his country, no matter how much it angered his children.  Today they respect his legacy.

As the executive director of Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays (PFOX), I believe parents do not have to approve of everything their children do.  Responsible parenting is loving and respecting our children in spite of our differences.  Most gay activist groups insist that parents love their children only when they affirm same-sex marriage.  PFOX believes that parents and children should love one another unconditionally, by respecting our right to hold different views.  Thus parents like Vice President Cheney and I can love our children without having to support genderless marriage.”

Homosexual blogger Jeremy Hooper as featured in the homosexual magazine The Advocate in 2005.

Apparently AFTAH critic and New York City homosexual, “Good As You” blogger Jeremy Hooper is incapable of distinguishing between a hate letter and a heartfelt personal note. AFTAH sometimes publishes the letters we receive from very nasty homosexual activists, to highlight the true nature of a movement that routinely fails to live up to the now-obsolete definition of their chosen descriptor: “gay.” We tell people on our site: “Note: All correspondence sent to Americans for Truth becomes property of Americans For Truth.” Can you blame us for exposing the abject hatred and reverse bigotry of sexual activists who regularly accuse everyone else of being haters and bigots? (There’s something surreal about getting a tolerance lecture from some irate pro-gay fellow who spews vulgarities as he brings the message that I am Satan’s brother, a covert homosexual (of course), and I am going to burn in hell because I oppose homosexuality.)

Now contrast that with a quick note I sent to Jeremy, responding to an e-mail he sent to me requesting a comment about one of his blog posts. I had not read the post, presuming it to be one of the usual straw-man set-ups in which homosexual activist demand answers from the pro-family community using queries that are specifically crafted to make us look unreasonable. (I was right: Hooper’s piece is about the evangelical “endgame,” and concludes — repeating the subject line of his e-mail — in bold letters: Do You Want Us Gone?) Here is Jeremy’s original e-note to me and my response (in bold):

On May 27, 2009, at 5:34 PM, Peter LaBarbera wrote:

Jeremy, this is not for publication, just my heart:  Without having read your post, I can tell you this, Jeremy: I sincerely want you to leave the gay lifestyle, which is sinful. I think God has a better plan for your life. Best–pl
————————-

[Jeremy Hooper wrote:]

From: Good As You [contact@goodasyou.org]
Sent: Wednesday, May 27, 2009 7:55 AM
To: Pro-family list 1 [including Peter LaBarbera]
Subject: Do you want us gone?

Your frank response is appreciated.

http://www.goodasyou.org/good_as_you/2009/05/audio-support-traditional-marriage-or-get-out-of-the-way.html

- Jeremy

Jeremy Hooper
Good As You
www.goodasyou.org

Please note that I asked Jeremy for non-publication more out of concern for him than me. You see, I really do care for this young man’s soul, and I wanted to communicate that even amidst our public back-and-forth on “gay” issues. Yes, his snarky website upsets me and, no, I don’t pray for him nearly as often as I ought to (Christians should be praying that men like Jeremy would repent and come to Christ) — but in my response I specifically hoped that this would not escalate into another web war. Jeremy and I have had e-mail discussions before in which I told him to go ahead and publish what I wrote. (And today it is generally true: anything you write on e-mail could end up on a website somewhere.)

Anyway, no chance. Here is Jeremy’s post using my sincere message to bash me for being a “hypocrite” — note how he self-righteously purports to “honor” my privacy request [see the actual "Good As You" post HERE]. Jeremy writes:

Hypocrisy, thy name is LaBarbera

On Wednesday, in response to this writer’s request for an on-the-record statement regarding what he and his allies see as their anti-gay endgame, Americans For Truth’s Peter LaBarbera wrote back with this:

There’s nothing explosive under the black bars — but as always, I have and will continue to honor his “not for publication” request.

But now let’s look over at Pete’s AFT site. In a new, rambly, sadly desperate plea for money wherein he attempts to paint the gay activist community as evil, Peter puts forth the following:

AFTAH Asks: Why Are ‘Conservative’ Leaders Selling Out on ‘Civil Unions’? [AFT]

Yes that’s right: He’s using a private email that he’s received as a way of drumming up cash. So apparently, even though he’s against anyone citing his own emails in the public sphere, Peter considers all of the emails he receives not only publishable, but also identifiable by [the] writer’s name. On his end, he wants to be able to operate one way in private email correspondence, and another way on his site. But when it comes to others’ private messages, any usage is fair.

Except, of course, when the emails sent his way, at his own request, turn out to be [kind], gentle, and thoroughly pro-gay. Then he just ignores them.

Stay transparent, Pete!

God loves the sinner but hates the sin

I guess one of the lessons here is that there is so much distrust in this “culture war” — on both sides — that it’s hard to have even a “non-political” exchange between opponents.  I don’t fault Jeremy and his allies for strongly opposing AFTAH — we are against everything they stand for when it comes to homosexuality (morality, public policy, etc.). But I reiterate here that I do care for his soul, and so does God. And Jeremy may not know that I’ve had plenty of extended, civil discussions with homosexual advocates who write through AFTAH’s site.

So the answer is: No, Jeremy, I don’t want you “gone.” I want you to you repent and believe in the Risen Savior, Jesus Christ, who humbled Himself, came to earth, and died for your sins and mine, so that we might live eternally with Him. In other words, I want you and all homosexuals to “come into the light” and be reconciled to God. I want your changed life as a reborn Christian to be a trophy for God’s redemptive grace and power — as it is with Charlene Cothran, Stephen Black and countless other men and women who once identified as “gay” — rather than your (current) homosexuality-celebrating life to be a monument to man’s stubborn and prideful heart.

The Bible teaches that men are dead in their sins — which is why they need a whole “new life” in Christ. Jesus was not just a good teacher; He is the propitiation (atoning sacrifice) for our sins (1 John 4:10). Understanding that many or even most homosexuals may not humble themselves and repent, the pro-family movement aims to resist the larger “gay” agenda of homosexuality- (sin-)based “rights,” and its use of government power to force the acceptance of GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender) lifestyles on American citizens (including schoolchildren) — even if it means trampling on people’s freedom of conscience and parental rights.

Homosexuality is a different kind of sin in the eyes of most people — there’s a reason it came to be called “queer” — and so they make exceptions in how they treat it that they would never make with other sins. (Even other sexual sins: if the Old Testament is our guide, incest is the closest comparable sin to the “detestable” act of homosexual sodomy; Leviticus 18:22.) But I am more convinced than ever that no matter what set of circumstances and choices resulted in a person’s embrace of a homosexual identity — and many GLBT’s have had tough and tragic upbringings and experiences — “gays and lesbians,” like all sinners, need to step back from their “feelings” and view their life from the Creator’s holy perspective, as revealed by the Bible.

God does have a wonderful plan for Jeremy’s life and for each of us, but the proud embrace of sin — any sin — cannot be part of that plan. This New Testament passage says it all:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God. (John 3:16-21)

Christians: please join me in praying for Jeremy to come into the light of Christ!

Chicago Public Schools’ new CEO Ron Huberman.

Our friend Laurie Higgins at Illinois Family Institute has done an important thing below in rationally discussing the implications of new Chicago schools chief Ron Huberman’s public embrace homosexual conduct (politically correct media translation: he’s “gay”). By questioning Huberman as a role model because he “affirms sexual deviance and … in his personal life volitionally engages in immoral conduct,” Higgins has departed from the popular Newspeak (Gayspeak?) of our age that posits “gays” as a minority and homosexuality as an innocuous trait completely irrelevant to morality and character. This is embodied by the popular phrase that such-and-such person “happens to be gay.” Let’s apply our “substitute-another-sexual-sin” test to see if this makes sense: “Jane, who happens to be an adulterer, is a terrific teacher”; or “Joe, who happens to be into incest, is a really great guy.”

Just like those other destructive sexual sins, homosexual behavior is never morally justifiable.

It is one of the modern treacheries in our spiritually shallow society that even advocates of (traditional) marriage have taken behavior “out” of the debate over homosexuality. During the Prop 8 campaign in California, one spokeswoman FOR the pro-marriage ballot measure even went out of her way to affirm Ellen DeGeneres and “gay” couples in general. How absurd that we should have to promote one evil  — the acceptance of homosexual behavior and relationships — in order to fight another: homosexually-redefined “marriage.”

We do not know what led Ron Huberman to choose to embrace homosexual behavior (and a “gay” self-identification), but morally-speaking, he is wrong to defend it and needs to find redemption and godly change through Jesus Christ. The “lifestyle” (read: sexual misbehavior) by which he describes himself — and which surely he will now promote as normative to impressionable Chicago students — is as immoral today as it was thousands of years ago when condemned by the God through the divinely-inspired writers of the Bible.

Homosexuality is about changeable, sinful and often unhealthy behaviors — not innocuous, inborn “identities.” When even the pro-family movement detaches homosexual conduct from the personal morality and integrity of those practicing it, we cripple our short- and long-term case against a GLBT agenda that will not show such deference and timidity in return as it escalates its attack on Christianity and the Bible as the foundation of our culture mores. — Peter LaBarbera, www.aftah.org

_______________________________

Chicago Public School’s New CEO

By Laurie Higgins, Illinois Family Institute, Feb. 2, 2009

This week Illinoisans were greeted with the news that the new CEO of Chicago Public Schools, Ron Huberman, self-identifies as homosexual. Mayor Richard Daley’s choice as head of the third largest school district in the nation, one that serves more than 400,000 students, has revealed both his ignorance about and involvement with sexual perversion.

This is exactly what students who already suffer from significant disadvantages don’t need: a leader, and therefore role model, who affirms sexual deviance and who in his personal life volitionally engages in immoral conduct.

What a terrible example he sets, particularly for young men. I’m sure that Huberman possesses many admirable traits, but his sexual conduct is not one of them. There are no perfect people, and therefore there can be no perfect leaders, but possessing flaws and affirming immorality are two entirely different things.

It’s one thing to make mistakes or to engage in immoral acts-both of which every person does every day. It’s quite another thing to fail to make proper distinctions between what constitutes right and wrong or moral and immoral behavior. Someone who asserts that immoral behavior is moral is neither a good leader nor a proper role model for anyone let alone impressionable children.

Some professions require expertise in relatively narrowly circumscribed areas, but, as educators continually affirm to themselves and the public, they teach the “whole child.” In fact, that is one of the serious problems in public education: public educators increasingly arrogate to themselves areas of life that are decidedly not their business.

Whereas in many professions one’s views on sexuality and one’s sexual conduct would be irrelevant, in the field of education it is highly relevant. First, Huberman will be called upon to superintend issues related to how homosexuality is addressed in Chicago public schools.

Second, Huberman serves as a public role model. His open, unapologetic, unrepentant appropriation and affirmation of sexual deviance as morally defensible and central to his identity vitiates any legitimacy as premier educational leader in Chicago that his admirable qualities may have otherwise conferred on him.

How will Huberman respond to the proposal for a high school that affirms homosexual and cross-dressing behaviors if it’s resubmitted later this year? How will he respond to a proposal for a school that embodies the very same controversial, unproven, and destructive theories on the nature and morality of homosexuality that he holds?

Chicago’s children deserve far better. They deserve a leader who demonstrates discernment, wisdom, and integrity in one of life’s most profound aspects: sexuality.

“What makes Earl different from others?” Earl Rynerson asks on his campaign website. Well, for one, he’s sure to be the only candidate for mayor of Ft. Lauderdale whose credit card records show a connection to the International Masters Association, an organization created because “there was no one place where a Master or a slave could go and learn from the other members of his community.” Rynerson needs God to change him before he tries to change Ft. Lauderdale. Photo from YouTube.

OK, can we all agree that its fair to call a man with ties to a sadomasochistic “master-slave” group a “pervert,” or has that word been banished by the Gay Thought Police (GTP)? Good, then at the risk of offending the accomplished whiners at GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation), here are some excerpts from a FOX News story about Earl Rynerson, one of two homosexual men running to succeed pro-family hero Jim Naugle as mayor of Ft. Lauderdale.

Now that homosexuality is “out of the closet” in such a big way, think about how much of their related perversions are also out in the open. Deviance begets deviance, and it’s all about the behavior (as opposed to that strategic euphemism: “orientation”). Note Rynerson’s lack of shame below. — Peter LaBarbera
__________________________________

From the FOXNews.com report:

Gay Candidate for Fort Lauderdale Mayor Has Curious Legal History

Earl Rynerson is an openly gay businessman with a history of curious legal problems and an apparent penchant for bondage pornography. And he thinks he’s just the man to be your mayor. …

Drawing more eyes is his apparent predilection for porn and his membership in an anonymous sex site. While not illegal, they are possible dark spots on the resume of man who is running a campaign to “polish up the city” of Fort Lauderdale.

Rynerson’s credit card bill included at least 3 monthly payments to “Access 4M4M site,” the billing name of a “men for men” sex site based in New York. “The m4m4sex website is for men looking to meet other men for sex,” the Web site declares in plain English.

Another charge on his card provides a phone number for the International Masters Association, which “unites the Leather community online and [brings] Masters and slaves together,” providing services for people “interested in Leather, Gear, Bondage, Rubber, Watersports [a fetish involving urination] and other fetishes.”

Rynerson said the stories of his credit card purchases were greatly exaggerated, and compared the Web sites to YouTube and MySpace. “These are online services that a lot of people use,” he told the Sun-Sentinel. “There’s nothing pornographic … nothing to that.”

He neither confirmed nor denied that he used the sites, saying it was an issue of privacy. “Whether or not I subscribe or don’t subscribe to racy Web sites I think it’s a personal issue,” he told the newspaper. “An individual’s private life and personal life should be kept private and personal.” …

It’s a big move in a city with a relatively weak mayor, but Rynerson originally entered the race because of comments made by incumbent mayor Jim Naugle, who angered gay Floridians with his opposition to gay marriage and controversial 2007 call to “reduce homosexual sex in bathrooms.”

A city with a large gay population — and one that benefits greatly from gay tourism — Fort Lauderdale might have voted the 6-term mayor out of office even if term limits had not been imposed on him.

Rynerson isn’t the only candidate who was stirred by Naugle’s comments to run for office. Dean Trantalis, a former city commissioner and local gay activist, has also thrown his hat in the ring.

Click here for the full FOXNews.com story: “Gay Candidate for Fort Lauderdale Mayor Has Curious Legal History”

___________________

LaBarbera response to “Kyle”:

Kyle …

…I don’t know where my feelings of lust, etc., came from.  So should I join the Lust Pride Movement and rationalize the embrace of that sin. (I’ll call myself a “Luster,” which is analogous to you calling yourself “gay.”) Grow up, Kyle. This is the cop out of the century –– and then you go on to support “gay marriage” –– an incredible blasphemy against God, who created man and woman for each other.  You are responsible for your behavior –– period. Sodomy and all homosexual acts are deeply sinful, the Bible teaches (see Romans 1), so what does it mean to say your “orientation” is “gay”?  Repent and believe Jesus Christ as so many FORMER “gays” – now born again of God — have done. (See Steve Bennett’s wonderful story at www.sbministries.org.)  Are you born again? Do you deny Jesus Christ has the power to help you heal or at least help you remain out of homosexual sin?  There is NO way a faithful Christian can embrace homosexuality.  You are deeply deluded, but there is hope in the Lord, and He WILL forgive you if you humble yourself and seek him like a child, and repent and accept Jesus’ death on the cross as the penalty for your sin. I suggest you start by reading the Gospel of John.

God bless you –– and try reading the Bible to apprehend who God is, so you can conform yourself to His holiness (a never-ending process) –– rather than seeking to conform God to YOUR image of what YOU think He should be, and what YOU think He should accept. All the best on your journey: www.biblegateway.com.

Sincerely,

Peter LaBarbera
Americans For Truth
www.aftah.org

——————————————————————————–

Letter from “Kyle” to Americans For Truth:

From: Kyle
Sent: Saturday, January 24, 2009 12:22 PM
To: americansfortruth@comcast.net
Subject: [AFT Web Site] Gay Rights and Religion

The following message was sent from the Americans for Truth Web site:

——————————————————————————–

I\’m a gay Catholic (yes, it is possible). The Church teaches that for something to be a sin, the person doing the action must fully know what they are doing is wrong and then freely choose to do the action anyway, yet the Catechism teaches that being gay is not a choice. Therefore according to the church being gay is not a sin. If that\’s true, then why do they campaign against it so much? Do they not realize that God made me just as He made you and your family and everyone else you know? And one more thing. I firmly believe that the gay marriage ban in several states is unconstitutional and should be repealed, as there are nearly 1,200 rights that are only guaranteed through marriage. Since gay marriage is illegal in almost every state, the laws banning it are unconstitutional! I can\’t wait for the Supreme Court to rule in favor of our community. And quite honestly, if you have a problem with my arguments, please either respond to me or post it on your webpage.

Petey…honey….give it up. Just come out already. Yes, yes…you may be hideously unattractive to the vast majority of sighted gay men, but if we can put a man on the moon, we can put a man on you. Yes, even you. If it comes to it, I’ll even kick in for a hooker. But I get to take pictures.

You get it, right? Want to really insult a Christian conservative or anyone committed to fighting that “gay” agenda that homosexual activists cannot seem to locate? Well, accuse him or her of being a … homosexual! Or even worse, an ugly homosexual! Or is this merely a case of the thief who thinks everybody steals, as Joe Nicolosi of NARTH told me a long time ago? No further comment necessary, except to indict the “gay” blogosphere in general — as this angry, lost soul won the award for Best LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) Blog at the 2007 Weblog Awards (as reported by fellow “Jeebus”-hater Pam Spaulding HERE).

The closest I will get to being an accessory to masochism is giving you this link to the Joe.My.God blog so you can find the piece if you want to read it. — Peter LaBarbera

“Tolerance for me but not for thee!”
That’s the “queer” way, can’t you see?
All that yelling and screaming
Christian Right-haters teeming
Can “Gay” America preserve liberty?

Well, our entry into the world of poetry predictably was met with some “gay” responses — many of which were ad hominem. (The Left lives in Ad Hominem.) You can read a couple entries from New York City “queer” blogger Jeremy Hooper below or more on this left-wing pacifist site. Pray for young Jeremy: he’s sort of stuck in that liberal “Mean People Suck” rut, wondering if Prop voters were “cruel, mean or sick” — as if defending Judeo-Christian tradition and marriage is about being mean or demented. (All those mean-spirited, crazed African Americans in California who just don’t understand ‘civil rights’…How dare you stray from that liberal plantation!)

I suppose, by extension, those in Jeremy’s camp hold that: 1) traditionalists like the many supporters of Americans For Truth are either misreading the Bible (even though we follow the ancient teachings of churchmen through the centuries); or that: 2) God Himself is a big meanie. Of course, they can’t come right out and say that God Is a Mean Homophobic Bigot (although some do), so instead most pro-”gay” ideologues go for Option 1 and — if they’re not simply dismissing “organized religion” — attempt to radically redefine the Bible and Christianity itself to accommodate their homosexual/bisexual/transgender/“genderqueer”/[insert rebellious sexual/gender preference HERE] lifestyle.

Nothing new there: sinners of all persuasions have sought to rationalize their God-rejecting behaviors since the beginning of time. But it’s much better to stop running from God and humbly accept His free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. A good place to start is by reading the Gospel of John; chapter 3 and chapter 8 contain some of the most stunning passages ever written if you are curious about Who Christ Is (whom He claims to be) and Why He Came to earth. I’ve accepted this compelling Truth about the Son of God (although I still struggle to comprehend it!), and would encourage all readers — “gay,” bi, straight-as-can-be, pre-op-male-to-female-transsexual, or whatever — to do the same.

Because where you spend eternity after this short time on earth is no light-hearted matter. — Peter LaBarbera, Americans For Truth

__________________________

Now here are a couple of limericks from Jeremy Hooper’s “Good as You” blog below:

There’s a group for whom rights are a quarrel
They’re obsessed with both anal and oral
Out of boredom or hurt
They treat gays like dirt
And then smugly call themselves ‘moral’

Prop 8 stripped rights away
From folks, both les and gay
The vote was historic
‘Were they cruel, mean, or sick?’
Is what some in the future might say

And here’s Jeremy’s favorite, albeit not a limerick:

There once was a gay man from Nantucket
He can marry there and Peter LaBarbera can do absolutely nothing about it.

Below are messages sent out yesterday (Oct. 10, 2008) by the Ohio-based Citizens for Community Values (CCV), and the Family Institute of Connecticut Action (FIC). CCV led the effort to pass the Marriage Protection Amendment referred to below — which is one of the strongest such amendments in terms of its coverage nationwide

______________________________:

CCV writes:

Pray for our nation!

Four judges force same-sex marriage on Connecticut

In yet another tragic usurpation of legislative authority, four judges in the Connecticut Supreme Court today redefined marriage for all the residents of that state. Four agenda-driven judges have distorted the Biblical truth of marriage as the union of one man and one woman only – the truth that has been recognized by every thriving society since the beginning of civilization.

By a 4-3 majority, the Connecticut Supreme Court today ruled that the Connecticut law banning same-sex marriage, a law put in place by the citizens’ elected representatives, was unconstitutional. Connecticut thereby joins Massachusetts and California as the only states that have rejected the truth of marriage by accepting “same-sex marriages.” In both of those other states, as well, same-sex marriage was forced upon citizens by four out-of-control judges acting contrary to the expressed will of the people.

The inevitable ramifications of these decisions are frightening! Public and private schools will be forced to teach that marriage between two men or two women is normal. Churches that refuse to perform same-sex marriages will stand to lose their tax-exempt status.

Below is a press release on the decision issued by our sister organization, Family Institute of Connecticut.

Praise God that in 2004 the people of Ohio joined together to embed the truth of marriage in Ohio’s Constitution, out of the reach of rogue judges.

This outrageous decision highlights the importance of marriage amendments on the November 4th ballots in California, Arizona and Florida. Pray for those states. And pray for the election of national leaders who understand that embedding the truth of marriage in our U.S. Constitution is the only ultimate solution to this ungodly chaos.

These four judges in Connecticut are part of a growing force that seeks to destroy the Judeo-Christian values upon which our nation was built. Please go to OhioElectionCentral.com to find out where every candidate on your November 4th ballot stands on the issue of marriage, life and other fundamental issues.

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PRESS RELEASE from Family Institute of Connecticut Action, October 10, 2008

Family Institute of Connecticut Condemns Supreme Court Decision; Calls for Direct Vote by the People

The Family Institute of Connecticut (FIC) today condemned the state Supreme Court’s decision to impose same-sex “marriage” by judicial fiat. FIC rallied three thousand state residents just two weeks ago to protest the judicial usurpation of democracy and to demand the right held by 25 other states—to let the people decide!

FIC executive director Peter Wolfgang stated, “Even a legislature as liberal as ours has heeded the will of the people and said no to same-sex ‘marriage’ year after year. With today’s ruling the Supreme Court has said to the people of Connecticut that ‘No, even this victory will be denied to you. We, your robed masters, will decide the big questions of politics and you little people will have no choice but to bend to our will.’ By ruling in this way the Court has undermined its own legitimacy and called into question whether we are still a free and self-governing people in Connecticut. But we will not bow to the dictates of a handful of self-appointed philosopher kings. If the Court will not respect its proper role to interpret, not make, law then we will seek other remedies. We will work for a majority “yes” vote this November 4th to hold a state constitutional convention and will fight to get a direct initiative law out of the convention. And then we will put a question on the ballot to allow the public—not our robed masters—to decide once and for all if marriage will be protected in our state constitution as the union of a man and a woman.

“Connecticut does not want judges to impose same-sex ‘marriage’ by undemocratic fiat. Connecticut wants the same right exercised by 28 other states: to decide by direct initiative whether marriage will be protected or redefined. We need the right that exists in all but 19 states: to let the people have direct say over our laws. The Court’s willingness to undemocratically impose same-sex ‘marriage’ on Connecticut has made it necessary for us to demand the right to Let the People Decide. And that is why thousands of us will vote ‘yes’ for a constitutional convention on November 4th.”

Ray Boltz back when he was not publicly defying God’s Word. The Christian artist and father of four now says being homosexual “is the way God made me.” 

By Peter LaBarbera

Last week, I was at the Family Research Council’s “Values Voter Summit” in Washington, D.C., where I was struck by how many former homosexuals I encountered in the space of a three day visit. I had breakfast with my good friend Jim, who is happily married and has left homosexuality so far behind that he told me he can barely believe that was how he once lived.

Then there was Anthony Falzarano, a veteran former homosexual who is out with a new book about his life, And Such Were Some of You. (Anthony — who has attended the funerals of many homosexual friends from his old life — was accompanied by his beautiful daughter Mary Victoria, who is alive today because he stopped living the “gay” lie.)

And I met Anthony Glover, an African American man whose road to overcoming homosexuality was solidified by a scary experience of almost committing sodomy with a homosexual man who was HIV-positive. (Yes, some homosexual men intentionally try to infect others with HIV.)

Also stopping at our Americans For Truth booth at the FRC summit was Grace Harley, a former (female-to-male) “transgender” who is now a Christian advocating for healthy change in Maryland.

Amidst all this, I picked up a copy of The Washington Blade, D.C.’s main homosexual newspaper, only to find a long story on former Christian Gospel singer Ray Boltz, who has sold out Jesus by embracing a false “gay” identity after living a life as a married family man. (Self-styled “queer” activists will say that Boltz was living a lie, but his four children do not owe their existence to a “gay” lifestyle.) I read the entire Blade story, but all you really need to know is in the final paragraph:

“This is what it really comes down to,” [Boltz] says. “If this is the way God made me , then this is the way I’m going to live. It’s not like God made me this way and he’ll send me to hell if I am who he created me to be … I really feel closer to God because I no longer hate myself.”

Wow, talk about presumption! This talented man is lost and he needs our prayers. Boltz may “feel” closer to God, but if you believe the Scriptures, he’s farther than ever from Him. We understand that the radical “gay” movement exalts its collective “feelings” over the Bible’s clear teaching — and certainly they are not alone in that regard — but each of us must choose between the truth and lies every day, and homosexual behavior is egregiously sinful, according to God’s Word. (See www.robgagnon.net if you are tempted to rationalize away the Bible’s clear condemnation of homosexual practice.) You just can’t sugarcoat that verdict, although these days even many Christians try.

The good news is that for every Ray Boltz, there is a man or woman who went the other way — toward Truth –and, with the help of a loving God, is overcoming strong homosexual temptations in their life. The logical fallacy of homosexual ideologues like Wayne Besen or the self-serving activists at ExGayWatch — and all who are in the business of “disproving” or discrediting former homosexuals — is that they put forth “failures” like Boltz as the “truth” standard for all who feel the homosexual pull.

In a world of “my truth” as opposed to Absolute Truth (right vs. wrong, good vs. evil), it’s an effective tactic to celebrate those who “feel” that “being gay” is “who I am.” But take a moment to think about the implications of that approach for other besetting sins. Would society ever hold up the men and women who tried to overcome addictions but then failed and returned to their destructive habit as the norm and role models for others? (Yes, homosexual practice is a destructive habit, as attested by the drastically shortened lifespans and high incidence of disease among men who practice same-sex sin.)

Moreover, homosexual activists and fellow travelers are using their insider roles in our public schools to guide sexually confused youth into following Boltz’s model by giving in to powerful yet destructive homosexual urges. Remember that “GLBT” identities remain an ideological concept:  What does it mean to assert that homosexuality (”gay” or “lesbian” identity) defines “who a person is” when the very outworking of that identity — same-sex sexual behavior — has caused so much suffering over the last three decades? Only a society in moral decline would countenance confirming impressionable young people into sinful and unhealthy identities/lifestyles.

Truth is timeless

If we are to accept Boltz’s story, how can we reject my friend Jim’s, or Yvette Schneider’s, or Anthony Falzarano’s? Truth is not decided by sinful man’s “feelings” but is revealed by God, through His Holy Word. And even if you don’t believe the Bible, Nature itself reveals the wrongness of homosexual behavior. Yes, Nature discriminates against men having sex with men, as reflected by the through-the-roof sexually-transmitted disease quotient among MSM (men who have sex with men) and other salient factors like the indisputable fact that homosexual relationships cannot produce children without the assistance of normalcy (heterosexuality).

I do not believe there is a single “cause” of homosexuality, but the reporter in me wants to know more about how Boltz grew up — was there sin (of others), predatory behavior, or dysfunction in his early life that helped set him on this path? My hunch is there is a story there, but regardless, we must pray for this wandering soul to return to Christ while combating the lie he now espouses that a holy God who hates sin “makes people gay.”

Homosexual gadfly Wayne Besen is begging for money to fly to Alaska to embarrass Gov. Sarah Palin and promote the lie that homosexuals cannot change. And Associated Press is happy to parrot Besen’s line ridiculing healthy change for homosexuals.

‘News’ Release
Americans For Truth
www.americansfortruth.org

September 9, 2008

Contact: Peter LaBarbera, americansfortruth@comcast.net; 630-717-7631

Secular City, USA — The alternative new media and old establishment media alike are swarming around startling revelations concerning Alaska Governor and GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin’s church in Alaska.

Huff-And-Puff Post has learned that Wasilla Bible Church, where Palin worships, actually believes the Bible that Christ came to earth as a man, professed to be God Himself and forgave peoples’ sins, and performed miracles that only God could do, like raising Lazarus from the dead. Wasilla doctrine teaches that this same Jesus now sits at the right hand of His Heavenly Father and lovingly intervenes in the lives of human beings.

“We have discovered that these brainwashed Christianists who cling to their religion and their guns also cling to fairy tales about Jesus as some prayer-answering ‘savior,’” said Arianna Huff-and-Puff, publisher of the online H&P Post. “It’s one thing to believe that this unseen God-man Jesus helped create the world and performs miracles in the lives of his followers — like healing drug addicts and transforming the hearts of hardened criminals. But believing that He can help also people leave homosexuality – what are they, nuts?!”

Associated Press reports ominously that Wasilla Bible Church supports programs to help men and women overcome homosexual desires. AP, consistent with its well-earned reputation as Always Politically-correct, chose to use the homosexual pejorative “Pray Away the Gay” to describe Wasilla’s ex-“gay” ministry.

AP also quotes New York City-based homosexual gadfly Wayne Besen: “’I think gay Republicans are going to run away’ if Palin supports efforts like the prayers to convert gays.” Oh well, there go 379 homosexual activist Republican votes for McCain – while millions of pro-family, Sarah-Palin-loving Republicans applaud ministries that offer godly, healthy change to homosexual strugglers.

But Professional Anti-Christian Activist Besen is not deterred. Oblivious to the thousands of former homosexuals worldwide who live happy lives shorn of their false “gay “identity, he is now begging his followers for money so he can fly to Anchorage to protest a “Love Won Out” conference promoted by Wasilla Bible Church and sponsored by Focus on the Family. LWO conferences – a favorite target of homosexual militants and anti-“Christianists” everywhere — feature “born again” former homosexuals sharing their hopeful testimonies.

“Speaking of ‘Praying Away the Gay,’ perhaps now is the time for concerned Americans to pray that Besen receives only enough funds to purchase a ONE-WAY ticket to Alaska,” said Americans For Truth president Peter LaBarbera. “Sure, that’s putting a heavy burden on Alaska’s citizens, but the lower 48 states and Hawaii then would be free of Besen’s tiresome anti-Christian bigotry and preposterous crusade to ‘prove’ the impossible: that homosexuals (like all other sinners) can’t change.”

Note to humorless secular media elites and homosexual activists: this release is a spoof, but the parts about AP’s biased reporting and Besen’s “anti-ex-gay” Alaskan Adventure are true.

Homosexual activists are consumed with a war against God and nature in a vain attempt to justify their sinful (and often destructive) lifestyle choices. They twist words and create misleading phrases such as “marriage equality” — even though it is clear that divinely-created nature discriminates in favor of male-female (i.e., normal) relationships. (Can homosexual unions produce children on their own? Why are homosexual men linked so disproportionately to HIV and other sexual diseases (this is an excellent piece by Janice Crouse)?)

So much of the “gay” activists’ effort is expended in trying to squelch divine truth on this subject or reinvent the Bible to approve of their sin. Ultimately, that translates into a crusade to censor truth-tellers: mostly Christians and other religious people who refuse to compromise on the Bible’s truth that homosexual behavior is always sinful — yet, thank God, overcomeable through Christ (see also Janet Boynes’ ex-lesbian testimony). This lawsuit may be frivolous and a publicity stunt, but it is a portent of many anti-Christian lawsuits to come. — Peter LaBarbera

Our friends at LifeSiteNews.com report:

Homosexual Man Sues Bible Publishers over Scripture Verses against Homosexuality

By Peter J. Smith

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, July 11, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A homosexual man upset by biblical verses condemning homosexuality as a sin has decided – in lieu of suing God or claiming damages from the Holy Spirit – instead to go after two Christian publishers for their versions of the Bible, which he says violate his constitutional rights and have caused him emotional pain and mental instability.

Bradley LaShawn Fowler of Canton, Michigan filed a suit in US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan on July 7 against Zondervan Publishing House Corp. seeking $60 million. Fowler also filed another suit earlier in June seeking $10 million from Thomas Nelson Publishing, based in Nashville, Tennessee.

Fowler is representing himself in both cases. U.S. District Judge Julian Abele Cook Jr. declined Fowler’s request for a court-appointed attorney to represent him in the Thomas Nelson case, saying, “The Court has some very genuine concerns about the nature and efficacy of these claims.”

Fowler, 39, blames references to homosexuality as a sin in Zondervan’s Bible for his poor relationship with his family, his own periods of “demoralization, chaos and bewilderment,” and even the death of homosexual Matthew Shepard. Shepard was brutally murdered in 1998 in a crime that was widely reported as being motivated by Shepard’s homosexuality, although a 2004 ABC report has since offered evidence disputing that claim.

Fowler said he was raised with a religious background that taught him homosexuality was a sinful lifestyle.

“That’s why I was completely distraught after discovering the term – homosexual – was added to the bible, in 1982, and then removed, in 1994 without any consideration to the many victims who committed suicide or were murdered because of their sexual preference of homosexuality,” he writes on his blog “Bradley-Almighty.”

He continues, “Sadly enough though, the publishing company that initiated this mental war against homosexuals has never attempted to apologize to Matthew Shepard or anyone else who lost their life, because of their malicious and strict liabilities.”

CLICK HERE for the rest of the story in Lifesitenews.com

This is a Point/Counterpoint debate on the question of whether Willow Creek Community Church (in South Barrington, Illinois) and other mega-churches should have met with the pro-homosexual activist group Soulforce, which aims to “cut off homophobia at its source – religious bigotry.” Our friend Dr. Michael Brown argues that such meetings can be used — with proper discernment — for Christian outreach and to dispel false notions that the Church harbors a “phobia” toward homosexuals. Click here for Sonja Dalton’s commentary expressing the opposite point of view: “Willow Creek Church Should Not Have Met with Soulforce.”

We will allow each writer to respond to the other’s arguments, and we welcome input from our readers, too; write us at americansfortruth@comcast.net. (Sorry, but we’re not interested in publishing pro-homosexuality pieces — there are plenty of “gay” websites for that.) You may write Brown or Dalton through the AFTAH website or by e-mailing americansfortruth@comcast.net:

_____________________________

By Michael L. Brown, Ph.D.

Point/Counterpoint [click HERE for an opposing viewpoint by Sonja Dalton]

There are a number of good reasons why Christian leaders have refused to meet with Soulforce delegations, including:

1. Soulforce leaders use these meetings for their own purposes, putting their particular spin on the meeting for the media;
2. Soulforce sets its own agenda, and Christian leaders are under no obligation to go along with that agenda;
3. Since the Soulforce leaders claim to be Christians, welcoming them could be in violation of injunctions such as 1 Cor 5:9-13 and 2 John 10-11;
4. Despite the ongoing requests for dialogue, it can be doubted whether Soulforce is truly interested in hearing what our side has to say;
5. We are damned if we do meet and damned if we don’t, since if we do meet, we are accused of softening our stance against homosexual practice; if we don’t meet, we are painted as bigots. Why then even entertain Soulforce’s request to meet?

In light of such concerns, many Christian leaders have declined to meet with Soulforce delegations, and I certainly respect their decisions. Indeed, this is often the path of wisdom. It can be argued, however, that under certain circumstances, meetings with Soulforce leaders can be biblically based as well as used for positive gospel purposes.

A text that is often cited as discouraging Christian dialogue with Soulforce is 1 Cor 5:9-13, where Paul calls on the Corinthians not even to eat with a willful unrepentant sinner who claims to be a brother or sister. “When I wrote to you before,” Paul explains, “I told you not to associate with people who indulge in sexual sin.” Thus, “you are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard, or cheats people. Don’t even eat with such people” (1 Cor 5:9, 11, NLT).

Again, I understand how this can be applied to Soulforce delegates, since they claim to be believers and yet are practicing homosexuals. To be sure, if such people were part of one of our local assemblies, then the Scriptures would call on us to disfellowship them if they refused to repent. The problem, however, is that many people in our culture today claim to be believers –– from Mormons to nominal churchgoers to New Age practitioners –– and yet they are lost sinners. If we refuse to associate with them, then we are missing Paul’s whole point and failing in our mission to be ambassadors of Christ. As Paul explained, “I wasn’t talking about unbelievers who indulge in sexual sin, or are greedy, or cheat people, or worship idols. You would have to leave this world to avoid people like that” (1 Cor 5:10).

Are Soulforce leaders former Christians who are unrepentant, and therefore to be shunned, or are they “unbelievers who indulge in sexual sin”? If the latter, then there is no biblical prohibition from meeting with them. Moreover, even if they should be considered former Christians who are unrepentant, we are free to meet with them and share the gospel with them, calling them to repent. Paul’s prohibition is against fellowshipping with false brothers and sisters.

What about 2 John 10-11? There John writes, “If anyone comes to your meeting and does not teach the truth about Christ, don’t invite that person into your home or give any kind of encouragement. Anyone who encourages such people becomes a partner in their evil work” (NLT). In historical context, John was speaking about itinerant false teachers who were not to be welcomed or helped on their way, as opposed to true, traveling teachers whose ministry was to be warmly received and who were to be sent on their way with blessing (see 3 John 3-8). Of course, the “wolves” came in sheep’s clothing (see Matthew 7:15-20), and therefore discernment was needed. But which evangelical Christian leaders are welcoming the Soulforce leaders as Christian teachers with a message for their congregation? Who is taking up an offering for them to help them on their way? Rather, we view them as deceived people –– loved by God, but nonetheless deceived –– who need to hear the truth, and we certainly do not view them as Christian teachers.

Should Christian leaders, then, prayerfully consider meeting with Soulforce delegations? Here are several considerations:

1. Jesus gladly associated with “sinners,” to the consternation of the religious establishment, and he did so for evangelistic purposes, a method that I have called “transformational inclusion.” (That is, Jesus was “inclusive” in his outreach to all kinds of sinners, but that outreach was not affirming but rather transformational.) Shouldn’t we take every opportunity to share the gospel with people who need Jesus, which often means extended face to face dialogue?
2. There is a tremendous amount of stereotyping on both sides of the “gay Christian” debate, and sitting down face to face with practicing homosexuals who claim to be Christians can actually be a learning experience for all (yes, all!) involved. (Now, before you call me a heretic, couldn’t most Christians learn something useful through face to face conversation with, say, religious Muslims, something that could help them be more effective in their witness to the Muslim community? Why can’t it be the same with Soulforce?) Perhaps we could become more sensitive to the struggles of gays and lesbians –– especially those who failed in their efforts to become heterosexual –– as well as learn how some of our preaching sounds to them. How can this be harmful?
3. If handled wisely, a meeting with Soulforce can be used for positive media purposes. That means that we must use the meeting to get our side of the story out, namely, that we have a wonderful message of transforming love, that we are very happy to sit and talk civilly with those who differ with us, that our views are in complete harmony with those of Jesus and Paul, and that we have solid moral and societal reasons for opposing homosexual practice. I would also insist on complete disclosure of the contents of the meeting, asking that media be allowed to be present, that the “conversation” be recorded and transcribed, and that it be released to the general public – even put on YouTube! What do we have to fear?

Jesus taught that those who have the truth come into the light (see John 3:19-21), and I have used that principle in inviting local gay and gay-affirming clergy to have public dialogue with me in Charlotte, North Carolina. If they accept the invitation (as happened February 14, 2008), then I use that opportunity to demonstrate a genuine Christian spirit and to function as “light,” reaching out, exposing darkness, and reproving error (see Ephesians 5:8-14); if they decline (as happened September 20, 2007), then even the local media can see that our side is eager to put the issues on the table while the other is not.

Without question, wisdom is needed, and each church and leader will have a different strategy and approach, but I have never regretted having the opportunity to sit face to face with those who differ with me, convinced that truth will always triumph (Proverbs 21:30; 2 Corinthians 13:8) –– and ultimately set sincere people free (John 8:32-36) –– and that light will always dispel darkness. In the case of Soulforce, an in-person meeting also allows us to dispel charges of homophobia while at the same calling to account these precious souls for whom Jesus died. Is this wrong?

____________________________

Michael L. Brown holds a Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages and Literatures from New York University. He is the director of the Charlotte-based Coalition of Conscience and president of FIRE School of Ministry in Concord, North Carolina. He can be reached by phone at: 704-782-3760; and by email at: ministry@icnministries.org

Brown is involved in reaching out to the gay and lesbian community of Charlotte while at the same time working to resist the gay activist agenda, and he is a speaker for the Focus on the Family “Love Won Out” conferences, focusing on mobilizing communities for godly activism. He has produced two extensive DVD series, “Homosexuality, the Church, and Society,” and “Can You Be Gay and Christian?” and he recently debated Harry Knox, director of Religion and Faith for the (homosexual activist group) Human Rights Campaign. His book, A Queer Thing Happened to America, is scheduled for release in 2009.

Brown has preached around the world and appeared on numerous TV and radio programs, and is a published Old Testament scholar, a leading Jewish Christian apologist, and the author of twenty books. His website is: www.revolutionnow.org.

This is a Point/Counterpoint on the question of whether Willow Creek Community Church (in South Barrington, Illinois) and other mega-churches should have met with the pro-homosexual activist group Soulforce, which aims to “cut off homophobia at its source – religious bigotry.” Below is a commentary by my good friend Sonja Dalton, who argues AGAINST such meetings. Click HERE to read an opposing column by Dr. Michael Brown, who says they can be used — with proper discernment — for Christian outreach.

We will allow each writer to respond to the other’s arguments, and welcome input from our readers, too; write us at americansfortruth@comcast.net. (Sorry, but we’re not interested in publishing pro-homosexuality pieces — there are plenty of “gay” websites for that.) Footnotes are at bottom:

_______________________________

Willow Creek Church Should Not Have Met with Soulforce

Point/Counterpoint [to read Michael Brown's opposing column, click HERE]

By Sonja Dalton

A fundamental question has been lost amid the sensation over the recent meeting between Willow Creek leadership and pro-homosexuality activists affiliated with the group Soulforce:

Did Pastor Bill Hybels have Biblical authority to welcome, meet with, and dine with Jay Bakker and Soulforce?

First, let’s examine who these Willow Creek “guests” [1] were…

Jay Bakker (right) is the cigarette-puffing, tattooed, punk-rocker son of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker; he’s the star of the Sundance Channel series “One Punk Under God” and “pastor” of the “gay”-affirming Revolution NYC [2]. He is quoted as having said:

“…I felt like God spoke to my heart and said ‘[homosexuality] is not a sin.’” [3]

(You might want to pencil that into your Bible, somewhere near Leviticus 18:22 or I Corinthians 6:9-11. Or not.)

On Sunday, June 8th, Bakker served as the “clergy leader” for “The American Family Outing” — a group of homosexual, bisexual, and transgender “families” who imposed themselves upon Bill Hybels and Willow Creek Community Church. These counterfeit “families” are, in fact, “queer” and allied activists associated with Soulforce [4], whose website states:

“The mission of Soulforce is to cut off homophobia at its source – religious bigotry…” [5]

The founder of Soulforce is Mel White, who left family and church to engage in homosexuality and who unabashedly preaches:

“I am gay. I am proud. And God loves me without reservation.” [6]

(The question is, Mel, do you love God? For Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep my commandments.” John the Baptist taught: “Whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”)

Jeff Lutes, Executive Director of Soulforce, plainly articulated the objective of their intrusion in a June 2nd press release (no longer posted online):

Soulforce wants pastors like Hybels to “exercise a new kind of leadership by speaking out for the safety and inclusion of our families.”

So, to review, we’re not talking about hurting, questioning, seeking, sinful unbelievers, but rather about:

• Jay Bakker, who claims to have a new revelation from God that homosexuality really isn’t sin after all,
• And Soulforce activists, who explicitly (and blasphemously) claim to be both “Christian” and proudly, defiantly, unrepentantly “gay” (and bi, and trans, and more?).

These folks weren’t coming to Willow Creek sorrowfully asking, “Brothers, what shall we do?” (as in Acts 2). Their stated mission was to coerce the church to embrace sexual sin.

What does the Bible have to say about such people?

The Apostle Paul instructed the church at Corinth:

I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat. — I Corinthians 5:9-11 (NIV)

And John the Elder instructed the churches:

Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God… If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him. Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work. — II John 1:9-11 NIV

It doesn’t get much plainer. There is no Biblical authority for greeting or conversing with these people.

When Christian leaders justify welcoming, meeting with, or eating with Soulforce, they arrogantly substitute their own wisdom for that of inspired apostolic teaching. (“I will show compassion rather than judgment; I will convince them with my gentle speech.”) Let us humble ourselves: If the Holy Spirit hasn’t convicted a man’s heart, can Bill Hybels persuade him? No; the principle in II Thessalonians 3:14-15 teaches us to have nothing to do with rebellious brothers in order that, through exclusion from fellowship, they might feel shame and repent.

Jesus warned The Twelve to “be wise as serpents and innocent as doves” –– a warning that Willow Creek leadership would have been prudent to heed. As my cherished friend Abigail Ruth put it [7], in sitting down for a meal and dialogue with Soulforce, Hybels not only violated Scripture, but “[gave] the impression that the acceptance of homosexual behavior in the church is something worth discussing. Not to waste a good PR opportunity, Soulforce is predictably spinning the event for all it’s worth.”

I’d say. Read John (“Julie Marie”) Nemecek’s account HERE [8]. (Recognize that name? John was a married father of three sons, an ordained Baptist minister, an associate dean at Spring Arbor University… but now John takes hormones and dresses as a woman [9, 10, 11].) He reports that Willow Creek shared this understanding (punctuation errors as they appeared on his blog):

“(1) Sexual orientation is unchangeable. and (2) Sexual orientation should not keep someone from being received into their church. They acknowledged that 6 of the 7 verses used to condemn homosexuality are irrelevant; really referring to other things. Unfortunately, they still felt that one Genesis text supported their position that gay and lesbian members must commit to celibacy to become members.” [8]

(Mr. Nemecek, if Hybels loved your soul, he would have implored you to repent, for the Word teaches: “A woman shall not wear a man’s garment, nor shall a man put on a woman’s cloak, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD your God.” – Deuteronomy 22:5.)

Paige Schilt, Soulfource’s media director, is quoted as saying:

“[Lutes asked Hybels if he] would take up the challenge of speaking more clearly on behalf of our community when he can — certainly as someone who believes that reparative ["ex-gay"] therapy doesn’t work and that sexual orientation of itself is not sinful. Even though there’s still distance between that position and our totally gay-affirming position, there’s still a lot he could do in terms of leadership on things that would create a lot more safety and protection for our community. And he responded really positively to Jeff’s offering that challenge to him.” [12]

From the same article:

According to Lutes, Hybels “has no trouble with people being gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, and he does not believe it’s a choice.” [12]

Another Soulforce participant (mis-) characterized the weekend as “a testament to the power of the Holy Spirit to move people of good will in a common direction. We found important common ground with the church leadership and look forward to continuing our dialogue in the future.” [13]

Does Bill Hybels believe homosexuals are “born that way”? Does he ascribe to the concept of “sexual orientation”? Has he dispensed with six Bible passages? Since Willow Creek has yet to issue any statement on the meeting, I have no idea whether Hybels actually conveyed those beliefs or not. (I certainly hope not!) But at minimum, these reports testify to terribly poor discernment.

It is my prayer that other men in leadership would contemplate this instruction:

Be watchful, stand firm in the faith,
act like men, be strong.
– I Corinthians 16:13

And yes, as verse 14 continues: “Let all that you do be done in love.” Love that protects families and little children. Love that instructs confounded young people who have imbibed too many deceitful, erroneous messages from this wicked culture. Love that pleads with unbelievers whose hearts are yet tender toward God and, when confronted with Truth, might be snatched from the fire. And even love that grieves for these defiant souls, who must remain in Satan’s realm until the flesh submits to its Creator (I Corinthians 5:3-5).

Sonja Dalton writes, teaches Bible classes and workshops for women and children, and volunteers for Americans For Truth, Culture Campaign and several pro-life/pro-family organizations.

Source Materials:
1. www.soulforce.org/article/1340
2. www.revolutionnyc.com
3. www.radaronline.com/features/2006/12/empire_of_the_son_part_iii.php
4. www.soulforce.org
5. www.soulforce.org/article/7
6. www.soulforce.org/article/11
7. http://culturecampaign.blogspot.com/2008/06/homosexual-activists-heading-for-willow.html
8. http://julienemecek.blogspot.com/2008/06/soulforce-willow-creek-and-me_17.html
9. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/27/america/NA-GEN-US-Transgender-Professor.php
10. http://americansfortruth.com/news/john-becomes-julie-complains-over-firing-by-christian-school.html
11. http://julienemecek.com/
12. http://www.edgechicago.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=glbt&sc2=features&sc3=glbt&id=75795
13. http://www.queermessages.com/2008/06/08/soulforce-goes-to-willow-creek

Contact: Peter LaBarbera: 630-717-7631.

TAKE ACTION: Contact WTTW online or through their main switchboard at 773-583-5000; ask for WTTW CEO/President is Dan Schmidt and/or Programming Director Dan Soles. Or you can call WTTW’s “Member Services” phone number at 773-509-1111, ext. 6 (between 9-5:00 Central); hit “6″ and you will get a live person; kindly communicate your opposition to WTTW’s pro-homosexual programming and the blatant anti-Christian bigotry that is part of it. Click HERE to find the PBS TV station in your area to check if they are engaged in the same “Gay Pride Month” biased programming and let us know what you find: americansfortruth@comcast.net.

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AFTAH Condemns WTTW, PBS for Airing Anti-Christian Programming Celebrating Homosexuality During ‘Gay Pride Month’

NAPERVILLE, Illinois — Americans For Truth President Peter LaBarbera today accused the Chicago public TV station WTTW, and by extension the Public Broadcasting System, of using taxpayer monies to celebrate homosexuality and worse, air programs that displays flagrant anti-religious bigotry during “Gay Pride Month.”

“It is unconscionable that WTTW would show such blatant disregard for its faith- and tradition-minded viewers that it would use anti-Christian programs celebrating homosexuality for its fund-raising telethons,” LaBarbera said. “Public television must be impartial on controversial moral issues. We call on WTTW and PBS to balance their pro-homosexual programming with faith-based educational material from the other side, or stop it altogether.”

Last night (and apparently on June 1), WTTW used the documentary, “The Power of Harmony,” featuring the Dallas-based Turtle Creek Chorale, as a fund-raiser. It included:

• The homosexual men’s choir singing the song, “I Ain’t Afraid,” which contains the following refrain denigrating faithful Christians, Jews and Muslims: “I ain’t afraid of your Yahweh, I ain’t afraid of your Allah, I ain’t afraid of your Jesus, I’m afraid of what you do in the name of your God”;
• Repeated assertions that God made homosexuals that way and that portray Christians who disagree as hateful, ignorant or prejudiced. Said one homosexual man’s mother: “God created homosexuality. It’s just part of a person.” Historic Christian teaching holds that homosexual acts are sinful but that this behavior pattern – like other sinful lifestyles – can be overcome through faith in Christ;
• Testimonies by bitter “gay” men who despise and attack the religion of their upbringing because it does not sanction their lifestyle;
• A homosexual male couple adopting a Guatemalan baby.

WTTW’s 2007 Annual Report, shows that the Chicago station received $3,030,000 in Corporation for Public Broadcasting grants in Fiscal Year 2007 and a State of Illinois grant of $1,679,000.

WTTW’s airing of the anti-Christian “The Power of Harmony” comes during June, when homosexuals celebrate “Gay Pride Month.” This month, WTTW also repeatedly has aired another pro-homosexual documentary, “Out & Proud in Chicago,” as a telethon fund-raiser.

“WTTW talks a good game about diversity, but it shows profound disrespect for people of faith and real diversity with its bigoted, one-sided programming on homosexuality,” LaBarbera said. “We expect PBS and WTTW officials to fix this bias problem.”

This lesbian couple traveling with Soulforce — the “Rasmus-Ford family” — says, “God created us [as lesbians] exactly as we are with purpose and intention.” They are taking that false message to mega-churches across the country.

Press Release, Americans For Truth about Homosexuality

June 8, 2008; Contact: Peter LaBarbera: 630-717-7631; americansfortruth@comcast.net

NAPERVILLE, Illinois — Americans For Truth President Peter LaBarbera today accused the homosexual activist group Soulforce of intimidating mega-churches like Willow Creek Community Church into a bogus “dialogue’ to further its goal of persuading faithful Christians to reject age-old Biblical teachings that homosexual behavior is a changeable sin.

Soulforce activists are leading a pro-“gay” campaign called the “American Family Outing” in which they seek “peaceful dialogue” (on their terms) with five mega-churches across the country each Sunday between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. This weekend they are targeting Willow Creek in South Barrington, Illinois.

LaBarbera said he was confident that Willow Creek and its pastor Bill Hybels would present Biblical truth in love to the visiting Soulforce contingent, but questioned the manipulative nature of Soulforce’s tactics and their continued use of incendiary rhetoric – e.g., accusing Christians who defend ancient Biblical teachings against homosexual practice of “spiritual violence” against “gays.”

He said Jay Bakker (left) –– son of Jim and the late Tammy Faye Bakker –– who is traveling with Soulforce, needs to repent for promoting revisionist “queer” theology that runs directly counter to Holy Scripture. Bakker claimed in 2006, “I felt like God spoke to my heart and said [homosexuality] is not a sin.”

“The truth is, Soulforce and Bakker are the ones guilty of doing violence — to the Word of God by using loaded words and false ‘revelation’ to argue that God does not oppose homosexual behavior,” LaBarbera said. “Soulforce is wrong: you cannot be a faithful Christian and proudly ‘gay.’ However, many ‘ex-gay’ men and woman have left the homosexual lifestyle through the grace and power of Jesus Christ.”

LaBarbera pointed to the words of one lesbian couple – the “Rasmus-Ford family,” who apparently adopted two African-American children — traveling with Soulforce (emphasis added):

Fortunately, we didn’t buy into the idea that being gay was wrong or would somehow make us displeasing in the eyes of God. We found each other knowing that God created us exactly as we are with purpose and intention. We now belong to Metropolitan Community Church of Austin and are showing our children that nothing they do could separate them from the love of God or from our love. … As mothers and as Christians, it is of paramount importance the Soulforce message is spread around the globe. The violence must stop. There are gay and lesbian people who believe they must choose between following Christ and living authentically in the truth of their being. We want to make sure our brothers and sisters in Christ know they were created in the image of the Creator. We are loved and cherished children of God. Nothing can change that fact.

“This statement is filled with so many falsehoods and anti-Biblical claims that it’s difficult to know where to start,” LaBarbera said. “First, God did not create women to be lesbians – or why would His Holy Word speak so clearly (in Genesis) about united man and woman in marriage and (in Romans) against lesbian behavior? Homosexuality is not the “truth” of anyone’s being. Practicing sins like homosexuality DOES separate a person from God. And yes, people practicing homosexuality must choose between whether to go deeper and deeper into that sin or believe in the life-changing Gospel of Jesus Christ and leave it behind.”