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Antigay Pastor Wishes Death Upon Sarah Silverman Over 14-Year-Old Joke

Sarah Silverman with a Sick SOB

The Florida pastor who once advised congregants on how to avoid gay waiters called Silverman a "witch" and a "God-hating whore."  

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When a virulently anti-LGBTQ, anti-Semitic pastor wished death upon comedian Sarah Silverman for a piece that was part of her act in the 2005 special Jesus Is Magic, she called attention to him, tweeting, "This guy is going to get me killed." In his most recent sermon, Pastor Adam Fannin at Law of Liberty, an independent Baptist church in Jacksonville, Fla., said that if Silverman -- who he's previously referred to as a "witch" and a "God-hating whore" -- doesn't repent for her remarks she will be "judged in hell," according to Newsweek.

"If she doesn't repent of promoting child molestation, if she doesn't repent of joking about murdering the Messiah, God will force her to bow at the feet of the men of this church one day," Fannin said, ignoring her having called him out on Twitter last week for inciting violence against her.

"She will bow down and God will judge her, he who calls her to bow, and she will be judged in Hell."

Fannin was formerly a pastor at Stedfast Baptist Church in Jacksonville, which was home to preacher Donnie Romero, who called for God to "finish the job" following the deadly massacre at Pulse nightclub in Orlando in 2016. In 2015, the Southern Poverty Law Center labeled Stedfast a hate group. Fannin, who left the church after Romero was caught hiring sex workers and using marijuana, targeted Silverman in response to a meme that repositioned a bit she did in Jesus Is Magic to appear as though it wasn't part of a character. Silverman explained the purposeful manipulation in a tweet.

Fannin used the meme to for a thinly veiled anti-Semitic rant about Silverman, wishing death upon her before a crowd of his followers.

"You know these Jewish false prophets, anti-Christian, anti-God, they're willing to put Jesus to death again? You heard this comedian Sarah Silverman?" Fannin said in the sermon. "You guys know who I'm talking about? She brags about, 'I'd do it again.'"

"She is a witch. She is a Jezebel. She is a God-hating whore of Zionism," he said before issuing his call for death.

"I hope that God breaks her teeth out and she dies. She is a wicked person and she is like the perfect representation of religious Judaism. She is Satan's scoffer and she is there to take the world and make 'em laugh and then dis Jesus, try to take away the respect from Jesus."

Fannin has a history of spewing anti-LGBTQ rhetoric. In a sermon in 2017, he advised his congregation on how best to avoid being served by a gay waiter.

"I'm here to have date night, enjoy some time with my wife, and I can't because of the lisp," he said at the time, also referring to gay men as "foo foo."

Stedfast distanced itself from Fannin and his remarks. Jonathan Shelley, the pastor who replaced Fannin when he was fired from Stedfast six months ago, said in a video Saturday that Fannin is a "liar," "railer," and "super selfish," according to Newsweek.

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Tracy E. Gilchrist

Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP of Editorial and Special Projects at equalpride. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.
Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP of Editorial and Special Projects at equalpride. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.