Jimmy Swaggart Says He'd Kill Gays
Remember Jimmy Swaggart? Despite a particularly nasty fall from grace several years back, he’s still in the pulpit and he has thousands (if not millions) of followers.
On September 19, while conducting a globally televised worship service, Swaggart paused in the middle of his sermon to state that he would kill a man who looked at him romantically.
"I've never seen a man in my life I wanted to marry," he began. This was followed by shouts and applause from the congregants.
"And I'm gonna be blunt and plain, if one ever looks at me like that I'm going to kill him and tell God he died." At this the audience roars with laughter and applauds.
"In case anybody doesn't know God calls it an abomination. It's an abomination! It's an abomination!" More applause.
..."I'm not knocking the poor homosexual. I'm not. They need salvation just like anybody else.... I'm knocking our pitiful, pathetic lawmakers. And I thank God that President Bush has stated we need a constitutional amendment that states that marriage is between a man and a woman." Yet more applause.
Now, I’ve discussed the mixture of politics and religion extensively, but I have a serious question for all of us to ponder.
What does it say about us as “Christians” when a preacher can cause a crowd to laugh and applaud this kind of message? What does it say about us to the world when this kind of message is televised globally?
Granted, Swaggart does admit that gays - "like anyone else" – need salvation. But the overall theme of his sermon is that violence against gays is justified. This is where we are as Americans. You’re life is worthless if God has declared your behavior to be an abomination.
Swaggart goes on to praise President Bush for his support of an amendment banning gay marriage. He neglects to mention, of course, that John Kerry also opposes gay marriage, but doesn’t feel that a constitutional amendment is wise or appropriate. This, then, becomes another reminder from Christendom that a vote for Bush is a vote for God.
Who is this Jesus that the American church worships? The one in the Bible teaches love for all God’s children, but the one in our churches is a warmonger, not a peacemaker. Our enemies in the war on terror are an “abomination.”
See, it’s easier this way. It’s kind of a “Christian Morality for the Selfish.” All you need to do is show why another person or race has forfeited their rights as human beings and then you can have your way with them. This was the trick used by the church in Latin America to justify the massacre of millions of native Americans during the Spanish conquest.
Swaggart has since provided a non-apology for his sermon: "I was unwise in making the statement. All of us have made statements we wish we hadn't made. That was one for me."
Note the absence of remorse. Note that he doesn’t say that what he said was wrong, only that he shouldn’t have said it. That’s because "What comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart" (Matthew 15:18).
If American Christians aren’t growing increasingly ashamed of themselves, then they should be. This is not the church of Jesus Christ anymore. It’s a whole new animal. One that bites and kills and destroys.
(If you're interested, you can watch the video of Swaggart, it's here.)
On September 19, while conducting a globally televised worship service, Swaggart paused in the middle of his sermon to state that he would kill a man who looked at him romantically.
"I've never seen a man in my life I wanted to marry," he began. This was followed by shouts and applause from the congregants.
"And I'm gonna be blunt and plain, if one ever looks at me like that I'm going to kill him and tell God he died." At this the audience roars with laughter and applauds.
"In case anybody doesn't know God calls it an abomination. It's an abomination! It's an abomination!" More applause.
..."I'm not knocking the poor homosexual. I'm not. They need salvation just like anybody else.... I'm knocking our pitiful, pathetic lawmakers. And I thank God that President Bush has stated we need a constitutional amendment that states that marriage is between a man and a woman." Yet more applause.
Now, I’ve discussed the mixture of politics and religion extensively, but I have a serious question for all of us to ponder.
What does it say about us as “Christians” when a preacher can cause a crowd to laugh and applaud this kind of message? What does it say about us to the world when this kind of message is televised globally?
Granted, Swaggart does admit that gays - "like anyone else" – need salvation. But the overall theme of his sermon is that violence against gays is justified. This is where we are as Americans. You’re life is worthless if God has declared your behavior to be an abomination.
Swaggart goes on to praise President Bush for his support of an amendment banning gay marriage. He neglects to mention, of course, that John Kerry also opposes gay marriage, but doesn’t feel that a constitutional amendment is wise or appropriate. This, then, becomes another reminder from Christendom that a vote for Bush is a vote for God.
Who is this Jesus that the American church worships? The one in the Bible teaches love for all God’s children, but the one in our churches is a warmonger, not a peacemaker. Our enemies in the war on terror are an “abomination.”
See, it’s easier this way. It’s kind of a “Christian Morality for the Selfish.” All you need to do is show why another person or race has forfeited their rights as human beings and then you can have your way with them. This was the trick used by the church in Latin America to justify the massacre of millions of native Americans during the Spanish conquest.
Swaggart has since provided a non-apology for his sermon: "I was unwise in making the statement. All of us have made statements we wish we hadn't made. That was one for me."
Note the absence of remorse. Note that he doesn’t say that what he said was wrong, only that he shouldn’t have said it. That’s because "What comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart" (Matthew 15:18).
If American Christians aren’t growing increasingly ashamed of themselves, then they should be. This is not the church of Jesus Christ anymore. It’s a whole new animal. One that bites and kills and destroys.
(If you're interested, you can watch the video of Swaggart, it's here.)
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