Exclusive: AFTAH Interview with Liberty Counsel’s Matt Barber (Truth Academy Speaker)

Folks, please read the interview I recently did with Matt Barber, Vice President of Liberty Counsel Action and AFTAH board member. This helps to underscore why now, more than ever, the Americans for Truth Academies are an indispensable tool to help freedom-loving, morality-supporting Americans become equipped to push back against the homosexualist juggernaut. Click here to learn how you can join us this Friday and Saturday (April 1 and 2) in Columbus, OH for the next Truth Academy. ~ Peter LaBarbera

Matt Barber in the ring

PL: In the past couple of days you’ve been under tremendous assault from homosexual activists and other liberals for some comments you made on Liberty Counsel’s Faith & Freedom talk radio program about bullying, the tragedy of teen suicide and homosexual sin. Tell our readers about that.

MB: Yeah, this has given us a teachable moment. You know, scripture says ‘woe to those who call evil good and good evil.’ When homosexual activists and other ‘progressives’ in the pro-sin movement are exposed to biblical truth, their reaction is invariably visceral and loud. There’s ‘nothing new under the sun.’ This ‘kill the messenger’ strategy is age-old and knee-jerk. These folks, as a matter of course, call evil good and good evil. Of course their gripe isn’t with me. I’m nothing. I’m nobody. Their problem is with their Creator, the natural order and the fallen state of mankind. They’re just lost.

PL: What specifically did you say to bring down such hate?

I merely repeated what God’s objective truth about sexual sin has always held: That heterosexual fornication, to include adultery, is sin and that homosexual behavior is always immoral and unnatural. Scripture is unequivocal on these points throughout both the Old and New Testaments. So, essentially I said nothing new.

Here’s where they lost their collective noodle: I also pointed out how the pro-sin movement is cynically manipulating the very real problem of childhood and teen bullying – something anyone with a heart is opposed to – in order to push, with a ‘Trojan horse strategy,’ a radical pro-homosexual, anti-Christian agenda. On this, there’s no debate. This is evil. When you shine light on evil those who love darkness will scurry for the shadows and blindly shoot arrows into the light.

These ‘anti-Christ’ activists seek segregationist legislation that exploits bullying, which can and unfortunately sometimes does occur against kids who self-identify as ‘lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.’ They promote these propagandist ‘LGBT’ laws to the exclusion and detriment of other classes of kids who are perhaps even more frequently bullied and in larger numbers: Overweight kids and racial minorities come to mind. This blatant discrimination betrays the true agenda: pro-homosexual indoctrination, pure and simple.

Regrettably, there’s no way to catch and stop all bullying. But what we need – and largely have – is general, inclusive bullying protections for all kids, to include those who may struggle with sexual confusion. What we must not have is legislation that discriminates against children in order to push a radical sexual relativist agenda. It’s really disgusting to watch homosexual activists hijack the issue of bullying and the tragedy of teen suicide to push their own selfish, decidedly immoral political agenda.

PL: On the topic of teen suicide. You had comments there as well?

Right, as you know I’ve never been one to mince words or sugarcoat things. That’s how God hardwired me. I also shared my opinion that many of those caught-up in the homosexual lifestyle intuitively know that such conduct is sin – that it’s both immoral and unnatural behavior. Objective truth is objective truth. God has written His laws on the hearts of every man, woman and child. We’re all spiritual beings created in the image of our sovereign Lord. We are also all sinners. Scripture says that not one of us is righteous. When we sin, we create separation between ourselves and God.

God’s word also says that when we sin sexually, it’s particularly egregious because our bodies are the temple of Christ. This separation from God – a natural result of sexual sin – can lead to depression and even despair. It’s a no brainer. I pointed out that such despair and inner conflict can logically be one factor that might contribute to teen suicide. It’s absolutely heartbreaking to witness, but it’s a very painful reality.

Scripture warns that ‘the wages of sin is death.’ Homosexual behavior is demonstrably destructive physically, emotionally and spiritually. The answer is never to take one’s own life. Life is God’s alone to give and to take away. The answer is to repent, make every effort to stop sinning and to find Life. Christ is the ‘way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Him.’

I know this firsthand. When I was a young man I was caught-up in a lifestyle of sexual sin. I thought, as did many young men, that it was somehow cool to womanize. This sexual sin, of course, created separation between me and the Lord. The longer it continued, the deeper the separation. Believe me; this can lead to severe depression.  Thankfully, I surrendered to Jesus and my life has never been the same. Am I still a sinner? Absolutely, we all are. But we can all be redeemed through Him. There’s no greater freedom and joy. That’s it. That’s the answer.

PL: Tell us about the hate-mail and death threats.

MB: Yeah, there’s been quite a bit of that too – a lot of hate mail; calls for my assassination; people saying they hope my children die, etc. Listen, this stuff is par for the course with the ever-‘tolerant’ secular-left. Of course the death threats have to be taken seriously, but with the rest of it; you just have to let it roll-off like water off a duck’s back. I don’t take it personally because I’m not really the target. They’re not so much angry with me. Really, they’re just angry at God.

Scripture tells us, paraphrasing; that they will hate us because they first hated Christ. These folks need prayer and I pray for them regularly as we’re commanded to do. Seriously, their violent reaction to God’s word should be treated as little more than background noise. That’s how I treat it. It’s the predictable clamor of rebellion against God.

We just need to press ahead, faithful and bold, speaking God’s truth in love. I can think of nothing less compassionate than affirming and encouraging sexual sin and pigeonholing kids into a ‘gay’ identity. This leads sexually confused kids into a lifestyle that, according to the CDC, promises boys, for instance, a one-in-five chance of contracting HIV/AIDS. This isn’t love. This is a kind of false ‘love’ – devoid of God’s truth. It’s deceptive. It’s evil. It’s the worse kind of hate