Stedfast Baptist Church Pastor in Texas Claims Bible Says Members of LGBT Community Should Be 'Put to Death'

A Texas pastor from a church that has been labeled a "hate group" suggested that members of the LGBT community should be executed.

Pastor Dillon Awes of the Stedfast Baptist Church in Hurst, Texas had some strong words for members of the LGBT community on Sunday, in a sermon titled "Why We Won't Shut Up," The Texas pastor suggested that "every single" gay person in the U.S. should be executed by the government.

Pastor Awes suggested that the "solution" to gay people is already presented in the Bible, Newsweek reported. The Texas pastor addressed the congregation, "What does God say is the answer, is the solution, for the homosexual in 2022, here in the New Testament, here in the Book of Romans?"

"That they are worthy of death! These people should be put to death!" Pastor Awes declared. "They should be lined up against the wall and shot in the back of the head."

Texas Pastor Believes Homosexuality is a Crime, Perpetrators Must Be Charged

In his bold sermon, Pastor Awes added that "every single homosexual" in America should be "charged with the crime" of the "abomination" that is "homosexuality." He said that members of the LGBT community must be "convicted in a lawful trial" and should be "sentenced with death."

The Stedfast Baptist Church, which has long vocally opposed the LGBT community and its members, has been designated as an anti-LGBT hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, a non-profit legal advocacy organization that specializes in civil rights litigation. Pastor Awes, however, remains defiant as he challenged those who disagreed with his sermon, labeling them as not real Christians.

Another Stedfast Baptist Church Pastor Calls for Death Penalty for Members of the LGBT Community

Last week, Pastor Jonathan Shelley of the Stedfast Baptist Church in Fort Worth spoke out against members of the LGBT community during a council meeting. Pastor Shelley, who regularly denounces homosexuality, expressed support for the death penalty for those who engage in homosexual behavior, Metro Weekly reported.

During the council meeting on May 26, Pastor Shelley and other people demanded that their elected officials refrain from referring to June as LGBTQ Pride Month and remove displays and materials about LGBT topics in local public libraries.

Also Read: UMC Homosexuality Debate Pushing 35 Arkansas Churches To Depart From Denomination

Pastor Shelley told the council that Pride is "nothing to be celebrated" because it is an 'abomination." He added, "According to God, we should hate pride, not celebrate it." The Stedfast Baptist Church added that homosexuality is a "crime" and cited CDC data on homosexual men, saying that they were "230 times more likely to get HIV than straight men." He concluded that Pride Month helps "promote disease and AIDS in court community."

Following Pastor Awes' suggestion to execute members of the LGBT community, however, Pastor Shelley clarified in a statement sent to Newsweek that Pastor Awes was merely referring to Leviticus 20:13. He also remarked that the Bible teaches Christians not to kill. However, he said that it also teaches that homosexuals "are pedophiles who would molest children if given the chance" so it was important for them to "warn families" about the "real threat" against children in society.