Uproar Over Obama's Gospel Tour Continues
Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama's campaign held a hurriedly put together conference call Thursday night with gay and lesbian leaders in South Carolina to discuss the candidate's gospel tour, which includes a singer who says homosexuality is a choice.
Obama campaign spokesman Kevin Griffis refused to talk about what was discussed on the call with Steve Hildebrand, Obama's early voting state strategist, and Joshua DuBois, who runs faith programs for the campaign.
Afterward, the South Carolina Gay and Lesbian Pride Movement decided to hold a vigil outside the Sunday concert in Columbia to protest gospel singer Donnie McClurkin, said Tony Snell, the group's past president.
Snell listened to the call and said ll he heard was talking points and the campaign wasn't budging on McClurkin.
"This guy has a reputation. He has a past. It's well known," Snell said. "You guys should have researched this out," Snell said of the Obama campaign.
Snell said the call ended with the 15 gay and lesbian leaders making a final appeal to Hildebrand and DuBois to talk to Obama. "Please ask him one more time to stop Donnie McClurkin's appearance at Sunday's event," Snell said.
Griffis said McClurkin won't be booted from the program.
"The Obama campaign is trying to bridge real divides and bring people together. Two things are certain: We will never be able to bridge those divides if we are unwilling to listen to voices we don't agree with, and we will never change anyone's mind if we refuse to talk to him," Griffs said in a statement.
Obama's campaign invited the Rev. Andy Sidden, a South Carolina pastor who is openly gay, to appear at the same concert. But Snell said that doesn't right the program.
McClurkin is a Grammy Award winner who performed at the Republican National Convention in 2004. He told AP Radio in an interview that September that he was "once involved with those desires and those thoughts," but God turned him away from them.
Obama has spoken out against homophobia, including in the black community. He supports civil unions for same-sex couples but not the right for gay marriage.
© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Obama campaign spokesman Kevin Griffis refused to talk about what was discussed on the call with Steve Hildebrand, Obama's early voting state strategist, and Joshua DuBois, who runs faith programs for the campaign.
Afterward, the South Carolina Gay and Lesbian Pride Movement decided to hold a vigil outside the Sunday concert in Columbia to protest gospel singer Donnie McClurkin, said Tony Snell, the group's past president.
Snell listened to the call and said ll he heard was talking points and the campaign wasn't budging on McClurkin.
"This guy has a reputation. He has a past. It's well known," Snell said. "You guys should have researched this out," Snell said of the Obama campaign.
Snell said the call ended with the 15 gay and lesbian leaders making a final appeal to Hildebrand and DuBois to talk to Obama. "Please ask him one more time to stop Donnie McClurkin's appearance at Sunday's event," Snell said.
Griffis said McClurkin won't be booted from the program.
"The Obama campaign is trying to bridge real divides and bring people together. Two things are certain: We will never be able to bridge those divides if we are unwilling to listen to voices we don't agree with, and we will never change anyone's mind if we refuse to talk to him," Griffs said in a statement.
Obama's campaign invited the Rev. Andy Sidden, a South Carolina pastor who is openly gay, to appear at the same concert. But Snell said that doesn't right the program.
McClurkin is a Grammy Award winner who performed at the Republican National Convention in 2004. He told AP Radio in an interview that September that he was "once involved with those desires and those thoughts," but God turned him away from them.
Obama has spoken out against homophobia, including in the black community. He supports civil unions for same-sex couples but not the right for gay marriage.
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God Bless you!
Posted by singinrick
Tell me is that what jesus did to the harlet at the well...did he teach, rebuke, correct...nope he showed her love and understanding...he accepted her as she was..
You keep on in your piety...its a sin...
There is no comparision to me and the harlet at the well the point is that you are the first to condemn those that don''t agree with your brand of christianity...
Posted by singinrick
I didn''t say Hitler was doing God''s work..I said you reminded me of him. Thinking your taking up the cause for christianity, trying to "heal" us all from our wicked ways...trying to make the word safe from our homosexuality..
Your one step away from branding us with your pink triangles, and putting us into consentration camps...because God told you too...
This cause (the cause for equality, and tolerance) is near and dear to me because I am a lesbian....
but why is it such a pressing cause for you??
Was it singinrick or flamingrick, me thinks the lady doth protest to much........and thats not an insult just open that closet door and step out be true to yourself..
Posted by singinrick
I know..but I hate to be sterotypical and lump you all together..
It because the majority (you being a prime example) want to tell us how sinful we are, how wrong our love is..your the first to stand in line and judge..without cause..
Your the first to stand in our way of equal rights, and the freedoms that you enjoy..why is that Rick?
Keep talking and judging in the name of God, you remind me of someone else...
"I am convinced that I am acting as the agent of our Creator. By fighting off the Jews. I am doing the Lord''s work." Hitler
Unfortunately I don''t want to spend my time arguing a mute point - today is family day and I''d much rather spend my time with my children and wife over sitting at a computer....
Deal with it.
Posted by singinrick at 07:27 PM : Oct 28, 2007
Show me one place in my posts where I have said that you should not be permitted to spew your hatred toward gay people? You can''t. But I will refrain from calling you a liar. I fully support your legal right to spew your hateful message out loud and often. I just think it''s morally wrong for you to do so, and I am worried that Jesus will not look kindly on you for it, Rick. His message was to "love one another." You are so filled with and consumed by hatred of gay people that you can''t get to the real message of Christ, which was to "love one another." Rick, you must first learn to love and accept yourself before you will be able to love your gay and lesbian brothers and sisters. I pray you will work on loving and accepting yourself as you are.
The bible isn''t a tool for intolerane - it''s a tool to show mankind to love one and accept one another. You have much to learn...and I challenge you to reseach beyond what you hear and read from the King James.
You follow the word of the Protestants of the 20th century.....where only YOUR INTERPRETATION is valid.....how comical - thousands of years of the bible being handed down....and only you have the right interpretations and ideas on how to be saved by Christ?
No doubt you make judgements on other''s souls as well.....just like singinrick you have ALL the answers based on your viewpoints of scriptures. No doubt we could read the same scripture and see two different lessons....how pompous and pious of the modern day ''religious riot'' to force their ideology and absolutism on those that disagree....
Comical..
10. There is absolutely no condemnation of homosexuality in the Greek New Testament
Posted by simonsez40 at 06:15 PM : Oct 28, 2007
Your blatant lack of biblical knowledge is highly evident in your posts, evidence contrary to your ridicules assertions have been clearly manifested for thousands of years . your spouting and spewing is just self serving to justify your own agenda
This is well documented fact - I''m have no doubts the scholars were the best - but the point is if King James included his bias in scripture - what other biases were TRANSLATED within the scriptures?
Many of the original text meanings from the Greek and Hebrew transmissions were altered depending on the political stance of the translators........
So you have PROOF King James, John Wycliffe, an Oxford professor who provided the first hand-written English language Bible manuscripts in the 1380''s AD, Thomas Linacre or John Colet (this list is various prior to King James translation) upheld the EXACT meanings, verbiage and translations as the original authors?
Most likely not...