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Indianapolis Star
13-07-2025
- Politics
- Indianapolis Star
Protesters with pride signs confront Indy church after anti-LGBTQ sermon calls for violence
After a Sunday service on July 13, leaders at an Indianapolis church laughed while protesters in front of their building held rainbow colored signs. Sure Foundation Baptist Church located at a mall storefront near Lafayette Road and West 30th Street, had recently gained attention for its anti-LGBTQ+ messaging to congregants. In a sermon shared online, a lay preacher encouraged members to pray for the deaths of the LGBTQ+ community. Protesters had their own message for the church on July 13. "Existing in their presence," Cass Jackson, who helped organize the protest, told IndyStar. "Which is something they do not believe Christ would approve of." Jackson said the protest was a way for them to communicate to the church, as well as others, that church leaders could continue their hate, but they would continue to show up and be joyful in their presence. An original video of a sermon shared earlier this month online identified LGBTQ+ as "evil" and "disgusting." "There's nothing good to be proud about being a (slur)," Church member Stephen Falco said during a sermon posted on YouTube. "You ought to blow yourself in the back of the head. You're so disgusting." The video-sharing platform has since removed the video for violating its terms of service. The independent fundamentalist church doubled down on its message in a statement shared on Facebook on July 3, where it said it wasn't apologizing. Evangelist Justin Zhong with the church has since done a sermon discussing the recent coverage and attention the church has gotten. "Why do these (slur) want to burn us and bomb this church and kill us?" Zhong preached in a video posted on the church's Facebook page July11. "Because we testify that their works are evil. My question is, why does a small strip mall church make worldwide news? Because the Word of God has power." Protesters on Sunday said they didn't want to meet the church with violence. They don't intend to change the minds of the congregants about LGBTQ+ individuals, but they say they do want to make it clear that they will highlight the church's bigotry. "What I know to be true is that these people really hate when other people are joyful, because they are not," Jackson said. "And unfortunately have been indoctrinated into a backyard cult." Sure Foundation Baptist Church: Indianapolis church doubles down on Pride sermon advocating for harm to LGBTQ people Zhong told IndyStar he's not surprised at the protest, but the church continued service Sunday morning without issue. The church, which opened its doors in 2024, has about 35 people who attend church on average every week. Citing the Book of Acts, he compared the protest to people and cities outraged in the Bible when the Apostles preached the truth. Zhong said protesters are upset because the Word of God exposes that their deeds are evil. The Concerned Clergy of Indianapolis countered the church's message with a Bible verse, saying in its statement the Gospel is for everyone and should not be used as a tool of condemnation. The clergy group said the Black church, born in the crucible of oppression, must never mimic the very spirit of exclusion that once rejected its community. "We are called to be a sanctuary for the marginalized, not a platform for prejudice," the statement said. In standing for the dignity, inclusion and justice for all people, the group said it rejects the notion LGBTQ+ individuals are outside of God's reach, grace or redemption. G. David Caudill with Equality Indiana said he is encouraged to see other Indianapolis faith leaders condemn the church's sermon. "When you have that type of hateful and violent language, it could lead to someone taking those words and feeling protected to be able to go and commit violent acts against our community," Caudill said.
Newsweek
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Church Doubles Down After Preacher Encouraged Prayers for LGBTQ Deaths
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. An independent Baptist church in Indianapolis has defended a sermon in which church members called for the deaths of people in the LGBTQ+ community. On July 3, preacher Justin Zhong said in a post on the Sure Foundation Baptist Church's Facebook page that the church would not apologize for the sermon. "The Bible is crystal clear that sodomites (homosexuals) deserve the death penalty carried out by a government that actually cares about the law of God," Zhong wrote. In an emailed statement to Newsweek, the Sure Foundation Baptist Church said: "The Bible puts the death penalty on the LGBTQ people. We as Christians must believe and preach what the Bible says. The reason people are so shocked about all this is not many 'Christians' and even 'pastors' actually believe the Bible. To be clear, we only called for the government to execute those people. We are against vigilantes." Why It Matters The church's unapologetic endorsement of violent anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric reflects a worrying rise of open homophobia in the United States. According to the Human Rights Campaign, citing FBI data, there were 2,402 reported hate crime incidents targeting individuals based on their sexual orientation in 2023—up 23 percent from the previous year. What To Know On June 29, the Sure Foundation Baptist Church held "Men's Preaching Night," where multiple church members used homophobic slurs and called for violence against the LGBTQ+ community while speaking from the pulpit. In a sermon titled "Pray the Gay Away," Stephen Falco addressed the LGBTQ+ community, saying: "You ought to blow yourself in the back of the head. You're so disgusting." "How shall we then properly pray for gay people?" he continued. "We should pray for their deaths, plain and simple." A photo showing a Progress Pride flag on a flagpole in Taylor Square, Oxford Street, Darlinghurst, Sydney. A photo showing a Progress Pride flag on a flagpole in Taylor Square, Oxford Street, Darlinghurst, Sydney. After Falco spoke, another church member repeated similar violent and homophobic rhetoric. "You got another Pride Month here. I mean, obviously, I think they should be put to death," Wade Rawley said. "These people should be beaten and stomped in the mud, and then they should take a gun and blow the back of their heads off," he continued. After the sermon, which was broadcast live on Facebook, gained widespread criticism, the church took to its Facebook page to double down on the message. Zhong, who signed the message, wrote: "I will not apologize for preaching the Word of God. I will not apologize for stating facts. I will not negotiate with terrorists, among whom the LGBTHIV crowd is full of domestic terrorists." The church is no stranger to courting controversy. Zhong said in a sermon last year that he would like to see then-President Joe Biden and presidential candidate Donald Trump put to death. What People Are Saying The Concerned Clergy of Indianapolis, a community activist group, condemned the sermon in a statement: "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." What Happens Next Sure Foundation Baptist Church appears to be unfazed by criticisms of its homophobic rhetoric and is likely to continue with its inflammatory sermons.
South China Morning Post
04-07-2025
- South China Morning Post
Chinese model lured to Myanmar with scam job rescued after sister raises alarm in Thailand
A Chinese model from the southern province of Guangdong has been rescued from Myanmar after he was lured with the pretext of an overseas work opportunity last month, according to the Chinese embassy in Thailand Advertisement 'The Chinese citizen surnamed Zhong has been rescued under the collaborative efforts of all parties,' the embassy said in a statement on Friday. 'We once again warn Chinese citizens to beware of overseas 'high-paying job' scams. Foreign nationals need proper work permits for employment in Thailand,' it said. After landing at Don Mueang Airport in Bangkok in the early hours on June 9, Zhong, who had travelled to Thailand supposedly to shoot a magazine cover, went missing, state broadcaster CCTV said. 08:49 The Chinese criminal gangs behind Southeast Asia's scam centres The Chinese criminal gangs behind Southeast Asia's scam centres The 25-year-old had accepted a job offer from his former employer, who had claimed the work was in Thailand. Advertisement On June 13, Zhong made a video call to his sister and said he had been tricked into going to Myanmar.
Bangkok Post
04-07-2025
- Bangkok Post
Chinese model missing in Thailand rescued, embassy warns of shady job offers
BEIJING - A Chinese national who went missing in Thailand after accepting a photoshoot job has been rescued, according to China's embassy in Bangkok, which cautioned Chinese citizens against simply accepting job offers. The embassy said in a statement that the rescue of a person with the surname Zhong was a joint effort of various parties but did not release details. The embassy did not give the person's full name or reveal their gender. China's state-backed local media reported on Friday that a 23-year-old Chinese man by the surname Zhong had been tricked and trafficked into Myanmar after arriving in Thailand for a magazine cover photoshoot in early June. His sister, who received a suspicious call from him weeks ago when he was in an unidentified location in Myanmar, had reported him missing to police in Guangzhou and Bangkok, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said. The embassy in Bangkok warned Chinese citizens to be vigilant against dubious "high-paying jobs" overseas, clarifying that Thailand requires foreign nationals to obtain appropriate permits to work there. The warning comes as concerns about human trafficking and fraudulent employment schemes targeting Chinese nationals abroad grow. Criminal networks have trafficked hundreds of thousands of people to scam compounds across Southeast Asia, many along the Thai-Myanmar border, where victims are forced to work in illegal online schemes, according to the United Nations. The latest incident echoes a similar case that caught national interest in January, when a 31-year-old Chinese actor was duped into a film job in Thailand only to be kidnapped and taken to an online scam compound in Myanmar to work. He was eventually freed by Thai police. After that case, China and Thailand agreed to set up a coordination centre in Bangkok to investigate and combat the scam complexes. The Chinese embassy in Myanmar published a long notice on its WeChat account on Friday addressing the "emergence of new telecommunication network fraud methods". It listed tips and 20 key phrases to look out for, aimed at educating the public in identifying frauds.
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Yahoo
Chinese national missing in Thailand rescued, embassy warns of shady job offers
BEIJING (Reuters) -A Chinese national who went missing in Thailand after accepting a photoshoot job has been rescued, according to China's embassy in Bangkok, which cautioned Chinese citizens against simply accepting job offers. The embassy said in a statement that the rescue of a person with the surname Zhong was a joint effort of various parties but did not release details. The embassy did not give the person's full name or reveal their gender. China's state-backed local media reported on Friday that a 23-year-old Chinese man by the surname Zhong had been tricked and trafficked into Myanmar after arriving in Thailand for a magazine cover photoshoot in early June. His sister, who received a suspicious call from him weeks ago when he was in an unidentified location in Myanmar, had reported him missing to police in Guangzhou and Bangkok, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said. The embassy in Bangkok warned Chinese citizens to be vigilant against dubious "high-paying jobs" overseas, clarifying that Thailand requires foreign nationals to obtain appropriate permits to work there. The warning comes as concerns about human trafficking and fraudulent employment schemes targeting Chinese nationals abroad grow. Criminal networks have trafficked hundreds of thousands of people to scam compounds across Southeast Asia, many along the Thai-Myanmar border, where victims are forced to work in illegal online schemes, according to the United Nations. The latest incident echoes a similar case that caught national interest in January, when a 31-year-old Chinese actor was duped into a film job in Thailand only to be kidnapped and taken to an online scam compound in Myanmar to work. He was eventually freed by Thai police. After that case, China and Thailand agreed to set up a coordination centre in Bangkok to investigate and combat the scam complexes. The Chinese embassy in Myanmar published a long notice on its WeChat account on Friday addressing the "emergence of new telecommunication network fraud methods". It listed tips and 20 key phrases to look out for, aimed at educating the public in identifying frauds.
