T. D. Jakes' Position on Homosexuality is "Evolving"

By Timothy Yap Aug 10, 2015 07:08 AM EDT

Senior passtor of the megachurch The Potter's House and popular conference speaker T. D. Jakes' position on homosexuality is "evolving." The famous bishop used to describe homosexuality as "brokenness" has signalled his 'evolution' on LGBT rights.

Jakes confessed that his opinion on the subject has "evolved and evolving." "I think that where I am is to better understand we, the church, bought into the myth that this is a Christian nation," Jakes said. And once you get past that ...once you begin to understand that democracy, that a republic actually, is designed to be an overarching system to protect our unique nuances, then we no longer look to public policy to reflect biblical ethics."

Jakes believes that the church is slowly progressing and that the relationship between the church and the LGBT community is improving. ""I think that it's going to be diverse from church to church, every church has a different opinion on the issue and every gay person is different. And I think that to speak that the church, the Black church, the White church - or any kind of church you wanna call it - are all the same, is totally not true, " .

Jakes explained that while he believes churches have the right to worship as they see fit, LGBT people have the right to find places to worship that embrace them and their beliefs."LGBTs of different types and sorts have to find a place of worship that reflects what your views are and what you believe like anyone else," he said. "And the church should have its own convictions and values."

Once a hardline opponent of LGBT rights, his church was rocked by scandal in 2009 - when his own son was arrested for allegedly soliciting gay sex. However, he said any scriptural shift "has to go on behind the closed doors of the church", explaining: "I think in the mainstream America, we have a derogatory name to call you and I think it oversimplifies the complexity of the texts..."

In a sermon after the Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage, he said: "I'm not really as concerned about this as a lot of people are. I'm really not as concerned about it.

"I think that we should not lose our mind about the world being the world and the Church being the Church. This is not a news flash.

"The world is gonna be the world and the Church is gonna be the Church, and you have to understand the difference."

Watch the sermon below: