Pastor criticises George W Bush for not taking moral stance against equal marriage

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A US pastor and director of a national Christian organisation has criticised former President George W Bush for saying “I shouldn’t be taking a speck out of somebody else’s eye when I have a log in my own” in response to a question on same-sex marriage. The pastor accused Bush of ignoring Biblical teachings on homosexuality.

On a visit to Zambia a journalist asked Bush if he believed same-sex marriage was compatible with Christian values.

Bush responded: “I shouldn’t be taking a speck out of somebody else’s eye when I have a log in my own.”

Pastor Scott Brown, the director of the National Center for Family-Integrated Churches, has criticised the statement.

He told Christian News Network: “Mr Bush has actually misinterpreted the verse and applied it wrongly, most likely because he is unaware of the whole counsel of God on the matter of judgment.”

“The Bible speaks abundantly and clearly on matters of judgment and Mr Bush has taken one single verse out of context and ignored the many other things the Bible says about it.

“From the first prophet in the Old Testament to the first prophet of the New Testament we learn that men of God ought to pass judgment on matters of morality,” he added. “This has little to do with taking the log out of your own eye.”

Mr Brown added that he himself had travelled to Malawi in 2012, where he delivered sermons on homosexuality.

“It [homosexuality] is the result of The Fall,” Mr Brown preached. “The desire arises exclusively from sin, not heredity. … There are many sexual sins that people are attracted to and sodomy is only one of them.”

Bush also refused to reveal his stance on equal marriage in an interview earlier this year.

Speaking to ‘CBS This Morning’ on 25 April this year, journalist Charlie Rose asked Bush about his 2004 endorsement of a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage.

“Yeah, well, I’m not, I’m not weighing in on these issues, as you know, because I’ve made the decision to get off the stage,” Bush replied. “And so I’m off the stage.”

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