Former Navy chaplain: Gingrich 'worthy of death' for supporting marriage equality: UPDATED

A disgraced former Navy chaplain says that former Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich recently embraced marriage equality for LGBT people because he has been influenced by "demonic voices" and is now "worthy of death" just like all homosexuals.

In an interview with The Huffington Post following President Barack Obama's re-election, the former House Speaker had said that Republicans needed to understand that "gay relationships will be legal, period" and that conservatives should "accommodate and deal with reality."

Right Wing Watch on Thursday noted that former Navy chaplain Gordon Klingenschmitt had tried to make sense of Gingrich's reversal in his most recentThe Pray in Jesus Name Show broadcast.

"Newt is now pandering to the left," Klingenschmitt explained. "He is moving away from the church to position himself as the left-wing moderate Republican candidate for a run for presidency in 2016."

The chaplain revealed that Gingrich has personally called him during his 2012 presidential run, but declined to follow his advice to reach out to evangelical pastors.

"But now he doesn't even care," Klingenschmitt complained. "Now he's pandering to the homosexual vote. I don't understand that. It makes me concerned."

Klingenschmitt continued by warning that the Bible says that "homosexual acts are worthy of death."

"It's not like Newt is personally engaging in homosexual activity, but the Bible condemns him now because he takes pleasure in those that do that sort of thing," he insisted. "When the Bible condemns his endorsement of homosexual sin then he has become one of the sinners condemned by Romans, Chapter 1."

"What are the voices that are whispering in Newt Gingrich's ear? In the back of his mind he hears this, on one side is the Spirit of God, saying, 'Newt, stand for righteousness, traditional marriage.' One the other side there's this voice that's tempting him, 'Oh, you might be able to get more votes on the left if you pander to homosexual sin.'"

Klingenschmitt concluded: "So, he discerning the spirits and he manifests the demonic voice by saying, 'It's not really a sin, we ought to endorse this.'"

Watch this video from The Pray In Jesus Name Show, uploaded Jan. 3, 2013.

UPDATE (1/6/2013): On Friday, January 4, 2013, former Navy chaplain Gordon Klingenschmitt emailed Raw Story the following response to this article:

This is an official legal notice. Cease and desist.

You are in violation of copyright laws and defamation laws, for misquoting (and copying) protected content owned by my corporation.

I have never, never said, as you misquoted me:

"A disgraced former Navy chaplain says that former Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich recently embraced marriage equality for LGBT people because he has been influenced by “demonic voices” and is now “worthy of death” just like all homosexuals."

Specifically I did not say Newt is worthy of death.

Your intentional twisting of my words, attributed in quotes, as if I said them, is highly defamatory.

Your reference to the PFAW video is also in violation of copyright laws, and constitutes theft, since PFAW illegally copied my video, removed my web-site, and replaced it with their own web-site on the video, as if they (and now you) are the producer and owner of my TV show content.

You have infringed upon, and illegally reproduced, copyrighted video material which I own.

I respectfully demand you remove this entire post within 24 hours, or face a lawsuit for copyright infringement, theft of my content, and defamation:

This is your official legal notice.

And by the way, I wasn't disgraced, since my stand for liberty was vindicated by the U.S. Congress, who changed the law for which I was wrongly persecuted.

Proof documents and details here.

Klingenschmitt's original 28:31 minute video, which begins with an advertisement for his ministry is embedded below. The original quotes by Klingenschmitt, transcribed above, appear at 4:58 (“Newt is now pandering to the left"), 6:00 (“Now he’s pandering to the homosexual vote"), 6:12 ("homosexual acts are worthy of death"), 6:28 (It's not like Newt is engaging in homosexual activity, but the Bible condemns him now because he takes pleasure in those that do that sort of thing"), 6:44 ("he has become one of the sinners condemned by Romans, Chapter 1") and 6:51 ("What are the voices that are whispering in Newt Gingrich’s ear?"). The reference to Klingenschmitt's conversations with Gingrich begin at 5:40.

According to a press release on his own site, referenced in a second email to Raw Story, Klingenshmitt says he send similar notices to the "Huffington Post, Queerty.com, RawStory.com, and the anti-Christian group People for the American Way (PFAW)," although he calls Huffington Post "a left-wing, almost Communist newspaper" in the video at issue.

In the same press release, Klingenschmitt writes, "The original video of what the Chaplain DID say in context is posted around the 5 minute mark, here, without apology."

Klingenschmitt's second email to Raw Story, which arrived on Sunday January 6, 2013, read as follows:

Dear RawStory editors, (second legal notice),

Will you issue a retraction of your false report?

Or must we go to court, and you can pay my lawyers?

HuffPo has already issued their retraction.

I have named RawStory.com as liable in my press release, here.

Huffington Post's update here reads: "UPDATE: Gordon Klingenschmitt wrote HuffPost to clarify that he never said he believes Newt Gingrich to be worthy of death. According to the video, however, he did state that the Bible holds 'homosexual acts are worthy of death' and that the Bible also equally condemns those who 'take pleasure in those who do that sort of thing.'"