I hate to say it, but some Evangelicals are wimps, and
Giglio is one of the most wimpish.
Here was a golden opportunity to "fight the good fight," to
stand up for principle,
and to uphold the message of the Bible. Instead, with the
excuse that he
homosexuality ), Giglio retreats in self-imposed defeat.
This is absurd.
.
Louie Giglio pulls out of inaugural over
anti-gay comments
Natalie Jennings ("The Washington Post," January 10, 2013)
An evangelical pastor from Atlanta announced Thursday that
he would not give the benediction at President Obama’s
swearing-in ceremony after a sermon he gave on homosexuality
in the mid-1990s resurfaced earlier this week.
In that sermon, the Rev. Louie Giglio called for Christians
to “firmly respond to the aggressive agenda” of some in the
gay community. Think Progress, which uncovered the sermon,
has a transcript of the most inflammatory passages. Giglio
released a statement on his withdrawal from the inauguration
program:
Due to a message of mine that has surfaced from 15-20 years
ago, it is likely that my participation, and the prayer I
would offer, will be dwarfed by those seeking to make their
agenda the focal point of the inauguration. Clearly,
speaking on this issue has not been in the range of my
priorities in the past fifteen years. Instead, my aim has
been to call people to ultimate significance as we make much
of Jesus Christ.
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, thus I respectfully
withdraw my acceptance of the President’s invitation…
The Presidential Inaugural Committee announced earlier this
week that Giglio was selected, along with Myrlie
Evers-Williams, to pray at the inaugural. A PIC spokeswoman
told Think Progress they were not aware of Giglio’s past
statements when they selected him.
