Meet The Anti-Gay Pastor Fueling Fox News' Christian Persecution Complex

[cbayer]

Last edited Thu Oct 3, 2013, 06:27 PM - Edit history (1)

http://mediamatters.org/blog/2013/10/02/meet-the-anti-gay-pastor-fueling-fox-news-chris/196219

October 2, 2013 11:03 AM EDT ››› CARLOS MAZA



Fox News has reported on a number of alleged cases of Christian persecution in the military, relying heavily on the claims of a San Antonio pastor with a history of peddling misinformation about efforts to protect LGBT people.

On September 30, Fox News Radio reporter Todd Starnes published an article warning that the Air Force is "punishing evangelical Christians" - a right-wing myth he's been peddling unsuccessfully for months.

His article relied largely on statements made by Steve Branson, pastor of Village Parkway Baptist Church in San Antonio, Texas. According to Branson, persecution of Christian service members is on the rise thanks to the growing acceptance of gays and lesbians in the military:

"There is an atmosphere of intimidation at Lackland Air Force Base," said Steve Branson, the pastor of Village Parkway Baptist Church in San Antonio. "Gay commanders and officers are pushing their agenda on the airmen. There is a culture of fear in the military and it's gone to a new level with the issue of homosexuality."

-snip-

"The religious persecution is happening," the pastor said. "It's getting bigger every day. Gay and lesbian airmen can talk about their lifestyle, but the rest have to stay completely quiet about what they believe."

more at link

[fitman]

1. Christians love the "woe is me I am a victim"

Get's them all lathered up.

[cbayer]

2. That's a pretty broad statement.

Do you mean all christians? Some christians? Certain kinds of christians?

Or does casting this broad net get you all lathered up?

[fitman]

3. Some Christians

n/t

[SecularMotion]

6. Exactly

The Myth of Christian Persecution

Christians of all denominations maintain that the Early Church was widely persecuted. They state that in the first few centuries after the death of the Messiah, Christians were hunted, tortured and killed just for following Christ. This persecution is believed to have begun with the deaths of Stephen, the Apostles, and then the Christians persecuted under a long succession of cruel and vindictive Roman emperors.

This history of early Christianity establishes Christianity as a religion of innocent sufferers; as a church beleaguered and under attack. In periods of crisis or perceived crisis Christians of all stripes have returned to this stereotype of the early church in order to find themselves and understand their experiences. This is true even today: during the debate over the HHS mandate last year, a Catholic Bishop said that President Obama was attacking Christians just like the Roman emperors, Hitler and Stalin had. In August 2011 Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum publicly complained that the "gay community ... had gone out on a jihad" against him. In the course of the last election, similar statements were made by Mitt Romney, Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and Bill O'Reilly, to name but a few.

This is not just a case of election-day banter or political nastiness. Just recently, Fox News host Todd Starnes accused NBC of persecuting Christians because of a skit that aired on Saturday Night Live. The accusation may appear flimsy, but the advertising boycott of NBC that resulted was not. The rhetorical power of persecution language is very real.

These evaluations of modern society and Christianity's place in it trace themselves back to the early Church. Christianity is responsible for changing the way that we think about persecution. Were it not for the belief that early Christians were persecuted, Christian identity would not be so intimately linked to the experience of persecution. It is precisely for this reason that understanding the history is so important.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/candida-moss/the-myth-of-christian-persecution_b_2901880.html

[okasha]

4. Link, please?

n/t

After Austin, SA is one of the most gay-friendly cities in Texas. Then there's this ijit and Hargis.

[cbayer]

5. Added. Sorry about that.