[Vision2020] Freeze Church Pastor Stands By Controversial Statements

[Joe Campbell]

One more thing about Knerr's irresponsible comments in the Daily News.

According to the DN, "Knerr said progressives mined the Potlatch-area
church's website and sermons searching for anything harmful to Bouma -
anything to make him look 'bigoted' or 'Islamophobic'."

What a load of bull. As far as I know, there was exactly ONE sermon by
Knerr that was discussed in public -- the infamous Mormon-trashing
sermon, which Knerr defends below. I don't remember seeing anything
about "Islamophobia," though it wouldn't surprise me. And the biggest
fault of Bouma was refusing to discuss the issue. If there is nothing
wrong with Knerr's comments on Mormonism, like he indicates below,
then why was Bouma so afraid to discuss the matter in public? Someone
who is unable to defend his own religious convictions -- especially
controversial views that demonize a large population of the very state
he desires to serve -- is unfit to serve public office, in my view.
Just having the courage to face progressives and liberals during the
KRFP debate would have gone a long way toward solving any problems
brought about by his pastor. Certainly avoiding the issue didn't help.
Knerr's comments might have brought the issue to the attention of the
public but it was Bouma's cowardliness that was his undoing. There is
something about a pastor placing the failures of one of his flock on
his political enemies that doesn't sit right with me.

Also, I spoke about this more than anyone but as I admitted on several
occasions my own comments were non-political. I knew nothing about
Schmidt or Bouma besides what his pastor said and his actions
afterward. And I admitted as much on several occasions. Further, there
is an irresponsible insinuation in Knerr's comments that indicate that
progressives were behind Postcardgate, which was the single biggest
factor in terms of public exposure of these issues. I'll remind you
that NO one has been charged with that crime and it is just as likely
that the poster was released by an enemy within the Republican party
as it was that it was released by a liberal or progressive.

Someone is going to have a hard time convincing me that Knerr is not a
narrow minded bigot, given his proneness for making irresponsible and
insensitive generalizations.

On Tue, Dec 28, 2010 at 6:20 AM, Joe Campbell <philosopher.joe at gmail.com> wrote:
> Well, its good to see a man stand by his narrow minded bigotry! You
> don't see that very often. Most bigots wear white sheets over their
> heads and you don't even know who they are. But this guy, he's
> different! What a pleasant addition to the Sidewalk Series, showing
> that Moscow is a town with narrow minded bigots who aren't afraid to
> speak their mind! Now that's diversity!
>
> I don't get the paper. Can someone tell me if there's a picture of
> Knerr burning a cross?
>
> On Tue, Dec 28, 2010 at 5:56 AM, Tom Hansen <thansen at moscow.com> wrote:
>> Courtesy of today's (December 28, 2010) Moscow-Pullman Daily News.
>>
>> ---------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> SIDEWALK SERIES: Standing by his faith: Freeze Church pastor stands by
>> controversial statements
>> By Devin Rokyta, News Staff Writer
>> December 28, 2010
>>
>> Freeze Church Pastor Lloyd Knerr says he considers Gresham Bouma to be one
>> of his "dearest friends," and "one of the most Godly men" he knows.
>>
>> Thus it was heartbreaking to Knerr when his words were used by people he
>> calls "Moscow progressives" in an attempt to derail Bouma's bid for a seat
>> in the Idaho state Senate.
>>
>> "Basically they tried to make me the Rev. (Jeremiah) Wright of Gresham,"
>> Knerr said. "It was upsetting to me because anything that I may have ever
>> said would be used against Gresham."
>>
>> Knerr said progressives mined the Potlatch-area church's website and
>> sermons searching for anything harmful to Bouma - anything to make him
>> look "bigoted" or "Islamophobic."
>>
>> Looking back, Knerr admits he could have worded some of his sermons
>> differently, however, he stands by his message.
>>
>> "The attacks on me, on the church and on Gresham were things that I said
>> about other religions who deny the deity of Christ. I am certainly not
>> going to backtrack on that. What I spoke was absolutely the truth.
>>
>> " There was quite a bit of ink spilled over me condemning other religions
>> and I will go on record in saying that my position is that a person is
>> saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone apart from any works.
>> If that sets me apart from another religion, so be it. To me that is the
>> gospel of Jesus Christ."
>>
>> Knerr said it is what people believe about that gospel, which began at
>> Jesus' birth and ended at resurrection, which saves or condemns them.
>>
>> "What sets our church apart from another religion is our understanding of
>> the gospel of Jesus Christ. There's all kinds of things that you can
>> debate about the timing of Christ's return, whether he returns at all,
>> whether there is a literal heaven, whether there's a literal hell, all
>> sorts of things," Knerr said. "But it's the gospel of Jesus Christ, what
>> you believe about his birth, his life, his death, his resurrection and
>> what that means is the central part of what we teach at Freeze Church.
>>
>> "Would I disagree with other religions? Absolutely. Any religion that
>> denies the deity of Christ we would be set apart from. Scripture tells us
>> that Paul said that even if an angel from heaven should come and preach a
>> different gospel to you than the one we have preached, let him be cursed.
>> I didn't say that, Paul did. We have to make very sure the gospel we
>> accept is the gospel of the Bible."
>>
>> Knerr said he loves all people, regardless of faith, but he disagrees with
>> America's "all-inclusive" nature when it comes to religions.
>>
>> "The Muslims believe in the person of Jesus Christ, they believe he was a
>> prophet, a very wise man. The Mormons believe in salvation through Jesus
>> Christ, the Jehovah's Witnesses believe in salvation through Jesus Christ,
>> but none of those are the Jesus Christ of the Bible," he said. " I am not
>> going to change my stance on that, and I won't soften it.
>>
>> " That stance is always going to get me in trouble. There is always going
>> to be people that rubs the wrong way but it is not me. Jesus Christ said
>> 'I am the way, the truth and the life and no one comes to the father but
>> through me.' I just try to teach and preach and live the truth of the
>> Bible."
>>
>> While both Knerr and Wright, the longtime pastor of President Barack
>> Obama, were used to the political detriment of one of their parishioners,
>> Knerr said his sermons are quite different from Wright's. Knerr said
>> Wright "condemned America" in his speeches, and while Obama eventually
>> distanced himself from the pastor, he sat at his pew for many years,
>> giving credence to attacks on the then presidential hopeful.
>>
>> "If I taught in here the overthrow of the American government, if I taught
>> in here white superiority, those are absolutely legitimate things to know
>> about a candidate because if he believes that, that brings his character
>> into question," Knerr said. " I think the difference is Rev. Wright was
>> preaching anti-American, or hatred of America, hatred of the white man,
>> racial division. I never taught anything like that."
>>
>> Knerr said he wasn't upset that his church came up in the campaign, but he
>> was disappointed it was "viciously" used to cause harm to Bouma and church
>> members.
>>
>> Knerr said that viciousness, which is all too common in politics, along
>> with the country turning away from God will be its demise, and the United
>> States will become a footnote in history if it continues down such a path.
>>
>> "I don't have a lot of hope for America. Thomas Jefferson said that the
>> Constitution is only effective for a religious and moral people. It is
>> wholly ineffective for any other. We can send all the good politicians we
>> want to Washington, or Boise, or wherever we send them, but America has
>> become immoral, America is no longer a religious nation. We are no longer
>> a nation founded under God. If Thomas Jefferson was right, our
>> Constitution won't work with the kind of people that populate America
>> today because they are not religious and they are not moral.
>>
>> "... Unless America returns to its moral and religious roots, we're
>> doomed. That grieves me greatly to say that I don't have hope for America,
>> because I love America. Until or unless we return to a fear of God and a
>> worship of God this nation has no hope. Unless we get people like that -
>> God fearing men and women - into our government we have no hope."
>>
>> ---------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> Perhaps now Gresham Bouma can finally (and truthfully) respond to a
>> question posed to him by Dr. Nick Gier at the 2010 AARP Candidates' Forum
>> . . .
>>
>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUlVYlYvflk
>>
>> How about it, Mr. Bouma?  Care to man up?
>>
>> Seeya round town, Moscow.
>>
>> Tom Hansen
>> Moscow, Idaho
>>
>> "The Pessimist complains about the wind, the Optimist expects it to change
>> and the Realist adjusts his sails."
>>
>> - Unknown
>>
>>
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