The Westboro Baptist bunch are an example of the latter. They've been around for a while, but lately a lot more like them seem to be popping up. The most recent example is a pastor in Seneca, Kansas who's declaring that the government should kill homosexuals. He doesn't say that individuals should take it upon themselves to do this, mind you, but the government should.
The Blaze has the story:
Over the past few weeks, bizarre and distressing video and audio files purporting to show anti-gay sentiment in U.S. Christian churches have been emerging.My hope is that this guy finds some other line of work. A pastor is supposed to model Christ to his congregation. Does Mr. Knapp really think Jesus, the one who rescued the woman about to be stoned for adultery, would have urged Caesar to execute gays? Does he really think that saying someone who has not raped or murdered should nevertheless be executed is compassionate and just? Does he really think that this is the image of him that Jesus wants us to present to a skeptical world?
First, there was the story of a pastor who quipped about parents hitting boys who appear effeminate (he has since attempted to better frame his words). Then, there was Pastor Charles L. Worley, who touted putting gays and lesbians in an electric fence, where they would inevitably die off.
And who can forget the small child who is seen on video singing about how homosexuals won’t be entering heaven. Now, there’s yet another audio file emerging of a pastor claiming that the government should kill gays. While it seems almost unbelievable on the surface, the clip, which was published by GoodAsYou.org, showcases some shocking words coming from Pastor Curtis Knapp of New Hope Baptist Church in Seneca, Kansas.
In the audio clip, a voice that is attributed to Knapp can be heard saying, in part:They should be put to death. That’s what happened in Israel. That‘s why homosexuality wouldn’t have grown in Israel. It tends to limit conversions. It tends to limit people coming out of the closet. Oh, so you’re saying that we should go out and start killing them? No, I’m saying the government should. They won’t, but they should.Knapp appeared on CNN (via the network’s KTKA affiliate this morning) to discuss the controversial March 27 sermon. Rather than backing down on his words, he defended them, claiming that they were Biblical in nature.We punish pedophilia. We punish incest. We punish polygamy and various things. It’s only homosexuality that is lifted out as an exemption,” he said, going on to say that gays shouldn’t have fear about his words. ”I don’t believe I should lay a finger against them. My hope is for their salvation, not for their death.
I don't know how big Pastor Knapp's congregation is, but if it's got a hundred or so people in it, I'll bet that some of those people have loved ones who are homosexual. How does it make them feel to hear their pastor, a man who is supposedly speaking for Christ, say that their loved ones should be killed as though they were vicious criminals? What has happened to the adage that Christians hate the sin but love the sinner?
Here's video of Knapp being interviewed on CNN: Men like Mr. Knapp do a deep disservice both to the Gospel and to the God they claim to serve. They should get out of the ministry until they realize how unChristlike and cruel their words are and repent of their pharisaism. As long as they're in the pulpit they make it entirely too easy for atheists like Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris to caricature Christianity and for the rest of the world to ignore the claims of the Gospel.