"It takes a screw and a nut!": This is a sermon?

Call me naive or oblivious, but when I first heard the audio recording of a sermon given by Reverend Willie Wilson of the Union Temple Baptist Church in SE Washinton D.C. from July 3, 2005, I didn't think it real. In it, Wilson says that "Lesbianism" is rampant because of this little tale of woe:

My son in high school last year tried to go to the prom. He said, 'Dad, I ain't got nobody to take to the prom because all the girls in my class are gay. Ain't but two of 'em straight, and both of them ugly.'

The example is ridiculous to begin with, but apparently Wilson made up this scenario (according to the investigative work of the Washington City Paper, Wilson's only high school-age son had a girlfriend at the time of the prom, and he was a junior when this senior's-only prom occurred).

I first heard the explosive sermon over winter break and harkened upon it again this past week when I wanted to prove how nutty evangelicized sermons are. In the recorded excerpt, Wilson's only reference to the bible as evidence that homosexuality is unnatural is to say that "god made them male and female." On the contrary, his prime way of proving that it is unnatural is by scrutinizing presumed gay sexual practices (I won't quote Wilson here, but you can go to this website to hear his explicitness or just click here for the audio file). If Wilson hadn't been so concerned with detailing sexual practices, he could have referenced a more specific part of the bible that condemns or at least questions homosexuality (Leviticus 18:22), but he would also have to acknowledge that there are bible passages which support stoning as punishment (see here) and that sanction slavery (which the pro-slavery movement in the U.S., like Jefferson Davis, used as their backup).

The most fascinating thing about Wilson's spewings is how ridiculous it makes his religion look. For people like me, who know little about Baptism, we may open our newspapers one day to read quotes from a sermon that seem much more like the ramblings of a crazy man than any sort of reflection on teachings of the Christian faith. Having taken a few seconds to watch televangelists beg for money, sweat profusely, cry, and "heal" congregants while flipping channels, I can only but continue to be amazed at what people in this country call worship. All of the insanity suggests even more that those who are truly the most holy and honorable people are the ones who are most quiet about their religious beliefs.