Hateful preacher insists there’s no such thing as a gay Christian while thanking God for cancelling Pride
Pastor Joshua Williamson of Newquay Baptist Church (Facebook)
A Cornwall pastor has faced anger after celebrating the cancellation of a Pride event.
Responding last month to news that this year’s Cornwall Pride celebration had been cancelled, pastor Joshua Williamson of Newquay Baptist Church wrote on Facebook: “Wonderful news!”
Cornwall pastor thanks God for cancelling Pride.
He told his congregation: “Hallelujah! We prayed at our prayer meeting on Tuesday night that this event would be cancelled. We also prayed that the Lord would save the organisers. One prayer answered, now we wait for the second prayer to be answered.”
Williamson insisted there is no such thing as a gay Christian, while several of his followers posted homophobic messages.
He later shared a pamphlet with members of the Cornwall Pride group, which suggests that homosexuality is “a choice” and that “Jesus says that our outward sin comes from our inward evil desire”.
Pastor Joshua Williamson of Newquay Baptist Church celebrated the cancellation of Cornwall Pride
Cornwall Pride told Cornwall Live: “Cornwall Pride as a charity upholds the support for all protected characteristics, and stands in solidarity with all marginalised people.
“Following from the harmful comments that were shared with us and the community, we have had incredible support, from all parts of the the wider community.”
The group added: “We as a charity and as a community need to uphold the right process and support the wider community.
“We will not, and do not condone any behaviour that is negative or harmful towards any protected characteristic.”
Pastor says he’s a victim of ‘anti-Christian abuse’.
However, Williamson has sought to blame the LGBT+ community for “anti-Christian abuse and threats of violence that we have been targeted with over the past few weeks”.
In a statement released via anti-LGBT+ lobbying group Christian Concern, he said: “As Christians we seek to speak the truth in love and would readily welcome all people to our services.
“The Bible, however, proclaims a message of repentance which calls on all people to turn from their sin and to trust in Christ. It would be unloving for us to remain silent about what God’s word says in relation to human sin, including all forms of sexual sin.
“We therefore must proclaim the truth that homosexuality is a sin, but that God loves sinners and Jesus can forgive all our sins.”
