EXCLUSIVE: THE WEDDING’s OFF! BRAD PITT FAMILY CAUGHT IN A GAY SCANDAL

Pitt_stry

Heartbroken ANGELINA JOLIE is refusing to wed long­time lover BRAD PITT because of a shocking gay scandal engulfing his family, The ENQUIRER has learned.

The 38-year-old “Tomb Raider” beauty has been fighting nonstop with Pitt over his parents’ and siblings’ dedication to a church with a hate-mongering pastor who rails against gays and preaches that homosexuality dishonors God.

Angie, who has six chil­dren with Brad and has been with him for 10 years, is so furious over the Pitts’ devotion to a church with a controversial preacher that she refuses to move ahead with plans for Hollywood’s Wedding of the Century. And an ENQUIRER special inves­tigation reveals the depth of the Pitt family’s support of and their regular attendance at the outspoken pastor’s Springfield, Mo., church.

“Angie is completely broken up over the situation involving Brad’s family and their church,” a source close to the couple told The ENQUIRER. “It destroyed their plans for the wedding, at least for the time being, and had her in tears.

“Sobbing, she told Brad in no uncertain terms, ‘If you won’t talk to your family about this, I will! I’m not going to marry into a hateful situation like this!’”

Jolie and her 50-year-old lover are famous for their pro-gay-marriage stance.

Previously, the “World War Z” star has publicly declared that he and his “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” leading lady would only tie the knot when ho­mosexuals were also legally allowed to marry.

BUT The ENQUIRER has learned that Pitt’s mom Jane, dad Bill, brother Doug, sister Julie and their children are in­volved in Springfield’s controversial James River Church.

The pastor, John Lindell, has been blasted for spreading hate by blasting gay lifestyle and vehemently opposing gay anti-dis­crimination legislation related to sexual orientation.

Lindell preaches that homosexuality “dishonors God” and compares it to other disgraceful, human failings such as “greed, anger, gambling and chemical dependence.”

A group of 23 other local pastors have slammed Lindell for his hateful remarks and urged him to change his stance. But he refuses.

The church’s controversial, ultra-right views burst into the public eye in July 2012 during the heated presiden­tial election between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. Obama supporters Jolie and Pitt were shocked when his 73-year-old mother Jane sent a let­ter to the Springfield “News-Leader” newspaper praising Romney for his anti-abortion stance and his “Christian conviction concerning homosexuality,” while harshly criticizing Obama.

Her remarks outraged the Hollywood lovebirds – especially Jolie.

“Angie freaked out over his mother’s views,” revealed a source close to the ac­tress. “She was almost tearing her hair out over Jane’s words.

“She thought they were so hateful.”

The ENQUIRER later revealed that Jane fueled the feud with her future daughter-in-law by buying Jolie an engraved Bible as a wedding present, which the actress could use to save her soul, sources say.

Kristopher Burnett, a salesclerk at Mardel Christian Bookstore in Springfield, Mo., told The ENQUIRER that he sold Jane the Bible and prayed with her for Brad and Angelina’s well-being. But after Angie heard about Jane’s prayer, she went nuts! “It added insult to injury,” said an insider.

Angelina, who was raised in a Catho­lic home but adheres to no specific faith, was offended because the gift implied she needed saving.

To dig deeper into the ongoing con­flict, The ENQUIRER visited the James River Church and spoke to Pastor Lin­dell, who said the Pitt family is beloved in the area.

“They are regular church attendees,” he said. “They are awesome people. I’ve known (Brad’s brother) Doug for years. As a family, they are deeply caring.”

Pastor Lindell refused to comment further, but a junior pastor who gave his name only as Josh, expanded on the church’s views of homosexuality being a sin. “Christians differ in their views about it, but that’s a general view in Springfield,” said the junior pastor. “Most Evangelical church Christians would hold to that belief (homosexual­ity is a sin).”

Thousands of worshippers attend James River each Sunday morn­ing where Pastor Lindell delivers two rousing sermons to

 the packed auditorium. When approached after church on Sunday by The ENQUIRER, Julie Neal, Brad’s sister, declined to comment on her famous sibling or their mother’s infamous newspaper letter. She would only say she loves Brad and An­gelina.

When the couple visits the Pitt homestead, his family deliberately avoids bringing up anything about their church or Pastor Lindell. But now, the celebrity couple is being urged by gay rights advo­cates to come to Springfield’s gay pride festival in June and publicly support them.

The Pitt family attended a different church while Brad was growing up but switched to James River several years ago.

IN a 2011 interview, the actor hinted at the discord his family’s religious con­victions have caused him. “I grew up Southern Baptist, and then the family switched over to more of an evangelical movement, probably right around the time I was in late high school,” he said.

“I don’t mind a world with religion in it. There are some beautiful tenets within all reli­gions. What I get hot about is when they start dictating how other people must live. You grow up in a religion like that and you try to pray the gay away. I feel sadness for people like that.”

Sources told The ENQUIRER that Brad’s gay scandal comes hot on the heels of other problems between Hollywood’s golden couple. They report­edly squared off in a major fight in late March after Brad partied into the wee hours in Los Angeles with his rocker pals, the Kings of Leon, while An­gie stayed home with their children.

All hell broke loose when Pitt finally stumbled through the door at 4 a.m. and Angie exploded in a rage, blasting his bachelor-style antics, according to sources.

Rather than backing down, Brad reportedly told Angelina he had no regrets about his night out.

Happily, there is one person who will always forgive Brad – his mom, according to Doug Pitt’s brother-in-law Gregg Stancer.

“Jane loves Brad very much,” he told The EN­QUIRER. “He’s going to have his opinions, and his mother is going to have hers – but he’s her boy.”