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Counsel Thyself

Rev. Matthew Makela, an associate pastor at St. John’s Lutheran Church and School in Midland, Mich., was clear about his condemnation of gays in his sermons and Facebook posts, saying that gay marriage destroys “natural marriage” and harms children. When counseling a teen church member suffering from depression, Makela told him it was because the boy was gay, and “If he was going to go to hell for being gay then he might as well go to hell by committing suicide,” Jennifer Kish said. The boy says he did consider killing himself, but didn’t, and Kish and her family quit the church over the incident. Makela isn’t preaching anymore: his Facebook page has been deleted, and his bio has been removed from the church’s web site after it was revealed that Makela — who is married and has five children — has been using the gay smartphone app Grindr to solicit sexual encounters with men. In one exchange, Makela noted he’s into “oral and massage” and likes to be the “top.” Makela confirmed leaked screenshots from his phone are authentic, and has resigned. (RC/Detroit Free Press) ...So he’s bisexual — both gay and anti-gay.