Expert: Tamaki not alone in anti-gay views

Brian Tamaki has been in the headlines again for his "gaypower" comments. Photo / RDP

A religious expert claims controversial preacher Brian Tamaki is not the only Christian group leader promoting anti-gay views.

The Destiny Church leader has been in the headlines once again after stating at the "Born in the Fire conference" that "gaypower" is the biggest problem facing the world, and is making an entire generation of children bisexual.

"Gaypower, that spirit is so powerful it's changing political institutions and half of them don't even want it, but they're forced to," Tamaki said.

Peter Lineham, a historian of religion at Massey University, believes conservative Christianity is becoming increasingly divided from mainstream society, and is exhibiting "fear, and nervousness, and uncertainty about the way the world's going."

He said some other New Zealand churches are presenting similar anti-gay messages without being called out.

Lineham claimed Tamaki's lecture is being used as a distraction from internal problems facing the church.

"Lots of things haven't work out well for him," Lineham said. "This year he didn't get the money for the schools, it wasn't brought into the integrated system."

"Who's to blame? It's never him."

Yesterday, Green MP Jan Logie said Tamaki's attack was "astonishing", and that Tamaki had a warped view of the world if love between two people could be described as the biggest problem facing humanity.

"I speak for myself when I say I find it offensive that my identity as a person and who I am is being described as something that is open to influence by political whim," she said.

"He seems to be reverting to messages of hate as a way of trying to gain support for his own mission."

Tamaki, who runs Destiny Church with his wife Hannah, has been under fire in recent for years for the tithes the church expects from its congregants who are often lower down the socio-economic ladder.

In 2005, Tamaki led a march of followers through Wellington demanding an end to the Civil Unions Bill. The black-shirted marchers, who chanted "enough is enough" drew comparisons with Nazi Stormtroopers at the time.