Pastor Jack Hakimian of Impact Miami Church says that Miami-Dade Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho is bullying him because of his Christian message concerning homosexuality. The superintendent says the church should not be allowed to continue to rent space at North Miami High School on Sundays because the pastor's message is "contrary to school board policy."
-- From "Controversial pastor demands apology from Miami-Dade Schools chief Carvalho after eviction threat" by Steve Rothaus, Miami Herald 7/21/12
Hakimian is a controversial figure who preaches that gays "can repent, they can through the spirit of God subdue their tendencies." He has posted YouTube videos titled Bible Say's Gays & Sex Addicts In General Can Change & Should Change (Matthew 5:27-30) and Pedophiles Use The Same Argument As Homosexual & Weed Smoking Community. [see below for videos]
Hakimian pays the school district about $20,000 annually to rent space at North Miami High for Sunday school classes.
Earlier this week, Carvalho issued a statement to WPLG-Channel 10 reporter Jeff Weinsier that Hakimian's teachings "appear to be contrary to school board policy, as well as the basic principles of humanity, and I have asked for immediate legal review to seek the termination of the contract that is involved. ... I am making this decision not on the basis of policy or politics but as a rejection of prejudice and intolerance."
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From "Jack Hakimian, Controversial Pastor, Wants Apology From Miami-Dade Schools" at Huffington Post 7/23/12
"I never thought I'd be penalized for teaching on Christian marriage and sexual ethics from the Bible, the very Bible that presidents swear on, in a privately rented space at an event not sponsored by the school or district," the pastor says in a Miami Herald video, in which he demands an apology from Carvalho.
“According to Alberto Carvalho he will decide what is 'common sense and decent' for 58% of Miamians who voted for legislation that is parallel to our theological views that marriage should be between male and female,” Hakimian wrote on the church's web site, citing numbers from the 2008 general election.
In a recent interview with South Florida Gay News, Hakimian said while he holds the "theological view that homosexuality isn’t okay in the face of God," he does not endorse "bullying, lack of civil protection, or hate of the LGBT community."
And in a statement from the church, he states that gays should "be allowed the same civil freedoms that other citizens enjoy without infringing on the religious or private rights of people who disagree with them."
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From "Florida Church Threatened With Eviction Over Stance on Homosexuality" by Myles Collier, Christian Post Contributor 7/26/12
After President Obama announced that he supported gay marriage, Pastor Jack Hakimian used his pulpit to explain the biblical position of homosexuality.
Hakimian explained that members of Impact Miami have been unfairly judged and labeled as homophobes and bigots, but insists that is unfair solely because he was just teaching what the Bible considers a sin.
Impact Miami is part of the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation's largest Protestant denomination.
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