Examine individual changes

''''Rick Scarborough''' is a Christian political advocate and former Southern Baptist pastor from Pearland, Texas, who heads Recover America and Recover America Action. Rick Scarborough received a B.A. from [[Houston Baptist University]],<ref name="visionbio">[http://visionamerica.us/?page_id=1499 Vision America biography]</ref> in 1978 he received a [[Master of Divinity|M.Div.]] from [[Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary]],<ref name=Post>Murray, Shailagh. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/07/AR2005050701266_pf.html "Filibuster Fray Lifts Profile of Minister: Scarborough Has Network and Allies"], ''[[The Washington Post]]'', May 8, 2005. Accessed December 19, 2007</ref> and a [[Doctor of Ministry|D.Min.]] from the unaccredited [[Louisiana Baptist Theological Seminary]] in 1996.<ref name=Post/> From 1990 to June 2002, he served as the senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Pearland in [[Houston, Texas]]. In 1998, he founded [[Vision America]]. He has been involved with [[Focus on the Family]]. In 2016 Dr. Scarborough gave the reins of Vision America to a subordinate and took a position in Washington DC as the Skyline DC Executive Director, with the assignment to create Bible studies with governmental officials. He conducted studies with members of Congress, the State Department, and the Pentagon, as well as personally discipling members of the World Bank. After Beto O’Rourke came within 1.6 percentage points of defeating Senator Cruz, Dr. Scarborough moved back to Texas to mobilize pastors. That event was the catalyst for Dr. Scarborough to return to Houston and start Recover America Now! He has traveled extensively and is viewed by some conservative leaders as the [[Christian right]] leader in 2006 and in 2008.<ref name=LATimes>[http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-churchvote1oct01,0,7179475.story?coll=la-home-headlines "Pastors Guiding Voters to GOP"] Stephanie Simon ''The LA Times'' from the October 2, 2006 print edition. URL accessed 10/16/2006</ref><ref name=LexingtonHeraldLeader>[http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/nation/15585287.htm "Christian conservatives mobilize to rev up values voters"] Matt Stearns ''[[Lexington Herald-Leader]]'', September 25, 2006</ref> ==Views== Scarborough advocates for [[Christian right]] political values.<ref name=NPRrelandpol>[https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1030543 "Religion and Politics in America"] Morning Edition, ''NPR'' October 22, 1996 John Burnett URL accessed 05/09/2006</ref> He was quoted on [[Christiane Amanpour|Christiane Amanpour's]] documentary series "''[[God's Warriors]]''" on [[CNN]] as saying, "I'm not a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]], I'm not a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]]. I'm a Christocrat. My allegiance is to [[Jesus Christ]]".<ref>{{cite news | title =New Report Says Iraq's Leaders Are Unable to Govern; Interview With Barack Obama | url =http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0708/23/sitroom.02.html | work=CNN}}</ref><ref name="Wolraich2010">{{cite book|author=Michael Wolraich|title=Blowing Smoke: Why the Right Keeps Serving Up Whack-job Fantasies about the Plot to Euthanize Grandma, Outlaw Christmas, and Turn Junior Into a Raging Homosexual|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lttzgekm4FMC|year=2010|publisher=Da Capo Press|isbn=0-306-81937-6|page=251}}</ref> He has said, "America is at war with the devil", and he supports "voting Biblically."<ref name="Walker2010">{{cite book|author=Barbara G. Walker|title=Man Made God: A Collection of Essays|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xij7pzsaI5sC|date=April 2010|publisher=Stellar House Publishing|isbn=978-0-9799631-4-8|page=244}}</ref> In 2006, he criticized former [[United States Ambassador to the United Nations|Ambassador to the United Nations]] and [[United States Senate|U.S. Senator]] [[John Danforth]] for supporting [[embryonic stem cell research]].<ref name="Kaylor2007">{{cite book|author=Brian Kaylor|title=For God's Sake Shut Up!: Lessons for Christians on how to Speak Effectively and when to Remain Silent|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PMDxMhykeGcC|date=1 January 2007|publisher=Smyth & Helwys Pub.|isbn=978-1-57312-485-0|page=30}}</ref> He has publicly supported Justice [[Antonin Scalia]].<ref name="UtterTrue2004">{{cite book|author1=Glenn H. Utter|author2=James L. True|title=Conservative Christians and Political Participation: A Reference Handbook|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4lGEFFIuNG4C|date=1 January 2004|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-85109-513-1|page=79}}</ref> Scarborough opposes [[same-sex marriage]], describing it as a sign America is moving "closer to hell"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.texasmonthly.com/burka-blog/hell-satan-and-ghost-past|title=Hell, Satan and a Ghost from the Past|work=Texas Monthly|date=23 Mar 2015|author=R.G. Ratcliffe}}</ref> and told [[E. W. Jackson]] he is willing to be burned to death opposing gay rights.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/rick-scarborough-ready-burn-death-fight-gay-marriage|title=Rick Scarborough Is Ready To Burn To Death To Fight Gay Marriage|publisher=People for the American Way|work=Right Wing Watch}}</ref> After the [[U.S. Supreme Court]] effectively legalized [[Same-sex marriage in the United States]] with the ''[[Obergefell v. Hodges]]'' decision, the media reported that Scarborough had not set himself on fire.<ref>{{cite web|title=Pastor Vows to Burn over Same Sex Marriage|quote=A former Baptist minister, who reportedly vowed to set himself on fire if the high court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage, is still alive.|url=http://www.nbc12.com/story/29421168/pastor-vows-to-burn-over-same-sex-marriage|work=NBC 12}}</ref> He describes AIDS as "God's judgement"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.news.com.au/world/right-wing-tea-party-leader-rick-scarborough-wants-to-sue-gays-in-class-action/story-fndir2ev-1226743178924|title=Right-Wing Tea Party leader Rick Scarborough wants to sue gays in class action|work=News.com.au|date=20 Oct 2013}}</ref> and supports filing class-action lawsuits against homosexuals for "subjecting people to becoming AIDS sufferers".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/scarborough-we-need-class-action-lawsuit-against-homosexuality|title=Scarborough: We Need A Class Action Lawsuit Against Homosexuality|work=Right Wing Watch|publisher=People for the American Way}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://gawker.com/tea-party-leader-wants-to-file-class-action-suit-agains-1447931487|title=Tea Party Leader Wants to File Class Action Suit Against Homosexuality|work=Gawker|date=18 Oct 2013}}</ref><ref name="Dawkins2008">{{cite book|author=Richard Dawkins|title=The God Delusion|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yq1xDpicghkC|date=16 January 2008|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|isbn=0-547-34866-5|pages=45–46}}</ref><ref>'Far Right: Saving America from Gays', in ''The Advocate'', May 9, 2006, p. 16 ({{cite book|author=Here Publishing|title=The Advocate|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3WQEAAAAMBAJ|date=9 May 2006|publisher=Here Publishing|page=16|issn=0001-8996}})</ref> Concerning the decision of Texas Governor [[Rick Perry]] to vaccinate all 6th grade girls against those HPV strains that are most likely to produce cancer after infection, Scarborough said, "Nor we can not overlook the moral dimension. The governor's action seems to signify that God's moral law regarding sex outside of marriage can be transgressed without consequence."<ref name=Economist>[http://www.economist.com/world/na/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8677214 "God, sex, drugs, and politics"] The Economist</ref><ref>[http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/02-06-2007/0004521595&EDATE= PRNewsWire]</ref> He has been accused of not being a real [[Baptist Church|Baptist]].<ref name="Balmer2007">{{cite book|author=Randall Balmer|title=Thy Kingdom Come: How the Religious Right Distorts Faith and Threatens America|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vlzhyEqbqa8C|date=1 March 2007|publisher=Basic Books|isbn=978-0-465-00371-6|page=46}}</ref> ==Bibliography== *''Enough is Enough'' (1996) {{ISBN|0-88368-465-9}} *''It All Depends on What "Is" Is'' (1998) *''Mixing Church and State'' (1999) *''Judicial Tyranny'' (contributing author) (2005) {{ISBN|0-9753455-6-7}} *''Liberalism Kills Kids'' (2006) ==References== {{Reflist|2}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Scarborough, Rick}} [[Category:American Christian writers]] [[Category:American evangelists]] [[Category:Baptist writers]] [[Category:Christian fundamentalism]] [[Category:Houston Baptist University alumni]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Louisiana Baptist University alumni]] [[Category:People from Pearland, Texas]] [[Category:Southern Baptist ministers]] [[Category:Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary alumni]] [[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]'