Gay Activists Nix Pastor At Inauguration

The Rev. Louie Giglio, the Atlanta pastor scheduled to deliver the benediction at President Barack Obama's second-term inauguration, said Thursday he is withdrawing from the ceremony amid activist anger about an anti-gay sermon he gave in the mid-1990s.

The sermon, in which he spoke against the "aggressive agenda" of the gay rights movement, would make his inaugural prayer "dwarfed by those seeking to make their agenda the focal point of the inauguration," Giglio said in a statement. "Neither I, nor our team, feel it best serves the core message and goals we are seeking to accomplish to be in a fight on an issue not of our choosing."

The sermon that caused the controversy, "In Search of a Standard – Christian Response to Homosexuality," is posted on Discipleship Library, a Christian website that archives sermons. In it, Giglio tells listeners that being gay is a sinful choice and that gay people will be prevented from "entering the Kingdom of God."

The "only way out of a homosexual lifestyle ... is through the healing power of Jesus," he says in the sermon. "We’ve got to say to the homosexuals, the same thing that I say to you and that you would say to me … it’s not easy to change, but it is possible to change."

The sermon, which lasts just under an hour, echoes similar comments made by Rick Warren, the California megachurch pastor who gave the invocation at Obama's first inauguration. Obama, who was widely supported by the gay community and gay-rights advocates, was strongly criticized for his choice but did not remove Warren from the schedule.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Presidential Inaugural Committee said the committee was "not aware of Pastor Giglio’s past comments at the time of his selection and they don’t reflect our desire to celebrate the strength and diversity of our country at this Inaugural."

"Pastor Giglio was asked to deliver the benediction in large part for his leadership in combating human trafficking around the world. As we now work to select someone to deliver the benediction, we will ensure their beliefs reflect this administration’s vision of inclusion and acceptance for all Americans," said spokesperson Addie Whisenant.

In a statement, Human Rights Campaign president Chad Griffin called the move "the right decision."

"Participants in the Inaugural festivities should unite rather than divide." said Griffin. (Apparently "united" means united in supporting the gay lifestyle.) See Chick's WHO'S THE REAL HATER?