The congregation of the Apostolic Truth Tabernacle Church in Greensburg, Indiana, provided a child with a standing ovation after the child sang “I know the Bible’s right, somebody’s wrong…ain’t no homos gonna make it to heaven.” There is a video of the child’s performance, which has gone viral, with multiple LGBT bloggers and allies reposting it.
On her Facebook page, author Anne Rice, posted the following about the video, “In this country, Christians can teach toddlers to hate and to persecute, and we, through the automatic tax exemption for churches, foot the bill.”
Not long after the video was posted on the internet, a statement appeared on the website of the church:
“The Pastor and members of Apostolic Truth Tabernacle do not condone, teach, or practice hate of any person for any reason,” the statement reads. “We believe and hope that every person can find true Bible salvation and the mercy and grace of God in their lives. We are a strong advocate of the family unit according to the teachings and precepts found in the Holy Bible. We believe the Holy Bible is the Divinely-inspired Word of God and we will continue to uphold and preach that which is found in scripture.”
It has also been reported that the church’s pastor, Jeff Sangl, and other members of the church have been receiving death threats at their homes since the video went public. The website noted that Sangl and his wife went on vacation without telling anyone where they were going. The website said that Sangl is “extremely worried for his safety.”
The Facebook page for the church was taken down after it was inundated with thousands of complaints regarding the video. An unidentified source from the church said that the church does not have any regrets for the video: “The people who are upset just don’t read the word of God. If we don’t teach the children the truth early they will never learn.”
Dan Savage, an LGBT rights advocate, said the following:
“I wonder if they stood up and cheered at Apostolic Truth Tabernacle when Lucas died — hey, another homo in hell. I wonder if any of Lucas’s tormenters attend services at Apostolic Truth Tabernacle. And remember: I’m an anti-Christian bully for pointing out the connection between what straight kids are taught about “homos” in the sh*thole mega-churches they’re dragged to by their parents and what they turn around and do to “homos” they encounter in classrooms. And what if that precocious little four-year-old singer is gay?”
Savage ended his post with, “Praise the Lord and pass the barf bags.”
