Christian pastor dropped by radio network stands by advice to grandmother on attending LGBTQ wedding

Pastor Alistair Begg said he is "not ready to repent" after his advice to a grandmother last year to attend her grandchild's LGBTQ wedding created an uproar in some Christian circles.

Begg, the senior pastor at Parkside Church near Cleveland, Ohio, addressed the backlash that led to one Christian network dropping his daily broadcast while giving a sermon on the parable of the prodigal son to his congregation on Sunday.

He compared the proud attitude of the older brother in the story to the attitude some Christians display towards nonbelievers and argued they are not living out Jesus's command to "love your enemies."

That "is the context" for his conversation with the grandmother, he explained. Begg added that he was primarily concerned about the woman maintaining her relationship with her grandchild and would not necessarily give the same advice in another situation.

‘THE BIBLE RECAP’ HOST AMAZED AFTER TAKING TOP SPOT ON APPLE CHARTS: ‘JUST COULDN’T BELIEVE IT'

Christian pastor Alistair Begg defended his comments about Christians attending same-sex weddings in his recent sermon before his Ohio congregation. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

"If I was on the receiving end of another question about another situation from another person at another time, I may answer absolutely differently. But in that case, I answered in that way, and I would not answer in any other way no matter what anybody says on the internet as of the last ten days," he explained.

The pastor stood by his comments, saying that while "I repent daily" for things he shouldn't say, this wasn't one of them.

"But the fact of the matter is, I'm not ready to repent over this. I don't have to," he continued.

Begg went on to say that Christians should neither stay silent, nor rebuff people who identify as LGBTQ.

CHRISTIAN SCHOLAR SUES BIBLE COLLEGE AFTER BEING FIRED OVER SOCIAL MEDIA POST ON HOMOSEXUALITY

Pastor Alistair Begg responded to backlash over his same-sex wedding comments. (Truth For Life/Getty Images)

"We can disagree about whether I gave that grandmother good advice or not… but at least let's acknowledge the fact that what we're doing is wrestling with Biblical principles. And when the principle, for, let's say, holiness of life, comes up against the principle of love for your enemy, how are you going to put that together?" he asked.

"What happens to homosexual people, in my ‘experience,’ is that they are either reviled or they are affirmed," he continued. "The Christian has to say, ‘We will not treat you in either of those ways. We cannot revile you, but we cannot affirm you. And the reason that we can't revile you is the same reason why we can't affirm you, because of the Bible, because of God's love, because of His grace, because of His goodness.’"

The controversy stemmed from comments Begg made to a grandmother on his Bible teaching program, "Truth for Life," last September.

He advised a grandmother to attend her grandson's wedding to his transgender fiancé, as long as the grandson knew already that she was not "affirming" his life choices.

"As long as he knows that, then I suggest that you do go to the ceremony. And I suggest that you buy them a gift," he relayed.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Christians need to neither affirm nor refile homosexuals, Alistair Begg said. (Photo by Luiz C. Ribeiro for NY Daily News via Getty Images)

The pastor explained his belief that attending a same-sex wedding was a matter of personal conviction. But by attending the wedding, the grandmother would be building a bridge to continue sharing the Gospel with her grandson, he argued.

Begg's advice spurred backlash after the comments resurfaced on social media in recent weeks.

The American Family Association announced last week that its radio ministry, American Family Radio, would no longer carry his daily program. 

The American Family Association defended the decision in a statement to Fox News Digital.

"American Family Radio has aired Pastor Alistair Begg’s Bible teaching for over a decade. Recently, it came to our attention that Pastor Begg made statements that were unbiblical and fail to line up with the decades of faithful adherence to Scripture that listeners have come to expect from him," the AFA explained.

"At American Family Association, we believe it to be an act of unfaithfulness to God to attend a ceremony that celebrates any union outside of the biblical model of marriage as being between one man and one woman. Members of our leadership team held a call with Alistair Begg’s team and were unsuccessful in convincing them of his error. As a result of this, we will no longer air Pastor Alistair Begg’s Truth for Life program," the statement continued.

Alistair Begg's ministry declined to comment on being dropped by American Family Radio.