Preachers, pastors, priests and the like have played quite a role this political season. Just ask Barack Obama – the Democratic presidential hopeful had to defend his ties to both Donnie McClurkin and Jeremiah Wright.
Republican John McCain, meanwhile, had a short-lived shit storm over John Hagee, the Catholic bashing preacher man who endorsed the Arizona Senator and blamed the gays for Hurricane Katrina. McCain also had a bit of trouble from Rod Parsley, the Ohio-based Evangelical who takes regular swipes at the lavender set.
Certainly Parsley and Hagee’s respective opinions aren’t the most progressive, they’re less important to McCain than a man named Dan Yeary, the Baptist politico’s actual preacher.
While Yeary’s not as inflammatory as Parsley and Hagee, his views on the gays are pretty straight forward: we’re sinners. From the horse’s mouth:
The entire canon of Scripture precisely teaches that sexual expression is intended for and restricted to the confines of heterosexual marriage. Jesus never affirmed, permitted, or condoned homosexual expression or practice. He clearly taught that God’s intention was heterosexual marriage (Matthew 19:1-9). The apostle Paul emphatically opposed the practice of homosexuality. Romans 1:26-27 and 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 detail condemnation of homosexual expression with the view that such is unnatural.
McCain’s voting record proves at least a small amount of agreement. Yes, he opposed a federal amendment banning gay marriage, but that was only because McCain’s a firm believer in state’s rights, which he exhibited when he voted for his home state’s own prohibition, which failed.
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People in Yeary’s position are known for their violent denouncements of gays, who some believe can be “cured” of their queer ways. Yeary’s not the naive, surprisingly, and doesn’t endorse reparative therapy. Rather, Yeary endorses the old fall back: celibacy.
Via Box Turtle Bulletin:
Outside the bonds of heterosexual marriage, the proper use of sexuality is to honor God by obedience. Celibacy is a gift from God, and a chaste life is God’s expectation. Only God can provide the spiritual strength for this difficult commitment.
So, we gays do have a spiritual value, so long as we restrain our sexual expression. That’s fair, although his opinions still offend: “Homosexuality breaks God’s law. Scripture is precisely prohibitive in defying homosexual practices. God views homosexuality as detestable.” He also describes homosexuality as “less than ideal and is the product of the fall of humanity.
Though he doesn’t necessarily believe in ex-gay therapies, Yeary clearly believes the gays can be saved via the power of Christ:
A significant key to hope for the homosexual is the response of Christians. Repulsive acts must not be permitted to cause us to reject persons. We must minister with grace to all who need love, respect, and forgiveness. We must repent of our arrogance and intolerance and learn to love the sinner convincingly while condemning sin clearly.
Some voters may find Yeary’s relative tolerance to be a blessing, but his ultimate take causes us concern:
Viewing persons and the practice of homosexuality from the perspective of biblical revelation is both responsible and redemptive. Biblical principles must take priority over public opinion or practice.
Religious hegemony? That’s far scarier than anything Wright ever dished out.
JackBeck
Love your picture choice.
queerunity
why does the media enjoy talking about obamas reverand but does not even hint at the mention of mccains fundies? conservative media, perhaps?
http://www.queersunited.blogspot.com
Leland Frances
Since you insist on effectively trying to defend Obama’s association with loon Jeremiah Wrong by saying that McCain’s minister is worse, why, when duly mentioning McClurkin, do you fail to mention Obama’s OTHER close friend/spiritual advisor the Rev. James Meeks who is as rabidly and actively antigay as anyone associated with any other candidate? Who has called blacks who disagree with him “house niggers”?
Where was Obama’s alleged passion for and ability to convince others to support even basic gay equality when Meeks [whom Obama told the “Chicago Sun Times” in 2004 “he seeks out for spiritual counsel”] in his role as State Sen. James Meeks refused to vote for Illinois’ gay rights bill because giving us job protection might “lead to gay marrige” and who has called being gay “an evil sickness”?
Where was Obama’s self-described powers of persuasion when Meeks [who’s done TV campaign ads for him; was on his Prez exploratory committee; hosted him speeches from his pulpit; prayed with him the night he won his US Senate primary] ran for governor on an anti gay marriage equality platform, vowing to fight it at every turn?
SEE MEEKS VIDEO in which he screams that white voters who “believe in Jesus” and “morality” should support him for governor:
http://mfile.akamai.com/12906/wmv/vod.ibsys.com/2006/0327/8289367.200k.asx
Where was Obama’s alleged passion and ability to convince others to stop using gays as scapegoats when Meeks, whom has been called one of the “10 Leading Antigay Black Ministers in America” was using his mega church to launch petition drives for the Illinois Family Institute that has praised Meeks for leading African Americans in “clearly understanding the threat of gay marriage”?
One can ignore the fact that gays are left entirely out of Obama’s 64-page “Blueprint for Change”; one can sincerely swallow whole his claim that he is sincere about want to FIGHT for greater gay equality and not just throw pretty words at it, and still point out that real concern, like charity, begins at home and among those closest to you. And if you can’t [assuming you’ve tried] change the words and actions of homohaters close to you how can we expect you to succeed in changing homophobes in Congress? And there are few closer to Barack Obama than Rev./Sen. James “Hollywood Jews brought us ‘Brokeback Mountain'” Meeks.
PARKAVMAN
these preachers don’t seem to take into account there are those of us that do not believe the bible is anything more than a book of stories trying to instill fear in the masses. if they don’t follow it….they’re damned. i believe in a higher power that wants me to be happy, healthy, treat others and the earth well (any established religion claims that last part, doesn’t it)
emb
I can’t wait to hear from the LCRs about how this represents McCain’s “maverick” independence, and a glorious opportunity to generate “change from within.”
Stuff and nonsense.
dvlaries
Within the same hour of this queerty offering, wonkette.com just put up a story about McCain calling his own wife a cunt.
http://wonkette.com/376849/john-mccain-called-wife-awful-word-that-rhymes-with-hunt-and-punt
CitizenGeek
Is that a genuine picture of McCain? Did he really pull that face? Hah!
Gerard Priori
I can’t imagine why in the world I’d care for two seconds what someone says their imaginary friend thinks of me.
God is just Santa Claus for adults. The delusional believers need to be taken seriously because some of them are a threat to our freedom, but all this crap about what their sky-daddy wants is irrelevant. It’s exactly the same thing as living your life because you’re worried what Harry Potter would think of you. Stop worrying; fictional characters don’t think of anything–they can’t.
-Jerry
John
Leland:
W. T. F ?
Sigh.
leomoore
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Why is that fair? If the Bible stated that only angels could fly, should we burn airline pilots, kill all the flying birds and bats, and debate whether hang-gliding is a sin or not? Fuck them all. I would much rather castrate pedophile preachers and reverends who use the services of prostitutes.
Mr C
YOU KNOW WHAT LELAND.
I DON’T SEE YOU CRITICIZING ANY OF THE MCCAIN PREACHERS. YOU ARE ONE RACIST FUCK.
But guess what because of these feelings this community is going to self destruct And you’re not alone in your ignorant state of mind.
HATE+PREJUDICE=DESTRUCTION
Full of shit you and THE WHITE BASED Philadelphia Gay News!
AND WHAT THE FUCK ARE GAY RIGHTS?
Hillary nor her husband don’t give a FUCK about the gays. If they have taken Blacks for granted. You really think she is going put GAYS at the top of the list? HA HA
KEEP DREAMING DOROTHY AND CLICK YOUR PUMPS 3 TIMES! UNHAPPILY EVER AFTER IT SHALL BE!
Leona
I agree with all Dan Yeary has said in that article… FINALLY! Someone with a backbone to finally stand for the Word of God and proclaim it to the nations in it’s rawest form! PRAISE GOD!!!!
And the TRUTH shall set you FREE!
Matt S
How can these people say these things and not condemn divorce at the same time? How can they not point out the same “sin” of out of marriage sex?
greybat
Divorce is on next week’s list.