Bishop TD Jakes has told Oprah Winfrey
that he's not anti-gay, but the Bible condemns homosexuality as a
sin.
Jakes helms the 30,000-strong Potter's
House church in Dallas, Texas. His son, Jermaine Jakes, made
headlines 4 years ago when he was netted in a police gay sex sting
operation in a Dallas park.
The bishop has called being gay
“brokenness” and has admitted that he would discriminate against
a sexually active gay person. He's also advised President Barack
Obama on faith.
Appearing last week on cabler OWN's
Oprah's Next Chapter, Jakes denied accusations that he's
anti-gay.
“Would you say that everybody is
embraced in your church?” Winfrey asked. “Cause, you know, you
have been accused of saying that gay people would not be welcome.”
“That's not true at all,” Jakes,
54, answered. “The perception in our society today is that if you
don't say you're for same-sex marriage or if you say homosexuality is
a sin that you're homophobic and you're against gay people. And
that's not true.”
“I'm not called to give my opinion.”
“I think that sex between two people
of the same sex is condemned in the Scriptures, and as long as it is
condemned in the Scriptures, I don't get to say what I think. I get
to say what the Bible says.”
“I'm not particularly political,”
he added. “I'm not anti-gay. I'm not any-anything.”
“I don't want to even be known by
what I'm against. I want to be known for what I'm for. I'm for
people bettering themselves, no matter who they are and where they
are, doing all they can to be all they can be,” he added. (Watch
the entire exchange at Gawker.com.)