![Dr. Charles Stanley, senior pastor of First Baptist Church, and founder of In Touch Ministries, thanks U.S. Soldiers and their families for their service to the nation during his speech at the All American Chapel of Fort Bragg, N.C., on Nov. 6, 2013. Photo courtesy of Staff Sgt. Nancy Lugo [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](http://i1.wp.com/blackchristiannews.com/go/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Dr.-Charles-Stanley.jpg)
Dr. Charles Stanley, senior pastor of First Baptist Church, and founder of In Touch Ministries, thanks U.S. Soldiers and their families for their service to the nation during his speech at the All American Chapel of Fort Bragg, N.C., on Nov. 6, 2013. Photo courtesy of Staff Sgt. Nancy Lugo [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Stanley, who rose to national prominence in the 1980s with his “In Touch” television series and books that sold millions of copies, “has publicly called AIDS God’s punishment for America’s acceptance of homosexuality and called homosexuality ‘destructive behavior,’” reads a letter to JNF Southeast region leaders from the Southern Jewish Resource Network for Gender and Sexual Diversity (SOJOURN).
“He has said that ‘God does not agree with the lifestyle of the homosexual’ and that accepting gay people is ‘an act of disobedience to God,’” the letter continues.
The controversy reflects the sometimes awkward embrace between American Jews and evangelicals — fervent partners in support of Israel but also outspoken opponents on many domestic social issues, including homosexuality and abortion rights.
Though not known as a culture warrior in the mold of the late Jerry Falwell or televangelist Pat Robertson, Stanley, 82, nonetheless recently joined an amicus brief at the Supreme Court that warned that nationwide legalized gay marriage would result in government actions to “silence religious dissenters who continue to hold to their millennia-old definition of marriage.”
Stanley led the Southern Baptist Convention from 1984 to 1986, and his son, Andy Stanley, leads the 30,000-member North Point Ministries in Alpharetta, Ga., ranked last year as the nation’s largest megachurch.
The award to be given to Stanley at an April 23 breakfast in Atlanta is coming from the group’s Atlanta office, not the JNF’s national headquarters in New York. JNF national spokesman Adam Brill defended the Atlanta chapter’s right to award it and said he has heard from both supporters and opponents.
“Not everybody is going to agree with what we do at all times, but what we do at all times is for the benefit of the people in the land of Israel,” Brill said.
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SOURCE: Religion News Service
Lauren Markoe
