‘Death to gays’ pastor to open South Africa church despite being banned from country
A US pastor who calls for gay men to be put to death is helping open churches in South Africa – despite being banned from the country.
Pastor Steven Anderson of the Faithful Word Baptist Church in Phoenix is one of America’s most homophobic pastors.
The pastor, who has previously called for the execution of gay people by stoning, and celebrated the Orlando massacre as part of a war against “a bunch of disgusting perverts and paedophiles”.
On a mission trip to Africa last year, the pastor was banned from travelling to South Africa, being named as an “undesirable” person under laws that exclude “foreigners likely to promote hate speech or advocate violence”.
But Anderson now plans to open churches in the country with help from local pastors.
According to News24, Reverend Oscar Bougardt is planning to open a church in Cape Town in collaboration with Anderson, whose church is funding the project.
Bougardt said: “We know that the government banned him, but that is not going to stop us from having a church here in Cape Town.
The Cape Town chapter of the baptist church is expected to open in March, with another planned for Pretoria.
Bougardt added: “I am in the process of buying a building that they will obviously be funding.”
Pledging to follow Anderson’s line of homophobia, he added: “We have got the same views and principles. This guy is not a monster.
“The newspapers just want to tell us they [homosexuals] are nice loving people. They are a danger.
“Why should we be tolerant of their criminal lifestyle? Ninety-nine percent of paedophiles stem from homosexuality.
“I’m saying so because it is proven that 99% of the paedophiles have a homosexual background. They are blaming their previous lifestyle on what happened. Go and read up on it.”
The pastor has previously called for the execution of gay people by stoning.
Just last week he claimed the late singer George Michael was “rotting in hell” because he is gay.
He said: “George Michael’s burning in Hell right now. He was a very wicked, God-hating sodomite reprobate, and he’s getting the punishment that he deserves right now.
“The Sodomite deathstyle shaves about 20 years off of your life expectancy.”
