Bradlee Dean
Last week I posted about Bradlee Dean‘s controversial radio program where it seemed he was praising Muslim countries for how they handled the issue of homosexuality.
He called me first thing the very next day. He shared his heart and agreed to do a follow up interview via email. I promised him that I would publish his answers unedited.
There were a total of five rounds of questions and an opportunity to share whatever else he wanted to share. To date he has sent me responses to the first four rounds of questions and I will update this post with the final round of questions and his further thoughts once he sends them.
The questions are in bold and his responses immediately follow. Because of the length, I will not add any further commentary as I did in my original post and let his responses stand for themselves.
I just got off the phone with him while writing this and told him that I hoped that feedback from our readers would be helpful. So … speak up in the comments section if you feel so moved.
Begin …
Exodus: Bradlee, you’ve been getting a lot of heat (even from us) for your comments seeming to praise Muslim countries calling for the execution of homosexuals and African countries for putting homosexuals in jail so let me ask you directly … Are you condoning the execution and/or imprisonment of homosexuals?
Bradlee: You are asking two questions here. Firstly, I am NOT praising Muslim countries for the execution of homosexuals. (I do not know enough of there religion to expound) I am not, nor have I ever been, in any agreement to kill the homosexuals here, nor there. I was reading an article that stated that the muslims were calling for…
Secondly, what was taken out of context was the fact that nobody here, in my ministry, ever called for the execution of the homosexuals. We were quoting that which is taking place in other countries today as a warning, not an affirmation. Which at length was turned against us in a very misleading and radical report to the American people.
Exodus: After listening to the audio of the program concerning the Muslim countries, do you think that your conversation with the lady on the phone accurately reflects your heart? Do you see how others would walk away thinking you would be in favor of executing gay people?
Bradlee: I think at times public people expect others (their regular listeners) to know who they are, and what their intents truly are, because they know our hearts. It is easy to lose this in the mix.
Secondly, no, I did not extract that from what I said because it was not what I meant or intended. The intent is out of context. Right after this was said, I clearly stated that I was trying to warn the gay community. Oftentimes, the common people heard Christ gladly, while the religious people didn’t understand a thing He was saying. As it says in Mark 4:12,
“That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.”People misjudged Christ’s intent to the point that He was the One on the cross, bleeding for their sins.
Exodus: On the phone you stated that you loved gay people and want them to know Jesus. If I understood you correctly, your approach might be considered confrontational because you believe that a decision for Christ must be made in that moment of you presenting the Gospel. As I shared with you on the phone, I don’t think that audio clip reflects the compassion you say is in your heart. Please clarify.
Bradlee: First of all, life is but a vapor (James 4:14). No one is promised tomorrow. I do love the gay community enough to tell them what others will not! I understand a love which fights for the objective, not a passive feigned love.
There is a true story out on the west coast where they noticed on one particular curve of a mountain, cars would go over the cliff and crash at the bottom to their own destruction. Soon a “concerned committee” got together to remedy the problem. Instead of putting up a warning sign so they would not destroy themselves, the committee decided to put an ambulance at the bottom of the mountain. Which one is love? The one that watches people destroy themselves, or the one that stands up in front of them to warn them?
Now keep in mind God gave His Law because He loves, and love is the fulfilling of the Law (Romans 13:10). When we receive Christ by faith, He fulfills the Law. “Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to everyone that believeth” (Romans 10:4). This is a work of the Holy Ghost.
John Wesley, the field preacher, rightly said, “Before I can preach love, mercy and grace I must preach sin, Law and judgment.” D.L. Moody, the great evangelist, was right when he said, “The Law can only chase a man to Calvary, no further.” He also said, “The Law tells me how crooked I am. Grace comes along and straightens me out.”
The following are God’s clear warning signs (“The Law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul”, Psalm 19:7), which was common knowledge in our country before 1962.
Exodus 20:1-17:
- Thou shalt have no other gods before Me!
- Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image (a god to suit your sins)!
- Thou shalt NOT take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain!
- Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy!
- Honor thy father and thy mother!
- Thou shalt not kill! Jesus (in grace) said that even if you’re angry with your brother without a cause, you are in danger of the judgment (Matthew 5:21-22).
- Thou shalt not commit adultery! Jesus said (in grace), “…whosoever looketh upon a woman (or a man) to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart” (Matthew 5:28).
- Thou shalt not steal! Jesus said (in grace), “And if thy right eye offend thee (showing us the value of our souls), pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of the members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell” (Matthew 5:29). Hell, by the way, is a place where men end up for unrepentant sins before God! Hell is the consequence of choosing to continue living in your sin.
- Thou shalt not lie! “…and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death” (Revelation 21:8).
- Thou shalt not covet! “What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the Law: for I had not known lust, except the Law had said, Thou shalt not covet” (Romans 7:7).
So, what is the purpose of God’s Law? The answer can be found in Galatians 3:24; “Wherefore the Law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” P.S. The ceremonial Law has been done away with in Christ, as a type, but the moral Law stands high and magnified. Please read Matthew 5:17.
Charles Spurgeon, the prince of preachers, rightly said: Lower the Law and you dim the light by which man perceives his guilt; this is a very serious loss to the sinner rather than a gain; for it lessens the likelihood of his conviction and conversion. I say you have deprived the gospel of its ablest auxiliary [its most powerful weapon] when you have set aside the Law. You have taken away from it the schoolmaster that is to bring men to Christ . . . They will never accept grace till they tremble before a just and holy Law. Therefore the Law serves a most necessary purpose, and it must not be removed from its place.
I believe it is important for people to understand what my battlefield is. I am going to a generation that kills without remorse. My team and I are on the front line confronting a lawless generation six days a week, maintaining and fighting for ALL Americans. People need to understand that we are in a real battle for the souls of men. I am a fighter, and I am fighting the good fight of faith. In 1 Thessalonians 1:3, it say’s that it is a “work of faith and a labour of love”. Keep in mind, Randy, that truth demands a response. I fight because I love, especially those that I am responsible for. This generation is on my watch, and I will have to give an account before God.
One more thing… Love does not overlook the truth. To show mercy to an unrepentant generation is an insult to justice and God’s love. This false sense of love will breed crime, and tramples upon our Savior’s sacrifice (Christ’s blood not only redeemed us, but it also ratified the covenant that God has established with His Church, Hebrews 10:26-29), which gave us our liberty. True love does not hide the truth; it magnifies it.
Exodus: As a former gay man, I never molested children or knew of anyone who did and yet you say “On average, they molest 117 people before they’re found out. How many kids have been destroyed, how many adults have been destroyed because of crimes against nature?”. It appears that this is being said as a generalization of all gay people. Please explain where you got that statistic and how you think that is somehow going to make a gay person want to come to know Christ?
Bradlee: This is one statement that is true concerning the pedophilia population. If you were to listen to all of our shows over the past year, you would hear that we have hit on the topic of child molestation in general. ANYONE who molests children is guilty of a heinous crime, whether you are a heterosexual or homosexual. However, you can thank the reporters who extracted a small portion of our show to accuse us of targeting gays alone, when that is not the case. Please click on the link below to see all of the child molestation statistics.
http://registeredoffenderslist.org/blog/sex-offenders/child-molestation-statistics/
When ANYONE begins to lay for the innocent, we all have a duty to protect them.
Again, there is one more round of questions and an opportunity for him to share more. I will update this post with them as soon as he sends them.
One caveat, I have not added any commentary to Bradlee’s answers. They appear unedited because that is what I promised. Please do not assume that I or Exodus agree with all his assertions and approach. I am in conversation with Bradlee and I hope to talk with him personally about some of these things. Also, again, I told him I hoped our reader’s comments would be helpful as well. So, let him know what you think.
About Randy Thomas
Matthew 12:7
What are you saying?
Matthew 12:7
What are you saying?
So…. now you have to listen to all his radio programs or else you are taking what he says in one out of contexts? That doesn’t add up to anything near truthful.
Agreed! There was NOTHING taken “out of context”. Its very hard NOT to interpret it any other way. WHY is it so HARD for those in “authority” (God help us ALL) to just admit they messed up and stop spewing this garbage? I would have a lot more respect for this guy if he would. This is what is known as “minimizing” and “justifying”. This guy should run for political office. He has the spin down.
So…. now you have to listen to all his radio programs or else you are taking what he says in one out of contexts? That doesn’t add up to anything near truthful.
Agreed! There was NOTHING taken “out of context”. Its very hard NOT to interpret it any other way. WHY is it so HARD for those in “authority” (God help us ALL) to just admit they messed up and stop spewing this garbage? I would have a lot more respect for this guy if he would. This is what is known as “minimizing” and “justifying”. This guy should run for political office. He has the spin down.
For all of the claims that he has been taken out of context, I have a hard time believing that he was. The entire conversation with the woman is presented, and all I here him saying is basically that I have to be a regular listener to know that what I heard him say isn’t what he actually said. It all seems like a lot of posturing and accusing to get himself out of a bind. As an example–the pedophile/molestation quote is a straightforward statement. He never said pedophile during the statement or during the call. He very clearly made the claim of molestation to gay people. And then when you ask him about it, rather than admitting he misspoke and meant to address that claim to pedophiles and not to gay people, he just goes on to try to justify himself.
I have more to say regarding him putting himself in comparison with some great evangelical and Christian thinkers, but I’ll leave it here for now.
For all of the claims that he has been taken out of context, I have a hard time believing that he was. The entire conversation with the woman is presented, and all I here him saying is basically that I have to be a regular listener to know that what I heard him say isn’t what he actually said. It all seems like a lot of posturing and accusing to get himself out of a bind. As an example–the pedophile/molestation quote is a straightforward statement. He never said pedophile during the statement or during the call. He very clearly made the claim of molestation to gay people. And then when you ask him about it, rather than admitting he misspoke and meant to address that claim to pedophiles and not to gay people, he just goes on to try to justify himself.
I have more to say regarding him putting himself in comparison with some great evangelical and Christian thinkers, but I’ll leave it here for now.
You asked him to justify his intent. That is what he is doing! I didn’t know that it was a Christian’s job to debate away the heart of the gospel.
You asked him to justify his intent. That is what he is doing! I didn’t know that it was a Christian’s job to debate away the heart of the gospel.
Interesting that it is so easy for people of like minds, like beliefs to defend when apparent wrong has been done. Wouldn’t it have been easier for him to admit his mistake clarify his position on how he sees gays and lesbians and move on? Q stands for queer and can take several meanings. Q for genderqueer those who do not want a label and do not solidly identify as gay but may have gay relationships. Q for queer not identifying with terms or gender politics using the once used word to dehumanize another as a word for empowerment. Someone needs to read up and learn.
Interesting that it is so easy for people of like minds, like beliefs to defend when apparent wrong has been done. Wouldn’t it have been easier for him to admit his mistake clarify his position on how he sees gays and lesbians and move on? Q stands for queer and can take several meanings. Q for genderqueer those who do not want a label and do not solidly identify as gay but may have gay relationships. Q for queer not identifying with terms or gender politics using the once used word to dehumanize another as a word for empowerment. Someone needs to read up and learn.
I think the paragraph about Spurgeon explains a lot of where he is coming from. I understand him to not be speaking to those of us who seem to have always known that we were messed up and needed help (or believed falsely that we were beyond help, but that’s another story). I understand him to be speaking to those who think that all is well and who honestly don’t believe (or are still unaware) they need the Savior (yet). Seems his aim is to use the Law to get their attention. It’s not my gift so I have a hard time accepting it. My gift is more in line with offering compassion to those who are beating their breasts saying “God be merciful to me a sinner”, or “it’s the kindness of God that leads us to repentence” (and conversely, the judgement of God could push some of us away). But if his ministry is to the Pharisee who “thanks God that he’s not like other people”, well then so be it. Or if his ministry is to those who aren’t even conscious of God and who are living lives of violence and crime, again, that’s something I can’t relate to and thank God have never experienced, but I can accept that there is a place in God’s economy for it. However, I feel that I can relate to his empathy with the watchman (Ezekiel) who will be guilty if he doesn’t warn others. But I’ve never heard him speak and all I know of him is what I’ve read on this blog. And yes, he does need to be careful not to equate same sex attracted folk with attracted to children folk.
I think the paragraph about Spurgeon explains a lot of where he is coming from. I understand him to not be speaking to those of us who seem to have always known that we were messed up and needed help (or believed falsely that we were beyond help, but that’s another story). I understand him to be speaking to those who think that all is well and who honestly don’t believe (or are still unaware) they need the Savior (yet). Seems his aim is to use the Law to get their attention. It’s not my gift so I have a hard time accepting it. My gift is more in line with offering compassion to those who are beating their breasts saying “God be merciful to me a sinner”, or “it’s the kindness of God that leads us to repentence” (and conversely, the judgement of God could push some of us away). But if his ministry is to the Pharisee who “thanks God that he’s not like other people”, well then so be it. Or if his ministry is to those who aren’t even conscious of God and who are living lives of violence and crime, again, that’s something I can’t relate to and thank God have never experienced, but I can accept that there is a place in God’s economy for it. However, I feel that I can relate to his empathy with the watchman (Ezekiel) who will be guilty if he doesn’t warn others. But I’ve never heard him speak and all I know of him is what I’ve read on this blog. And yes, he does need to be careful not to equate same sex attracted folk with attracted to children folk.
Having heard the radio exerpt, I can’t think of anyone other than mentally ill people and emotionally needy people who would turn to any sort of faith because of what Bradders says. (And I have a mental health condition, by the way, in case you think I’m being horrible.) Seriously, whose hearts and minds, to coin a phrase, is he going to win over with all that hatred and ‘they’re taking over our nation and it’s my duty to stop it’ etc stuff except the white supremecists, and people who really can’t think critically but want to hang onto something?
I’ve recently met a woman who’s into a very bizarre brand of Christianity, which is quite condemning, spiritually bizarre and just plain weird. She is mentally ill and very lonely, and is basically being exploited by Christian leaders who have a new, expensive book out on a regular basis that she buys and believes every word.
I just find it very sad that the Name of Jesus is being hijacked so much, and rational-thinking, ‘normal’ Christians aren’t standing up against it as vocally as they could, to rescue the sheep that are surrounded by wolves in lamb’s disguise.
I am finding more and more in the UK that spiritual abuse is on the rise, and Bradlee Dean seems to be of the spiritual abusing ilk from what I’ve heard come from his mouth. Thank you Exodus for being a platform for healthy faith and saying ‘um, maybe you’d want to rethink what you’re saying???’ to Christians who don’t seem so rational in their message. Thank you -x-
Having heard the radio exerpt, I can’t think of anyone other than mentally ill people and emotionally needy people who would turn to any sort of faith because of what Bradders says. (And I have a mental health condition, by the way, in case you think I’m being horrible.) Seriously, whose hearts and minds, to coin a phrase, is he going to win over with all that hatred and ‘they’re taking over our nation and it’s my duty to stop it’ etc stuff except the white supremecists, and people who really can’t think critically but want to hang onto something?
I’ve recently met a woman who’s into a very bizarre brand of Christianity, which is quite condemning, spiritually bizarre and just plain weird. She is mentally ill and very lonely, and is basically being exploited by Christian leaders who have a new, expensive book out on a regular basis that she buys and believes every word.
I just find it very sad that the Name of Jesus is being hijacked so much, and rational-thinking, ‘normal’ Christians aren’t standing up against it as vocally as they could, to rescue the sheep that are surrounded by wolves in lamb’s disguise.
I am finding more and more in the UK that spiritual abuse is on the rise, and Bradlee Dean seems to be of the spiritual abusing ilk from what I’ve heard come from his mouth. Thank you Exodus for being a platform for healthy faith and saying ‘um, maybe you’d want to rethink what you’re saying???’ to Christians who don’t seem so rational in their message. Thank you -x-
I actually listened to the whole exerpt many times, and there is no doubt that this man cannot own up to his clear case of self righteous hatred of gays. Its unfathomable to me that someone who proclaims he was an alcoholic and had a checkered past can be so judgmental towards anyone else who doesnll’t agree with his brand of Christianity.