A Federal Judge has ruled in favour of permitting a homosexual activist group to sue American evangelist Scott Lively after claiming that he was partly responsible for inciting “persecution” against Uganda’s homosexual community, reports Christian concern for our Nation.
In 2009, Pastor Lively was invited to speak at a number of conferences in Uganda where he commented that the goal of the homosexual movement was “to defeat the marriage-based society and replace it with a culture of sexual promiscuity.”
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The Massachussettes evangelist, who is founder and president of pro-family group Abiding Truth Ministries, discussed the teachings of the Bible on homosexuality and voiced his support for ministers who are working to discourage the practice of homosexuality in the region.
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He allegedly spoke on the issue during a number of visits to Uganda in the past ten years, and said that the practice of homosexuality had adversely affected American society.
Earlier this year, New York homosexual group, Centre for Constitutional Rights (CCR) filed a lawsuit against the minister, claiming that his views were the direct cause of a dozen minor incidents of persecution against homosexuals in Uganda over the last decade.
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CCR accused the pastor of “crimes against humanity of persecution”, but were unable to provide evidence that the perpetrators involved in the incidents were aware of his views on the issue.
Pastor Lively sought to have the lawsuit dismissed, stating that the allegations were “ridiculous” and that he had “never done anything in Uganda except preach the Gospel and speak my opinion about the homosexual issue.”
But District Judge Michael A. Ponsor refused to dismiss the lawsuit, describing the pastor’s activities as a “distasteful” use of the First Amendment.
Mat Staver, founder of Liberty Council (LC) which is representing the minister, said: “Like all American citizens, Lively enjoys a fundamental First Amendment right to engage in nonviolent political discourse anywhere in the world.”
Pastor Lively’s attorney, Horatio Mihet described the decision as“disappointing” and said: “We are still reviewing the court’s ruling, and will continue to vigorously defend Mr. Lively’s constitutional rights, with confidence that he will ultimately be vindicated.”
It’s extremely difficult to define who Scott Lively is in a Christian context. He is described here as an evangelist, but cannot be compared with men like Billy Graham, Reinhard Bonnke or Angus Buchan for either style, doctrine or content. Likewise, his so-called pro-family group, Abiding Truth Ministries, can hardly be compared with Dr James Dobson’s Focus On The Family ministry by any stretch of the imagination.
Scott Lively persuaded the Ugandan government to totally outlaw homosexuals in that country, with life imprisonment and even the death penalty imposed on those who broke these laws. This is what the court action in the USA is about. While I am absolutely sure that Billy Graham, Reinhard Bonnke, Angus Buchan and James Dobson are all vehemently opposed to homosexuality, I am just as sure that they do not sanction life imprisonment or death for those who practise it.
But the really peculiar thing about Scott Lively is his infamous book, The Pink Swastika : Homosexuality In The Nazi Party, which is now in its fourth edition of print. In It, he conspires to link homosexuality to the former German Nazi Party, and to authoritarianism and militarism. Allow me to quote what Scott Lively has to say : “The Nazi Party was conceived, organized and controlled throughout its short history by masculine-oriented male homosexuals who hid their sexual proclivities from the public, in part by persecuting one group of their political enemies : out-of-the-closet effeminate-oriented homosexuals aligned with the German Communist Party”.
I will pray for Scott Lively, and pray that God’s justice is done in his court case, but I cannot be persuaded that the man is acting out of a Godly calling or with Godly wisdom.