Warren Throckmorton passed on this information and I *love* Pastor Rick Warren’s response.
Throckmorton has a transcript of the video and responses by Pastor Rick to a list of direct questions.
Again, I think this response is very loving, gracious, respectful and strong. Fantastic. Everyone, please keep praying and speaking up for Uganda!
MORE:
Rachel Maddow vs. Richard Cohen – Interview Review & Missing the Point About Uganda
Rachel Maddow, Uganda and Me – Guest Post by Don Schmierer
Don Schmierer Added to Letter Opposing Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill
Charisma News Online Picks Up Ugandan Story
Exodus International Sends Letter Opposing Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill
Martin Ssempa Should Renounce Support for Proposed Ugandan Criminalization of Homosexuality
Ugandan Government Poised to Harshly Prosecute Homosexuals
PLUS:
Dr. Warren Throckmorton has started a Facebook group as a central point for news and information on the subject.
About Randy Thomas
This is wonderful news! Thanks to Exodus for speaking out and thanks to Rick Warren for doing this. Keep praying for Uganda. The race isn’t over yet. Blessings to all at Exodus, to Pastor Warren and to everyone who has spoken out with God’s love in support of our common humanity.
Thanks Michael.
I too would oppose any legislation that would cause pastors to report homosexual activity between adults. Taking the element of privacy away from pastor-counselee would remove the opportunity for giving help to someone caught in such a devastating lifestyle. As a pastor in America, I am able to help many people obtain freedom from sins, addictions, and conflict situations. This would not be true if my counselees thought I would report them to police. I have been to Uganda and have found the people there to be warm and friendly, having experience national revival years ago. However, the new life discovered in Christ is at risk of becoming legalistic in the face of pending political action.
An important insight worth pondering. Thank you for adding your comment. People need to know they are safe in order to get help.
I haven’t heard anybody mention the death and absolute devestation from AIDS in Africa, and that Uganda has been the only country to reverse that trend within its own borders. It is a bit presumptuous of us to tell them from our western cultural perch how to correct this internal problem of theirs that affects them in a real and direct way and us only in newspapers and on youtube. Especially since any efforts we have undertaken to curtail deadly and harmful sexual activity and epidemic proportions of STI’s within our own population has failed miserably. Let the Ugandan people decide this question for their own country and culture.
Homosexual sex acts kill – physically, emotionally, spiritually. There is no logical reason why they have to remain legal. The proposed punishment seems harsh to me too. But I do not believe it is really up to us to tell a foreign culture how to organize their own justice system. You can say your opinion of course, and I hope my saying mine will give you something to think about as well.
Another point many people never consider because nobody ever talks about it is that many african men practice bisexuality. You even see it here in the US. Why do you think so many African-American women get AIDS here?
A faithful Catholic priest will never break the seal of confession. Protestant pastors should have a similar right to confidentiality. On that point I agree. But I think any completely avoidable activity that kills people on a massive scale should be made illegal. And we need to think of those casualties as well as the homosexually active people. Keep the whole picture in mind because we have to balance our response and advocate for ALL the victims of this destructive activity.
Joe,
You raised some very interesting points, some in which I agree and others that I do not. I know little about you or your background, but I think you’ve oversimplified this entire issue at hand and homosexuality in general. You say that that there is no logical reason to keep homosexuality legal because it kills physically, emotionally and spiritually. With no credible research or evidence cited, you have stigmatized homosexuality to being the “only” way someone can retract AIDS or any other STD, when in fact, any sexual encounter (heterosexual or homosexual) outside of God’s true intentions (one man and one woman) can lead to that and the degeneration of one’s physical, emotional and spiritual health. Also, from my experience, I’ve seen many other actions and life-style choices that can do the same thing to people (i.e. smoking, alcoholism, gluttony, etc…). I could write out a page-long list of behaviors that can kill people physically, emotionally and spiritually, but does that mean that we should imprison, criminalize or even murder those who choose to live that way?
I think the bigger point is this: there are many people who did not choose their same-sex attractions but do want to choose another way to live. If this law is enacted, what person would jeopardize their life in order to find a counselor, pastor or support group to assist them on their journey?
As for your first point, no, we can’t tell or make the Ugandan Government do anything, but we can speak to the pastors of Uganda and try to help them see what a biblical response looks like.
Ultimately, Joe, we need to pray. Pray for their national leaders and pastors and also for the people of Uganda. Pray that Jesus’ love and compassion would be poured over them in the days ahead.
Kirk,
My background is that I have been close personal friends with several young men who have contracted HIV and/or AIDS. This is not a prerequisite to be allowed to comment on the subject I hope, but I hope it will help explain my passion on the subject.
Where in the Bible does it say we may not punish people who engage in homosexual sex acts? Where does it say homosexual sex acts have to be legal? I already said in my previous post that the proposed punishment seems harsh to me. I do not want the death penalty and perhaps the law will be altered before it is ratified and I hope it is. That is a question for the Ugandans to decide for their own country and their own culture. I trust them to make the right decision for themselves. Rick Warren is free to bestow his extremely important personal opinion with his ”encyclical video” upon the people of Uganda but like many Americans they may or may not care what he thinks and are ultimately fully capable of running their country without his help and I trust they will do so. They will decide what punishment should fit the crime. Keep in mind these sorts of laws are difficult to enforce anyway and are often not able to be enforced because of the clandestine nature of homosexual activity. It is more about sending a strong message to society that this behavior – which, again, kills EN MASSE - this behavior (not just the urges and desires) will not be tolerated. The message is that these homosexual sex acts are judged by society to be 1) not normal, 2) in no way necessary, and 3) will not be tolerated and will be punished if they are discovered or committed openly as they are here in the USA and throughout the “enlightened” and permissive western world. Uganda appears to be saying they don’t want to become the way we have become and may God bless them for that at least!
The bill punishes homosexual BEHAVIOR – not urges. The urges can and should be dealt with confidentially. Unlike actual homosexual sex acts, urges are not voluntary. Homosexual sex acts, unless you are raped, are always voluntary.
By smoking you kill yourself. By engaging in homosexual sex acts you may kill somebody else, their wife, and their unborn child. Big difference there. Thank you for reminding me to pray – I do pray for a culture of life every night but I need to be reminded so I do sincerely thank you for that. However we are living in a time when political correctness and cowardice are literally killing people. If we don’t speak or try to call attention to that I feel that is a sin of neglect of our duty.