Pastor Scott Lively, who has warned of a 'gay Nazi' takeover of the U.S. Military, and whose visits to Uganda (he claimed he delivered a "nuclear bomb against the gay agenda") to stoke homophobia were instrumental in planting the seed that eventually grew into the "kill the gays" bill, has moved to Massachusetts and says he is re-focusing, away from the anti-gay rhetoric.
Though that doesn't really appear to be the case. The Boston Globe reports:
He says he has not changed his view that gays are “agents of America's moral decline'' but has refocused his approach to fit his flock in Springfield, which he said includes many homeless people, drug addicts, and alcoholics.
“We're not fighting the culture wars here in Springfield,'' he said. “The issues here are more fundamental than that. You can't deal with the culture wars with people who are struggling to survive. Those issues are not relevant. These are people who are trying to live.''
“This whole mission in Springfield is to show by example the positive side of all this — that when you follow the Biblical approach and try to be as true to him [God] as you can, you get the maximum positive benefit for yourself and society,'' he said. “It's completely different from all the things that I've done in the past, which is going against the wrongs. We're working toward what is right.''
Lively continues to denounce homosexuality. Paul said that when he invited Lively to preach at his church earlier this year, Lively delivered an “old-time, hellfire message'' condemning gays.
“It was a sermon that I didn't really agree with,'' Paul said. “It was a sermon that God has turned his back on America.''
Watch a brief excerpt of an interview with Lively, AFTER THE JUMP…
