August 18, 2013

The following excerpts are from Dr. Susan Berry’s article “Black Pastors Organization Condemns Persecution of Christians over Traditional Values” on Brietbart.com: “An association of African-American pastors has condemned Washington, D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray and the organizers of the Martin Luther King 50th Anniversary Memorial concert for disinviting a New Jersey gospel singer and pastor from the concert because he is a reformed homosexual and an outspoken advocate for marriage between a man and a woman.”

“‘It is appalling and embarrassing that Mayor Gray and others would discriminate against someone who holds traditional views that break from some in the current black leadership, especially for an event marking the legacy of Martin Luther King,’ said Rev. William Owens, president of the Coalition of African-American Pastors (CAAP). Owens organized students during the civil rights movement and marched with King.”

… “In an interview with Breitbart News, however, Rev. Owens referred to Gray’s decision as ‘discrimination and persecution of Christians.’ … ‘I marched with Dr. King; I knew what it was about,” said Owens. “King fought against discrimination, yet his so-called followers are practicing it.’”
“Owens said the black community ‘knows that our civil rights were won through a strong faith in God, and most still believe that the truths of our faith say that marriage should be between a man and a woman.’”

“‘We respect homosexuals, we respect the law,’ Owens said, ‘but Gray and the others are discriminating against a man because he has transformed his lifestyle of homosexuality by disqualifying him from participating in a concert that celebrates a man who fought against this same type of intolerance.’”

“‘This is the tip of the iceberg,’ Owens continued. ‘This is what I was afraid would happen when our president endorsed same-sex marriage.’ Owens said that President Obama’s announcement of support for same-sex marriage was a turning point for him. ‘Obama is the most powerful man in the country, and he sent a signal that same-sex marriage is okay. Well, we don’t think it’s right, and that day was the day the dynamics changed,’ he asserted.” …