"Palin's Church Promotes Conversion of Gays," blares the headline for a September 7 Associated Press article noting that the Alaska governor's home church is supporting Focus on the Family's "Love Won Out" conference.
Of course as with much of the media's reporting on religion, AP's article is weighed in the balance and found lacking. It's downright misleading and factually inaccurate, betraying a complete ignorance of evangelical Christian theology (emphasis mine):
Gov. Sarah Palin's church is promoting a conference that promises to convert gays into heterosexuals through the power of prayer.
"You'll be encouraged by the power of God's love and His desire to transform the lives of those impacted by homosexuality," according to the insert in the bulletin of the Wasilla Bible Church, where Palin has prayed for about six years.
Let's back up a minute. That quote in the Wasilla Bible Church bulletin is taken from the Web site for Focus on the Family's Love Won Out conferences. But does the conference really "[promise] to convert gays into heterosexuals through the power of prayer"? Far from it.
A visit to the Love Won Out Web site finds the only promise it offers is that people struggling to overcome homosexual or lesbian desire through faith will face "a difficult path," albeit one that need not be a lonely one (emphasis mine):
[frequently asked question:] But your goal is still to make gays straight, right?
[Answer:] That is a gross and narrow oversimplification. We aren't here to "make" anybody do or become anything; we are here to offer a scientific and experiential perspective on the issue of homosexuality that is, sadly, underreported in the mainstream media. Our goals include aiding parents who want to learn how to better love their sons or daughters without compromising their faith; helping people who want to better understand the many factors that can lead to someone adopting a homosexual identity; and assisting those who struggle with unwanted same-sex attractions and want to discover how they might also start upon the path - a difficult path, as noted above - to overcoming those desires.
As far as the notion that Palin's church aims to "convert" homosexuals to heterosexuals grossly misrepresents the tenets of faith of the governor's congregation. If the AP reviewed Wasilla Bible's Statement of Faith, they'd get that (emphases mine) Wasilla Bible believes in reaching everyone with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and that it's the work of God's Holy Spirit in the life of a Christian that enables him/her to overcome sexual and other sins:
4. We believe that based upon Christ's death for the salvation of lost and sinful people, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential. We believe that all people are lost and without God in their natural state; but by the grace of God those who exercise genuine faith in the Lord Jesus Christ are saved - justified, baptized into his death and born again, from above, by the Holy Spirit.
Jn 1:12,13; 3:1-21; Rom 3:23,24; Eph 2:8,9; 1 Pet 1:23
5. We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit. By His indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life, and is spiritually gifted for ministry to others.
Acts 2:1-4; 17-21 (cf.Joel 2:28-30); 1 Cor 6:19,20;12:7
[...]
8. We believe in our responsibility to be disciples of Christ, to love all people and to fulfill the Commission of Christ to go and make disciples of all nations by bearing witness of Christ through life and word in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Lk 9:23-26; Mt 22:36-40; 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; Rom 1:16
—Ken Shepherd is Managing Editor of NewsBusters
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
Thankfully, I don't get my religion from the AP....
September 8, 2008 - 12:19 ET by Saint Zero'Cause they can't get anything right, much less something as important as matters of faith.
Interesting Phrase
September 8, 2008 - 12:37 ET by GothampcNotice this phrase:
"where Palin has prayed for about six years."
Interesting choice of words. Either the writer doesn't know much about the Protestant belief system or they specifically chose that word for a reason.
The sentence really should read "where Palin has worshipped..."
I wonder why the author chose "prayed"?
Because
September 8, 2008 - 14:09 ET by ChaitealoverThey, having never read 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, think that Christians only pray when they're in church.
Chai
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. [NKJ]
Prayer
September 8, 2008 - 14:16 ET by GothampcThat's one of the things that I thought. Maybe they think that Evangelicals can only pray in church. Possibly their line of thinking: the Jews need a minyan to pray, the Catholics need a priest to pray, the Evangelicals need a church to pray??? Not logical thinking, but we're dealing with the MSM.
The other thing I thought about was that it was worded to protect Obama. If a person goes to church to "pray", they don't necessarily have to listen to Rev. Wright. If they go to "worship" that includes having to listen to the clergy.
Prayer is powerful and can
September 8, 2008 - 12:37 ET by Dan The Man 2Prayer is powerful and can and does accomplish what is thought to be impossible. What part of that eludes the leftists? All of it. Palin ought to say yes prayer does accomplish wonderous deeds, perhaps you ought to avail yourself of it. Im sure Obama is on his prayer mat facing Meca doing such.
Nuke em til they glow then shoot em in the dark.
Paranoia with a capital "P"
September 8, 2008 - 12:38 ET by jsteve2xNext step will be the "Prayer Police". Not sure why Athiests would be concerned, or others who believe we 'evolved'. But those who are concerned that prayer can change things need to pay attention. They will however continue to attempt to 'silence' God via legislation. So what if we are of the opinion that there is a way 'out' of homosexuality and offer those who want out that way. No coercion, just direction. If the thought of someone praying for you or those you know scares you, perhaps you or those around you aren't being good!
Gays
September 8, 2008 - 12:50 ET by Gothampc"So what if we are of the opinion that there is a way 'out' of homosexuality and offer those who want out that way."
Because homosexuals can't stand to lose one gay from their ranks. Never mind the fact that they can often be extremely cruel to those who want to keep their sexuality private. (Look how they viciously attacked Mary Cheney. And they will hound and ridicule any Hollywood star who remains closeted.) The homosexual movement has become extremely militant and has taken a stand that either a person is "loud and proud" or they are to be ridiculed and attacked.
Tolerant????
September 8, 2008 - 12:39 ET by txcoWell, I think that people of faith are a lot more tolerant of gays than the MSM is of a conservative women!!!!!!
Yep. Those of faith know to
September 8, 2008 - 14:23 ET by Clear thinkerYep. Those of faith know to love the sinner, not the sin. As far as the MSM goes... we should be ashamed that the mass media in this country has chosen to be agenda driven. At present, their agenda seems to be "Destroy Sarah Palin". Jerks! Increasing Hate For Palin
Making Fun of AGW http://giovanniworld.wordpress.com/
The AP is not tolerant of any point of view that's not liberal.
September 8, 2008 - 12:49 ET by c5thenUsually the AP is hostile to any Christain point of view, regardless of the denomination.
The day that "politician" became a career choice is the day we started losing the Republic. Let's get it back! Alan Keyes '08.
AP
September 8, 2008 - 12:56 ET by JDWWho could have believed it?
JDW
DAILY WAVE
A Great Book on the Gay Rights Movement
September 8, 2008 - 13:28 ET by BlueCat57Read chapter on the gay rights movement in the book "The Marketing of Evil."
God
September 8, 2008 - 13:30 ET by jaywlMy God! Yeah, that's my God, too.
what crap
September 8, 2008 - 14:15 ET by SemperrightThis is much worse than sitting in a church for 20 years learning about the "white devils" keeping the black man down.
"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference.
The MARINES don't have that problem."
President Ronald Reagan - 1985
CNN
September 8, 2008 - 14:48 ET by jaywlNot to be outdone, at the 3:30 program time, CNN HeadlineNews was beating that dead horse, her OLD church again. If they throw enough mud, some will stick. That's the shame.
with vast herds of liberal press in Alaska...
September 8, 2008 - 14:59 ET by superdoughThis is the best they can come up with? A bulletin insert from her church describing a focus on the family ministry to homosexuals? If this is the best MSM can come up with, they're going to have to move away from the 'distort stuff' tactic and back onto the 'make stuff up' tactic.
needsmore cowbell
CNN strikes again
September 8, 2008 - 20:36 ET by ChaitealoverCampbell Brown and company, on the 6pm PT program, are spreading the story that the Focus on The Family conference is about making homosexuals into heterosexuals. Down in the lower right hand corner of the screen is their phony new logo "No Bias, No Bull," It should say "All Bias, All Bull, All the time."
They also showed someone who talked about his opinion of Alaska's place in the "End Times" at her old church in 2004, after she changed churches. And that compares to 20 years of listening to Rev. Wright how?
Oh, and she's going to talk more about Sarah Palin's religion tomorrow. Can anyone tell me how much time this woman spent talking about Obama's religion [not counting denials about him being Muslim]? Yeah, that's what I thought.
Chai
“The beauty of our system isn’t that we have the right to vote. No, the nice thing is that people who are too dumb or lazy or uninformed to bother casting a ballot aren’t compelled to vote.” —Burt Prelutsky
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Stay tuned for more updates,
September 8, 2008 - 16:47 ET by SickofLibsStay tuned for more updates, as CNN (and maybe others) are now attending Sunday Wasilla B.C. services, ya know, just in case another 'issue' comes up that they can utilize.
Jessica Yellin/CNN was there yesterday for services, and 'was warmly received.'
'All are welcome in this place', even s-heads from CNN.
Hat tip
September 8, 2008 - 18:21 ET by AtTheWaterCoolerI have given you a hat tip and posted a simular article http://www.jeremiahf...
gay fad
September 8, 2008 - 20:35 ET by Old Europewhat's with the liberals and their love for all sorts of disturbed people? be it gays, lesbians or transgenders....they are desperate to find minorities to latch onto in order to feel all warm and fuzzy about their altruism and yet they ignore the fact that they do those people are huge disservice. i am a christian and know a close friend who had gay tendencies until he gave his life to jesus and was saved from the path of early death and loneliness. it's a fact that gays have a lower life expectancy than chain-smokers because STDs are rampant among gays. two in three AIDS cases invlove gays! syphillis is thirteen times more prevalent among gays in san francisco. it's also a fact that gays have between 500 and 1000 sexual partners. and the saddest fact is that gays wind up old and alone without a family to look after them. Jesus loves us all incl. gays but Jesus would never ever want gays to grow old and alone. He wants us all to marry and have kids and a large family to see us through! but the gay lifestyle is like an addiction that leads to death. and it is the greatest lie ever that gays were born that way. when you listen to former gays who had given their life to Jesus, you're gonna realise that they gayness is due to childhood traumata. i.e. problems with their parents and sexual abuse. Anne Heche was raped by her father as a child and now she's a lesbian. my friend who's an ex-gay was emotionally abused by his mother and he never realised that his gayness was due to her until her gave his life to Jesus.
of course gay activists have nothing but scorn and ridicule for conversion because deep down they all know that their acts are wrong and destructive. thus, they try to soothe their compunctions by trying to convince the public that gayness is harmless and totally okay. wrong! it's very dangerous and sad. we as christiand offer our succour and help and NO ridicule or scorn! we need to make them realise that their addiction leads to destruction. and yet, the liberals refuse to acknowledge that because all they care about is themselves and how they can find a hip new way to pat themselves on their shoulders.
here's a great homepage proving that gays can be converted:
www.stonewallrevisit...