A Washington state-based pastor now hopes to launch an effort to reclaim the word "gay" from the LGBT community and presumably liberate it from its sexuality-related definition, returning it to meaning "happy" or full of "joy."
Antioch Bible Church Pastor Ken Hutcherson, who is also the official spokesperson of the Stand For Marriage Coalition, has penned a column for WND.com in which he says he'd like to "shout loud and proud" that he is gay.
He writes:
"For full disclosure, most of the people who are close to us have known for years how gay we are. Both of our wives know we’re gay and are completely supportive of this lifestyle choice. Our coworkers know we’re gay and have often asked us how they, too, can live as a gay Christian. And even though we’ve never made a formal announcement together, the bulk of our congregation has suspected it for years. How could they not? Our gayness is obvious in the way we talk and the way we act toward one another. Hold a gaydar up to either of us and it’s likely to read 'Fabulous!'"
As the Christian Post notes, Hutcherson is "on a mission to take back words, phrases and symbols he believes groups, such as homosexual activists and other liberal organizations, have 'hijacked' from the American lexicon."
Before a dig at LGBT activist Dan Savage, whom he calls a "vapid agitator who happens to be homosexual," Hutcherson continues:
"So Christians, take it from two flamboyantly gay pastors. Come out of the closet. Leave the confining hovel you’ve built for yourself and let people know the true “you.” Let the world know you’re happy, not discouraged. Let them know you have joy, not apathy. Stop hiding in that suffocating closet and remember that the Christian message is one of authenticity, hope and love. And if that message doesn’t make you gay, nothing will."
Previously, Hutcherson proclaimed his desire to "take back the rainbow" from the LGBT community and restore it to what he describes as its Biblical meaning.
"Rainbows used to mean something very different than they do today," he wrote in a collaborative commentary with James Hansen of Imago Dei Institute on the Antioch's website. "It used to be understood as the sign God put in the sky to remind us that even when He's angry about sin, He'd never again destroy the earth with a global flood. But of course, that's not what most people associate a rainbow with today."
Take a look at other statements about the LGBT community made by rightwing pundits:
