Kevin Swanson (pastor)

Kevin Swanson is a preacher and broadcaster from Colorado, known for his condemnation of homosexuality[1] as well as his advocacy of Christian education. He is the pastor of Reformation Church in Elizabeth, Colorado,[2] which is a member church of the Covenant Presbyterian Church.[3] He is the director of Generations, which produces Generations, a daily podcast hosted by Swanson.[4] Swanson is also a writer for The World View in 5 Minutes, a daily online Christian newscast.[5]

Personal life

Swanson was born to missionaries, growing up in Japan in the 1960s and 1970s,[6] and was educated by his parents.[4] He attended and graduated from California Polytechnic State University with a degree in engineering.[4] Swanson ran for governor of Colorado in the 1994 election as a candidate for the Taxpayers Party (now the Constitution Party), receiving 3.62% of the vote.[7] He is married to Brenda Swanson, with whom he has five children.[6]

Views

Swanson hosted the Freedom 2015: National Religious Liberties Conference in Des Moines, Iowa, attended by Republican presidential candidates Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and his father Rafael Cruz, former Governor Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, and Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana. The conference addressed the issue of securing religious liberty for the future. At the conference, Swanson spoke about a Biblical mandate of the death penalty for homosexuality, stating that both the Old and New Testament cover the "sin of homosexuality" and that in Romans 1 Paul the Apostle affirms that it is worthy of capital punishment.[8][9] In the same speech, he stated that he was not calling for these biblical injunctions to be enacted in America "because homosexuals need time to repent" and "America needs time to repent".[1][9][10] Rather than read J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books he urged "America, repent of Harry Potter. Repent that Dumbledore emerged as a homosexual mentor for Harry Potter." He said: "For tens of millions of parents, it would be better that a millstone be hung around" their children's "neck and they be drowned at the bottom of the sea."[11][12] Ted Cruz's spokesman Rick Tyler called Swanson's statements "reprehensible" and given the comments "it was a mistake for Senator Cruz to appear at the event", stating that Cruz is against hatred or violence against homosexuals.[13][14]

The existence of homosexuality is an explanation for terrorist incidents, according to Swanson. On his June 16, 2016 radio show, he said the Orlando nightclub shooting was caused because of general sinfulness, quoting a section of Romans 1 commonly cited to condemn homosexuality: "God gave them over to a reprobate mind." He then quoted Jesus' words in Matthew 15:19: "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander", and concluded that "man has a heart problem". He also compared the incident to a mass killing mentioned in Luke 13, to which Jesus responded "unless you repent you will likewise perish". Swanson said that "humble homosexuals that fall on their faces and plead for God's mercy as the publican did in the parable will go to heaven" and "proud gays will go to hell".[15] He believes the Borg (in the Star Trek franchise) has demonic power.[14][16] In 2014, he said the Disney film Frozen (2013) was the work of the devil and persuades young women to be lesbians.[17] Disney, he said, is "one of the most pro-homosexual organisations in the country".[18]

Swanson claimed the November 2015 Paris attacks happened because "God's sending a message."[19][20][21] He defended the 2014 Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Act, which introduced the punishment for homosexuality as life imprisonment or execution.[22]

In June 2019, Swanson said of singer Taylor Swift's embrace of the LGBTQ community in one of her songs, "You Need to Calm Down", saying she is "apparently telling God to calm down about all of his ethical concerns. I don't think it's going to be effective, but that's what she's doing". He added: "I think we just tell Taylor Swift that she's a fool. That she doesn't fear God, and sooner or later, God will cut her down."[23]

References
  1. Eggert, Jessica (November 10, 2015). "Republican Candidates Attend Rally Where Pastor Advocates "Death Penalty" for Gay People". Yahoo! News. Archived from the original on April 25, 2017. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
  2. "Leadership - Reformation Church of Elizabeth". www.reformationchurch.com. Archived from the original on August 8, 2018. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
  3. "FAQ - Reformation Church of Elizabeth". www.reformationchurch.com. Archived from the original on August 8, 2018. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  4. "Meet Our Director". Generations with Vision. Archived from the original on February 25, 2016. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
  5. "The World View". The World View. Archived from the original on August 8, 2018. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
  6. "Kevin Swanson". ReformedVoice.com. Archived from the original on March 12, 2016. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  7. "1994 Gubernatorial General Election Results - Colorado". Archived from the original on August 7, 2018. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
  8. Jervis, Joe. "Pastor Kevin Swanson Calls For Executing Gays at Event Attended by GOP Candidates [VIDEO]". Joe.My.God. Archived from the original on November 26, 2015. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
  9. "Statement from Pastor Kevin Swanson on the Freedom 2015 Conference". generationswithvision.com. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  10. "Three Republican candidates speak at anti-gay pastor's rally". msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show. Archived from the original on April 22, 2016. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  11. Denham, Jess (November 9, 2015). "Better to drown children than let them read 'homosexual' Harry Potter, says extreme right-wing pastor". The Independent. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  12. "'America repent of Harry Potter!' pastor says it would be better to drown children than let them read J K Rowling". The Daily Telegraph. November 10, 2015. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  13. Jervis, Rick (December 10, 2015). "Ted Cruz uses faith freely on campaign trail". USA Today. Archived from the original on May 20, 2017. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
  14. Stewart, Katherine (November 16, 2015). "Ted Cruz and the Anti-Gay Pastor". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 30, 2017. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
  15. "Why the Orlando Shootings-What Would Jesus Say About It". oneplace.com. One Place, LLC. June 16, 2016. Archived from the original on August 22, 2016. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
  16. Lubben, Alex. "Trump nominee who called trans kids 'Satan's plan' faces backlash". Vice. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  17. "Disney's Frozen and the 'gay agenda'". BBC News. March 27, 2014. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  18. Denham, Jess (March 13, 2014). "Disney's Frozen is 'very evil' gay propaganda, says Christian pastor". The Independent. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  19. Kirell, Andrew (November 23, 2015). "Pastor Who Hosted GOP: Paris Victims Were 'Devil-Worshippers'". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on November 25, 2015. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
  20. "Kevin Swanson: Paris Massacre Was 'A Message From God'". www.rightwingwatch.org. Archived from the original on November 26, 2015. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
  21. "Anti-gay pastor smears Paris survivors: Did you 'love the devil's works' while your friends were killed?". www.rawstory.com. Archived from the original on November 26, 2015. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
  22. "Swanson Defends Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Bill, Lauds Country as Model". Right Wing Watch. Archived from the original on November 27, 2015. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
  23. Avery, Daniel (June 21, 2019). "'Kill the Gays' Pastor: God Will 'Cut Down' Taylor Swift". Newsweek. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
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