Larry Kroon, the pastor of Wasilla Bible Church, which Sarah Palin attended, was on Fox News to explain why Sarah Palin's church advertised a Love Won Out conference. Love Won Out, which is an arm of Focus on the Family, promotes ex-gay therapy, the idea that if gays pray hard enough, they can turn straight.
He explains that he advertised it because people in his church were talking about homosexuality without an understanding of "the dynamics of same-sex attraction" and were talking about two gays in the community without a "gracious tone and manner." He says, "I don't think there was appropriate use of terminology," which I'm guessing means some people were calling those gays "faggots" or "dykes" (he doesn't say whether they were male or female).
This person's a real piece of work. Will someone please ask Sarah Palin if she supports this? After Barack Obama had to respond to several quotations from his pastor taken out of context, I think the fact that Sarah Palin's church supports ex-gay therapy is worth asking her about.
Full text after the jump.
VAN SUSTEREN: One of the things that has caught attention is the prayer, the gay prayer -- I don't know if that -- explain that to me. Has that been taken out of context...
(CROSSTALK)
KROON: Number one, we're not doing -- I mean, we're not sponsoring that here. we're not running (ph) that here. I don't even know where that phrase comes from. I don't even know if it's -- I mean, Focus on the Family is the group sponsoring that seminar in Anchorage.
Watch Greta's interview with Pastor Larry Kroon
VAN SUSTEREN: Not you?
KROON: Not us.
VAN SUSTEREN: OK.
KROON: And they're in Anchorage and they're -- I mean, they're going to be in Anchorage. They're going to be sponsoring it. And if you look at their literature and stuff, I don't know that they even use that phrase.
VAN SUSTEREN: So the media has gotten this one wrong? As far as you know.
KROON: As far as I know. I don't know what -- I will say this. We did make -- we did let our people, in just a simple notice in the bulletin, that, yes, that seminar's going to be in Anchorage. And some of them may go, some of them may not go. I could give you a long explanation as to why, and that was my decision to put that in the bulletin, why I did it.
VAN SUSTEREN: Why did you do it?
KROON: I don't know how much you can just do this, but I'll just -- I'll say it.
VAN SUSTEREN: OK.
KROON: And this may take a long time. I mean, you can decide what to do with it.
VAN SUSTEREN: All right.
KROON: When the subject of homosexuality comes up, people that matter to me come to mind. And over the past year, I've had different people in our congregation speak of homosexuals in ways that I did not want to hear our people speak.
VAN SUSTEREN: Unkind?
KROON: I would say not with understanding and without any sense of the dynamics of same-sex attraction and all those kinds of things. And I felt like there was (INAUDIBLE) understanding and I don't think there was appropriate use of terminology.
And this wasn't in the church, it was outside the church. Two individuals who are within the Christian faith, they wrestle with this same-sex attraction and their Christian communion. I mean, and these people were real. They were not a dog and pony show or something like that, that they've been called. I mean, these people were real. And I wanted my people, if at all possible, to hear somebody in their tone and their manner because I don't think the church has done a very good job of speaking of this issue in a gracious tone and manner.
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10 Comments
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It's encouraging to know that homophobes are becoming fearful of being openly homophobic.
Wolfgang E. B. | September 10, 2008 4:59 PM
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What about this interview or the event is so off the hook? The pastor is pretty measured in his speech. What is he asserting that is so objectionable?
Quite a bit of the material I've read on this blog suggests that gender identity and sexual orientation are socially constructed and fluid. They are not essential. That's the same thing the pastor and AFA are saying.
If I've missed something, please fill in the blanks.
null | September 10, 2008 5:39 PM
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LWO is the sort of authoritarian organization whose agenda is the opposite of those who want to take away authority from stable identity markers. Wanting everyone to be straight. Forcing that label and the accompanying behavior on people is the opposite from denying all labels and attempting to take their power away from them.
Alex Blaze | September 11, 2008 5:37 AM
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Remind me again why the Log Cabin republicans endorsed the McCain-Palin ticket?
K | September 10, 2008 5:42 PM
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Yeah I agree with Greg on this, Alex. He doesn't sound "off-the-hook" at all to me. He doesn't go so far as to say he supports "gay people," but he does sound like he has more feeling for those two people in Wassilla that his parishioners sound as if they have.
And Sarah sounds way more deranged to me than this guy. Heck, maybe he helped keep her on some kinda tracks.
Nichole | September 10, 2008 7:55 PM
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I think the fact that he wasn't calling those two people faggots or dykes is a pretty low bar to be setting for this person, or anyone, in 2008.
Alex Blaze | September 11, 2008 5:33 AM
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Maybe I'm reading too fast, but it sounds like a new, obfuscated version of "Love the sinner, hate the sin," which I find just as crazy-making and offensive as the run-of-the-mill religious homophobia.
Brynn Craffey | September 10, 2008 9:29 PM
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There's something to "Love the sinner, hate the sin," Brynn. I could care less if someone approves of me. Instead, as long as I get the same rights they do, that's all that matters. You'll never make everyone happy.
I have plenty of Christian friends that waffle on gay issues. Some of my closest family members are still Republicans. While I don't approve of either, I love the sinner and hate the sin. :)
Bil Browning | September 10, 2008 11:41 PM
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I sincerely doubt that a pastor who supports a LWO conference would support any form of rights for LGBT people. That's not the point of the conference, and supporting it isn't waffling.
Love the sinner, hate the sin, to me, is another way of saying "I don't love you" when the "sin" isn't wrong at all and is a part of one's identity.
Alex Blaze | September 11, 2008 5:31 AM
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What bothers me about the whole "homosexuality is a sin" argument. Is that even if it is true, why isn't it on par with the other sins? Such as lying or stealing or uncharitable thoughts about your parents.
Why is homosexuality on par with murder or adultery, the big sins where you are considered to be a bad person.
Everyone has lied in their lifetime about something even if it was only a lie of ommission. I don't get why someone quietly sitting simply being who they are is such a big hairy DEAL. They do not effect your life or you job or anything.
If everyone could just mind their own business and live their own lives please.
Frustration Station | September 15, 2008 4:53 PM
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