The Georgia pastor whose viral video appears to show him calling out the hypocrisy of the African-American church in its treatment of LGBT people released a statement Tuesday afternoon saying his words were taken out of context, the video was released without his approval and it shouldn’t be viewed as support for LGBT rights.
“Although enumerable media outlets have used my sermon clip for their own journalistic and editorial priorities, my message was not presented in an effort to ‘affirm the rights’ of the LGBT community,” Pastor E. Dewey Smith wrote in a post on House of Hope Atlanta’s Facebook page. “My sermonic intentions and ministerial assignment is not to be the ‘pro gay pastor.’ My agenda is Jesus’ message and exaltation.”
Smith says he has received “millions” of messages from the LGBT community in the last several days thanking him for his support.
“While these messages have opened my eyes tremendously, please know that I was not trying to become a focal point or ‘champion’ for a ’cause,'” he writes. “My message was presented with the hopes that we could develop a heart of ‘ministry’ for those who desire it.”
He also affirmed his opposition to marriage equality, saying, “I have always believed and taught that marriage is between a man and a woman. Even as society changes and my theology evolves around ministering to and being intentional about loving all people, my personal theology is still based on male and female relationships only. While this may disappoint many who have encouraged me over the past few days, please allow a mutuality of ‘tolerance.'”
What about Smith’s comparison of the church’s treatment of LGBT people to slave masters’ treatment of slaves?
“While some persons connect the struggles of the LGBT movement to the abolitionist and Civil Rights movements, that was not my purpose or intention during the message,” he writes.
He ends the over 3,000 word statement calling the uproar over the video a blessing in disguise:
“I have no idea why my 4 minute sermon clip was posted and became viral without context or my approval. I do not know why those brief words have caused several ‘saints’ to ‘hate’ and even ‘wish death’ upon me. I will never understand why some would rather ‘condemn’ without getting context. I do know why those with ’causes,’ both positive and negative, used the clip for their ‘purposes.’ In spite of it all, I am comforted by the fact that God and those who have actually heard the entire message, know that my purpose was simple: Spread the message of Jesus with those who will listen and expect God to bring transformation to any life. Though I wish God had given me prior warning about the ‘firestorm’ of the past five days, I am confident that Jesus’ name has been heard by millions all over the world via my mouth. Although ‘Stephen has died, Saul has gone crazy and the Saints are scared and scattered,’ through it all it’s still a ‘Blessing In Disguise.'”
Here’s the original video below.