South African evangelicals reject hate preacher Steven Anderson's anti-gay message

Church leaders in South Africa have distanced themselves from anti-gay pastor Rev Steven Anderson, who is to visit later this month.

Anderson, Pastor of Faithful Word Baptist Church in Tempe, Arizona, shot to prominence when he said he was praying for the death of President Barack Obama. He has also called for the death penalty for homosexuals and regretted the fact that there were survivors of from the Orlando nightclub shooting. He said there were now "50 less pedophiles in this world" after the murders at the club, frequented by gay people.

Attempts by rights groups to prevent him coming have failed.

In a statement, The Evangelical Alliance of South Africa said it regretted his "hatred for LGBTs may be spread here". General secretary Moss Ntlha said:

"The constitution lays the basis on which South Africa's many cultures agreed to live together. White-black, religious and secular, LGBT and straight, rich and poor, we all stand as one rainbow nation."

He continued: "As South Africans we accept that people with LGBT orientations have rights to dignity and freedom, as indeed all other South Africans."

Ntlha said: "The Jesus Anderson claims he comes to South Africa to preach, taught, 'For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life'."

Referring to Anderson's response to criticisms from Home Affairs minister Malusi Gigaba, TEASA said it a tweet it could not "wait to see Anderson leave" and that South Africa had "enough bigotry" already. 

The Baptist Union of Southern Africa also distanced itself from Anderson and Faithful Word Baptist Church, saying it was an "independent fundamentalist church".

Spokesman Mark Penrith said Anderson's church was not a member church of the Baptist Union of Southern Africa nor was the Baptist Union of Southern Africa in any way associated with it.

In a statement, Penrith said neither the Faithful Word Baptist Church, nor Anderson, were in South Africa by invitation of any of the member churches of the Baptist Union of Southern Africa.

"They are an independent church, not affiliated with any denomination. They have achieved notoriety for strong protests and hate speech against homosexuals," he said.