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Loathsome pastor suffers backlash over anti-LGBT message

Loathsome pastor suffers backlash over anti-LGBT message

Last updated on: September 10, 2020 at 2:30 am by Barry Duke

Loathsome pastor suffers backlash over anti-LGBT message 2020-09-10T02:30:18+02:00 Barry Duke

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AUSTRALIAN-born Josh Williamson, above, has learned the hard way that hateful words have consequences.

The fool, who heads Newquay Baptist Church, decided to use social media to celebrate the cancellation of a Cornwall Pride’ event due to fundraising issues and concerns around Covid-19.

“Wonderful news,” crowed Williamson. He added that “sin shouldn’t be celebrated” and:

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..

He then began squealing like a stuck pig when he suffered a backlash that included a warning from Devon and Cornwall Police and, according to a Facebook post by Christian Concern, a call to Home Secretary Priti Patel to have Williamson deported as a hate preacher.

Christian Concern also quoted Newquay Labour Councillor, Stephen Hick who wrote to Patel, as saying:

I call on every individual and business within Newquay to deny him and his church the ability to spread their odious message. Do not interact with them, do not allow them to use your premises, do not accept their message.

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The ghastly Andrea Minichiello Williams, above, CEP of the Christian Legal Centre, came galloping to the bigot’s defence:

It’s becoming worryingly common in the UK to see threats and calls for violence against Christians for voicing their simple opposition to LGBT Pride.

Police forces should show Christians they take this seriously by protecting their free speech against mob threats rather than by seeking to keep Christians quiet.

Christians are called to repay evil with good – I have no doubt that Pastor Williamson will continue to share the reality of sin and the good news of Jesus Christ with the people of Newquay.

Christian Concern claims on its website that the organisers of Cornwall Pride searched his personal page, took a screenshot of the post, and then tagged Newquay Baptist Church and posted it along with negative comments made by other users about gay pride.

By blocking out the names on each comment and mentioning Newquay Baptist Church, it appeared that they had all been made by Josh.

Online threats followed against the pastor’s wife and his head was superimposed onto an image of homosexual pornography, which was then shared online.

Cornwall Pride then called on as many supporters as possible to report the pastor to the police for hate speech and hate crime.

LGBT sympathisers threatened that they would protest at his Sunday services, would seek to have the church’s charity status revoked and have Josh deported to his native Australia.

Christian Concern added:

Following these threats, Josh was invited to a meeting by a transgender member of the community. He accepted the invitation, in effort to share his actual beliefs, and met for an hour with two members of Cornwall Pride to discuss matters.

At the meeting, Josh reiterated his stance and Christian beliefs and welcomed members of the LGBT community to attend his church. Hoping to help them understand his position and beliefs, he ended the meeting by sharing a leaflet, with permission, on what the Bible says about homosexuality.

Images of the leaflet were shared throughout the LGBT community, creating a perception that Josh was distributing them widely, which he was not.

The outrage continued to grow, and there was even a suggestion that Newquay Baptist Church should be burnt down.

The police told Williamson that it was a “complex” situation and they did not believe the threats would materialise, while also warning him that he should make sure not to offend anyone in the LGBT community in future to avoid breaking the law. They added that they were working with both sides in a bid to calm the situation.

A spokesperson for Devon and Cornwall Police told Premier:

Following concerns expressed between individuals from the community, and subsequent tensions, police officers have spoken to all parties involved and advice has been given. There are no other associated, ongoing policing matters.

Referring on Facebook to a front page report of the row, Williamson said:

Newquay Town Councillor (Labour) and Cornwall Pride leader, Stephen Hick, is openly calling for businesses in Newquay to deny services to those connected with Newquay Baptist Church.

This call was on the front page in today’s local paper. This is textbook bullying. I am not sure how Mr. Hick is going to identify those connected with our church, perhaps he’ll want us to wear a yellow cross on our shirts?

Hay tip: BarrieJohn

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