A pro-family pastor President Barack Obama chose to deliver the benediction at his inauguration ceremony this month has withdrawn amid controversy over anti-gay remarks he made more than a decade ago.
The Rev. Louie Giglio, an Atlanta minister and founder of the Passion Conferences, a group dedicated to uniting students in worship and prayer, said on Thursday that he was withdrawing because remaining on the program would not best serve his core message, NBC News reports.
“Due to a message of mine that has surfaced from 15-20 years ago, it is likely that my participation — and the prayer I would offer — will be dwarfed by those seeking to make their agenda the focal point of the inauguration,” Giglio said in a statement published by NBC. “Clearly, speaking on this issue has not been in the range of my priorities in the past 15 years.
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“Instead, my aim has been to call people to ultimate significance as we make much of Jesus Christ.”
In a sermon from the mid-1990s, Giglio advocated for "ex-gay" therapy and urged listeners to prevent the “homosexual lifestyle” from becoming accepted, NBC reports.
He also invoked a biblical passage often interpreted to require gay people to be executed and argued that homosexuals choose to be gay.
“People aren’t born gay – but even if they are, it’s still a choice like giving into alcoholism, addiction and overeating,” Giglio said in the 54-minute sermon, “In Search of a Standard – Christian Response to Homosexuality,” NBC reports.
The Presidential Inaugural Committee said in a statement: “We were not aware of Pastor Giglio’s past comments at the time of his selection — and they don’t reflect our desire to celebrate the strength and diversity of our country at this inaugural. As we now work to select someone to deliver the benediction, we will ensure their beliefs reflect this administration’s vision of inclusion and acceptance for all Americans.”
Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign, an advocacy group for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights, lauded Giglio’s withdrawal.
"It was the right decision,” Griffin told NBC in an email. “Participants in the inaugural festivities should unite rather than divide. Choosing an affirming and fair-minded voice as his replacement would be in keeping with the tone the president wants to set for his Inaugural."
In 2009, Obama chose the Rev. Rick Warren to give the invocation, drawing criticism from some on the left because of Warren's opposition to same-sex marriage, NBC reports.
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