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发帖数: 29846 | 1 Inaugural Pastor Withdraws over Anti-gay Remarks
Thursday, January 10, 2013 02:28 PM
By: Todd Beamon
A pro-family pastor President Barack Obama chose to deliver the benediction
at his inauguration ceremony this month has withdrawn amid controversy over
anti-gay remarks he made more than a decade ago.
The Rev. Louie Giglio, an Atlanta minister and founder of the Passion
Conferences, a group dedicated to uniting students in worship and prayer,
said on Thursday that he was withdrawing because remaining on the program
would not best serve his core message, NBC News reports.
“Due to a message of mine that has surfaced from 15-20 years ago, it is
likely that my participation — and the prayer I would offer — will be
dwarfed by those seeking to make their agenda the focal point of the
inauguration,” Giglio said in a statement published by NBC. “Clearly,
speaking on this issue has not been in the range of my priorities in the
past 15 years.
“Instead, my aim has been to call people to ultimate significance as we
make much of Jesus Christ.”
In a sermon from the mid-1990s, Giglio advocated for "ex-gay" therapy and
urged listeners to prevent the “homosexual lifestyle” from becoming
accepted, NBC reports.
He also invoked a biblical passage often interpreted to require gay people
to be executed and argued that homosexuals choose to be gay.
“People aren’t born gay – but even if they are, it’s still a choice like
giving into alcoholism, addiction and overeating,” Giglio said in the 54-
minute sermon, “In Search of a Standard – Christian Response to
Homosexuality,” NBC reports.
The Presidential Inaugural Committee said in a statement: “We were not
aware of Pastor Giglio’s past comments at the time of his selection — and
they don’t reflect our desire to celebrate the strength and diversity of
our country at this inaugural. As we now work to select someone to deliver
the benediction, we will ensure their beliefs reflect this administration’s
vision of inclusion and acceptance for all Americans.”
Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign, an advocacy group for
gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights, lauded Giglio’s withdrawal.
"It was the right decision,” Griffin told NBC in an email. “Participants
in the inaugural festivities should unite rather than divide. Choosing an
affirming and fair-minded voice as his replacement would be in keeping with
the tone the president wants to set for his Inaugural."
In 2009, Obama chose the Rev. Rick Warren to give the invocation, drawing
criticism from some on the left because of Warren's opposition to same-sex
marriage, NBC reports. | l******t
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