The Fighting Words of Michael Brown
Tough-talking Pentecostal Dr Michael Brown is the latest Christian leader to be added to Love Won Out’s roster of conference speakers. In this article, we profile Dr Brown, and ask whether the ex-gay movement’s newest friend might only drag it deeper into “culture wars”.
Who is Brown?
Brown is an Old Testament scholar, a revivalist, a Pentecostal apologist, an evangelist to Jews and an unabashed moral crusader.
He is President of the FIRE School of Ministry, a non-denominational Charismatic Christian training college that grew out of the controversial “Brownsville Revival” (also known as the “Pensacola Outpouring”) of the 1990s. After a split between Brown and John Kilpatrick, then Pastor of the Brownsville Assembly of God, FIRE eventually relocated to Concord, North Carolina.
Since then, Brown has founded the Coalition of Conscience, a Charlotte-based network of conservative Christians working together for “moral and cultural change through the gospel,” and who want to “make an impact for righteousness” in the city. Chief among their activities has been opposing the Charlotte Gay Pride Parade.
Brown is a noted apologist for charismatic revival, particularly that which came out of Toronto in the early 1990s – a revival that divided evangelicals and became known for the exotic behaviour of its participants, including hysterical laughter, fainting (being “slain in the Spirit”), “spiritual drunkenness,” shaking and animal noises. He is also a Messianic Jew, and has an apologetic and evangelistic ministry dedicated to persuading Jews of “the Messianic credentials of Jesus (Yeshua) of Nazareth.”
Dem’s fightin’ words
A cursory glance at Brown’s vast output reveals the strong, aggressive language in which he wraps his message. Revolution! The Call to Holy War is the title of one of his books, for example. His writings are peppered with militaristic rhetoric:
[We] are in a life and death struggle … We really are in a war! … We live in a battle between two kingdoms … [1]
It will be a Jesus revolution, an intense clash between two spiritual kingdoms, a heavenly attack on the enemy’s strongholds, a no-compromise stand for morality and truth. [2]
Yes, the battle lines have been drawn, the enemy is taking ground, and many of us hardly realize that the war is on. The devil is moving forward with energy and aggression. What in the world are we doing? [3]
Brown’s disclaimer is that it is “a non-violent revolution based on purity, compassion, and sacrifice rather than one based on anger, intimidation, rebellion, and force,” but these are hardly comforting words to the targets of Brown’s crusade. Even when such language is clearly not meant in a physical sense, how is one supposed to receive it – especially when used to deny others their rights – if not as angry, intimidating, rebellious and forceful?
Brown and gays
Brown has a forthcoming book: A Queer Thing Happened to America: How a Stealth Agenda Is Changing Our Nation. For Brown, the growth of gay rights is just one more sign that Satan is targetting America. In a long discussion on Warren Throckmorton’s blog recently (a thread that took three nights for this writer to wade through!), Brown characterized gay rights as an infringement on his rights to practice his Christian faith:
[There] are activists who do have specific goals in mind, and some of those goals include the removal of my right to practice my faith before God — at least as it affects homosexual issues. [4]
Challenged on how gay rights violate his rights, Brown gives a lengthy explanation in which he complains that he would be required to “recognize” gay marriage, which would be “a fundamental denial of my moral and religious convictions.” One might ask whether allowing interracial marriage violates the rights of those whose religious faith is offended by the mixing of races? How would Brown would have responded to Kenneth Hagin, Jr, the charismatic preacher who taught his students this very thing? By Brown’s logic, how could the US allow interracial marriage without violating (the late) Hagin’s rights? And of course, Hagin’s children would be taught respect for interracial marriage in schools, and his tax dollars would support interracial marriage, to a degree – all objections that Brown levels against permitting gay marriage. The absurdity of the arguments becomes clear.
Does the ex-gay movement need Brown right now?
We have seen an increasing politicization of the ex-gay movement over the past few years. Ex-Gay Watch has regularly documented how the leaders of Exodus and other ex-gay groups have consistently subjugated pastoral ministry to the pursuit of political goals, chiefly opposing gay rights. This has already cost them in Europe, where the organization’s increasingly political agenda led to several ex-gay ministries withdrawing their membership. Does Love Won Out, of which Exodus is an affiliate, need to bring on board such a bombastic personality who will lead them only deeper into the culture wars?
Regan: It’s a great idea, but if he were to do that and consider the consequences of his activites then he couldn’t be a BIG(idi)OT. and that is what this is about, not religion, not family, not anything except how much he doesn’t like AND wants to hurt gay people.
Michael Brown said:
David’s riposte
Amen and Amen! Brown’s transphobia is palpable. If he actually knew any transgendered persons he would never display his ignorance in a statement like this.
The only men I know that want to wear a dress to work, are “christian” activists trying to provoke the public against transgendered individuals.
I daresay if Brown actually met someone who has had a “sex-change operation” he would never know it; how would his judgement of the “rightness” of it ever come into play? Methinks the evil is in his mind.
I am torn between believing his transphobia is driven as a result of simple fear and ignorance, or out of some phallic taboo. Really, why should he care if a trans-woman completes a transition he would never even see. And please, what biblical authority does he cite for this objectification? It’s just prejudice, nothing more. A whitewashed tomb, for sure!
Oh, and Regan, you know you rock!
Seriously people, can those who argue regarding dress codes and bathrooms against the transgendered be THAT trifling and stupid?!
Show of hands, men living as women can still wear pants to work. Places with uniform dress codes like restaurants and law enforcement require that ALL their staff wear pants.
There are plenty of restaurants, movieplexes and the like that have family or single room toilet facilities. If there are single room toilets, however marked, I’ve been known to go into the one marked for men, simply because it’s the only one free.
Public accomodation is still not a problem most of the time. Neither is what someone wants to wear to work, even if they are living as the opposite sex.
And what that person does professionally, their gender has little affect on their competence on a job they’ve already held for years and years.
Apparently, brains and a big heart in the case of someone transgendered carries no weight with the likes of Brown.
Just whether they’ll be wearing a skirt or not. So much for Prince Charles…and kilts.
Sharon….backatcha love!
: 0 P
Regan, I so admire your insight. I had mentioned before, as I am a transsexual, I am an EX-boy. Really, should anyone trust me in tips on how to be a boy?
But only while Mercury is in retrograde, otherwise you go to hell.
Also, women who wears pants, going to hell.
Prince Charles…kilt, hell.
Bath towel around your waist in the men’s locker room – makeshift skirt – going to hell:
As opposed to homosexuality, where God only detests the “behavior.”
–
And something I’m sure we’ve all had to deal with from time to time, bird’s nest protocol:
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve almost taken the mother bird with the young…
Yukie, my dear you can be trusted because you are bright and courageous. I think you have been blessed to have been in both lives. You can teach us all a great deal because you are unique.
You are OUR Yukie. Our friend, a loved one.
You care about us here enough to join us and speak as a repectful and loving friend.
Did I say congratulations on your new marriage? If I didn’t, forgive me honey.
All my best!
Beautifully put, Regan. And I echo your congratulations to Yuki!
Thank you very much for your congrats, Regan & Dave!
But seriously, I really do not know how to be a boy, I knew for some reason I was a girl all my life.
Somehow I managed to make do, trying to be like Richard Gere & Harrison Ford, both whom I admire a lot, but ended up appearing somewhat like their tomboyed duplicates! Thank heavens the play acting is over. ; )
I find it interesting that many would call Brown’s incitement to Holy War as Jihad. The war we fight is not physical but spiritual as found in Eph 6:10-20. The fight we fight here is not only in ideology but for the hearts and minds of men and women who otherwise would be lost forever. Gay marriage is not acceptable. Marriage is between one man and one woman–we don’t need to mention blacks being unable to marry because we are talking in the area of gender not race. Man and woman weren’t created for the same sex but differently for the different sexes. I used to think that homophobia was blatant sexism because of the two men or two women but it is a perversion of the worst kind but there is a way out through Jesus Christ. Why do gays always rejoice when a person ‘comes out’ but smash them up when they want to live life as a heterosexual? Double standard to ‘it doesn’t matter what your orientation is’
Then why does Brown and the like try to pass laws or change laws to take away our fundamental rights as American citizens?
Yes, let’s just sweep the past under the rug. The time when Americans did not recognize African American marriages because they didn’t even believe they had souls.
Marriage is not as clearly defined as you think. For YOU, marriage is one man one woman, but that is not MY definition.
And do you mean they have to have the equipment (penis, vagina) and that justifies their marriage or do you mean they have to be functioning equipment (complete with adequate sperm and eggs for reproduction purposes). Can a sterile couple marry? Can elderly marry? Can couples who plan on not reproducing marry?
I would rejoice if a fish wanted to live on land and successfully did so, but most fish I know die within a few minutes out of the water.
Also, if a gay person chose to live as a heterosexual BECAUSE he truly fell in love with someone of the opposite sex and was truly able to have an intimate relationship with that person, then I would see no problem with that. BUT THE REALITY IS that most gays who try to go hetero are FORCED TO DO SO BECAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN TAUGHT BY FALSE PROPHETS THAT GOD HATES THEM AND WILL ONLY LOVE THEM IF THEY ARE STRAIGHT.
As a Christian, I will never rejoice over someone who has been forced to change because they were taught by false and heretical teaching that God will only accept them if they change their sexual orientation.
TP2,
I think that you will find that baseless and mindless platitudes are not well received here.
Simply stating things under the assumption that because you say them they are true simply makes you appear arrogant. And if you have any desire to be an ambassador of Christ, this is a very poor reflection on Him.
I challenge you to revisit scripture to see if you can find the qualifications that Christ set out for those who would speak for him. I think you will find that arrogance, self-righteousness, and a spirit of condemnation are not among them.