American expert warns about gay agenda
PETER LABARBERA’s Interview
By OZIEL ALVES
To ENFOQUE GOSPEL Magazine
EG: How long have you been involved in pro-life and pro-family work? How did you get started?
PL: I have been active in pro-life and pro-family work for over 18 years. Prior to that, I was active in the conservative movement, opposing the Left’s pro-Marxist agenda in Central America and working as a reporter for The Washington Times, which is one of the best conservative news sources in the United States.
I got involved with the pro-family movement when I went to work for Concerned Women for America (even though I am a man). CWA is a wonderful Christian organization led by Beverly LaHaye that is based in
EG: How do you classify the gay agenda in the world? Are they getting stronger than the church, worldwide?
PL: The “gay agenda” – actually the GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender) agenda -- is basically anything that promotes the acceptance of homosexuality, bisexuality and transsexuality (gender confusion) in society and the law. That includes: promoting homosexual so-called “marriage” or “civil unions” (which is merely “same-sex marriage” by another name); homosexual adoption of children (which creates homes that are not in the best interest of children because they are motherless or fatherless by design); promoting homosexual, bisexual, and “transgender” identities in school programs and through “GLBT-friendly” curricula; pro-gay “hate crimes” laws that ultimately will be used to restrict the speech and freedom of Christians who oppose homosexuality; “sexual orientation” nondiscrimination laws that wrongly create “civil rights” and “human rights” based on immoral, changeable, and destructive homosexual behavior; “transgender” rights laws and corporate policies that build acceptance for the radical idea that men can change their God-given “gender” and become a woman, and vice versa; allowing open homosexuality in the military; corporate policies that force Christians and other moral dissenters to listen to pro-“gay” lectures at work; attempts by pro-homosexual theologians to re-write the Bible so that it does not say that homosexuality is sinful; efforts to deny the truth that God can help homosexuals change and that homosexuals are not “born that way” -- i.e., that they are destined to practice immoral behavior because this is “who they are.”
EG: Do you think, we (The Christian People) will win the fight against the legalization of gay marriage, adoption and other homosexual rights since the gay activists are subsidized by billionaire foundations? I just ask it, because it seems that they are getting so strong, conquering their dreams, etc., and at the same time the bible says that we are not of this world and that the world will be dominated by the devil. Don’t you think that sometimes our fight is for nothing and that we should not waste our time and just try to preach the gospel?
PL: I don’t know if we will win or not (in this particular era). We lost the struggle over legal abortion in the
I do not think that a Christian needs to make a choice between engaging in public policy and witnessing the Gospel. You can do both. Certainly, we need spiritual revival to happen for serious change to occur in
EG: Soon the world will know the next United States President. We know that the decisions taken by this nation (USA) have a huge impact on many other nations’ decisions – Brazil, for example. So, my question is “On the politics of human life and human sexuality what is coming to affect the world in the following year?”
PL: If the Democrats win in November, we will see a seismic shift in this country, as the Democrats have gone very pro-homosexual in the last decade. (They have been pro-abortion-on-demand even longer.) Recently, Democrat Al Gore – who barely lost in his bid for the presidency in 2004 – came out for “same-sex marriage.” Many other leading Democrats will do the same, and some in the (more conservative) Republican Party are also pushing the pro-“gay” line. If a Democrat is elected in November, we will almost certainly see passage of federal pro-homosexual “Employment Nondiscrimination” and “Hate Crimes” legislation – which could have far-reaching effects for American Christians and anyone who opposes homosexuality. Also, it is likely that federal “domestic partner” legislation could be signed into law, as well as a law allowing open homosexuals in the military (as is already allowed in
Regarding abortion and abstinence education, a Democratic administration would likely step up abortion advocacy and funding in U.S. foreign aid, as well as push so-called “comprehensive sex education” – which is a liberal euphemism for pro-condom “sex ed” (so-called “safe sex”) that would end the Bush policy of strongly favoring abstinence policies in U.S. education. There are stark differences between the Democrats and Republicans, even if McCain is not as conservative as many pro-family advocates would like.
EG: Slowly the gay agenda is getting what they want. Nowadays some of them as NAMBLA for instance, are fighting to have the right of having free sexual relationship with boys less than 18 years old. Do you think that someday they will be successful in their battle – that free sex between adults and children will be the future of the gay agenda, or is that something which will never happen?
PL: NAMBLA (North American Man/Boy Love Association) is a tiny group here. NAMBLA used to march in some American “gay pride” parades but is now denounced by all major homosexual activist groups. (They knew it was bad public relations to join with open pedophiles.) However, homosexual activists are working to lower the “age of consent” for homosexual sex, which accomplishes one of NAMBLA’s goals: making it legal for teenagers to engage in homosexual sodomy – which often occurs with adults. The reality today is that young men are dying of AIDS – after being infected by older homosexual men with the disease. How sad that the tremendous health hazards of male homosexuality are not taught to impressionable youngsters. It is not a coincidence that many “gay” men die young – it is directly tied to the unnatural behaviors (e.g., sodomy) that they practice. For excellent (secular) research on the homosexuality and gender confusion (transgenderism), I recommend NARTH (National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality) at www.narth.com.
EG: Recently, many gay sexual scandals involving very recognized preachers in the USA churches come up. One of them is Tag Haggard a pastor which was a great leader and also counselor of President Bush. Another case was pastor Jeff Devore, who was put in jail after he was discovered distributing children pornography. Which effects these constant scandals are causing in the pro-family fight against the gay agenda in the USA?
PL: The sex scandals have of course diminished respect for the Christian Church in the USA. There is nothing that the liberal media and the American Left love more than signs of gross hypocrisy in the Church. However, I consider the three greatest threats in America today regarding homosexuality and the Church to be: 1) the continued opposition of so many pastors and churches to getting involved in public policy and cultural issues – that is, to take public stands in defense of Biblical morality; 2) the rise of an avowedly anti-Christian (atheist) political/cultural movement in the USA; and 3) the growth of left-wing evangelicalism in the U.S. – e.g., leaders like Tony Campolo and Jim Wallis who advocate FOR pro-homosexual laws in the name of Christian “justice.”
EG: In some regions of the United States, homosexual “marriage” and adoption are already legal. How has the gospel church been leading in areas where these “gay rights” are in place?
PL: I do not think that most Bible-believing churches have been particularly effective on this issue – with some key exceptions. For example, many evangelical churches have helped to pass pro-defense-of marriage amendments (to keep marriage as one-man, one-woman) in many states, and many churches have reached out in love to homosexual strugglers with the hope of the Gospel. However, in areas of the
EG: Do you know some gospel church which has been already obliged to celebrate a gay “marriage”?
PL: No, this has not happened yet in the USA, but certainly in the future we will certainly see homosexual lawsuits against churches that refuse to perform (counterfeit) “gay marriages.” After all, liberals falsely equate opposition to homosexuality with “hate” and racism – and racism is opposed in our legal system. More serious pro-gay harassing lawsuits will probably not happen in
EG: What’s the role and importance of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality in the United States?
PL: Americans For Truth (www.americansfortruth.org) is one of a tiny number of groups worldwide dedicated solely to fighting the homosexual and transsexual activist agendas. The homosexual activists spend far more promoting homosexuality, bisexuality and transsexuality than the entire, collective pro-family movement in the
EG: Do you think that in the future the homosexual agenda can put an end in the freedom of religion worldwide?
PL: I certainly hope not. In fact, in
EG: What results would you hope to see come from this pro-family activists meeting organized by VINACC here in Brazil?
PL: Although I unfortunately was forced to miss the VINACC meeting due to a travel visa snafu, I trust that Brazilian pro-family advocate Julio Severo was able to motivate the conference. Julio is a real hero – he even has a following here in the
EG: There are some pastors here in Brazil that say that the battle of the Christian people against the gay agenda will not put an end in that practice. So, that we should not waste our time in these battles with the government but instead preach the gospel to everybody as the bible asks us to do. In your opinion what will be consequences to the church if we don’t get united in this fight against the pro-homosexual movement?
PL: As I said earlier, I think it would be disastrous. When Christians or conservatives abandon politics, another agenda will fill that void – and it will be the pro-homosexual and pro-abortion Left’s agenda! Again, this does NOT mean we should stop preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ to homosexuals and to ALL sinners. That is a Christian’s highest calling. But political organization and mobilization carries the day in a democracy and in determining what kind of society we live in -- so we cannot leave that arena to pro-abortion and pro-homosexual forces that are at war with God’s moral law.
EG: Are there some political consequences to the church if we consider the Brazilian gay agenda and the American gay agenda?
PL: Yes, the homosexual lobby hates the Christian Church, because they hate what the Bible teaches about homosexuality as an egregious sin (abomination) that CAN be overcome through the power of Jesus Christ. This is why revisionist homosexual theologians are working so hard to re-write the Bible to accommodate their sinful behavior. They make up lies, such as that David and Jonathan in the Old Testament were homosexual lovers -- which is ridiculous. (Here is a terrific Christian website to refute homosexual theology: www.robgagnon.net.) This is why faithful Christians need to contend for the faith! We must not allow the homosexual activists to undermine the Word of God on this issue.
EG: One of the political campaign policy items that Americans for Truth has adopted is to not participate in any political campaign favoring or opposing to any candidate for public office. What about the next president of the United States. Does the Americans for Truth support somebody?
PL: As a tax-exempt non-profit organization, Americans For Truth is forbidden by the U.S. Government from getting involved in presidential elections – e.g., endorsing a candidates. I formed the website “Republicans For Family Values” (www.rffv.org) so I could speak out on the presidential contest. At www.rffv.org, we will be exposing the Democrats’ (Barack Obama and/or Hillary Clinton) radical pro-abortion and pro-homosexuality records. Most Americans simply are unaware of how radical the Democrats are, because the liberal media does not report this information.
EG: In case the Brazilian homosexual agenda gets the approval of their gay protection laws, what would be your counsel to the pastor of our nation?
PL: First of all, I would urge that pastors get involved now to PREVENT onerous pro-homosexual bills from becoming law. That is the key. Once these bills become laws, they are very hard to overturn. (“Rights” – even bogus ones based on homosexuality – are hard to take away.) Pastors and churches need to help educate Christians on the dangerous impact of pro-gay laws – which “criminalize” our right to stand for God’s truth on the issue of same-sex behavior. Look at what has happened in
EG: In the countries where the homosexual agenda has reached their objectives, as in Spain for instance, can you already point to serious consequences to the church?
PL: Absolutely. In
EG: Before God, there is no excuse. Same-sex “marriage” is a sin with very hard consequences. But out this evangelical context, we know that the institutionalization of the homosexual marriage could be also considered bad for the marriage, bad for children and bad for the society. Could you point some negative social aspects which will be bad for the society in future even for those who are not Christian (for example, lower marriage rates, instability in the marriages, more fatherless children, domestic violence and so on)?
PL: From a public policy and cultural standpoint, homosexual “marriage” and “civil unions” laws are a disaster. We have seen that in the Scandinavian countries where homosexual “unions” laws giving marital-type rights and benefits to same-sex couples have been around a while, there is less respect generally among the citizenry for the institution of marriage. In other words, when you open up marriage to everybody – and completely change its meaning -- you degrade this critical institution that is the foundation for healthy societies and strong families. Homosexual “civil union” and “marriage” laws (in the
Study after study has shown that the healthiest and most stable environment for raising children is a two-parent married household with a mother and father. Also, we know that homosexual male “monogamous relationships” are notoriously unstable and promiscuous – that is, they usually are not really “monogamous” but allow “outside sex” in the relationship. “Gay parenting” is a social experiment whose repercussions we do not know. One study by pro-homosexual researchers found that children raised by homosexuals were more likely than children of non-gay parents to experiment with homosexual behaviors themselves. What strikes me in this rush for the government to promote homosexual relationships and “gay parenting” is that it is NOT motivated by what’s best for the children – but rather the desires of “gay” adults. All public policy should be motivated by the need to create healthy environments for raising children – which is why we favor laws that preserve and reward traditional marriage.
EG: What about the schools? Are you supporter of the opinion that the school is the future prostitution zone? Are you also a defender of the home schooling?
PL: We are now home-schooling one of our five children, and already I see the biggest advantage of home schooling: you as parents get to determine what your child studies and learns. In
I hope and pray that Brazil’s public schools do not follow in the pattern of American schools. Here we have seen the growth of an extensive pro-homosexual network in the schools. It started in colleges, then moved to high schools, and now it is expanding in middle schools – and even elementary schools, where young children are taught to value homosexual-led “families”! The Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network (GLSEN) is a well-funded group that promotes homosexuality, bisexuality and transsexuality in the
Another tragedy is that boys and girls are “coming out” as “gay” at far younger ages than in decades past. How can a 13-year-old boy know he is a homosexual (“gay”), or a 12-year-old girl know she is a lesbian? We need to expose these kids to FORMER homosexuals like Charlene Cothran, who overcame years of living as a lesbian activist after she came to know Jesus Christ (see the story about Cothran by plugging her name in AFTAH’s web “Search” engine: www.americansfortruth.org). They need to see that homosexuality is about CHANGEABLE BEHAVIOR, not some identity that you are born with and which defines a person. And they need to be taught the truth of the Bible: that homosexual behavior is always wrong and offensive to our holy and loving Creater.
EG: Here I want to leave an open space for you to say something for the Brazilian church from the extreme north and extreme south:
PL: You must not capitulate to this anti-God agenda which is in the vanguard of restricting Christian’s rights and undermining time-tested, Judeo-Christian morality. The Lord is the same “yesterday, today, and forever”; He has not changed and His views on sexual immorality remain the same: homosexual acts are as wrong today as they were 4,000 years ago. Just as in early New Testament times, Jesus can redeem people from this sin, so as Christians we must reach out with the love of Christ to men and women who struggle with this sin problem. We must spread the word that just as there were “former homosexuals” in Bible times, there are “ex-gays” today – living testimonies to the awesome, transforming power of our living Lord! Society may be becoming more and more decadent, but we as believers are charged with being “salt and light” by telling the Truth and witnessing to a lost and perishing generation. We must always fear God and not man when it comes to our truth-telling efforts. I pray that
Peter LaBarbera does not speak Portuguese (yet!) but he can be reached at Americans For Truth through the website (www.americansfortruth.org) or by e-mail (americansfortruth@comcast.net) or by phone: 630-717-7631.
Interview originally given to Brazilian evangelical magazine Enfoque Gospel and now published in Last Days Watchman
1 comment :
Even if you're not gay, they can effect your life. I read this article and found it helpful:
http://christwire.org/2009/05/protecting-yourself-from-“big-sodomy”/
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