Pforzheim Baptist church prays for the death of a theologian

On July 30, a preacher asked God to kill Lothar Gassmann, the theologian of the Pforzheim Bible Church. Not only did he ask for Gassmann's death, but he also requested that God would "break all his bones before he went to hell", PRO reports. The prayer was recorded on video and published on YouTube. Now, it has been deleted.

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According to SWR.de, the police have started an investigation against the Baptist Church Reliable Word. The case has been forwarded to the public prosecutor.

Disgrace

Gassmann tells PRO that it is not the first time that the Baptist Church Reliable Word has attacked him and his congregation. Earlier, he was called a "falls teacher", a "disgrace of Pforzheim", and a "son of hell". However, this is the first time the theologian actually received a death threat from the congregation. It left him "shocked and trembling."

The conflict between the theologian and the Baptist church is based on a difference in teachings. Hot potatoes are, for example, the question of whether salvation can be lost and whether faith must produce good works.

Gassmann can imagine that the Baptist Church Reliable Word will be banned in the future. He calls the group a "disgrace to all of Christianity", he tells PRO. Yet, he also "prays that its members will connect love and truth."

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Hate speech

Since March, the public prosecutor in Germany has been investigating the founder of the Baptist Church Reliable Word, the American preacher Anselm Urban. He is suspected of hate speech. The church has repeatedly called for the death penalty for homosexual people, Jesus.de writes.

Also, the Baden-Württemberg Office for the Protection of the Constitution has been monitoring the church since the end of June. The reason for this monitoring is also the calls for violence and hate speech against homosexuals.