Next Stop in Soulforce’s Intimidation Campaign Against Christian Colleges: Bob Jones University

News Release
Americans For Truth
www.americansfortruth.org

For Immediate Release, April 4, 2007            

Americans For Truth President Peter LaBarbera accuses the homosexual group Soulforce of intimidating Christian colleges by demanding a “dialogue” with them and then protesting at those colleges, like Bob Jones, that refuse. He called on Soulforce to apologize for linking faithful Christians who believe the Bible’s clear teachings against homosexuality to “spiritual violence,” and chastised Soulforce for exploiting the genuine, black civil rights movement.

GREENVILLE, S.C.—  on the campus of Bob Jones University, target of a Soulforce protest –– Americans For Truth President Peter LaBarbera today accused the radical homosexual activist group Soulforce of engaging in an intimidation campaign masquerading as a quest for “dialogue” — against Bible-believing Christian colleges.

“Genuine dialogue doesn’t come under threat of an angry protest,” LaBarbera said. “Imagine if your biggest critic demanded a ‘dialogue’ with you and then warned that if you didn’t bend to his wishes, he’d show up at your doorstep with 20 protesters. This is what Soulforce is doing to American Christian colleges as part of its unbiblical effort to win acceptance for changeable behavior that God condemns.

“The truth is, Bob Jones, and every other Christian college on Soulforce’s target list, have nothing to apologize for and nothing to negotiate on the homosexual issue,” he said. “There is no more reason to engage in ‘dialogue’ on this question than any other sexual sin.”

He said some Christian schools have unwittingly helped advance the idea that homosexuality is a “special sin” by allowing Soulforce activists on to their campus to present students with their heretical views –– including: “Biblical authors are silent about homosexual orientation as we know it today.” (The Bible discusses homosexuality in terms of sinful behavior, not “orientation”; for more analysis from Rob Gagnon, Associate Professor of New Testament at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and one of world’s leading authorities on the Bible and homosexual practice, go to www.robgagnon.net.)

In accusing Soulforce of distorting the Bible’s “crystal clear” teachings on homosexuality, LaBarbera said, “They deny Christ’s power by denying the possibility of change –– even though Jesus Christ has helped many former gay men and lesbians overcome homosexual urges.”

Soulforce also “demonizes faithful Christians by linking them to ‘spiritual violence,’” LaBarbera said. “Equating obedience to God to ‘violence’ is a bullying tactic designed to create a victim status of homosexuals. Soulforce owes all of Christendom an apology for essentially calling God (and His Word) a liar.”

LaBarbera also accused Soulforce of “ripping off the black civil rights movement –– even appropriating the 1960s ‘freedom riders’ name (Soulforce calls its bus tour activists ‘Equality Riders’) –– when in fact the two movements have nothing in common.” He said the tactic is ironic since most African Americans deeply resent equating their civil rights struggle with homosexual activism, and as a group they more strongly oppose “same-sex marriage” than whites.