The documentary God Loves Uganda, which depicts the role of American conservative evangelicals in generating vicious antigay campaigns in Uganda, has received acclaim at film festivals across the continent. PRA expert Rev. Dr. Kapya Kaoma–featured throughout the film discussing the role of U.S. Christian Right leaders in whipping up antigay fervor and pushing for passage of the “kill the gays” bill in the Ugandan parliament–has been attending and speaking at many of these screenings since the film’s Sundance debut. Today, for International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia, Kaoma joins the film at the Washington National Cathedral in D.C.

The film draws on much of Kaoma’s original research and reporting, as found in his PRA articles and reports, the 2012 Colonizing African Values and 2009 Globalizing the Culture Wars. PRA exposed U.S. Christian Right figures Scott Lively and Rick Warren’s role in the creation of the infamous Uganda bill–garnering major media attention and continuing to inform global understanding of homophobic campaigns in the U.S. and in Africa. PRA is proud that this investigative work has been utilized by African LGBTQ groups struggling for human rights such as Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) and Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ). Read More →

An August 2007 TheCall gathering in Nashville, TN
Photo: thoughtquotient.com

Hundred of thousands of evangelical Christians have gathered at TheCall prayer rallies organized by Lou Engle, a major leader in the political movement called the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), the subject of a new article by PRA Fellow Rachel Tabachnick. Engle claims that there has been a “shift in the heavens and that God has thrown a window open,” so that we “have entered a season of time in a massive [spiritual] war.”

What are this war’s goals? To reverse moral degeneracy; to reconcile races, ethnicities, and generations; to bring glory to God and pave the way for Jesus’s return–and perhaps more immediately, to end abortion and strip away LGBTQ rights, both in the United States and countries abroad such as Uganda.

In other words, by certain measures, the massive religious revolution foreseen by NAR leaders, such as Engle, looks a lot like the agenda of the larger Christian Right. Strip away the outward expression of support for cosmopolitanism, diversity, and gender equality, which Tabachnick notes, and you’ll find largely the same brand of bigotry.

Yet the NAR is new in many ways, particularly in matters of theological interpretation, religious practice, and the reorganization of evangelical churches–which has earned them enemies among more traditional evangelicals, as well on the secular Left. Read More →

In the wake of yesterday’s bombings at the Boston Marathon, we want to let our community know that we at PRA are all safe. We have been deeply touched by those of you who have reached out to express your concern.

Our hearts are with the bombing victims and their families, and we applaud the heroic actions of those bystanders and first responders who came to the aid of the fallen. At this writing, there have been three confirmed deaths and scores of reported injuries, some of them very severe.

This is a time for mourning and affirming our common humanity – in part, by challenging efforts to manipulate anger and suffering for cynical purposes. As we await the results of law enforcement investigations currently underway, we offer the following advice to our friends and supporters:

Resist the rush to judgment. Responsibility for this horrible act has yet to be established. Early press accounts are often inaccurate. We are reminded of the immediate aftermath of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, when “terrorism experts” were quick to suggest that foreign, Arab terrorists were likely behind the bombing. Of course, a U.S. citizen, Timothy McVeigh, was found to be responsible.

Challenge efforts to blame or demonize groups of people. The Tea Party Nation homepage declares, “It is a pretty safe bet right now that this attack was carried out by an Islamist.” Fox News contributor Erik Rush blames Muslims for the Boston Marathon bombings via his Twitter account. When challenged, he doubled down on his accusation: “Yes they’re evil. Let’s kill them all.” Such demonization is no less dangerous for being predictable. We caution against blaming any group of people based on their faith, nationality, or ideology.

Beware attempts to expand police powers. Violent public attacks are often followed by appeals to cede our liberties to achieve greater security. Calls to enhance government surveillance of domestic groups with “extremist” ideas were widespread, strident, and bipartisan following the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City, leading to passage of draconian national security laws. That mid-’90s legislation provided the basis for some of the most notorious domestic abuses of the George W. Bush administration in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Panic rarely yields sound policy. (http://www.publiceye.org/liberty/Repression-and-ideology-13.html)

We at PRA continue to follow the Marathon bombing story very closely, and we will share any developments that may be relevant to our mission. In the meantime, we will follow our own best advice, above.

Sincerely Yours,

Tarso Luís Ramos,
Executive Director

Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson is suing a florist for refusing service to a gay couple, as the florist says, “because of [her] relationship with Jesus Christ.”

Coverage of the story by local media and national news outlets has focused on the legal action in light of the recent passage of Washington’s same-sex marriage law. The Stranger’s Dominic Holden describes the lawsuit as the “first major test of anti-discrimination protections since Washington State voters legalized same-sex marriage last fall.”

While technically true, this is misleading. Washington’s anti-discrimination protections – and thus this case – have nothing to do with the same-sex marriage law. The lawsuit does not accuse Arlene’s Flowers owner Barronelle Stutzman of breaching Washington marriage law, but instead the state’s anti-discrimination code, which was amended in 2006 to include a statute prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation. Read More →

Following the arrest of a gay rights advocate in Zambia, Political Research Associates’ religious and sexuality researcher Rev. Canon Dr. Kapya Kaoma writes about the attacks on gay people in his home country for the Lukasa Times. Zambian LGBTQ people are currently hiding out in fear of a government crack-down, triggered, officials claim, by attempts by two same-sex couples to receive marriage recognition. Rev. Kaoma wrote about the situation in August 2012 in a Public Eye article, “The Culture Wars Come to Zambia.”

The arrest of human rights activist Paul Kasonkomona deserves condemnation by all Zambians of good will. If speaking in favor of gay rights is a crime, then our democracy is hollow. Free speech is among the many values that democracy upholds. Of course, the Acting President, Edgar Lungu, justified the arrest on the premise that “the bible is against” same-sex relations and that people with money are behind gay rights – hence “we better remain poor” than grant gays their rights. It is clear that Mr. Lungu does not know that he is not acting Bishop but President. With due respect, the Bible is not the constitution of Zambia.

That said, I want to remind Mr. Lungu that he will not remain poor – he has already accumulated a lot through undeserved allowances he receives, while the majority languish in perpetual poverty. “We,” the people, will remain poor whether we accept gay rights or not. However, Mr. Lungu’s utterances are also indicative of how gay rights are perceived – is all about money which is false.

In my article, “Does God Make Mistakes: Addressing the Issue of Gays,” I challenged our religious hypocrisy of using biblical verses when they suit our tastes. My point was that every human being is sacred. If anything, we are one big family, God’s family. My mother, my twin brother, my younger brothers and sisters may disagree with me on this issue. But that does not make us enemies. We are a family and that is more important to us than our perceived differences. If anything, my brothers and sisters would defend me should you attack me. Read More →