Metro Weekly

Sarah Palin’s pastor tells why he promoted Ex-Gay conference

Number one, we’re not doing — I mean, we’re not sponsoring that here. we’re not running (ph) that here. I don’t even know where that phrase comes from. I don’t even know if it’s — I mean, Focus on the Family is the group sponsoring that seminar in Anchorage. 

Not us… 

As far as I know. I don’t know what — I will say this. We did make — we did let our people, in just a simple notice in the bulletin, that, yeah, that seminar’s going to be in Anchorage. And some of them may go, some of them may not go. I could give you a long explanation as to why, and that was my decision to put that in the bulletin, why I did it….

When the subject of homosexuality comes up, people that matter to me come to mind. And over the past year, I’ve had different people in our congregation speak of homosexuals in ways that I did not want to hear our people speak. I would say not with understanding and without any sense of the dynamics of same-sex attraction and all those kinds of things. 

And I felt like there was (INAUDIBLE) understanding and I don’t think there was appropriate use of terminology. 

And this wasn’t in the church, it was outside the church…. Two individuals who are within the Christian faith, they wrestle with this same-sex attraction and their Christian communion. I mean, and these people were real. They were not a dog and pony show or something like that, that they’ve been called. I mean, these people were real. And I wanted my people, if at all possible, to hear somebody in their tone and their manner because I don’t think the church has done a very good job of speaking of this issue in a gracious tone and manner.

Pastor Larry Kroon of Wasilla Bible Church, where Governor and Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin attends church, speaking on camera with Great Van Susteren of Fox News. In the pre-recorded and edited video, it’s not clear what soft-spoken, nervous-looking Kroon is trying to convey about recent news reports that say his church has included a promotion in their bulletin for an ex-gay conference (some referring to the effort as “Pray Away the Gay”) being held by the conservative, anti-gay Focus on the Family organization.  (Fox News)

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