Rick Scarborough

Rick Scarborough is a Christian right political advocate and former Southern Baptist pastor from Pearland, Texas, who heads Vision America, Vision America Action and the Judeo-Christian Council for Constitutional Restoration.

Rick Scarborough received a B.A. from Houston Baptist University,[1] in 1978 he received a M.Div. from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary,[2] and a D.Min. from the unaccredited Louisiana Baptist Theological Seminary in 1996.[2] From 1990 to June 2002, he served as the senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Pearland in Houston, Texas. In 1998, he founded Vision America. He has been involved with Focus on the Family.

He has traveled extensively and is viewed by some conservative leaders as the Christian right leader in 2006 and in 2008.[3][4]

Views

Scarborough advocates for Christian right political values.[5] He was quoted on Christiane Amanpour's documentary series "God's Warriors" on CNN as saying, "I'm not a Republican, I'm not a Democrat. I'm a Christocrat. My allegiance is to Jesus Christ".[6][7] He has said, "America is at war with the devil", and he supports "voting Biblically."[8] In 2006, he criticized former Ambassador to the United Nations and U.S. Senator John Danforth for supporting embryonic stem cell research.[9] He has publicly supported Justice Antonin Scalia.[10]

Scarborough opposes same-sex marriage, describing it as a sign America is moving "closer to hell"[11] and told E. W. Jackson he is willing to be burned to death opposing gay rights.[12] After the U.S. Supreme Court effectively legalized Same-sex marriage in the United States with the Obergefell v. Hodges decision, the media reported that Scarborough had not set himself on fire.[13] He describes AIDS as "God's judgement"[14] and supports filing class-action lawsuits against homosexuals for "subjecting people to becoming AIDS sufferers".[15][16][17][18]

Concerning the decision of Texas Governor Rick Perry to vaccinate all 6th grade girls against those HPV strains that are most likely to produce cancer after infection, Scarborough said, "Nor we can not overlook the moral dimension. The governor's action seems to signify that God's moral law regarding sex outside of marriage can be transgressed without consequence."[19][20]

He has been accused of not being a real Baptist.[21]

Bibliography
  • Enough is Enough (1996) ISBN 0-88368-465-9
  • It All Depends on What "Is" Is (1998)
  • Mixing Church and State (1999)
  • Judicial Tyranny (contributing author) (2005) ISBN 0-9753455-6-7
  • Liberalism Kills Kids (2006)

References
  1. Vision America biography
  2. Murray, Shailagh. "Filibuster Fray Lifts Profile of Minister: Scarborough Has Network and Allies", The Washington Post, May 8, 2005. Accessed December 19, 2007
  3. "Pastors Guiding Voters to GOP" Stephanie Simon The LA Times from the October 2, 2006 print edition. URL accessed 10/16/2006
  4. "Christian conservatives mobilize to rev up values voters" Matt Stearns Lexington Herald-Leader, September 25, 2006
  5. "Religion and Politics in America" Morning Edition, NPR October 22, 1996 John Burnett URL accessed 05/09/2006
  6. "New Report Says Iraq's Leaders Are Unable to Govern; Interview With Barack Obama". CNN.
  7. Michael Wolraich (2010). Blowing Smoke: Why the Right Keeps Serving Up Whack-job Fantasies about the Plot to Euthanize Grandma, Outlaw Christmas, and Turn Junior Into a Raging Homosexual. Da Capo Press. p. 251. ISBN 0-306-81937-6.
  8. Barbara G. Walker (April 2010). Man Made God: A Collection of Essays. Stellar House Publishing. p. 244. ISBN 978-0-9799631-4-8.
  9. Brian Kaylor (1 January 2007). For God's Sake Shut Up!: Lessons for Christians on how to Speak Effectively and when to Remain Silent. Smyth & Helwys Pub. p. 30. ISBN 978-1-57312-485-0.
  10. Glenn H. Utter; James L. True (1 January 2004). Conservative Christians and Political Participation: A Reference Handbook. ABC-CLIO. p. 79. ISBN 978-1-85109-513-1.
  11. R.G. Ratcliffe (23 Mar 2015). "Hell, Satan and a Ghost from the Past". Texas Monthly.
  12. "Rick Scarborough Is Ready To Burn To Death To Fight Gay Marriage". Right Wing Watch. People for the American Way.
  13. "Pastor Vows to Burn over Same Sex Marriage". NBC 12. A former Baptist minister, who reportedly vowed to set himself on fire if the high court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage, is still alive.
  14. "Right-Wing Tea Party leader Rick Scarborough wants to sue gays in class action". News.com.au. 20 Oct 2013.
  15. "Scarborough: We Need A Class Action Lawsuit Against Homosexuality". Right Wing Watch. People for the American Way.
  16. "Tea Party Leader Wants to File Class Action Suit Against Homosexuality". Gawker. 18 Oct 2013.
  17. Richard Dawkins (16 January 2008). The God Delusion. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. pp. 45–46. ISBN 0-547-34866-5.
  18. 'Far Right: Saving America from Gays', in The Advocate, May 9, 2006, p. 16 (Here Publishing (9 May 2006). The Advocate. Here Publishing. p. 16. ISSN 0001-8996.)
  19. "God, sex, drugs, and politics" The Economist
  20. PRNewsWire
  21. Randall Balmer (1 March 2007). Thy Kingdom Come: How the Religious Right Distorts Faith and Threatens America. Basic Books. p. 46. ISBN 978-0-465-00371-6.
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