Church Doubles Down After Preacher Encouraged Prayers for LGBTQ Deaths
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
An independent Baptist church in Indianapolis has defended a sermon in which church members called for the deaths of people in the LGBTQ+ community.
On July 3, preacher Justin Zhong said in a post on the Sure Foundation Baptist Church's Facebook page that the church would not apologize for the sermon.
"The Bible is crystal clear that sodomites (homosexuals) deserve the death penalty carried out by a government that actually cares about the law of God," Zhong wrote.
In an emailed statement to Newsweek, the Sure Foundation Baptist Church said: "The Bible puts the death penalty on the LGBTQ people. We as Christians must believe and preach what the Bible says. The reason people are so shocked about all this is not many 'Christians' and even 'pastors' actually believe the Bible. To be clear, we only called for the government to execute those people. We are against vigilantes."
Why It Matters
The church's unapologetic endorsement of violent anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric reflects a worrying rise of open homophobia in the United States.
According to the Human Rights Campaign, citing FBI data, there were 2,402 reported hate crime incidents targeting individuals based on their sexual orientation in 2023—up 23 percent from the previous year.
What To Know
On June 29, the Sure Foundation Baptist Church held "Men's Preaching Night," where multiple church members used homophobic slurs and called for violence against the LGBTQ+ community while speaking from the pulpit.
In a sermon titled "Pray the Gay Away," Stephen Falco addressed the LGBTQ+ community, saying: "You ought to blow yourself in the back of the head. You're so disgusting."
"How shall we then properly pray for gay people?" he continued. "We should pray for their deaths, plain and simple."
A photo showing a Progress Pride flag on a flagpole in Taylor Square, Oxford Street, Darlinghurst, Sydney.
A photo showing a Progress Pride flag on a flagpole in Taylor Square, Oxford Street, Darlinghurst, Sydney.
After Falco spoke, another church member repeated similar violent and homophobic rhetoric.
"You got another Pride Month here. I mean, obviously, I think they should be put to death," Wade Rawley said.
"These people should be beaten and stomped in the mud, and then they should take a gun and blow the back of their heads off," he continued.
After the sermon, which was broadcast live on Facebook, gained widespread criticism, the church took to its Facebook page to double down on the message.
Zhong, who signed the message, wrote: "I will not apologize for preaching the Word of God. I will not apologize for stating facts. I will not negotiate with terrorists, among whom the LGBTHIV crowd is full of domestic terrorists."
The church is no stranger to courting controversy. Zhong said in a sermon last year that he would like to see then-President Joe Biden and presidential candidate Donald Trump put to death.
What People Are Saying
The Concerned Clergy of Indianapolis, a community activist group, condemned the sermon in a statement: "The Concerned Clergy of Indianapolis stands firmly against the harmful rhetoric recently preached that condemned all LGBTQ individuals to hell and instructed people to stay away from them. Such messages are not only theologically irresponsible but pastorally dangerous."
What Happens Next
Sure Foundation Baptist Church appears to be unfazed by criticisms of its homophobic rhetoric and is likely to continue with its inflammatory sermons.
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