Christophobia gets its face May 16, 2007
Posted by Paul Edwards in Culture, Death, Homosexuality, Jerry Falwell, Mel White, Soulforce.trackback
When I first heard the news of the passing of Dr. Falwell, my first thought was, “How long will it be before his first detractors begin to misrepresent him?” The answer came last night on Larry King Live. Approximately ten hours after he died, here’s how Mel White characterized Dr. Jerry Falwell on Larry King Live on Tuesday, May 15, 2007:
For the gay community, we remember him as a person who gave us voice. He mobilized us. He became the face of homophobia. And we have to thank him, because a lot of gay and lesbian and bisexual and transgendered people have marched, taken their own steps toward getting justice because of Jerry Falwell.
So I think he’ll be remembered by the gay community as the worst person in terms of misinformation about us, but as a great person for mobilizing us for — for justice.
White characterizes Dr. Falwell as homophobic and ‘the worst person’ merely because Dr. Falwell stood uncompromisingly on the truth of scripture on moral issues. Webster’s defines a phobia as an exaggerated usually inexplicable and illogical fear of a particular object, class of objects, or situation . What the Bible says about homosexuality, and what Dr. Falwell proclaimed from the Bible about homosexuality, is not an exaggerated inexplicable and illogical fear. It is merely unpalatable truth in a culture which has abandoned any notion of absolute truth outside of one’s own personal desires.
Dr. Falwell preached hard truth to sinner’s like Mel White. But White’s own personal experience with Dr. Falwell betrays how he characterized Dr. Falwell on LKL. While he won’t admit it, it is very clear to those who knew Dr. Falwell that while he held firmly to principle, he was always loving and gracious in the advocacy of those principles.
Christophobia got its face last night. It’s the face of a spiritually tormented man. Mel White spoke words of hate directed at the late Dr. Jerry Falwell a mere ten hours after he was dead. Such hate can only come from a heart overcome by fear of the Lord Jesus Christ. Christophobia drives Mel White and it drives all those who hurl hate at the messengers of Christ. Jesus said, “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated me before it hated you” (John 15:18). Mel White confirms the truth of Jesus’ words.
Funny, i have read the NT repeatedly, and never heard a word jesus spoke on Homosexuality. or in praise of war. or of the rich getting richer. are we reading different bibles?
No Lisa, we aren’t reading different Bibles. You are just reading yours selectively. Jesus never explicitly condemned pedophilia, prostitution, and some other sexual sins. Are you suggesting that his silence on these sins justifies a man having sex with a minor?
Jesus did, however, clearly define marriage and the sexual union as between a man and a woman (Matthew 19:1-19; Mark 10:1-16; Luke 18:15-17). God’s order for sexual union as outlined from the beginning in Genesis is for a MAN to be joined to a WOMAN with the TWO become ONE FLESH.
Homosexuality is clearly outside of this order and clearly outside of what Jesus himself endorsed.
Thanks for the great article. I posted a tribute in honor of Dr. Falwell and then I had to post a follow-up becasue my heart hurt so bad. It hurt becasue of the gross amount of hate that is being poured out towrd this man.
Mostly from the gay community, but also from many who call themselves Christ-followers. Jesus did speak against the sin and danger of impure sex. Any sex outside of biblical marriage. Pre-marital, extra-marrital, homosexual and even lust in the heart.
The community that is filled with so much rage is condemning a man because they say he was intollerant and spread hate…but I am very concerned with the militant hate they has so rapidly poured from their on-line communities.
Praise God for Jerry Falwell’s stand in the face of criticism and for delivering an unpopular message that sin equals death if it is ignored or embraced.
Paul,
You fundementalist “wacko”, how dare you read what the Bible actually says in a nonselective manner?
Jesus never addressed abortion, or usage of Pot or Cocaine so I think, according to Lisa’s logic, if I partake then I am good to go? Wait abortion is legal, drugs are not, atleast in the US, so maybe if I move the Amsterdam THEN it would be right since everything is legal, right?
Who changed on the issue of slavery, The Bible or Jerry Falwell?
Who changed on the issue of Homosexuality, The Bible or Mel White?
Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, THEY became fools, and CHANGED the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man,
I guess I should have been clearer in my previous post; I should have added;
After reading the transcript from LKL, I have a couple questions for Mel White and Larry King.
testing
Lisa
How about Leviticus 18:22
“Thou shalt not lie with mankind as with womankind: it is abomination”
20:13 “If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have commited an abomination”
or John 10:30
“I and my father are one”
and then in 11 Timothy 3:16
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God”
It follows if it is in scripture, it is given from God, and further, if from God, then from Jesus, based on John 10:30.
Therefore Jesus is the author of Leviticus also.
I do not find any of it funny, but rather amazing!
Perhaps your capitalization of the word homosexual and your use of lower case letters for the name of Jesus, tells the story.
Jeff
I must remind you, Paul is a “recovering Fundamentalist,” now Calvinist, by his own admission, but I still call him my brother. I find the “Born Again Christian” or “Biblicists” label most suitable. Good show, isn’t it?
Don,
I hope that my comments about Paul being a fund. “wacko” were taken in jest. If not, they should have been……..
I got it, Jeff.
Jeff
No problem… If you were privy to the history, you would have understood more clearly. ..By the way, I did not dispute the “wacko’ designation. Just yesterday I was having difficulty posting and emailed Paul to see if I had been relegated into the ranks of the Anabaptist, or worse, the Donatists.
Fortunately I was spared. It could have been worse…. I could have been imprisoned, and awaiting my roasting at the stake.
I’ll take the French Protestants and Luther over Servetus any day.
You know in those days, if you were found guilty of a criminal act against the Church-State, you were only slaughtered with a sword and your entrails removed for all to see, but if you were found guilty of “heresy”, a slow burning at the stake was your just recompense.
What a fine group of “Christian Gentlemen”, In the love of Christ, of coarse.
I thought that perhaps, my posts had come under the …”Edict of Worms”,… Luther is not the worst company to keep, however.
Angie
Where have you been? Get with it girl!
BTW, speaking of Paul’s “recovery” of fundementalism, is there a 12 step process for that????
Paul,
I wanted to mention this on the phone when I called in the other day about Mitt Romney. When the person(from World Mag) challenged Mitt about what He would do if his faith was proven to him to be false. That really bothered me, and to me that could be the reason why we as Christians get so much flack. Mitt should have said the same back to him. What if it was discovered by some method that Jesus was just an ordinary man and his tomb was really discovered with this “wife” Mary and Kids? What if the foundation to our faith was “proven” to be just a hoax? Of course, I am not saying that but to ask Mitt that just seems extremely arogant, i think we can be confident about our savlation without being a jerk about it. Does that make any sense?
Jeff
I do not know of any 12 step process for overcoming fundamentalism, but I do know of a 1 step process for the recovery of Calvinism;
The Other Side Of Calvinism….Laurence M. Vance 1991-1999
Without any sarcasm, this is the best, most thoughtful work on both sides of the isle I have read. I have read many books from the Calvinist position and this one, quotes almost exclusively from their own writings. It is a read I was unable to lay down. It is long, but don’t let that scare you, you shall not be disappointed. The history lesson in and of itself is worth the effort. The picture drawn of the entire church age is unlike any other.
I hope you succumb and try it.