Bigotry, Tolerance, and Compassion
I have had my life threatened, I have been confronted on several occasions by angry homosexuals (several times in churches!), I have been picketed, I have been mocked by homosexual groups even while sharing my story of deliverance from homosexuality, I once shared my story at a national denominational gathering while a gay cabaret night was offered as an alternative to my ministry, and I daily receive hateful letters from angry homosexuals via my various web sites (go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0oQuL8Gog4 and read some of the ‘tolerant and compassionate’ comments)…all because I simply share my story of freedom from unwanted same sex attraction. Yet to hear the gay community tell it, I’m the most vile, wicked, hurtful, evil, confused person on earth! And I’m the bigot?

A bigot, by definition, is ‘somebody who has very strong opinions, especially on matters of politics, religion, or ethnicity, and refuses to accept different views’. Wow! That’s the definition of a bigot according to the Encarta® World English Dictionary © 1999 Microsoft Corporation. Maybe I’m not the bigot after all…or at least not the only one!

Tolerance is defined as ‘the acceptance of differing views of other people’ or ‘putting up with something or someone that causes irritation’. I find it humorous that people who disagree with me concerning my experience as a former homosexual and subsequent freedom from that attraction call me the intolerant one. What politically correct tolerance means is that ‘I am tolerant of your views as long as they agree with mine’! So exactly who is intolerant of whom?

Compassion is defined as ‘sympathy for the hardships of others and often presumes a desire to aid’. My greatest desire is to help people who are trapped as I was in the bondage of homosexuality find a way out. I can only help those who WANT help and am completely tolerant of those who do not see a need for that kind of freedom. How many of those who disagree with me want to help me? Again, go read some of the comments my story receives from homosexuals on my YouTube site to find out.

Homosexuality is Sin…and There Is No Gay Gene
I believe homosexuality is a sin because God calls it a sin. Lev 18:22 (NASB) says, 'You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination.’ And for those who say ‘Well, Jesus never mentions homosexuality as sinful.’ Let me remind you that Jesus said this in John 10:30 (NASB): "I and the Father are one." If the Father calls it sin, so does Jesus. Until 1973, same sex attraction was considered a mental disorder. Something changed in our culture. In a nutshell, those who were no longer willing to fight the fight required to be free decided they should not be held accountable any longer…so a long and determined onslaught against what God calls righteous was launched. I also find it interesting that even those sympathetic to the gay movement are having to admit that there is absolutely no scientific validity to the ‘gay gene’ theory. Go to http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=97940 to read the latest from a scientific perspective.

Call it liberalism or socialism or whatever you want. Anything that opposes the holiness of God poses grave danger to our lives, our families, our marriages, our homes, our churches, and our very way of life. Freedom is at stake, even though the lie going across our land says that we who stand for righteousness pose the real threat to freedom. Seriously?

There is a move in our nation that threatens the very core of our identity and freedom. One of the tactics of that move is the attack posed to freedom in the name of ‘Hate Crime’. That move is to strengthen and redefine ‘hate crime’. How does this affect us? First, let’s define what a ‘hate crime’ is.

Hate crimes are also known as bias-motivated crimes (This should cause great alarm to all who love their freedom of expression in this nation. Who gets to decide the motivation of one’s thoughts? Sounds a lot like Nazi Germany as Hitler was coming into power, doesn’t it?). A crime is considered ‘hate crime’ when an offender targets a victim because of his or her membership in a certain social group. A social group is usually defined by race, religion, sexual orientation, disability, ethnicity, nationality, age, gender, gender identity, or political affiliation.

A crime is considered a ‘hate crime’ when certain acts are motivated by hatred of someone in one of those aforementioned groups. A second kind of ‘hate crime’ is ‘hate speech’. Again, who gets to decide the motives of another’s thoughts? Who gets to tell everyone else how to think? Who is behind this push to make ‘hate speech’ a criminal offense?

From my estimation, ‘hate crime’ and ‘hate speech’ are designed to protect a certain class of people. Namely, anyone who does not want to be held to a higher standard of moral purity. Reality is that every single citizen of the United States of America is already protected from harm and persecution by law. ‘Hate Crime’ legislation seeks to grant special rights and special protections to those who practice sexual deviancy. This legislation will effectively create a privileged class of sexual deviants that place their behavior in a class above what is considered normal behavior. This will effectively make speaking out against sexual deviancy a ‘hate crime’.

What Percentage of Our Population is Gay?
Here’s something I bet you did not know: Only 2-3% of our population is actually identified as homosexual. Of course, the gay community would have you believe their numbers are in the 10% range, but those figures are based on the now disproven results of the Kinsey studies from 1948 and 1953. Every major poll of our nation’s citizens proves that the majority is against same sex marriage, yet here we find ourselves potentially being told what we can and cannot believe or say by a minority of 2-3% of our population. Incredulous!

Even though ‘hate speech’ is NOT a part of this bill, there are two things we must consider. If someone calls another what is considered a slur against their particular social group while committing a crime against them, that crime can be considered ‘hate crime’. Secondly, is it really that great of a stretch for us to assume that speech will be next…especially in light of the pressures upon us to be politically correct in our speech? This is indeed a slippery slope. Even in the wording of the bill, if prejudice is perceived and someone is offended (say, for instance, a pastor who preaches from the Word of God that homosexuality is sin), is it too inconceivable to think civil suits will not be filed as a result due to emotional injury? While I hope I am wrong, I do not believe I am. Thursday, April 23, the House Judiciary Committee passed the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009. On April 29, the full House passed the legislation and it will now pass on to the Senate for assumed approval there. Under this law the investigation and prosecution of an offense against a homosexual or transvestite would be given priority over a crime committed against your grandmother – or one of your children. It can potentially be used to persecute any Christian whose public actions reflect their faith. I find it interesting that during the last Congress, Representative Artur Davis (D-AL) admitted that this legislation could be used to arrest pastors for hate crimes and there is still resistance to adding protections for pastors. Yet, here we are.

I have actually had believers tell me in years past that this would never happen in our nation…yet here we are. I have recently had believers tell me that our freedom of speech would always remain intact…yet here we are with legislation that will directly affect what we can and cannot say in our ever-increasingly politically correct world. We need only look as far as Carrie Prejean in the recent Miss USA Pageant when she gave her honest opinion when asked about gay marriage. Her answer cost her the title and the derision of the liberal media. Freedom of speech? Yeah, right…as long as you agree with the liberal point of view.

What Can We Do?
What can we do? We can be salt and we can be light…we can be vessels of God’s love to those who are confused by such issues. A kingdom point of view is one that realizes God is in control even during times such as the one we now live. A kingdom point of view speaks the truth and lives the truth in love regardless of how the world treats them in return. A kingdom point of view is one that fights for freedom even when freedom may cost them everything they have…even their life.

I do not want my children to face the kind of persecution I know is very possible in my lifetime. Anything I can do to fight for their freedom and at the same time raise up the banner of hope in Christ, I will do.
Blessings,
Dennis Jernigan

SOME OF MY HEROES – PLEASE PRAY FOR THEM
It has been amazing to see the support Carrie Prejean has received since giving her now famous response in the Miss USA Pageant…but, not to take ANYTHING away from Carrie, I want you to know there are many, many men and women who have been fighting for freedom from homosexuality for many long years before Carrie Prejean was even born. Men and women like Frank and Anita Worthen (part of the birth of Exodus International), Bob Davies, Joe Dallas, Andy Comiskey, Sy Rogers, Alan and Leslie Chambers (President of Exodus International), Randy Thomas, Laura Leigh Stanlake, and Steven Black just to name a few of the hundreds I have personally met through the years. These men and women are in the heat of the fight and right there on the front lines…literally risking their lives and reputations for the sake of Jesus Christ and freedom that comes from knowing Him. They stand, often without much, if any, recognition. That is not why they fight. They fight for the King and for the Kingdom. They fight for YOU. Please pray for them…often.