Courtesy of Raw Story:
Pastor E. Dewey Smith of the House of Hope, Greater Travelers Rest church in Decatur gave an impassioned sermon, posted to YouTube on Thursday, in which he slammed church leaders for judging gay people but “you change wives like we change underwear.”
“‘These folks are an abomination, they are nasty,’ tell you what you do then. Go find every song that’s been written by a gay person for the last 100 years and don’t sing it in church,” he said, as the church congregation cheered him on. “Let’s see how many songs you can minister on that Sunday.”
He went on to criticize the habit of picking and choosing which parts of the Bible to adhere to, based on what is socially advantageous or convenient, but ignore it when it gets in the way of business.
“We demonize and dehumanize the same people that we use and we don’t say nothing about the gay choir director because he’s good for business” Smith said. “As long as the choir sound good, I ain’t saying nothing about his sexuality. We have done what the slave master did to us. Dehumanize us, degrade us, demonize us, but then use them for our advantage.”
I can honestly say that there are VERY few times in which I will shout "Amen."
But in this case "A-fricking-men!!!"
Now see if the Christian church hopes to survive in this country, THESE are the types of sermons we need to start hearing a whole lot more.
I wonder how long he will retain his position. First, if my search is accurate, the Decatur church is an affiliate of the main branch in Atlanta. Second, it is Baptist.
ReplyDeleteThe message is one that needs to be spread. Indeed, it needs to be shouted from every rooftop!
Will it?
One can only hope.
Now I'm just embarrassed! I looked at the MAP this time and realized the Decatur church IS the Atlanta church! Oops!
DeleteI still wonder how long he will be there, though.
AND our illustrious president did the same in Kenya today, as well.
ReplyDelete...Obama tackled the sensitive issue on his first full day in Kenya, the country of his father’s birth. He drew on his own background as an African-American, noting the slavery and segregation of the U.S. past and saying he is “painfully aware of the history when people are treated differently under the law.”
“That’s the path whereby freedoms begin to erode and bad things happen,” Obama added during a joint news conference with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta. “When a government gets in the habit of treating people differently, those habits can spread.”
“If somebody is a law-abiding citizen who is going about their business and working in a job and obeying the traffic signs and doing all the other things a good citizen is supposed to do and not harming anybody, the idea that they are going to be treated differently or abused because of who they love is wrong,” Mr. Obama said. “Full stop.”
http://time.com/3972241/obama-africa-lgbt/
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/26/world/africa/in-kenya-obama-hails-africas-growth-and-potential.html?smid=tw-nytimes
Here's the best coverage of his journey to Kenya with videos and pics galore.
http://theobamadiary.com/
It always makes me so proud of him when he travels abroad. He represents this country, and the office of the president, with such honor and grace, intelligence and fair-mindedness. And people around the world respect and love him.
Kenyans still practice female genital mutilation and they kill homosexuals. Until these people enter into the modern era there is little hope that anything our American President can say will sway their stone-aged views.
DeleteWhen he leaves office in January 2017, Obama will still only be 54. He's more than earned the retired life, but like Jimmy Carter, I pray he opts for some sort of continued public presence. A diplomat would be fine, but the dream of dreams is that Hillary will offer him the first vacancy on the Court, and he takes it. He's like the descendent Thurgood Marshall and Harry Blackmun should have had.
DeleteI believe 100% that President Obama will remain very active after he leaves office. At his young age and vitality, I truly believe his best years serving our country may still ahead of him. You can't slow this guy down!
Delete>>Until these people enter into the modern era there is little hope that anything our American President can say will sway their stone-aged views.
DeleteI disagree. He planted the seed. He stood in a public space with the leader of their country and made the case. People heard him. Young people who adore him and look up to him. He planted the seed. That is a good thing, a great thing. And the gay community heard it. And it gave them hope and strength. He planted a seed that will now grow. It may take time and strife and struggle, but it WILL grow. He has a powerful presence in Kenya because of his heritage, and his words and ideas carry great weight. He planted a very importantly and timely seed that will grow. Mark my words. We will see change in Kenya after his visit.
I am the resident Christian here! I go to a black church where my pastor has a very similar message. Jesus came to save the world not to condem. He says, you are busy looking at the speck in your brothers eye, when you have one in your own.
ReplyDeleteJudge lest you be judged. Im just throwing out a few of Jesus's words and as you can see, it doesnt include hate or discrimination.
My pastor says, that we are all Gids children. He loves us all. The congregants in my church are overwhelmingly in agreement.
Good message.
Please, 12:38 and anyone else who reads this, don't accuse me of being racist when I say this? I'm not a racist. I am merely stating what I see almost every day. here in the south.
DeleteIn my experience, it is the smaller, rural black churches that do the most good helping their fellow man. It is the smaller, rural black churches whose congregation actually LIVES what Jesus taught. It is smaller rural black churches which speaks out against the injustices being perpetrated daily. It is the congregation of the small rural black churches which quietly embraces all the good espoused by true christianity.
And sadly, it is the small rural black church which is historically attacked and burned for just such behavior. That is so sad it makes me sick.
Leland, I agree with you. I am in Texas and as a happy agnostic, I have always thought that if ANY group had a religion that they believed in, found comfort from, and used to help others, it was the black community. I do not believe myself but I would never disparage any of my friends who are black and what and how they believe. It may be the only true religion there is.
DeleteI don't think your remarks are one bit racist, Leland. I've lived in the south my entire 40+ years and sadly, unfortunately, what you say is true.
DeleteThe sad fact is there is so much racism prevalent through the south that there are white churches and black churches.
DeleteAnonymous 2:51 PM it's not just inin the South, that's the norm throughout the country.
DeleteNo Argument from me, Leland. Pastor Dewey walks the walk, and spoke from his own observations of his own religion. As a non believer, I see this man as truly impressive and we need more like him.
DeleteIt's a good start, but the Church of the American Dollar speaks the loudest as Indiana's Mike Pence was painfully taught. When the message can no longer being ignored that there is more money in inclusiveness than insulting and trying to demonize gays, a supportive minister here and there is the frosting on the cake.
ReplyDeleteBut there will always be a percentage of them, the gay-bashing equivalent of the NRA, who will not be moved by whatever provable facts belie their mantra. At last, they're the ones on the their way to being marginalized now.
Hooray, Bravo and Amen to Pastor Dewey Smith! Damn, I wish I lived in or was visiting Atlanta cause I would love to attend one of his services. I think I will drop a nicely sized donation to his church in the mail, perhaps even in the name of Ted Cruz or Greg Abbott.
ReplyDelete-Skinny Straight WASP Bitch in Texas
Gryphen, did you catch this article. Damn, it is so bad over there...this a long and graphically detailed article, so be warned.
ReplyDeleteIs This the End of Christianity in the Middle East?
ISIS and other extremist movements across the region are enslaving, killing and uprooting Christians, with no aid in sight.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/26/magazine/is-this-the-end-of-christianity-in-the-middle-east.html?_r=0
They're also killing Muslims... or hadn't you noticed?
DeleteThank you 1:53. You said exactly what I was going to say.
DeleteI would add however, that they are killing ANYONE with a religion different from theirs!
And Israel is supporting ISIS and Al Queda, all the while our GOP endorses the millions of $$ that are sent to Israel. That money could be used here to help our own people and to upgrade our national infrastructure.
DeleteNow if they would only realize the whole bible is bullshit.
ReplyDeleteRight on!
DeleteThere were many Jesus-type preachers, but Jesus just got written about, 200 years after his death. It is all made up nonsense.
The only thing you need remember to be a good person is this: Be kind. Nothing that the Christian extremists do is anywhere near this. Hypocrisy coats them like a thick coating on the tongue after a night's hard drinking.
Hallelujah!
ReplyDeleteIf there were more preachers/practitioners like this one I might still be a Christian.
You may say that, Liz, but my experiences in every church I have visited - before I became aware of the sincerity and belief structure in the black churches - was one of salad bar christianity, hatred for those who were of another religion and hypocrisy. I must say that even if I still believed I would refuse to associate with those people.
Delete"If you lie with dogs don't be surprised if you get fleas."
I try to live by my five words which I have posted here enough times some of the members would say I'm hounding. But I DO try to live by Love, Understanding, Compassion, Forgiveness and Tolerance.
I feel comfortable in my heart. That's all I need.
I agree, Leland. There was a good deal of snark in my comment . . . . but if the vast majority of Christians and Christian churches actually practiced the Gospel then yes, it might change the equation.
DeleteHe fucking hit it out of the park!
ReplyDelete"You cannot evangelize and antagonize!"
DeleteSpot on! Visit any RW site...especially the pond.
The rudest of the rude.
This is hardly shocking. He is in GA, which has an astronomically high percentage of homosexual black men. He was playing to his base.
ReplyDelete