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I first read this story a few days ago at GCMW: TBN youth host now a “gay christian”, and today we have this story at the Christian Post:Christian TV Host ‘Comes Out,’ Gets Support from Church.
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The young host of a Christian music television show has come out publicly as a gay man, but to his surprise he has received more encouraging support than expected from the church.
“I’ve received literally hundreds of emails from everyone around the world and they’re all encouraging. I can count on one hand how many were negative,” said Azariah Southworth, host of “The Remix,” in an interview with After Elton, a publication on gay and bisexual men. “The amazing amount of support and encouragement has astounded me. I’ve never received so much encouragement like this, not from the church.”
The 21-year-old host made his announcement last week in Out and About, a Nashville-based LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) publication. He said it was a long time coming and that he now wants to live his life honestly.
“I believe by me living my life honestly and authentically now, I am able to be a better person and a better Christian,” said Southworth.
He personally believes many misunderstand the Bible on what it says about homosexuality. He was inspired by the controversial 2007 documentary “For the Bible Tells Me So” which argues that the Bible is misused by fundamentalist Christians and that Scripture does not condemn homosexuality.
Another inspiration for his coming out as gay was Ellen DeGeneres, an award-winning and popular talk show host who came out as a lesbian in 1997.
He’s not alone as a gay Christian, he says. There are many gay people in the Christian industry, Southworth said, but it’s “hush-hush” and they’re scared to come out, he noted.
Southworth’s shocking announcement came just one and a half years after “The Remix” debuted on television. The show, which takes viewers into the day in the life of popular Christian bands or solo artists, can be viewed in more than 128 million homes worldwide and averages more than 200,000 viewers weekly.
After his coming out, Southworth expects the show to be taken off the air but has yet to hear anything from his employers, he told After Elton.
His fans have also been largely mum so far. Much of the positive response he received over the past several days has come from people in the church who have not watched his show, he said. He expects his fans will let him know they care but won’t support his being gay and Christian.
“I know I will be cut off from many within the Christian community, and if so, then they didn’t get the point of the life of Christ,” he commented. But he hopes the faith community will not push him out for being openly gay.
“I hope that they (Christians) don’t do that, because that is not who Jesus was at all,” he told After Elton. “His closest friends were the prostitutes and the tax collectors and the sinners. They were the low-life people of that time. So I hope they don’t do that.”
Randy Thomas, executive vice president for Exodus International, which helps those dealing with homosexuality, hopes Christians will respond to Southworth with compassion, especially at a time when many view the church as anti-gay and judgmental.
“I hope that the Christian community will reach out to Mr. Southworth with the compassion of Jesus Christ as well as the truth that God deeply loves men and women struggling with this issue and longs to set us free from a life dominated by sin,” he told The Christian Post.
He encourages those dealing with the issue of homosexuality to be honest and to discover a deeper understanding of God just as he did when he struggled with same-sex attraction.
“As I struggled with this issue and eventually embraced this concept, I began to find true freedom – living a life that was not dominated by same-sex attraction and making God-honoring decisions about my sexuality that aligned with His Word,” Thomas said. “This complete relational shift has led to radical changes in my life and I can honestly testify to life being so much better today than sixteen years ago when I identified as gay.”
Raised a Pentecostal, Southworth currently identifies himself as a follower of Jesus and does not affiliate with any denomination. He attends three different churches in Nashville, Tenn., one of which is led by a gay partnered pastor.
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Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren. Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 1 Corinthians 6:8-10
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17
For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Romans 1:26-28
Filed under: Heresies, The Apostasy, The Church | Tagged: Doctrine, TBN
I really encourage Christians to watch the movie “God and Gays: Bridging the Gap”. It’s amazing and so helpful on how to provide a true Christian response of loving unconditionally as we want to be loved. I highly recommend it.
That broad road is getting wider and wider as hell is steadily getting larger and larger…..
This is a great website concerning the scriptures and homosexuality.
Bill and Sarah, i did check out the links you both left and felt it wiser to remove them.
I am a Christian and love all people, but know from the word of God that any sin we as Christians continue in after coming to Christ, without seeing the need of repentance, doesn’t line up with what God’s word tells us.
Homosexual behavior can’t be reconciled with the Bible.
If we attempt to see (read into the scriptures wrongly) in such a way to excuse that particular sin, then over time won’t we as Christians attempt to do the same concerning any/all sin/sinful behavior? I believe we would. Before long there would be no behavior which we would consider sin!
The ‘active’ behavior of one who claims to be homosexual, is not condoned in one living for Christ, just as other sins of the flesh are not:
Believing that the word of God can be used to reconcile continuing active homosexual behavior [or a life-style] with walking in the freedom of Christ, is like telling me, a heterosexual, that i can continue to commit adultery/fornication (or any other sin) after coming to Christ and its ‘ok’.
God bless..
pj
Godlysoldier, yes many are trying to broaden that road….but in reality nothing will truly do that.
The true road will forever and always be narrow and straight, no matter how we try to change it. Those that wander off the true narrow path are in danger of losing their way and souls for eternity.
God bless you..
pj
How can anyone become a better Christian by willfully living in sin, in rebellion to the expectation of Christian conduct that is established in the Bible? It’s just not possible.
Such a person will only be validating the sin of another while accompanying them to their death.
This is no different than the man or woman who will justify adultery, lying, or coveting and say they can be a better Christian. It is all equally offensive to God and will demand his just punishment, unless they repent and turn back to Christ.
Sure, they may live in peace now, but when their judgment comes there will be no peace, but an incomprehensible wrath from God for taking for granted the sacrifice of Christ.
People should pray fervently for Azariah Southworth and willful sinners like him, for them to repent and return back to Christ and for the grace to receive them back into the family of God, just as the prodigal son’s father did.
I caught that too Kurt, glad you brought it out:
This guy is deceived, and from the last sentence….
its nothing new..not if he has been attending a church led by a gay pastor.
His comment ” …I am able to be a better person and a better Christian,…” means he has ignored the conviction of sin which the Holy Spirit was bringing to his heart; now, he no longer senses that ‘burden to repent’…
To me that is frightening.
The Spirit of God, if shunned, will stop dealing with us about sin in our lives after a season: especially if we choose the sin over his revealing truth to us.
The scripture plainly tells us that the wages of sin is death. Just look around you. Does the fruit of the gay/lesbian lifestyle yeild life or death?
The scripture tells us that we shall know them by their fruit. If it yeilds death, as it has been shown to do, then I believe that in itself, speaks for itself.
I am totally against this as God is!
Elaine
California.