Ed Young
Pastor Ed Young of Fellowship Church in Grapevine is apparently trying to give First Baptist Church of Dallas’ Robert Jeffress a run for his money as the area’s leading religious homophobe.
Young may be best known for challenging the members of his congregation — or at least the heterosexual, married ones — to have sex every day for a week in 2008. Young staged another publicity stunt earlier this year when he used live animals — a lion and a lamb — in his Easter sermon.
Why does Young need so much attention? Well, apparently he’s trying to support a pretty lavish lifestyle — taking in more than $1 million a year from the church and traveling in a private jet.
Which may also help explain why Young has suddenly become so outspoken in his opposition to same-sex marriage.
After President Barack Obama endorsed marriage equality last month, Young warned that society was treading “on thin ice.” Now Young is planning a series of so-called “Cool-Aid” sermons about same-sex marriage and homosexuality beginning this Sunday.
The idea is that those who support marriage equality — or even just affirm LGBT people — are “drinking culture’s Cool-Aid,” according to the Christian Post:
Young admitted that homosexuality is a controversial topic and that people will have different viewpoints, but insisted that the church should not be silent, and instead it should speak up loudly. He shared that his main hope for the “Cool-Aid” sermon series is to “show the genius of God in his alignment of marriage.”
On the topic of how much choice homosexuals have in regards to their lifestyle, the megachurch pastor said that everyone always has a choice.
“I don’t believe there is a gay gene, just like I don’t believe there is a basketball gene,” he began. “I think all of us are predisposed to things. But we can’t just throw our hands up and say ‘well, I was born tall, and I just can’t help myself, I have to play basketball.’ No, we all have a choice. I believe that maybe some people are born with a leaning toward same-sex attraction. But that does not mean they cannot help themselves.”
Looking forward to his sermon series on what the bible says about plastic surgery. Clearly, Ed Young didn’t like the face he was given. Or he tired of being made in God’s image.
Paul – You got that right! His face looks tight enough that if he opens his mouth, his butt will slam shut!
A milliion a year? A private jet? I’m in the wrong racket – give me a pulpit and a few thousand stupid people so I can become a millionaire too!!!
Morris Kight was right!
“I do not feel challenged by organized religion. In some cases it is helpful, and often is harmful.” Morris Kight, a Comanche County Texas Legend
The pastor of the largest church in DFW with the UCC denomination flies commercial. Why would a pastor of ANY church need a plane. Are they carrying food and other relief to third world countries for which the is no air service. Any member of his congregation that remains knowing his lifestyle is not following the teachings of Christ. He and His disciples walked.
I’d rather we just examine someone’s arguement at face value rather than asserting he’s a ‘homophobe’ (ad hominem fallacy).
If someone disagrees with me, they must really want to do what I’m doing *by definition*?
“…the danger is not that of being refuted, but of being misunderstood.” – Kant
(though I admit I probably don’t know exactly what Kant meant by that, you get my point.)
Who does her make up?
To my understanding, Jesus died for all of us. His reason was love and not doctrine. It is a heart issue with HIM not our works or gender preference. It is about time people start loving us as we are and not for what they believe we should be. I stand with President Obama. Same sex committed couples have never been the problem with marriage. Marriages have been messed up every since women and children were and has been viewed as property.The heart don’t lie. Love is love!!! Mary
ATAT – you don’t understand what a ‘ad hominem fallacy is”. The following statement would constitute an ad hominem fallacy: “Everything Ed says is a lie. After all, he’s a homophobe.” Ed’s homophobia is irrelevant to whether a specific statement made by Ed is a lie.
But that is not what is being said here. “Ed Young’s actions and comments are homophobic, therefore he is a homophobe.” That is not an ‘ad hominem fallacy’, it is a conclusion drawn from evidence. However, you could draw another conclusion like “Ed Young is fake, fraud and phony”; or, “Ed Young is just another evangelical huckster con man duping the greedy and ignorant into thinking that if they give his ‘ministry’ money God will put a check in the mail ‘ten fold'”.
Ad hominem attacks are not always “fallacies” since character and motives may actually be relevant to the issue at hand.
Agreed, ad hominem arguments are not always fallacious.
If ‘homophobe’ means that anyone who argues against gay activity is also afraid of gays and is also suppressing gay desires and *therefore* is arguing against gays as an over-flow expression of suppressed gay desires, then I re-assert that such use of the term is fallacious.
Thank you for your post.
It’s time to tax these “moneymakers”…….churches are buisnesses now, let them pay their share, and help balance the budget!
ATAT – you are free to draw whatever conclusion you want based on Ed Young’s remarks and actions, but you are not free to assert that to conclude he’s homophobic is erroneous because it’s an ‘ad hominem fallacy’; it’s not. If by ‘fallacious’ you mean ‘in error’, okay, but you should have just stated that to begin with instead of discounting those who disagree with you by suggesting their thinking is illogical. Ironically, it is you who need to take your own advice and listen to and analyze the arguments made by others.
I’m not sure where you are getting your definition of ‘homophobe’. It’s a general term used to describe an “anti-gay bigot.” Same way ‘anti-semite’ really means an anti-jewish bigot and is used to describe the sentiments of many arabs and persians even though they are a ‘semitic’ people.
Of all the possible ‘sins’ Ed Young might choose from to take issue with, like the fact that Texas has actually executed and incarcerated innocent people due to a flawed criminal justice system; that 250,000 Texas children were thrown off the Children’s Health Insurance Program because Rick Perry doesn’t think the super rich should pay their fair share of taxes; that 31,822 of our brothers and sisters have been killed or maimed in a war George Bush lied to get us in to in order to keep the price of gasoline less than $4 per gallon; with this and countless more sins that cry out to heaven for vengeance, all Ed Young can come up with is same sex marriage.
Yeah baby, that makes Ed Young a vile, morally disordered, homophobic bigot. And his portrait and call for an 8-day sex-athon make him a shiny faced little creep. Did he ask his sheep to submit video proof of their ‘faithfulness’?
To Mary in reference to her comment. Yes God loves everyone.. even homosexuals, but the bible plainly states that homosexuality is a sin. God hates sin. There is no gray in Gods’ word. Everyone has a choice to do right or to do wrong. No one is forced to believe a certain way, but I’m glad to see a pastor standing up for Gods’ infallible word. One cannot believe only part of the bible. It’s all or nothing. Either you believe all of it or you believe none of it.
Gotta love the media, and all those who base their opinion on this article…..Pastor Ed also said that Fellowship church and GOD ACCEPTS EVERYONE, including the homosexual, but the homosexual life style is NOT APPROVED OF. Love the person, hate the sin!
Rev. Young, when did you first discover you were gay, and why are you using the scriptures and corrupting your congregation to mask your own homosexuality?
Ed Young Jr. fired the string players in his church orchestra because they didn’t look young and cool enough. They were replaced with younger, cooler-looking string players. That’s his idea of ministry.
To “Can” –
Just FYI, the bible didn’t even include the word “homosexual” until sometime in the 1800’s, when that word was invented. Then when it was time to translate the Holy Book (again) it was just put in there in place of things like pedophilia and rape, because they couldn’t find a better English word. Don’t take the English version of the Bible word for word. Do some research on its origin and history.