“Gays Are Nazis”: A Response From Bryan Fischer

Last week, I posted a blog addressing a protest to Governor Perry’s prayer rally. In this post, I expressed my feelings regarding Bryan Fischer’s comment “Gays are Nazis”. I was so crushed by this, because I feel that many people will take this to be the stance of most Christians, that I felt it necessary to write the AFA about Fischer’s comment. The conversation is below (sorry for the incredible length).

My Initial Email:
People of the AFA,

Despite your impact on and interest in America’s culture, I have only recently heard of this organization, or at least in a way that made any impact. Tragically, it wasn’t a good one.

I am a Christian, believe in the Trinitarian God, confess Christ as Lord and Savior, go to church, write Christian blogs, and desire to pursue vocational ministry at some point. I say all of this, not to boast, but so that you will have a framework from which to understand my comments.

I heard of the AFA through a lesbian friend who posted an event on Facebook. The name and purpose of the event is: Protest Gov. Rick Perry’s Inappropriate and Hateful Prayer Rally. You can view that page here: https://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=124352777658817

Part of the reason they are doing this:
This is a peaceful demonstration to protest “The Response: A Call to Prayer for a Nation in Crisis,” an event initiated, endorsed, and promoted by Texas Governor Rick Perry and the American Family Association http://www.afa.net/

For those who are not yet aware of the AFA’s attitude on gays, please experience this: http://www.youtube.com/wat​ch?v=ysR0Tdz5SaM
_____

They are doing this because they take Bryan Fischer’s comment “Gays are Nazis” to be the view of the entire AFA, and, most likely, by extension Rick Perry’s, if not all “conservatives”.

Comments like this are absolutely unacceptable. I believe in freedom of speech, yes, but I believe in seasoning our words with salt even more. When I first saw this, I (a 28 year old man) almost broke down crying for those who think that “Christians” think this about them. Not only for the immense pain it must cause them to be compared to Nazis, but also because this is in no way indicative of a Christ-like example, and that strikes at the very heart of who I am trying to be like.

I have no idea how long ago this was aired, or if there has been a retraction. But the fact is, if there has been a retraction, or some form of disavowal, it hasn’t been made nearly as public as the original comment. If there is some form of retraction, if not a public apology for being so undeservedly harsh, please let me know where I can find that so I can attempt to combat the idea that all moral/social conservatives are intolerant and oppressive.

If there is not a retraction or apology, why not? Is this really the stance of the AFA? Has the AFA lost the concept of being incarnational and of contextualizing the gospel by actually getting to know those we are trying to reach and showing them the LOVE of Christ? Does the AFA really think it’s ok to treat the gospel as a grenade we throw at people and hope it doesn’t cause too much damage? That isn’t the gospel, it’s trying to force our beliefs on them, which even the Bible says we aren’t to do.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Bryan Fischer’s Response:

Thanks for taking the time to send us your thoughts!

If you look at the entire paragraph of what I said, I was making the point that homosexual activists are as opposed to freedom of religion and speech as the Nazis were. The Nazis confined the church within its four walls, and would not allow its voice to heard in the public square. This is what homosexual activists are seeking to do here in America on a daily basis.

Already, conservative Christian officers and chaplains are being forced out of the military due to the aggressive nature of the homosexual lobby and the repeal of DADT. Two county clerks have had to resign in New York state because their consciences would not permit them to issue wedding licenses to same-sex couples. A couple which owns a bed and breakfast in Vermont is being sued because they politely declined to rent their facility for a lesbian wedding reception. A photographer in New Mexico was fined $6700 for politely declining to photograph a lesbian commitment ceremony even though such a ceremony has no legal status in the state. And the list could go on and on.

If you follow the activities of the homosexual lobby as closely as we do, I think you will soon see that we as a culture must make a choice between homosexuality and religious freedom because we cannot have both.

Bryan Fischer

Obviously, this was emphatically NOT the apology or retraction I had hoped for.

My reply to Fischer’s response is quite long, so I have posted that in a second blog.

As the conversation doesn’t end here, I have disabled comments for this post.