By Allie Martin
January 23, 2003
(AgapePress) - The Bush Administration has refused to stand up for a Christian activist chosen by the White House for a presidential AIDS panel after he came under fire for saying AIDS was a "gay plague."
Jerry Thacker is an evangelical Christian who had been chosen to serve on the Presidential Advisory Commission on HIV and AIDS (see story below). He was to be sworn in next week, but early Thursday he notified the Administration he would not accept the appointment.
While White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer would neither confirm nor deny the withdrawal, he took time during a daily press briefing to distance the Administration from Thacker's views that homosexuals need to repent and change their behavior. Fleischer said Thacker holds views "far removed" from what the president believes, saying the president believes people with AIDS "need to be treated with care and compassion."
Robert Knight is director of the Culture and Family Institute. He questioned the president's actions.
"If the president's a Christian, then why would he disagree with the idea that homosexuality is a sin and that Jesus Christ can redeem sinners -- or that [homosexuality is] dangerous?" Knight asks.
Thacker received AIDS from his wife, who contracted the disease through a blood transfusion. The couple's daughter is also infected with AIDS. He founded the Scepter Institute as an outreach ministry to HIV and AIDS victims.
EARLIER STORY
Christian with AIDS Likely Appointee to Presidential Advisory Group
By Fred Jackson and Jody Brown
January 23, 2003
(AgapePress) - It appears the Bush Administration is about to appoint a born-again Christian to the Presidential Advisory Commission on HIV and AIDS. Word of the appointment already has homosexuals and their sympathizers on the attack.
 Jerry Thacker |
Obviously that is not what the homosexuals are upset about. Instead, according to the Post article, they are condemning Thacker for speeches he has made at Bob Jones University, where he has referred to homosexuality as a "sinful deathstyle" and stated that only when homosexuals know it is a sin can they repent.
A spokesman for Bob Jones University tells The Post that Thacker is a man who has "great compassion" for those who are suffering from AIDS and HIV. Otherwise, the spokesman says, the school prefers not to get involved in any controversy surrounding Thacker's appointment.
The Post also quotes a man identified as a "Republican gay activist" who says his major objection to Thacker is his "aggressive lobbying for abstinence-until-marriage education." That activist says such an approach to sex education is of no benefit to the homosexual community because they cannot get married.
Conservatives are likely to watch the Thacker controversy closely to see whether the Bush Administration will stand by the appointment.
The role of the Commission on HIV and AIDS is solely advisory in nature. It provides advice, information, and recommendations to the HHS Secretary regarding programs and policies intended to promote effective prevention of HIV disease, and advance research on HIV disease and AIDS.
© 2003 AgapePress all rights reserved.
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