Pastor Rick Warren Calls Upon the Pastors of Uganda to Reject the Anti-Homosexuality Bill

Pastor Rick Warren, in a YouTube message, calls the bill 'Unjust', 'Extreme' and 'Unchristian.'  Now, Warren needs to denounce Turaki's anti-gay hate-speech in the featured article on homosexuality in the Africa Bible Commentary which commentary Warren has fully endorsed.

By Rev. Steve Parelli, Bronx, New York

In an Other Sheep eNews dated October 19, 2009, Other Sheep called upon its readers to write Rick Warren, John Stott and Douglas Carew and the Association of Evangelicals in Africa (AEA) to denounce the Anti-Homosexuality Bill of Uganda citing their endorsement of the Africa Bible Commentary with its anti-gay hate-speech in a featured article entitled "Homosexuality" by Nigerian evangelical scholar Yusufu Turaki as reason for their need to speak out.

We are happy to learn that Rick Warren has done so today. Other Sheep asks Douglas Carew of the Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology (Kenya) and John R. W. Stott (England) to join Warren in his denouncement of the Ugandan bill and to further more denounce the anti-gay hate-speech in the Africa Bible Commentary (see article in right column of this Other Sheep December 10, 2009, eNews).

Society of Biblical Literature member charges religious publisher with anti-gay hate speech

Blatant hate speech against homosexuals in Zondervan's Africa Bible Commentary cited at Society of Biblical Literature 2009 Annual Meeting

Panel respondant reports churches in South Africa "are hungry" to know what the Bible realy says about homosexuality
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISANNA - November 23, 2009

by Rev. Steve Parelli, Other Sheep Executive Director

The African Biblical Hermeneutics Section of the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) featured a paper today at the SBL annual meeting centered around the "Lot and Abraham Story" from the Africa Bible Commentary (Zondervan, 2006). The respondent to the paper, Gerald O. West of Kwa-Zulu Natal University, in his remarks, made a brief reference to the Africa Bible Commentary's featured article entitled "Homosexuality," found in the Romans section of the single volume commentary, to illustrate how the "Lot and Abraham Story" of the Africa Bible Commentary is predisposed to the evangelical anti-homosexual position.

During the open discussion that followed the papers, Rev. Steve Parelli, Executive Director of Other Sheep, said the publisher, Zondervan, was guilty of "hate speech" against homosexuals. Parelli said the Zondervan Africa Bible Commentary article quotes uncritically a so-called common-enough view held in Africa that "homosexuals are worse than beasts." The Africa Bible Commentary article further states, said Parelli, that "the Anglican Church in Africa has rejected Bishop Tutu's call for tolerance and acceptance of homosexuals." Parelli said, because the Africa Bible Commentary article links, uncritically, the two statements that "homosexuals are worse than beasts" and that "the Anglican Church rejected Tutu's call for tolerance" that the article is hate speech against homosexuals, that the evangelical Nigerian author of the article, because he is uncritical of the quotes he uses, owns the quotes as his own viewpoint.

Parelli said Rick Warren of the United States, John Stott of England, and Douglas Carew of Nairobi, Kenya, have all endorsed the Africa Bible Commentary.

Parelli, citing Uganda as an evangelical country, tied the evangelical view of homosexuality to the current criminal Anti-Homosexuality Bill of Uganda that calls for the death sentence and life imprisonment of homosexuals who meet certain conditions.

Another attendant of the SBL session, sitting at the rear of the room, who did not identify himself when he spoke and who left early, thanked the audience for their comments on the Africa Bible Commentary and said that the "insensitivities" of the Africa Bible Commentary as noted in this meeting would be taken into consideration. Apparently, from his remarks, the gentleman is somehow associated with Zondervan, but that notion was not confirmed.

West, in his final reply to the audience as the respondent, thanked Parelli for his comments on the Africa Bible Commentary and related his own disappointments with the volumn. In addition, West gave an account of how religious groups within South Africa are forming meetings around the study of the issue of homosexuality and the church in Africa in order to discuss seriously the Biblical texts traditionally associated with homosexuality. West said South Africans "are hungry" to really know, and not assume, what the Bible does and does not say about homosexuality especially in light of the very really present situation that their

South African constitution provides for the right of same-sex marriage.

Robert Wafula, Drew University, and Robert Wafawanaka, Virginia Union University, each gave a paper and West responded to each paper separately. Elelwani Farisani, University of South Africa, presided. In 2008, Parelli and his same-sex spouse, Jose Ortiz, conducted Other Sheep seminars on the Bible and homosexuality in Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda.

Other Sheep Press Announcement: PRA joins Other Sheep in calling on Rick Warren to denounce Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill

BRONX, NEW YORK
October 29, 2009
by Rev. Stephen R. Parelli, Other Sheep Executive Director

Political Research Associates (PRA), in an eNews they released yesterday calling on "Rick Warren to Denounce Proposed Antigay Law in Uganda," effectively joins Other Sheep in calling on evangelicals to stop the Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009. PRA reports: "In March 2008, U.S. evangelical leader Rick Warren told Ugandans that homosexuality is not a natural way of life and thus not a human right."

Other Sheep, in its eNews of October 19, called upon evangelicals Rick Warren (USA), John Stott (England), Douglas Carew (Kenya) and the Association of Evangelicals in Africa (AEA) to accountability for their part in inducing inhumane and hateful attitudes of Africans towards homosexual Africans.

On January 6 and on October 19 of this year, Other Sheep reported that an article on homosexuality in Africa Bible Commentary, published by AEA and endorsed by Warren, Stott and Carew, says homosexuals "are worse than beasts" and should not be tolerated; homosexuals are "abnormal, unnatural and a perversion." The article also asserts: no view on the morality of homosexuality other than the evangelical view is to be given consideration; the common denominator of same-sex sex is coercive sex; and to be homosexual is sinful. Africa Bible Commentary, published in 2006, is a commentary on the Bible by 70 African evangelical Bible scholars. The featured article on "Homosexuality" is authored by evangelical Nigerian Tusufu Turaki.

Other Sheep is an ecumenical Christian ministry that works worldwide to empower LGBT people of faith. Other Sheep Uganda, a committee made up of Ugandan lay leaders, was organized in 2008 for the purpose of distributing literature on the topic "What does the Bible really say about homosexuality?"

Other Sheep's Facebook Cause: Tell Evangelicals to Denounce the Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009

An Other Sheep Facebook cause is growing in numbers.

by Rev. Stephen Parelli, Bronx, NY. October 24, 2009

In just three days more than 130 Facebook friends from Nepal and Thailand to Africa and the United States have signed on to the Other Sheep Cause that asks evangelical leaders worldwide to denounce the Ungandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009, a bill that imposes the death sentence and imprisonment of homosexuals.

At the heart of the Cause is the concern raised by hate speech in an article on homosexuality by the Nigerian evangelical leader Yusufu Turaki. The article is featured in the Africa Bible Commentary, "a publishing landmark" published in 2006 by Zondervan Corporation and the Assoiciation of Evangelicals in Africa (AEA) and endorsed on the back cover by evangelical leaders Rick Warren (USA), John Stott (England) and Douglas Carew (Kenya).

Turaki's article contains the following anti-homosexual remarks:

(a) Turaki's use of the words "abnormal, unnatural and a perversion" in reference to homosexuals; (b) his uncritical use of the quote that "homosexuals are worse than beasts" tied in with (c) his uncritical statement of the African Anglican church's rejection of Archbishop Tutu's call for tolerance, as well as (d) his one-sided account of African "coercive sexual relationships" as his example of "varied" African same-sex sex; (e) an uncritical censorship of all views of homosexuality that are not in keeping with his views ("Our views of homosexuality should not be derived from human sources but from the Word of God"), and (f) his expressed theological view that to be homosexual is sinful (a view not held by evangelicals in the West).

Facebook friends who sign on to the Cause are concerned because Turaki's article effectively dismisses the church in Africa from its responsibility to speak out against the violence Africans inflict upon African LGBT people (lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender). Turaki's article could be used by African evangelicals at this time as an argument for the endorsement of the Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill.

Facebook members of the Cause urge the Association of Evangelicals in Africa (AEA) and Rick Warrn, John Stott, and Douglas Carew to openly denounce the Ugandan bill and to state that Yusufu Turaki's inflexible and dogmatic article on "Homosexuality" is not to be understood by any evangelicals in Africa as an argument for the endorsement of the inhumane Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009, that no evangelical would single out homosexuals for the death penalty or life imprisonment.

The Facebook Cause is titled "Tell Rick Warren to Tell Evangelicals in Uganda to Stop the Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009." The Cause links members to a sample letter and contact information on Other Sheep webpages so that members of the Cause can email Warren, Stott, Carew and the AEA.

Open Letter to Dr. Douglas Carew vice chancellor of Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology

Other Sheep eNews containing Open Letter

Posted from the BRONX, NY, October 24, 2009.

The following is an Open Letter to Dr. Douglas Carew from John Doner, Other Sheep Latin America Coordinator

Dear Dr. Carew:

Do you believe homosexuals should be imprisoned for life? Do you believe homosexuals who repeatedly participate in same-sex activities should be put to death? Do you think persons who support lgbt organizations which simply are seeking their human rights should be put in prison?

I didn't think so, but such legislation is currently being considered in the Ugandan Parliament, the Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009. And evangelical Christians in Uganda are likely to be turning a deaf ear to such demonic, unChristian legislation, influenced by the Africa Bible Commentary which you endorsed in 2006. That commentary has an article on homosexuality, written by Yusufu Turaki. Turaki's article contains the following anti-homosexual remarks:

(a) Turaki's use of the words "abnormal, unnatural and a perversion" in reference to homosexuals; (b) his uncritical use of the quote that "homosexuals are worse than beasts" tied in with (c) his uncritical statement of the African Anglican church's rejection of Archbishop Tutu's call for tolerance, as well as (d) his one-sided account of African "coercive sexual relationships" as his example of "varied" African same-sex sex; (e) an uncritical censorship of all views of homosexuality that are not in keeping with his views ("Our views of homosexuality should not be derived from human sources but from the Word of God"), and (f) his expressed theological view that to be homosexual is sinful (a view not held by evangelicals in the West).

Turaki's article effectively dismisses the church from its responsibility to speak out against the violence in Africa against lgbt people (lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender). His article could be used by African evangelicals at this time as an argument for the endorsement of the Ugandan bill.

I am aware that, for the most part, evangelicals worldwide view same-sex sex between consenting adults as immoral. Nonetheless, I cannot believe that evangelicals can stand silently by and watch the Parliament of Uganda vote this inhumane bill into law, especially since evangelicals are so vehemently vocal on the issue of homosexuality.

Therefore, I urge you to openly denounce this bill and to state that Yusufu Turaki's inflexible and dogmatic article on "Homosexuality", in the Commentary that you endorsed, should not be misused by any evangelicals in Africa as an argument for the endorsement of the inhumane Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009.

In Christ's love,

John P. Doner
Latin America Coordinator
Other Sheep - Multicultural Ministries with Sexual Minorities
Mexico City
October 22, 2009

Tell Rick Warren, John Stott and Douglas Carew to tell the Association of Evangelicals in Africa (AEA) to Denounce the Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill

Other Sheep Press Announcement

BRONX, NEW YORK, USA. October 19, 2009
In an Other Sheep e-newsletter, Rev Stephen Parelli, Executive Director of Other Sheep, called upon evangelicals worldwide to tell the Association of Evangelicals in Africa (AEA) to denounce the Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009.

"Uganda is largely evangelical," Parelli said. "Uganda's hateful stance against homosexuals is very Bible based, so they think. Therefore, evangelicals worldwide cannot look on and watch the Parliament of Uganda enact laws against homosexuals that are, as this bill is, criminal, without speaking out. The evangelicals of Africa and from outside of Africa must address their fellow Christians of Uganda and tell them they must, in the name of God, stop this inhumane bill from becoming law."

The newsletter gives a sample letter to use and the contact information of the AEA Executive Board members and AEA Ethics, Peace and Justice Commission.

In addition, Rev. Parelli called upon Pastor Rick Warren of the United States, John Stott of England, and Douglas Carew of Kenya, all recognized evangelical leaders, to denounce the bill. "Warren, Stott and Carew," Parelli said, "have endorsed the 2006 widely acclaimed Africa Bible Commentary in which Nigerian religious leader Yusufu Turaki's featured Homosexuality article effectively dismisses the church from its responsibility to speak out against the violence in Africa against LGBT people (lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender). Turaki's article could be used by African evangelicals at this time as an argument for the endorsement of the Ugandan bill."

The Other Sheep newsletter provides contact information and a sample letter to Warren, Stott and Carew urging them to speak out against the bill.

Other Sheep is a multi-cultural ecumenical Christian organization that works worldwide for the full inclusion of LGBT people of faith within their respective faith traditions.