Republican Ted Cruz sparred with a pastor over the Texas senator's opposition to Uganda's new anti-gay law.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni last month signed one of the world's most stringent anti-LGBTQ+ laws that includes the death penalty for "aggravated homosexuality," capital punishment for "serial offenders" of the law and transmission of HIV/AIDs through gay sex and a 20-year-sentence for promoting homosexuality, Reuters reported. The law has been met with condemnation from many Western governments and LGBTQ+ rights advocates.
The law comes amid what many advocates view as rising anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment in the United States and across the world. According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), at least 491 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced in the U.S. that, if passed, could undo years of progress. Across the globe, at least 11 other countries also allow the death penalty as a punishment for homosexuality, according to Human Dignity Trust. Meanwhile, 67 countries still criminalize same-sex activity.
Cruz has taken a stand against Uganda's law, calling it "horrific and wrong." He tweeted that any law criminalizing homosexuality is "grotesque & an abomination," urging "civilized" nations to condemn Uganda's law.
His stance was met with backlash from some conservatives. While condemnation came from both major political parties, some on the right have defended the law that implements the death penalty for some gay people.
Cruz on Monday responded to a pastor who criticized his opposition to Uganda's law.
Tom Ascol, pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Cape Coral, Florida, responded to Cruz's tweet calling out Uganda's law, writing: "Tell it to God, Ted," while citing a Bible verse frequently used to justify opposition to LGBTQ+ rights.
"'If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.'
—Leviticus 20:13. Was this law God gave to His old covenant people horrific and wrong"? he wrote.
Tell it to God, Ted.
— Tom Ascol @tomascol (@tomascol) May 30, 2023
"If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them."
—Leviticus 20:13
Was this law God gave to His old covenant people "horrific and wrong"? https://t.co/FZi2JolvQK
Cruz responded on Monday, writing that while he honors his ministry, he believes his "biblical analysis is in error."
"Jesus told us to 'render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.' We are talking the laws of man, not the Old Testament laws of God. Do you really believe that the US govt should execute every person who is gay??" he asked.
He also hit back with another question, pointing to another Leviticus verse that reads, "For anyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death."
"Should the govt execute every child who's disrespectful to his parents? That ignores Grace & the New Testament. As our Savior taught us, 'Let he that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her,'" he wrote.
Ascol told Newsweek he does not believe the U.S. government should execute gay people but that the point of his question was to "determine if the senator believes that when God criminalized homosexual conduct in the Old Testament that our Maker was guilty of prescribing a law horrific and grotesque law.
"I am grateful for Senator Cruz and welcome further conversation with him about these important matters," he said. "We live in a constitutional republic and both want what is best for the citizens of this nation. I am confident that, just as I am not interested in trying to recreate an Old Testament theocracy, he is not interested in having an amoral democracy. Our nation could benefit by having civil servants and theologians have more extended conversations on such matters."
Newsweek reached out to Cruz and Grace Baptist Church via email for comment.
Cruz has long touted himself as a conservative Republican, highlighting his religious beliefs throughout his political career. He has long opposed policies such as same-sex marriage but has embraced more moderate rhetoric on the issue than some of his GOP colleagues. The Dallas Morning News reported in August that Cruz has "softened" his stance on LGBTQ+ rights, as he said it is "reasonable" for people to support same-sex marriage.
Update 6/5/23, 4:50 p.m. ET: This story was updated with comment from Tom Ascol.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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