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Wayne Besen
PO Box 25491
Brooklyn, NY 11202
For a time after its founder D. James Kennedy recently passed away, there was hope that Fort Lauderdale-based Coral Ridge Ministries would go in a new direction.
For decades, the church had been a rabidly anti-gay organization that had employed attack dogs, such as the notorious Janet Folger. The church spearheaded the 1998 "Truth in Love" ex-gay campaign. (It ended badly after two of the campaign's stars were caught having gay relations) But since Kennedy's departure, Coral Ridge had been relatively quiet on divisive social issues.
Unfortunately, it seems their new pastor, Rev. Tullian Tchividjian, wants to reignite the culture wars. His General in this fight is Robert Knight, a veteran in these battles. Knight had recently been laid off from the Media Research Center's Culture and Media Institute. He had also worked for Concerned Women for America and the Family Research Council.
Already one can see Knight's deleterious influence on Coral Ridge. The website's homepage is packed with shameless lies about hate crime legislation and it also promotes theocracy in America. (This brings us back to Kennedy's dishonest days when the pastor even flirted with Reconstructionsism - a brand of Christian fanaticism that calls for homosexuals to be stoned to death.)
Knight is best known for his paranoid - if not delusional - rantings about the gay movement's secret desire to stamp out the free speech of radical Christians. He is one of the right's most nefarious propagandists and is severely truth challenged. Knight is also known for his sexual immaturity and penchant to make crude anti-gay wisecracks. At one event I attended, he joked about chubby lesbians in beer halls. Knight is also obsessed with gay sex and is closest in tone to Peter Labarbera. The two men worked together in the late 90's at the Family Research Council and were like bosom buddies.
It seems that preaching the Bible was not enough to sustain the congregation - so Coral Ridge has returned to anti-gay bile. On the sun-drenched shores of Fort Lauderdale, Coral Ridge Ministries is still in the spiritual darkness.
F**k, Wayne! These SCUM may be down for a while, but never out. They are dangerous and do not change their spots. Lies and hate are what I expect from them, and I am never surprised.
That is the one thing I LOVE about the "ex-gay" nonsense...sooner or later their stars end up acting on their nature. As I told a friend, you can change behaviour--you CANNOT change orientation. I have always said that if an "ex-gay" really changes orientation, they were bisexual or were never gay to begin with.
You know, I wish it was possible to bring up these Reconstructionist/Dominionist asshats on charges of treason because that's exactly what that shit is...the desire to violently overthrow the government of the United States and abrogate the rights of others.
posted by Merlyn, at
3/23/2009 11:21 AM
With all due respect, Coral Ridge never left the business.
Their hour long webcast, for example, which occurred in August 2008, featured Dawn Stefanowiz, Robert Knight, Tristan Rogers, and Matt Barber and every anti-gay talking point imaginable.
I commented on what took place, I contacted a few people for clarification and assist. Didn't hear from anyone. How unfortunate, because Knight told a few whoppers, including one about gay activists controlling the media and preventing ex-gays from speaking out.
posted by Anonymous, at
3/23/2009 12:02 PM
While they never completely left the business, they did tamp it down. After all, they closed their Reclaiming America for Christ center. And, had largely been out of the national media.
It seems with Knight, they intend to occupy the national stage, once more.
posted by Wayne Besen, at
3/23/2009 1:54 PM
That's fine with me, Wayne. Knight has got a track record for using bad studies and ugly verbiage that could come back to haunt him. He is the perfect person to point to when we show how the religious right lie.
posted by BlackTsunami, at
3/23/2009 7:07 PM
