An Indianapolis church is under intense scrutiny after its pastor made violent anti-LGBTQ+ remarks during a recent sermon.
During a “Men’s Preaching Night” service at Sure Foundation Baptist Church on the city’s northwest side, pastor Stephen Falco delivered a sermon titled “Pray the Gay Away”, where he made disturbing calls for members of the LGBTQ+ community to die or take their own lives.
“There’s nothing good to be proud about being a f*****. You ought to blow yourself in the head, in the back of the head. You’re so disgusting,” Falco said during the sermon, which was streamed live on the church’s Facebook page.
He went on to say, “A bunch of f****** that want to come around, walk on our streets, and demand our children, and we should walk in the eye and say, ‘No, you’re not going to have our children.’”
Following backlash, the church released a statement defending Falco’s words, claiming that his message aligned with Biblical teachings. “He’s only calling for the death penalty and suicide for the actual sodomites (homosexuals),” the statement read. “The Bible teaches that those people are worthy of death. They are supposed to be executed by the government. We are not to take the law into our own hands.”
Faith leaders and community advocates have responded with strong condemnation.
Ali Klausing, a mother of four and LGBTQ+ advocate, told WISH-TV the sermon’s message could be deeply damaging to children. “These children don’t know social constructs until we teach them that, and so when we’re teaching them through hate and disguising it through Scripture, what we’re doing is abusing them invisibly,” she said.
The Concerned Clergy of Indianapolis also issued a powerful rebuke of Falco’s rhetoric:
“The Concerned Clergy of Indianapolis stands firmly against the harmful rhetoric recently preached that condemned all LGBTQ individuals to hell and instructed people to stay away from them. Such messages are not only theologically irresponsible but pastorally dangerous. The pulpit must never be used as a weapon to dehumanize, isolate, or incite fear.
Jesus said in John 12:47, ‘I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.’ The Gospel of Christ is good news for everyone, not a tool to pronounce damnation on any group.
The Black Church, born in the crucible of oppression, must never mimic the very spirit of exclusion that once rejected us. We are called to be a sanctuary for the marginalized, not a platform for prejudice. We reject the notion that LGBTQ individuals are outside of God’s reach, grace, or redemption.
True holiness is not about who we hate; it is about how we love. While we affirm that sin exists in all of us, we also affirm that God’s grace extends to all of us. Our mission is not to decide who is beyond salvation, but to embody the inclusive love of Christ.
Let it be known: the Concerned Clergy of Indianapolis will continue to stand for dignity, inclusion, and justice for all people, including our LGBTQ brothers and sisters.”
The hateful sermon has sparked a growing outcry, as community members, activists, and clergy call for accountability and affirm the right of all individuals to be treated with dignity and respect.