Lisa Wilkinson gave the head of the Australian Christian Lobby a tough grilling during Sunday night’s The Project.
Martyn Iles refused to give a straight answer when Lisa asked him if he agreed with disgraced former Wallabies star Israel Folau that gay people are going to hell.
WATCH Lisa Wilkinson launch a blistering attack on Christian Lobby leader:
“Martyn, just quickly before we let you go — speaking of feeling marginalised, do you believe that homosexuals go to hell?” the former Today host asked.
Iles responded that the “mainstream Christian belief on this is that all of us are born going to hell”. “We’re all sinners and I don’t think it’s helpful to say that Israel Folau’s post targeted homosexuals — it didn’t,” he said.
“I was on the list. I think each of us were on the list. We’re all sinners. We will be judged by God and we will be found wanting. I think that’s something that some Australians find offensive.
“But it is actually a Christian belief which runs to the very heart, soul and core of Christianity. And yeah, we’ll be judged on our sexual behaviours. Me, as a straight man, will be judged on my sexual behaviours and found wanting.
“And that’s what Israel was saying when he was talking about salvation in Jesus Christ available to all, and millions of Australians believe that. So if we want to argue about that set of beliefs, we should actually argue about it.
“But I don’t think that the politically correct baseball bat should be wielded to do a guy out of a job, pull the rug out from under his feet, get rid of his salary, then drag his name through the mud in the media. That’s not the kind of society I think we should live in to deal with issues like this.”
When pushed by co-host Hamish Macdonald to be more clear on whether he thinks homosexual people go to hell, Iles responded: “I don’t think it’s that simple. I think we decline the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, and will be judged.”
Iles’ Christian Lobby group was backing a controversial crowd-funding push by Israel Folau – which raised nearly $700,000 before being shut down earlier on today – to help pay his legal fees against Rugby Australia and Rugby NSW after he wrote an Instagram post stating “hell awaits” homosexuals.
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