LGBT Community Protests Verity Baptist's Roger Jimenez
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) -- Hundreds showed up at Verity Baptist Church to protest after a North Sacramento pastor made anti-gay comments in last week's sermon. It was all in response to the Orlando nightclub shooting that took the lives of 49 people.
Supporters of the LGBT community have called the pastor's words "hate speech."
"If they will not stand with us against the homos, then they will not stand with us against anything," said Pastor Roger Jimenez of Verity Baptist Church.
Nearly 700 people gathered outside on Sunday morning as pastor Roger Jimenez delivered a dramatic Father's Day message inside.
"You guys need to man up, you need to act like men," he said to his congregation.
Supporters of the LGBT community were outraged over the pastor's words after the murders in Orlando last weekend. With bold signs and big chants, the protesters weren't shy about voicing their opinions.
"If he's taking everything literal, then he should know that you're not supposed to kill!" said Deacon Toni Washington from the United Church of Christ.
But Jimenez insists that his words are an expression of his beliefs and not a call to action.
"They can twist your words, I never said 'go become a vigilante,'" Jimenez said.
Outside, the pastor's supporters filed into the church with escorts. Washington said she couldn't understand why they'd want to hear Jimenez speak.
"I'm going to find weak people, with like minds," she said, speaking as Jimenez. "And I'm going to have them follow me. It's almost like a cult!"
Ramon Ventura happily walked through the crowd and told CBS13 he'd been looking forward to the sermon all week.
"You know, it's a shame that we live in a country where preaching the Bible is considered controversial or extreme," Ventura said, who made the trip to Sacramento from Temple, Arizona.
But Baker Peeples said the message Jimenez has preached doesn't come from a place of love or acceptance.
"When he said 'it's unfortunate that more people were not killed at this club,' how does that follow from any religious doctrine that more killing is what God wants?'"