Revered Caleb J Lines, who Rowan Dean described as making “satanic comments” on Sunday, has responded to the Sky New host’s commentary describing it as “gas-lighting”.

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Gas-lighting can be defined as twisting someone’s comments or accusing of them of doing something wild that they are not doing.

On the Sky News program Outsiders Dean played a clip from a sermon that the San Diego based religious leader delivered during Pride month last July.

Reverend Lines church is one that embraces LGBTIQA+ people, and in the sermon, he spoke about his belief that all people are made in the image of God regardless of their race, ethnicity, disabilities, sexuality or gender.

“God is gay” Reverend Lines says in the short clip. “God is a lesbian, God is trans, God is gender non-binary, God is straight, God is cis-gender.”

He then goes to list a wide range of attributes.

“God is black, God White, God is Middle Eastern, God is Asian, God is differently abled, mentally and physically, God is able-bodied. God is you, and you are God, because you are a reflection of God’s divine image.”  Reverend Lines said. The clip was lifted from the final moments of a fourteen-minute-long sermon.

Dean said from a theological point of view Lines was pulling a “sleight of hand” trick.

“My understanding of the Bible, the Jewish bible, and the Tora is that man was made in the image of God.” Dean said, with co-host James Morrow calling out “Bingo!” in agreement.

“The sleight of hand there that this clown has pulled is that he’s twisted it round and gone that God is made in the image of man, or woman, or trans, or this, or that, or whatever else, and therefore any human behaviour is Godlike.

‘That to me from a theological point of view…is satanic, it’s satanism, it’s the flipside of what the Christian and Jewish religions are about.” Dean said.

@revdrcalebjlines Let me respond to the Sky News Australia commentator Rowan Dean, who suggested that I’m a Satanist who argues that any action is morally permissible… @@skynews@@skynewsaust@@skynewsaustralia##progressive##progressivechristian##progressiveclergy##progressivechristians##exvangelical##christiantiktok##exvangelicaltiktok##liberal##liberalchristian##liberalchristian##liberalchristians##lgbtchristian##lgbt🌈##lovewins🏳️‍🌈##progressivechristianity##gaychristian ♬ original sound – Rev. Dr. Caleb J. Lines

In a video posted to TikTok Reverend Lines responded saying it was the Sky News host who was twisting things.

“Here the commentator is gas-lighting by suggesting that when I say ‘we all a reflection of God’s divine image, that God is within all of us, and we are all a part of God, that any action is morally permissible. That’s not what I’m saying – at all.”

“Jesus gave us the criterion of love, he told us that God is love, and the way we come to know God is by loving one and other. That means that all of our actions must pass the criterion of love. If we’re going to talk about something like murder then obviously that person is rejecting the divine image because they are not acting in a loving way.

“That is completely different from someone who is involved in a consensual same gender relationship, that is a loving relationship. That is love, God is in the midst of that. It is a gift from God.

“It’s funny how anything resembling inclusion is automatically deemed “satanic” or “heresy” by Christian fundamentalists and the alt-right, but the command to love your neighbor as yourself is completely ignored.

“The same is true if we’re talking about someone living into the gender that they have always felt that they were. They are living into who God created them to be. That is a living act, and so is affirming them.

Lines said he could understand how commentors could be confused, “It’s easy to be confused if you have a TV show and no theological training.”

Speaking to OUTinPerth Reverend Lines he believed radical inclusion was the right approach for Christians.

“Radical inclusion–especially of the LGBTQ+ community–is one of the most Christ-like responses Christians can embrace.  People have been consistently marginalised because of their sexual orientation and gender identity…and the Church has played an active role in this oppression and needs to repent.

“Christians believe that we are, each of us, created in God’s divine image and thus my message affirming that belief is entirely consistent with Christian theology.  Furthermore, the command to love one another as God has first loved us was given to us by Jesus, himself.” Reverend Lines told OUTinPerth.

Graeme Watson 

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