Death Threats to Gay Christian Leaders

I have just learned via the website Thinking Anglicans about violence and threats against leaders of the group Changing Attitude.

The story of the violence against the Nigerian Director of Changing Attitude and the death threats against him and against the Director of Changing Attitude England can be found here.

The sad and ironic thing is that the underlying ethos of Changing Attitude is an ethos of peaceful resistance and non-violence. This is not the first time that the Nigerian Director of Changing Attitude has received a death threat and I believe (though I'm not certain) that it's not the first time he has been physically attacked.

Changing Attitude have written a letter to the members of GAFCON and I think that their ethos of peaceful resistance is well-reflected in the language of that letter:

We recognise the integrity of those who hold this position at the same time as we disagree with it. We are not resistant to engaging in the debate with those who hold radically different views.We recognise that it is extremely difficult to conduct this debate in language that does not polarise opinions or inflame tensions.

Physically harming gay Christians and threatening them with death is another example of the use of violence for the sake of a 'holy cause'. The traditional view of homosexuality has a long history in the Christian tradition and is rooted in an approach to biblical interpretation that is well respected, but it's utter anathema to harm people and threaten them with death. This violence must stop!