Bishop Patrick L. Wooden Sr. wants everyone to know that Jesus loves them. He loves everyone, including those in the LGBTQ community that are celebrating “Pride Month” during the entire month of June.
But then, as Bishop Wooden Sr. told Pastor John Amanchukwu in a recent interview for Charisma News, that is what the LGBTQ community is participating in, simply “rebellion.”
“We are seeing people who are trying to make right that what your Bible says is wrong,” says Wooden Sr., the senior pastor at the Upper Room Church of God in Christ in Raleigh, North Carolina.
And one of the issues that Wooden Sr. has with the LGBTQ community is the hijacking of the rainbow, a symbol that God used in Genesis as a covenant to His people that He would never destroy the earth again like he did with the Great Flood, while sparing Noah and his family.
“The rainbow is the most beautiful symbol of God’s grace and mercy,” Wooden Sr. said. “It was issued before the cross. It was issued before we got the Ark of the Covenant. I would go as far as to say that it was the cross at that time.
“God said in Genesis chapter nine, ‘I put a bow in the sky, and this bow will remind me that I will never flood the earth again—a covenant I made with every living creature. God says that it reminds us that no matter how much it is raining, God’s not going to let it rain for 40 days and 40 nights and flood the earth again.”
Wooden Sr. compels church officials during this month to display a seven-color rainbow flag, signifying the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ.
“The church should not allow any entity to claim that. And during this Jesus Pride Month, which is our take pushing against Pride Month, I hope that every church displays inside or outside the church a seven-color rainbow, which occurs naturally,” Wooden Sr. said. “It’s the one that God made and we should hold it up. We should explain it. We should not surrender this symbol of grace and mercy to people who are practicing, according to the Scripture, an abominable lifestyle.”
Amanchukwu recently preached a sermon on Philippians 3:18-21, which reads: “For many are walking in such a way that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ. I have told you of them often and tell you again, even weeping. Their destination is destruction, their god is their appetite, their glory is in their shame, their minds are set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, from where also we await for our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our body of humiliation, so that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working of His power even to subdue all things to Himself.”
Wooden Sr. was present for the sermon, and he wants to remind believers of the second part of that Scripture that reads, beginning in verse 20, “But our citizenship is in heaven, from where also we await for our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our body of humiliation, so that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working of His power even to subdue all things to Himself.
“You (Amanchukwu) dealt with that which men should be ashamed of is now being held up as being glorious,” Wooden Sr. said. “They are celebrating that which is shameful. I don’t know if it is politically correct or spiritually correct for me to say this, but this behavior is wicked, it is godless and it is anti-human. If all human beings practiced it, it would be the extinction of the whole human race.
“In saying these things, this is now called hate. It’s not hate, it’s the truth. And what we want people to do is to discover the life that Jesus Christ has for every person. So, I’m praying that churches everywhere get the flag. Have one made. This is Jesus pride. We’re proud to be Christians and we’re proud to be born again and know the Lord.”
For the rest of the conversation between Bishop Wooden Sr. and Pastor Amanchukwu, click here. {eoa}
Shawn A. Akers is the online editor at Charisma Media.
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