Texas pastor Rick Scarborough is willing to be burned to death to oppose gay marriage

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Move over, couple who promised to get a divorce if gay marriage was legalised, because one Texas pastor has taken his opposition to marriage equality one step further.

Rick Scarborough, a Baptist pastor and Christian political activist, has said he would be willing to be burned to death in his fight against gay rights.

He made the bizarre pledge while speaking to EW Jackson, a right-wing minister and politician, on the National Emergency Coalition show, a podcast linked to Jackson's group, Staying True to America's National Destiny (STAND).

Speaking about his commitment to traditional values in the face of public condemnation, Scarborough said: "We are not going to bow, we are not going to bend, and if necessary we will burn."

Scarborough did not specify whether he was talking about self-immolation, or being burned for his views by other people.

On the same show, the preacher made another pledge to sacrifice himself for his views, this time talking about the 'persecution' of lay Christians who oppose gay rights - such as the Oregon bakers who refused to make a cake for a gay wedding.

He said: "The preachers need to get out front, the leaders need to get out front, out front of these ordinary citizens and say: 'Shoot me first.'"

When not making boldly suicidal claims on internet radio shows, Scarborough can be found running Vision America, an organisation that aims to "inform, encourage and mobilise pastors and their congregations to be proactive in restoring Judeo-Christian values" to America.

He has previously called AIDS "God's judgement", and is the author of the 2006 book, Liberalism Kills Kids.