MICHAEL WEAR PROVIDES EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP TO THE ”  & (AND) CAMPAIGN ” WHICH INTENDS TO “DISRUPT AMERICAN ELECTIONS WITH STRONG BIBLICAL (social justice ) WITNESS” !

BY Rev Thomas Littleton                                                                                           10 -31-2019

As already shown in previous writings The Gospel Coalition has been in collaboration with the Obama administration’s Michael Wear. Those ties have now been strengthened going into the 202o election through several political alliances promoting social Justice and Moral Order -i e, Racial Equity – Religious Liberty in context with LGBTQ Rights- Socialized Healthcare – and Open Borders Immigration . Of course the 5 goals are placed in far more likable  terminology to evangelicals .

(Part 1 of this story here )

TGC EMPLOYS OBAMA “AMBASSADOR TO AMERICA’S BELIEVERS” FOR 2020

LEADERSHIP OF THE ” & Campaign”

https://andcampaign.org/leadership

MICHAEL
WEAR

(FROM & CAMPAIGN WEBSITE )

“Michael Wear serves as Chief Strategist and member of the executive leadership team for The AND Campaign. ”

“As one of President Obama’s “ambassadors to America’s believers” (Buzzfeed), Michael directed faith outreach for President Obama’s historic 2012 re-election campaign. Michael was also one of the youngest White House staffers in modern American history: he served in the White House faith-based initiative during President Obama’s first term, where he led evangelical outreach and helped manage The White House’s engagement on religious and values issues, including adoption and anti-human trafficking efforts.”

“He founded Public Square Strategies LLC, a consulting firm that helps religious organizations, political organizations, businesses and others effectively navigate the rapidly changing American religious and political landscape.”

“Michael is the author of Reclaiming Hope: Lessons Learned in the Obama White House About the Future of Faith in America. He also writes for The Atlantic, Christianity Today, USA Today, Relevant Magazine and other publications on faith, politics and culture. He holds an honorary position at the University of Birmingham’s Cadbury Center for the Public Understanding of Religion. He is also a Senior Fellow at The Trinity Forum. Michael and his wife, Melissa, are both proud natives of Buffalo, New York. They now reside in Washington, D.C.”

https://andcampaign.org/leadership

FOUNDERS

THE LAWYER | THE PASTOR | THE ARTIST

“Amidst the multitude of issues impacting the Church, the arts and the political landscape,  God led a Pastor, an Artist, and a Lawyer to gather a coalition of biblical Christians to engage in their context.  In doing so, the AND Campaign has united with faith leaders and influencers around the country that reflect biblical values and God’s heart for social justice.”

“& CAMPAIGN” DETAILS –

WATCH THE “TRUMP HAS FAILED ” NARRATIVE -LOOSE LANGUAGE ON PROGRESSIVE ISSUES ESPECIALLY ON ABORTION AND ASK – “HOW ARE TGC AND /TIM KELLER / RUSSELL MOORE/ ALBERT MOHLER / LIGON DUNCAN / MARK DEVER / D A CARSON SENIOR LEADERSHIP SUPPORTIVE OF THEIR YOUNG DISCIPLES INVOLVEMENT ?”

IS & CAMPAIGN THE POLITICS OF THE GOSPEL COALITION? APPEARS TO BE SO.

(FROM THE & CAMPAIGN WEBSITE )

2020 PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTION STATEMENT

PREAMBLE 

“The upcoming presidential election marks a significant decision point for our nation. This moral moment requires principled conviction from politicians, but even more so from the American people. Christians have a particular obligation to provide this moral leadership. No candidate will be perfect, but Christians can hold both parties accountable to a vision for the common good that is not fully represented in either party platform. “

“While a misappropriation of the separation between Church and State has sometimes been used to suggest people of faith are the only people who can’t consider their values when participating in politics, we know that both our faith and the demands of citizenship require that we bring our full selves to the project of self-governance. “

“Our Christian faith’s call to recognize the image of God in every person and to love our neighbor as ourselves compels us to speak into the public square to promote social justice and moral order. We have a spiritual responsibility as followers of Jesus to seek common ground and the common good. We are obligated to protect the vulnerable and defend human dignity even of those with whom we disagree. “

“At its best, the church should be a beacon of light to our nation, illuminating the systemic and institutional injustices that must be removed for our Union to thrive, while also modeling the possibility of a more just way. It should also be a moral anchor that refuses to sacrifice virtue and righteousness at the altar of political expediency. We have seen this in our past: When the mechanisms of government failed to disassemble slavery and later Jim Crow, church-led movements shocked and recalibrated the conscience of a derelict nation. Conversely, when the church has failed to act or has imposed its own injustices, the nation and the promise of democracy suffered dearly.”

“We assert the following convictions to the candidates seeking the presidential nominations of their political party, so that they know what we believe to be some of the primary issues facing our country and that they might respond to these concerns. And we state these convictions to our fellow Christians—indeed, all Americans—so that they might inform the way we advocate and vote in the upcoming election. “

THE HEALTH OF OUR DEMOCRACY 

“By disregarding standards of decency and good faith, the current administration has significantly lowered our nation’s discourse and endangered the political process. This president’s callousness—especially toward non-white Americans and vulnerable citizens—his fomenting of chaos as Commander-in-Chief, and his cavalier attitude toward rule of law and basic norms of civility all undermine social cohesion, civic trust, and our very democracy. “

RACE AND VOTER RIGHTS 

“America was built by enslaved people and immigrant workers who brought the country closer to its founding ideals through their sacrifices and protests. And yet racial discrimination has pervaded American public policy and the law since our nation’s inception, and its effects continue today. People of color still haven’t fully recovered from the War on Drugs and a myriad of other government sanctioned efforts that devastated communities and weakened families. We must address racial disparities in education, poverty-levels, healthcare, environmental quality, and the criminal justice system head on. Central to that effort must be the vigilant protection of voting rights. Voting should be fair, accessible, and convenient for all eligible American citizens, and enfranchisement should extend to former felons who have paid their debt to society. “

THE POOR AND PRO-FAMILY ECONOMIC POLICIES 

“America can’t disregard poor people in policymaking. We need creative anti-poverty policies that work in tandem with, not in opposition to, other institutions, including the family and the church. We believe in the dignity of work, and that workers should receive a livable wage. Education should be accessible and equitable for all children. Paid family leave and enhanced child tax credits are both family-oriented policies that relieve the burden on hard working parents and create opportunities for them to invest more time and resources into their children and loved ones. In order for families—and indeed, the nation—to thrive, women must be free from discrimination, harassment and abuse. “

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND LGBTQ RIGHTS 

“All attempts to remove more traditional religious beliefs from the public square should be opposed. We, like many other Americans, affirm the historic Christian sexual ethic, and we also believe that religious freedom and LGBTQ civil rights are not necessarily in irreconcilable conflict. Faith-based charities, hospitals and colleges should not have to choose between surrendering their convictions and closing their doors. At the same time, LGBTQ people should not lose jobs and housing because of how they identify. We must pursue ways to disagree and live together without bullying or compromising our conscience. Towards that end, we encourage all 2020 candidates to support the Fairness for All Act, which will grant basic civil rights for LGBTQ people while also protecting religious freedom for all faiths. “

IMMIGRATION 

“The Trump administration has failed to treat undocumented immigrants with dignity and care, especially at the U.S.-Mexico border. In light of God’s special concern for the immigrant and the sojourner, we are deeply dissatisfied with the federal government’s continued negligence when it comes to passing comprehensive immigration reform. The current administration’s willingness to use draconian, manipulative measures to stoke fear in immigrant communities and pit family members against one another is reprehensible. Our government must seek to be both just and compassionate regarding immigration policy, especially in protecting Dreamers and upholding longstanding laws regarding refugees fleeing violence, lawlessness and oppression. “

HEALTHCARE AND ABORTION 

“We believe in building a society that respects human dignity at all stages of life, including the unborn. This includes accessible and affordable health care for everyone. Americans should not go bankrupt because they get sick or die because their medication is exorbitantly expensive. This includes policies that support maternal health and address our nation’s high rate of maternal mortality, especially among Black and Native American women. It includes vigilant prosecution of pregnancy discrimination in education and the workplace. It is essential that the sanctity of human life at every stage, in particular in the womb, is defended vigorously. Abortion is a tragedy, not a social good, that should be vehemently discouraged rather than promoted. “

CONCLUSION 

“Our nation desperately needs Christians to live out their faith in this political sphere for the good of all Americans, and the 2020 presidential candidates need to hear, respond to, and respect our voice and earn our vote. Through advocacy and protest, we are committed to supporting candidates, no matter their political affiliation, when they promote civility and human dignity, and we will actively oppose politicians, policies, and parties when they undermine these values.”

2020 ELECTION AGENDA 

https://andcampaign.org/2020

https://www.facebook.com/andcampaign

PODCAST

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-church-politics-podcast/id1289898626?mt=2

“Mission

CAMPAIGN 5 POINTS

& CAMPAIGN ON STAGE WITH BLACK LIVES MATTER GRAPHICS

And Campaign

· March 12, 2016·

& CAMPAIGN AT MOODY BIBLE INSTITUTE

And Campaign

Like This Page · July 19, 2018· 

At Moody Bible Institute.

“URBAN PASTORS UNITE “

TGC AND & CAMPAIGN

A PLETHORA OF TGC LEADERS INVOLVED INCLUDING : 

(PHOTOS AND LISTINGS FROM “& CAMPAIGN “WEBSITE )

“The (&) Campaign Leadership Council is made up of men and women who are actively seeking to make a difference in their communities through their churches and other community organizations. Their godly character and Christ-like actions make them not only qualified but gives them authority to influence the moral and ethical sociopolitical spectrum within their local context. ”

John
Onwuchekwa https://andcampaign.org/leadership

( NEWLY ELECTED TO TGC ADVISORY COUNCIL AND SBC/9MARKS LEADER )

Council

John Onwuchekwa

“John Onwuchekwa (MA, Dallas Theological Seminary) is a pastor at Cornerstone Church in Atlanta, Georgia, and a Council member of The Gospel Coalition. He’s the author of Prayer: How Praying Together Shapes the Church. He and his wife, Shawndra, are the proud parents of one daughter, Ava.”

D.A.
Horton https://andcampaign.org/leadership

( KEY LEADER IN THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST NAMB “SEND NETWORK”)

D.A. Horton

“D.A. Horton serves as Lead Pastor of Reach Fellowship, a church plant in North Long Beach, California. He has written several books, including his upcoming book, Enter the Ring: Fighting Together for a Gospel-Saturated Marriage (2018). He and his wife, Elicia, live in California with their three children.”

 

Charlie Dates https://andcampaign.org/leadership

THE AUTHOR

Charlie Dates

“Charlie Dates is the senior pastor of Progressive Baptist Church in Chicago. Before his call to Progressive, he served as an apprentice pastor at New Zion Baptist Church in Rockford, Illinois, and as a pastor at Salem Baptist Church in Chicago. Charlie earned an MDiv and PhD at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, where his research focused on the burden of black preaching in late 20th-century Chicago. Charlie and his wife, Kristie, have two children.”

DATES RECENTLY SPOKE AT CHAPEL AT ALBERT MOHLER’S SBTS POSTED ON & CAMPAIGN WEBSITE .

The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary was live.Like Page

“Join us for the livestream of the Expositors Summit. During this first session we will hear from Charlie Dates, Senior Pastor of Progressive Baptist Church in Chicago, Illinois.”

 

Alan
Noble  https://andcampaign.org/leadership

Alan Noble

“Alan Noble, PhD, is the co-founder and managing editor at Christ and Pop Culture and assistant professor of English at Oklahoma Baptist University.”

Preston Perry  https://andcampaign.org/leadership

JACKIE HILL PERRY’S HUSBAND ( TGC FAVORITE ON LGBT /FAMILY ISSUES HUSBAND)

 

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/20-quotes-jackie-hill-perry/

Muche
Ukegbu (WHOSE CHURCH IS A TGC MEMBER )

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/church/the-brook/

Rasool  Berry https://andcampaign.org/leadership

Rasool Berry

“Rasool Berry is the leadership development pastor of the Bridge Church in Brooklyn, New York. He received his BA in Africana studies and sociology at the University of Pennsylvania.”

 

Leonce Crump https://andcampaign.org/leadership

Léonce Crump Jr.

“Léonce Crump Jr. is an author, international speaker, and the founder and senior pastor of Renovation Church in Atlanta, Georgia. He and his wife, Breanna, reside in the heart of downtown Atlanta with their three children.”

 

Kyle J. Howard  https://andcampaign.org/leadership

(ACTIVIST PASTOR HOWARD  IS ADVOCATING EVER MORE RACIAL DIVERSITY IN TGC – YES REALLY )

“Kyle J. Howard

@KyleJamesHoward

“Beloved saints at TGC, you guys need more ethnic/cultural diversity when it comes to filtering titles & reflections in your articles.”

WHY IS TGC ON THE CUTTING EDGE OF TOSSING IN THE LATEST ACTIVIST TERMS THE INTERNATIONAL LGBTQ+  MOVEMENT?

By Rev Thomas Littleton                                                                                            10-29-2019

The Gospel Coalition moves quickly with its introduction of new terms and bringing into common use of old ones unfamiliar to most in the Body of Christ.

LIKE A WANNA BE FASHIONABLE BRIDE 

TGC seems to be following the old tradition of helping the BRIDE of CHRIST in securing something old- something new something borrowed and something blue . In its daily blog post rhetoric ,for the OLD item TGC leaders in the Southern Baptist camp drug out Critical Race Theory and White Privilege. Then they forward the rapid mainstreaming of NEW terms like Intersectionality  and LGBTQ+ Christian as a snappy big tent descriptor for all things sexually alternative  . Of course the entire name game is BORROWED  from the activist culture and global politics of social change .

The endgame of all this word salad approach is of course to “turn the evangelical community BLUE in future elections . Besides “Bluing “the voting patterns of the church -tt helps in looking “with it” for nerdy guys like Russell Moore , Tim Keller . Albert Mohler. That must be an added bonus .

THE NEWEST TERM THE TGC IS MAINSTREAMING IS IN THE WORKS. GET READY FOR IT TO BE WORN THIN BY TGC/ERLC AND AFFILIATES IN THE DISCUSSIONS ABOUT “THE FUTURE OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM  IN AMERICA” 

ENTER THE LATEST SEXUALITY TERMS LIKE “SOGI”- OR “SEXUAL ORIENTATION GENDER IDENTITY” .

You can research the global and NGO origins of SOGI legal language in the global human rights arena . (note- Nothing should compel the church to engage the language except to refute it.)

Here

Click to access 4a783aed2.pdf

Here

Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity

Of course the APA embraces SOGI  and TGC has already complied to Orientation and embraced the APA ideology of SOGI via Mark Yarhouse teachings adopted in 2010.

Click to access sexuality-definitions.pdf

GLOBAL SUSTAINABLE  SEXUALITY 

NOTE THAT UNESCO CONFIRMS THE SOGI MOVEMENT IS PART OF THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS .MORE ON THIS EDUCATION DOCUMENT IN A MOMENT

https://rm.coe.int/prems-125718-gbr-2575-safe-at-school-a4-web/16809024f5

“The Section of Health and Education (Division for Peace and Sustainable Development, Education Sector) of UNESCO, who spearhead this work since 2011 and set in motion the international stock-taking research which this report is a part of.”

TGC AND SOGI -PLAYING THE NAME GAME – FLIRTING WITH THE DEATH OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM 

First introduced in the TGC circles around 2016 / 2017 ” Sexual Orientation Gender Identity ”  ( or SOGI ) Expressions are now becoming the next snappy terminology for hip TGC bloggers to use and forward the unmooring of Christians from biblical terms like Sodomy . Another part of the appeal to next gen TGC followers is that SOGI  feels so much nicer and “less judgemental ” of course.

Who was one of  the first to use SOGI in TGC blogs ? Albert Mohler during gay pride month June 2017 in a rare appearance on the TGC blog post about  Religious Freedom vs discrimination .

Religious Freedom and Discrimination: Why the Debate Continues

“Religious Freedom and Discrimination: Why the Debate Continues”

“This is a first for me—writing a book review while flying over the northern reaches of the Atlantic Ocean. I’m returning to the United States after responsibilities in the United Kingdom, speaking mostly to pastors and other Christian leaders. Everywhere I went, from central London to rural Kent, the same urgent question was asked: “Can religious liberty survive the LGBTQ moral revolution?””

“….Christians in both countries now face the prospect of a disastrous collision between the new sexual liberty prized by the LGBTQ revolution and religious liberty—long recognized in the United States as the first and most foundational freedom.”

“Long before the Obergefell decision legalized same-sex marriage, the inevitability of the collision was anticipated by both sides in the debate. LGBTQ advocates had already made clear their intention to advance from the legalization of same-sex marriage to press for the inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) in all relevant civil-rights laws and regulations. Even then, the collision with religious liberty was inevitable. Even then, we were warned religious liberty would have to give way to newly constructed and judicially mandated sexual liberties.”

“In the brief two years since Obergefell, we have seen Christian cake bakers, wedding photographers, florists, county clerks, judges, and a host of others face civil—and in some cases criminal—prosecution. The Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), passed in 1993 with no negative votes in the House of Representatives and only three in the Senate, is now seen by the revolutionaries as radical legislation that must be curtailed, if not overthrown. Religious adoption agencies and schools are now warned to either surrender to the revolution or, with the passage of SOGI laws, face penalties or extinction.”

MOHLER HELPS COMPARE THE LGBTQ ACTIVST TO “THE PURITANS ” 

“On the other side, Ryan T. Anderson of the Heritage Foundation and legal scholar Sherif Girgis make the case for religious liberty, against SOGI laws, and against what they call the “Puritan mistake.” As they see it, the LGBTQ advocates, like the Puritans who fled Europe for the New World, are now making the mistake of protecting their own liberties, while denying liberty to others.” .

Really guys ? Just like the Puritans mistake ? Is that is some kind of a sick turn of a phrase or a bad joke?

Mohler is returning from Europe in the TGC blog post with a whole new set of imported items just like he and Russell Moore and ERLC imported Sam Allberry and Living Out for the 2014 ERLC Conference where Mohler apologized for “being WRONG about SEXUAL ORIENTATION” . Now Orientation is at the core of the new language and Al looks to be the agent who imported it to the U.S. church . We might all be better off if we keep Al stateside and OUT of Europe and block his next shipment .

ANOTHER RECENT TGC SAMPLE OF SOGI USE

3 Things to Tell Your Children About Gender

“First, a biological male who looks and acts like a male in every regard can expect to be treated like a woman in many states—if he simply says “I am a woman.” In many places, laws protecting people regarding sexual orientation and gender identity (“SOGI”) rely solely on self-definition. A man can call himself a woman and freely use women’s facilities. Second, many schools promote gender fluidity both early and also late in the curriculum, potentially causing confusion in elementary-school children and teens.”

TGC SEEMS TO KNOW WHAT IS AT STAKE BUT IGNORES THE REAL BATTLE

THIS ONE IS LIKELY THE FIRST TIME IT APPEARS IN TGC 2016

(Same author as the most recent article on SOGI  by TGC editor related to the “Fairness to All/ Equality Act” issue. More on that later.)

New ‘Fairness for All’ Proposal Seeks Compromise Between Religious Liberty and Gay Rights

Also note Baptist Press on SOGI “laws”

http://www.bpnews.net/48048/sbc-leaders-defend-religious-liberty-vs-gender-laws

MORE ABOUT EUROPE’S SOGI LAWS 

The Council of Europe Steering Committee on Human Rights put together this tidy little mess which features SOGI at the heart of the LEGAL arguments . There is not a specific date to the document but looks to be 2017/2018 . The LGBT/ GLBT/ LGBTQ / LGBTQQIIAA and ever expansive inclusion terms could not be used for legally addressing gay and trans rights once and for all as they do tend to mutate regularly to be ever more inclusive. LGBT became the preferred designation for the big tent movement in around 2006 in Indonesia . Now it is floating on the world wide web and global flood tide of political LGBTQ+ human rights conversation. But let’s admit “who wants to be represented by a + symbol ? Not the activist who are fighting for space under the tent . So SOGI is to be the fixed LEGAL term for the big tent in the LGBTQ+ human rights movement and the church in Europe and America seem to be not many steps behind it its broad application . The legal use of it MAINLY pertains to discrimination law and in particular to laws “protecting ” Religious Liberties ” while acknowledging the rights of SOGI.

Hmmm. Any guesses on how this turns out ? Past experience attest to a very bad outcome for the church. Meanwhile Council of Europe does a big dive into the shallow end of the pool and the Evangelical leaders look to be following the trend.

https://rm.coe.int/cddh-2018-02-en/16807932ed

“Questionnaire on the implementation of
Committee of Ministers’ Recommendation CM/Rec(2010)5
on measures to combat discrimination on grounds
of sexual orientation or gender identity”

COUNCIL FOR EUROPE 

You can see on the Councils website that SOGI is fashionable indeed.

https://www.coe.int/en/web/sogi

“The Council of Europe standards and mechanisms seek to promote and ensure respect for the human rights of every individual. These include equal rights and dignity of all human beings, including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) persons.”

It look sto be very tied to the money as the sliders reveal  and comes complete with “Questionnaire ”

“On 23 September, the World Bank co-organised with the European Commission a workshop on LGBTI…”

“The CDDH has launched the review process of the implementation of the CM/Rec(2010)5 of the Committee of Ministers to member states on measures to combat discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity. In 2018, following the decision of the CDDH, the SOGI Unit, in coordination with the European Governmental LGBTI Focal Point Network and in consultation with civil society, has drafted a questionnaire on existing measures and examples of good practices related to the implementation of the Recommendation. (more…)”

Download the questionnaire >>

“Questionnaire on the implementation of
Committee of Ministers’ Recommendation CM/Rec(2010)5
on measures to combat discrimination on grounds
of sexual orientation or gender identity”
“Important – In order to facilitate member States’ replies, the new questionnaire has been drawn up on the basis of the 2012 version, following strictly the structure of the Recommendation itself. Information already communicated in reply to the 2012 questionnaire may be found in the CDDH report CDDH(2013)R77 adopted in March 2013, available here. Member States that had submitted information under the previous review process are invited to validate, update or complete the information sent in 2012.
In addition, further information held by the Secretariat may be found on the SOGI database.”

“The Recommendation enhances the full enjoyment of all human rights by lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgender persons. The main message of the Recommendation is that
discrimination and social exclusion on account of sexual orientation or gender identity
may best be overcome by measures targeted both at those who experience such
discrimination or exclusion, and the population at large. The text of the Recommendation is the first instrument drawn up by the Committee of Ministers dealing specifically with the question of discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity”

” At its 88th meeting (5-7 December 2017, CDDH(2017)R88), the CDDH adopted its
procedure and schedule. In particular, the CDDH decided that:
(i) the organisation of a possible conference on this theme under the aegis of the
CDDH would be discussed again at a later stage; such an event could have the
objective either to prepare decisions to be taken by the CDDH in its follow-up Report
or to raise awareness as to this report’s content if the conference takes place once
the report is adopted; (ii) the CDDH will adopt its follow-up Report to the attention of the Committee of Ministers at its 91st CDDH meeting (June 2019).”

MOHLER IS OUR MAN IN EUROPE 

SO MOHLER’S EUROPEAN CONTACTS ARE KEEPING HIM UP TO SPEED AND RIGHT ON SCHEDULE .

(This writer once asked Albert Mohler in person about organizing a united front in the church against  the radical sex education agenda of SIECUS and Planned Parenthood being pushed  toward  implementation via “mandate ” in the “Affordable Healthcare Act”. Mohler’s response was to refer him and concern over the issue to an underling in the ERLC who quickly responded “We don’t have time for that.”  They do have time to travel to Europe for meetings on SOGI .

THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE EDUCATION BOOKLET FOR SAFE SCHOOLS 

“All children have the right to safe and quality education, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity/expression or sex characteristics. In the last decade, national education sectors in most Council of Europe member States started or continued responding to violence based on sexual orientation, gender identity/expression or sex characteristics (SOGIESC-based violence). This report provides an overview of this violence in European schools, explores how member States seek to prevent or address it, and makes recommendations to national education sectors to better do so.”

Read the report >>

You can see here

https://rm.coe.int/prems-125718-gbr-2575-safe-at-school-a4-web/16809024f5

SAFE AT SCHOOL FOR SOGI 

“Safe at school: Education
sector responses to violence
based on sexual orientation,
gender identity/expression
or sex characteristics in Europe”

UNESCO AT THE HELM

“This report could not have been published without the support of many, whose help the Council of Europe gratefully acknowledges: The Section of Health and Education (Division for Peace and Sustainable Development, Education Sector) of UNESCO, who spearhead this work since 2011 and set in motion the international stock-taking research which this report is a part of.”

PARTNERS IN SOGI FOR SCHOOLS

“Members of the advisory committee who provided their feedback and insights while this report was prepared: Sophie Aujean (ILGA-Europe); Rubén Ávila and Euan Platt (IGLYO); Michael Barron (EQUATE Ireland); A. Chaber (Campaign Against Homophobia, Poland); Christophe Cornu and Yongfeng Liu (UNESCO); Eunice Den Hoedt
(formerly seconded to UNESCO from the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science); Joe Kosciw (GLSEN, USA); and Dr Oren Pizmony-Levy (Teachers College, Columbia University, USA).”

GLOSSARY OF TERMS ON PAGE 8 BUT NO WORRY TGC AND AL HAVE THE CHURCH IN US UP TO SPEED 

“Discrimination is legally defined as unjustified, unequal treatment:
► Direct discrimination occurs when for a reason related to one or more prohibited grounds (for example, sexual orientation and gender identity) a person or group of persons is treated less favourably than another person or another group of persons is, has been, or would be treated in a comparable situation; or when, for a reason related to one or more prohibited grounds, a person or group of persons is subjected to a detriment.
► Indirect discrimination occurs when a provision, criterion or practice would put persons having a status or a characteristic associated with one or more prohibited grounds (including sexual orientation and gender identity) at a particular disadvantage compared with other persons, unless that provision, criterion or practice is objectively justified by a legitimate aim, and the means of achieving that aim are appropriate and necessary.
► Experienced discrimination, also called subjective discrimination, is the experience of being discriminated against. Experienced discrimination does not necessarily entail discrimination in the legal sense.”

THE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL. WHAT DO THESE THINGS MEAN?

THE OFFICIAL DEFINITION OF SOGI TERMS

SEXUAL ORIENTATION

“Sexual and gender diversity A balanced and neutral representation of diverse genders, sexual orientations, gender identities and sex characteristics. Sexual orientation is understood to refer to each person’s capacity for profound emotional, affectional and
sexual attraction to, and intimate and sexual relations with, individuals of a different gender (heterosexual) or the same gender (homosexual, lesbian, gay) or more than one gender (bisexual).”

GENDER IDENTITY

“Gender identity refers to a person’s deeply felt individual experience of gender, which may or may not correspond with the sex assigned at birth, and includes the personal sense of the body and other expressions of gender (that is, “gender expression”) such as dress, speech and mannerisms. The sex of a person is usually assigned at birth and becomes a social and legal fact from there on. However, some people experience
problems identifying with the sex assigned at birth – these persons are referred to as “transgender” persons. Gender identity is not the same as sexual orientation, and transgender persons may identify as heterosexual, bisexual or homosexual.”

GOT IT?

Well consider this – these are international standard setting laws and policies being written based on the subjective and fluid feelings of children purposefully confused by a European culture in steep decline and by activist from UNESCO ON down who want TO further the Planned Parenthood sexual revolution .

INSANITY AND ALBERT MOHLER- TGC ARE BRINGING IT CUTTING EDGE TO OUR COMPUTER SCREENS AND INTO OUR DENOMINATIONAL MAINSTREAM .

LATEST EUROPEAN FASHIONS AVAILABLE  NOW AS SOGI LANGUAGE TRICKLES DOWN THE TGC LINE 

‘No Obvious Answer’: How Christian Colleges Are Responding to LGBTQ Regulations

TGC  tends to just toss this new stuff in like it has been there all the time.

‘No Obvious Answer’: How Christian Colleges Are Responding to LGBTQ Regulations

BIG SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM IS “ALL IN THE MONEY ” 

Christian College Response: Funding

“Basically, any place where a religious college or university depends on the government, either for funding or licenses or accreditation, can become a source of risk if the government decides it doesn’t like your religious beliefs,” Goodrich said.”

“One of the most obvious pain points is money. Bethel students receive a little more than $3 million a year in Pell Grants and a little more than $4 million a year from state grants. But they receive more than $30 million—a quarter of Bethel’s annual budget—in government loans.”

NOT TAKING THE MONEY IS A HARD CHOICE

“That’s normal. “At CCCU schools, a little under 30 percent of tuition comes through federal loans,” said Bethel chief institutional data and research officer Dan Nelson. At a few schools with lower-income students, that share can be as high as 50 percent.”

“After 2000, we made the decision not to accept state funding either,” Hillsdale chief financial officer Patrick Flannery said. (Hillsdale is not a CCCU school.) “It was really difficult, but it helped galvanize us as a campus.”

“To cover the federal loans, Hillsdale took out its own loan from a bank, then lent out that money to students. As each class pays it back, the money is lent out to the next class. Grove City also stopped accepting government money, instead partnering with PNC Bank to offer student loans.”

AT THE CORE OF THE SOGI FAULT LINE 

“But if the Equality Act or a Supreme Court decision expands the definition of sex to include SOGI, no amount of financial distancing would matter. Requiring sexual standards from employees would be straight-up illegal.”

THIS APPLIES ACROSS THE SPECTRUM NOT JUST IN CHRISTIAN EDUCATION

SO THE INTRODUCTION OF SOGI LANGUAGE IS THE DEATH NAIL FOR RELIGIOUS LIBERTY -SO WHY NOT FIGHT THE LANGUAGE AND IT’S PERVERSION OF THE ISSUES?

THE PROBLEM

TGC and Albert Mohler and the host of bloggers in their camp – just love being CAMPY  with this language and they love appearing “with it” and sounding up to speed . BUT they seem woefully ignorant of -or willing party to the fact that “He who wins the language owns the day “.

THE CHURCH IN THE U S IS NOT A MEMBER STATE IN THE EU OR THE UK SO WHY ARE WE FOLLOWING THEIR CHURCH ?

WHY DOES THE CHURCH NEED LGBTQ+ OR SOGI ? WE DON’T . WE NEED SIMPLY TO ADHERE TO THE WORD OF GOD AND USE THE TIMELESS LANGUAGE OF THE BIBLE .

STOP BEING SO TRENDY AL AND TGC- OR LEAVE THE TALKING TO SOMEONE ELSE.

Psalm 119:89-93

AMERICAN FAMILY ASSOCIATION / AFA/AFR IS PARTNERING WITH THE GOSPEL COALITION LEADERS TO SUPPORT A  ” CONSERVATIVE VIEW OF THE BIBLE” WHILE TGC IS DRIVING RACIAL DIVISION AND PRO LGBT MOVEMENTS .

Rev Thomas Littleton                                                                                         10-23-2019

American Family Association (AFA) and it’s American Family Radio have been popular resources and gathering places for Conservative Christians who are politically engaged. However things look to be changing at AFA  as it has yoked itself with The Gospel Coalition .

Biblical conservative Christians began to realize that Tim Keller and D A Carson’s organization The Gospel Coalition (TGC) had huge and growing problems as revelations of Cultural Marxist ideologies like Social Justice, Critical Race Theory , Intersectionality , Gender -Feminine -Queer theory had made their way DEEP inside the TGC. The infiltration has spread like a socially transmitted disease to TGC’s affiliated Seminaries and ministries . By April 2018 the TGC/ ERLC cosponsored MLK/50 Conference came around -all jaws dropped – ears perked -and all hands came on deck to push back against the flood waters. The Social Justice alarms went off throughout the conservative Christian world . AFA looks to have missed the alarm on the Social Justice invasion.

At the fountain head of the Social Justice floodwaters was progressive funding like that of Kern Family Foundation and Templeton Foundation flowing through TGC . The funding is flowing in by the millions into conservative Seminaries that affiliate with TGC like those led by Ligon Duncan and Albert Mohler and others . TGC is not a victim of but a primary source of the Social Justice false gospel and massive infiltration of Cultural Marxist  ideology into the church today .

HOW DID AMERICAN FAMILY FOUNDATION MISS THE TGC SELL OUT TO MARXIST?

AFA and its radio outlet American Family Radio have been a source trusted by many Conservative Christians for decades. WHY ARE THEY PARTNERING WITH TGC ?

“THE GOD WHO SPEAKS”  -FILM PROJECT AFA AND THE TGC SPEAKERS

Launched in 2018 at the same time the TGC / ERLC shocked the evangelical conservative world with MLK/50 -AFA introduced their film project to support the Bible’s authorship- reliability and foundational role in Christian faith using  many of TGC leading compromiers .

AFA is still heavily promoting the film today .

https://thegodwhospeaks.org/

“There is a war raging around us – in society, in our churches, and in our homes. It is not a battle over marriage, race, or the sexual revolution. Rather, it is a battle for the truth. Is God real? Does He speak, and if so, how would we know? While many churches are faithfully proclaiming the truths found in Scripture, others have lost confidence in the Bible’s divine authorship. “

“The God Who Speaks is a 90-minute documentary that traces the evidence of the Bible’s authority through interviews with some of the world’s most respected biblical scholars. This film answers common objections about the Bible’s reliability and equips believers to confidently base their lives on the power of God’s Word.”

“The God Who Speaks was produced by American Family Studios, a division of American Family Association. “

AFA CONTRIBUTORS INCLUDE MANY TGC KEY CULTURAL MARXIST ECHOS 

AFA Speakers also include many people from social justice funded/infiltrated seminaries like Dallas Theological Seminary, Asbury besides SBTS and RTS

Contributors

Alistair Begg – Senior Pastor, Parkside Church (Cleveland, Ohio)
Darrell Bock – Senior Research Professor of New Testament Studies, Dallas Theological Seminary
D.A. Carson – Research Professor of New Testament, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
Gareth Cockerill – Academic Dean / Professor of Biblical Interpretation and Theology, Wesley Biblical Seminary
Kevin DeYoung – Senior Pastor, University Reformed Church (East Lansing, Michigan)
J. Ligon Duncan III – Chancellor & CEO, John E. Edwards Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary
Norman Geisler – Distinguished Senior Professor of Theology and Apologetics – Southern Evangelical Seminary
Karen H. Jobes – Professor of New Testament Greek and Exegesis Emerita, Wheaton College
Michael J. Kruger – President and Samuel C. Patterson Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity, Reformed Theological Seminary
Erwin Lutzer – Pastor Emeritus, Moody Church
Conrad Mbewe – Pastor, Kabwata Baptist Church (Lusaka, Zambia)
Josh McDowell – Apologist, Josh McDowell Ministries
Alex McFarland – Apologist, Alex McFarland Ministries
R. Albert Mohler – President, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
William D. Mounce – President, BiblicalTraining.org
John N. Oswalt – Visiting Distinguished Professor of Old Testament, Asbury Theological Seminary
Vern Poythress – Professor of New Testament, Westminster Theological Seminary
R.C. Sproul – Founder, Ligonier Ministires
Carl R. Truman – Professor of Church History, Westminster Theological Seminary
Frank Turek – Apologist, Cross Examined Ministries
Daniel B. Wallace – Senior Professor of New Testament Studies, Dallas Theological Seminary
Jarvis J. Williams – Associate Professor of New Testament Interpretation, Southern Baptist Theological  Seminary
Ben Witherington III – Jean R. Amos Professor of New Testament for Doctoral Studies, Asbury Theological Seminary

CURRENT AFA MEDIA PROMOTION OF “THE GOD WHO SPEAKS” FILM

THE GOD WHO SPEAKS EXECUTIVE PRODUCER IS AFA HEAD TIM WILDMON

AFA FILM INVOLVES TGC LEADER SBTS PRESIDENT ALBERT MOHLER 

https://www.facebook.com/TheGodWhoSpeaksMovie/

The God Who Speaks

October 1 at 1:20 PM · 

(PHOTO FROM AFA LINK SOCIAL MEDIA ARTICLE)

ALBERT MOHLER ABOVE IS SPOKESPERSON IN AND FOR THE AFA MOVIE 

Albert Mohler has taken the progressives funding into his seminary Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS) IN THE “COMMONWEAL PROJECT “. Now SBTS  has become a regular praticisioneer of Critical Theories and is busy indoctrinating a new generation of disciples in the Cultural Marxist tools of social change and Social Justice false  gospel.

(PHOTO FROM AFA “THE GOD WHO SPEAKS MEDIA )

Mohler fully embraced the TGC narrative on LGBT+ Flourishing in the church via his acceptance of the APA and TGC compliant narrative on the supposed reality of “Homosexual Orientation ” which is said to be unchanging – according to the narrative- even by the Gospel and saving faith. Mohler even apologized  for “being wrong about       ( denying )  homosexual orientation” at a 2014 conference by TGC partner the ERLC on Homosexuality and “the Future of Marriage” conference . ALL TGC top leadership would have signed onto this position in 2010.  More on that in a  moment .

Mohler has shown radical views on race and engaged in a two year  “racial purge” at SBTS  and in the 2015 activist effort to “Rid the SBC of Racism ” while himself sitting on the theological chair named after a anf reputedly vicious Civil War racist. Also Mohler  raised eyebrows with his endorsements of  leader Nelson Mandela of South Africa

Albert Mohler : “When it comes to human rights and human dignity, Nelson Mandela has to be put on the side of the heroes, not only of the 20th century, but of any recent century.”

https://albertmohler.com/2013/12/07/nelson-mandela-and-the-ironies-of-history/

REVOICE “LGBT+CHRISTIANITY” AND TGC/SBTS 

Mohler’s seminary produced the leader of the radical LGBTQ+ Christianity conference called Revoice. The movements head is Nate Collins who was teaching New Testament at SBTS while launching Revoice and published his book “All But Invisible “. Collins Dissertation at SBTS is informed by his studies of Gender , Feminine and Queer Theory at SBTS and deals with “Virgin as a Third Gender” in the NT. The dissertation makes the case that other gender options exist besides male and female while Genesis makes clear only two exist. “God made them male and female .” Collins assertions of gender options comes from twisting of biblical text through the critical theory lens .

The shocking reality is that Revoice founder Nate Collins actually writes for and does book reviews on the LGBT+ topic FOR The Gospel Coalition .

Is God Anti-Gay?

Is God Anti-Gay?

MORE HERE OF REVOICE -COLLINS /HIS DISSERTATION AND JARVIS WILLIAMS 

REVOICE FOUNDER’S SBTS CRITICAL THEORY DISSERTATION:TGC TIES PART 2

MORE on Mohler compromise with Cultural Marxist ideology .

JARVIS WILLIAMS OF SBTS IN THE AFA TGC LINE UP 

Jarvis Williams has been teaching at Mohler’s SBTS since at least 2014 . A close look shows Williams mentored the Nate Collins dissertation that birthed the LGBTQ+ Christianity movement of Revoice. More recently Jarvis Williams has emerged as a key leader in the open promotion of  Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality into the Southern Baptist Convention. The controversial “Resolution “in the SBC 2019 annual meeting is still raising serious concerns and have Baptist scrambling to understand the concepts of Cultural Marxism and tools like Critical Theory which Jarvis , Mohler and others have introduced into their churches and institutions .

(PHOTO FROM AFA “THE GOD WHO SPEAKS ” MEDIA )

Jarvis Williams  has been one of the most vocal advocates for the use of Critical Race Theory – a “cultural Marxist” tool -as  a “useful tool with the Gospel” in his Social justice efforts against “White Privilege ” and his view of “rampant racism among white evangelicals “.

Black Christians call for closer look at white supremacy

Jarvis Williams and other CRT advocates are spearheading a divisive movement -instead of biblical unity in the Body of Christ . The talking points are plowed by specialist in the SBC like Williams for years now yet some have been scrubbed from the internet with the removal of and renaming of “Reformed African American Network” to”the Witness” .

https://thewitnessbcc.com/

JARVIS WILLIAMS WORDS IN THE INTERVIEW LINKED ABOVE 

“Jarvis Williams, associate professor of New Testament interpretation at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., said in an article posted earlier on the Reformed African American Network website it is impossible to talk about the legacy of white supremacy without discussing “white privilege” — advantages that people have done nothing to earn and may not even know they have, simply because they are white.”

“Christians cannot seriously talk about race, racism, or pursue Christ-centered reconciliation in this country and Christian spaces without having a serious conversation about the privileging of whiteness or without working to leverage the privilege(s) of whiteness in Christian spaces,” wrote Williams, who is black.”

“Williams said one example of white privilege is the assumption in American history that blacks would serve whites because of their belief in white superiority. After slavery was abolished, white supremacists “created a whole system that marginalized black people and kept them at the very bottom of the social order.”

“While many Christians rightly condemn overt expressions of white supremacy, covert expressions of white supremacy are often allowed to flourish in Christian spaces and in society at large because they are either denied or unnoticed,” Williams said.”

TGC COFOUNDER WITH TIM KELLER -D.A. CARSON OF TRINITY EVANGELICAL DIVINITY SCHOOL IS A SPEAKER

D. A. Carson

Deerfield, IL
Research Professor of New Testament – Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

(PHOTO FROM AFA”THE GOD WHO SPEAKS WEBSITE )

D. A. Carson is the co-founder of TGC and it’s President. Carson Signed on to the Mark Yarhouse LGBTQ+ ideology in 2010 when Carson commissioned a White Paper on Yarhouse homosexual orientation narrative and Carson adapted it for TGC, for TEDS and for TGC’s Christ on Campus initiative  for campus ministries.Many campus ministries bear the damaging marks of this influence today.

https://sexualidentityinstitute.org/sample-page/dr-mark-yarhouse/

“Dr. Yarhouse is currently the Chair of the task force on LGBT issues for Division 36 (Psychology of Religion and Spirituality) of the American Psychological Association. He was recently invited to write the featured white paper on sexual identity for the Christ on Campus Initiative edited by Don A. Carson for The Gospel Coalition.”

TGC’s Carson also endorsed the book “Single Gay Christian” by Gregory Coles . Coles is  the “worship leader” for the Revoice LGBT+ Thriving conference and is involved in the Revoice leadership.

Gregory Coles bio

About the Author

“”To say this book is important is a painful understatement. It is the candid, moving, intensely personal story of a gay young man who wants to live his life under the authority of King Jesus and who refuses to accept the comforting answers proffered by different parts of the culture. Superbly written, this book stands athwart the shibboleths of our day and reminds us what submission to King Jesus looks like, what it feels like. This book needs to be thoughtfully read by straight people and by gay people, by unbelievers and by Christians. It is not to be read with a condescending smirk, but with humility.” (D. A. Carson, president, The Gospel Coalition, research professor of New Testament, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School)”

LIGON DUNCAN OF REFORMED THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY IS A TGC LEADER AND NOW AFA SPOKESPERSON IN THE AFA MOVIE 

(PHOTO AND GRAPHIC FROM AFA “THE GOD WHO SPEAKS ” MEDIA )

Ligon Duncan is a TGC Council Member and head of the PCA’s Reformed Theological Seminary of Jackson MISS with over a dozen locations around the country. These locations  include NYC in co-operation with TGC co-founder Tim Keller . RTS Orlando location -in partnership with CRU (formerly Campus Crusade) -along with current leaders of  Keller’s Redeemer City to City formulated a blueprint for the Lausanne movement’s “City Reaching “. The plan promotes Urbanization and Faith Based Partnerships aka Peter Drucker socialism for the church partnering in “Community Development .  RTS plan also includes the pro LGBT urban ideology of Canadian professor “urban-ologist” Richard Florida. Reformed Theological Seminary is at the heart of the Social Justice indoctrination taking place in the PCA as Ligon Duncan boast defiantly  “Lig Duncan ain’t groovin with no Cultural Marxism “.

If that were truly the case he would have to leave the TGC and RTS to escape the groove.

DUNCAN AND THE ANGLICAN GAY PRIEST HE /TGC ENDORSE 

Duncan also endorses the Gay Anglican Priest Sam Allberry and his ministry Living Out who preach “Gay (but celibate )  Christianity “. In 2018 TGC’s Tim Keller and wife Kathy joined Allberry speaking at the Living Out London conference .Allberry and  company introduced an “LGBTQ+ Church Inclusion Audit” and training for local congregations to encourage the open welcome of the LGBTQ community into the fellowship of the church. Also the audit encourages hiring of and including in family functions and even “Sharing Children” with LGBT+ people in the church .

LIVING OUT INCLUSION AUDIT 

https://www.livingout.org/resources/the-living-out-church-audit

“How biblically inclusive is your Church?”

“At our Identity in Christ conference with Tim & Kathy Keller in June 2018 we launched our Living Out Church Audit – a tool to help church leadership teams answer this key question: how biblically inclusive is your church? Unsurprisingly our focus is on those who might identify as LGBTQ+/ same-sex attracted: Jesus included all in a counter-cultural way and we hope this audit will help our churches follow his lead.”

STILL -LIGON DUNCAN ENDORSES  SAM ALLBERRY AND LIVING OUT .

“I, I, think if you want to get a, a, a, a, wise, careful biblical take on identity and sexual attraction, either Kevin DeYoung’s book on homosexuality or Sam Allberry’s book, Is God Anti-Gay, will give you a better take on how identity ought to relate to issues in relation to Same-Sex Attraction than the kinds of opinions that were shared at the Revoice Conference, which I find to be unhelpful…”

TGC AND LIVING OUT’S SAM ALLBERRY

Sam Allberry- despite tons of controversy a writer and the editor of LGBTQ+ issues for The Gospel Coalition .

KEVIN DE YOUNG TGC FAVORITE AND LONG TIME RISING STAR IS AMONG AFA SPEAKERS 

Kevin DeYoung

Matthews, NC
Senior Pastor – Christ Covenant Church

(PHOTO /GRAPHICS FROM AFA “THE GOD WHO SPEAKS” WEBSITE)

DeYoung was purchased out of the Reformed Church in America  by powers within the PCA , Keller and Duncan’s denomination. In 2017, the RCA ordained the first openly gay and married pastor who was ‘out’ when he began the ordination process. Perhaps prior knowledge of this  prompted De Young to join the PCA / TGC  yet his father remains in the RCA in denominational leadership.

https://www.rca.org/news/lee-deyoung-elected-synod-vice-president

Having DeYoung in TGC has provided the old guard with a slightly younger spokesperson but the “talking points” are all the same . DeYoung factors in large in the AFA film  “The God Who Speaks ” including providing the closing words at the ending of the film. If TGC is doing anything – a response to controversy- a conference – or a book promotion  -Kevin DeYoung is at the center of it- just as he is in this AFA film.

TGC AND THE LIVING OUT LGBT INCLUSION CHURCH AUDIT 

Living Out introduced it’s LGBT Inclusion Audit to high praise . Kathy Keller called it Brilliant ” while – TGC pastor Mark Dever and his 9MARKS churches in the NE region announced the Audit and Inclusion training would be held stateside in three of the Dever/ TGC affiliate churches .

AFA social media boast the photo below with TGCs Duncan and Dever among others with AFA at a recent event where “The God Who Speaks ” film is being promoted.

(PHOTO from AFA “the God Who Speaks ” media with TGC leaders including RTS Ligon Duncan and Mark Dever whose editor for his 9MARKS org is a graduate of the Fabian Socialist London School of Economics )

MARK DEVER IS NOT APPEARING IN THE FILM BUT IS A KEY TGC LEADER .

Part  the TGC effort with Dever and his LSE Editor Jonathan Leeman is their “THIRD WAY” Christian political engagement which advocates for Christians NOT to be “Single Issue ( i.e. pro life ) Voters”. Others in the TGC / ERLC loop are working to expand “pro life ” support to mean inclusion of a range of distracting  issues from progressive open borders immigration -to refugee settlement -to adoption and foster care . Diluting the definition of pro life ideals away from stopping abortion is a progressive tactic not a helpful narrative to strengthen the cause.

Devers former staffer Thabiti Anyabwile is in the AFA film list of credits . Anyabwile was associate pastor for years at Dever’s Capitol Hill Baptist -a TGC church from which 9MARKS church planting organization operates.Thabiti has been helping lead the charge on CRT and was one of the more brazen speakers at the MLK/50 event blaming all whites for the death of MLK and calling for apologies . Thabiti is also mainstreaming the call for financial reparations in response to “racial injustice” in the church.

WHY WOULD AFA PARTNER WITH TGC WHILE TGC SEEKS TO UNDERMINE CONSERVATIVES OPPOSITION TO ABORTION AND CORE CONSERVATE CONVICTIONS ?

9MARKS DEVER AND FABIAN SOCIALIST TRAINED EDITOR :HOW TO DITCH YOUR PRO-LIFE VOTING HABIT .

JOHN MACARTHUR IN THE CREDITS FOR AFA FILM 

John MacArthur does not appear in the final cut of the AFA film BUT is named in the Credits. It is not sure if Macarthur did not provide an interview or if his interview ended up on the cutting room floor after his many recent troubles . These include Master’s Universities scandals related to abuse / intimidation / nepotism /and sexual abuse , some of which resulted in Master’s suspension and potential permanent loss of TMU’s accreditation .  MacArthur is a long time TGC leadership Council Member as well. His appearance in the credits for the film remains a  mystery beyond his TGC connections .

AMERICAN FAMILY RADIO ?

WHAT’S UP WITH AFR DUMPING PROGRAMING ?

Also SOMETHING is going at at AFA ‘s American Family Radio . Even Progressive news outlet Media Matters pick up on recent AFR changes.

https://www.mediamatters.org/american-family-association/why-anti-lgbtq-american-family-radio-losing-hosts-and-shows

“A prominent AFR host has resigned just a few months after American Family Association shuttered its outreach ministry for Christian communities of color.”

WRITTEN BY ALEX PATERSON

More resources on the GVC exposure of Revoice and TGC leaders here:

GOD’S VOICE CONFERENCE RESOURCES

God’s Voice Conference 2019 was NOT only a denunciation of the false Revoice LGBT+ Flourishing / TGC movement in our churches – it offered Biblical GOSPEL HOPE for individuals and families who have been impacted by LGBT+. Testimonies and preaching at GVC affirmed the power of Jesus to transform lives from any and all sin.  God’s Voice Conference 2019 was NOT an attack on LGBT people or their families -rather offering a Biblical response to TGC error and providing Biblical HOPE to victims of LGBT+ movement .

TGC CHURCH BRIARWOOD PCA RETALIATED AGAINST GOD’S VOICE CONFERENCE

It seems ironic that the AFA project using TGC partners is entitled “The God Who Speaks ” when the day following God’s Voice Conference 2019  a local TGC MEGA- CHURCH in this authors hometown of Birmingham Alabama -retaliated against Littleton / Mefferd and God’s Voice by REMOVING  Mefferd’s American Family Radio program from its regional Briarwood Radio programing lineup.

This was not the only TGC leadership persecution of God’s Voice Conference as other actions took place BEFORE GVC similar to the action against Mefferd’s AFR programing the day following the event . That was late February 2019 . By the end of August Janet Mefferd and AFR/ Radio outlet of AFA had parted ways entirely.

You can read about the TGC church Briarwoods efforts against God’s Voice Conference and backlash against Littleton and the Mefferd AFR related programing at the link below under the section entitled : “PARKS BROTHERS CONSPIRE AGAINST GOD’S VOICE CONFERENCE-A BIBLICAL RESPONSE TO REVOICE WHICH STILL THREATENS TO DIVIDE THE PCA AND SBC.”

BRIARWOOD PCA’s CHRISTIAN MEDICAL MINISTRY ALABAMA TARGET PRACTICE

THE AFA/AFR AND TGC COLLABORATION LEAVES MANY QUESTIONS 

Are these things related? Does the end of the Mefferd programing at Briarwood in retaliation against GVC have impact on the AFA ‘s unwillingness to denounce the TGC pro “Homosexual Orientation”  narrative? Has AFA allowed the TGC compromise on LGBTQ+ to impact it’s stance on LGBTQ+ movement ?

AFA has had a strong voice against the LGBT agenda . TGC’s message  is very soft and welcoming and aims to appease and include the activist agenda in the church . Is AFA moving left of center on this important faith and family issue ?

Time will tell. Meanwhile those outside the church and the media speculate while CHRISTIANS ARE LEFT TO WONDER WHAT IS UP WITH AFA.

MEDIA MATTERS SEES GVC IN A DIFFERENT /EXTREME /NEGATIVE AND FALSE LIGHT

Media Matters

“Mefferd also used her AFR show to promote the God’s Voice conference, a convening of evangelical Christians providing a “biblical response to the queering of the church.” God’s Voice was created to oppose the Revoice conference, an LGBTQ-inclusive Christian conference that seeks to “support and encourage gay, lesbian, bisexual, and other same-sex attracted Christians.” While promoting God’s Voice, Mefferd said that the LGBTQ activists organizing Revoice are trying “to move toward LGBTQ+ Christianity, not that there is any such thing” and told her listeners that they should be worried because LGBTQ advocates “care about changing you, and changing your kids, and changing your churches, and changing your denomination.”

AFA/AFR ALLIANCE WITH TGC LIKELY SPELLS MAJOR CHANGES AND A TROUBLING FUTURE FOR CONSERVATIVE BELIEVERS IN AMERICA.

WHERE WILL IT END -AS MORE AND MORE CONSERVATIVE ORGANIZATIONS EITHER DO NOT DISCERN – CHOOSE TO YOKE WITH TGC FOR NAME RECOGNITION -OR PARTNER WITH THE PROGRESSIVE FUNDING  BEHIND THE GOSPEL COALITION AND IT’S EMERGENT  THEOLOGICAL /LEFT WING PROGRESSIVE POLITICAL MOVEMENT ?

ALBERT MOHLER IS A TGC COUNCIL MEMBER AND SBTS IS A MAJOR SPOKESPERSON  IN THE REALM  OF TGC’s INFLUENCE.

AFA HOW DID THIS ESCAPE YOU ?

(PHOTO FROM AFA “THE GOD WHO SPEAKS MEDIA )

Many Conservative believers look to organizations like American Family Association for guidance and protection from the progressive tsunami . TGC inroads look to be spreading across conservative Christianity- even in these former places of refuge.

Psalm 118

⁸ It is better to trust in the Lord
Than to put confidence in man.
⁹ It is better to trust in the Lord
Than to put confidence in princes.

WHERE DOES IT END ? DO BAPTIST HAVE ANY DISCERNING LEADERSHIP LEFT ?

Rev Thomas Littleton                                                                                                10-21-2019

Interfaith Dialog , Camel Method evangelism , Christlam – these are all terms fairly new to most evangelicals and Southern Baptist . Many are not paying close attention to the advance of the ideologies behind them or of the players involved on the “interfaith stage”.

BOB ROBERTS LEADING THE ORCHESTRA

“Bob Roberts Jr. is the founding pastor of NorthWood Church in Keller, Texas. Known around the world as an evangelical pastor who loves people from every faith, he has pioneered relationships with those that are usually shunned by Christians.”

http://globalfaithforum.com/bob-roberts-jr/

“Wanting to serve the people of Vietnam, Bob developed a relationship with leaders in Vietnam and created an Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), Glocal Ventures, to work in country to provide humanitarian aid and other resource”

“Bob lead a team from NorthWood Church to Afghanistan where he once again was greeted by Muslim leaders who were willing to work together and sought help to provide schools and other resources. Overcoming his own fears about Muslims, he has developed a great respect for those who hold strong beliefs in differing faiths.”

“As other opportunities have presented themselves, Bob has tirelessly worked to purposely draw together coalitions of leaders who would not ordinarily work together. And he’s brought that philosophy home to Texas. He, along with Rabbi Schneider and Imam Zia, put together DFW’s first Multi-Faith weekend. Celebrating each distinct faith, members from the church, mosque and temple visited each location to observe each others traditions cultivating a strong common respect.”

“Now, that relationship is being nurtured through community projects and other programs that show we can still hold strong beliefs but work together to improve not only our neighborhoods, but make a difference around the world.”

BOB ROBERTS AND THE ALLIANCE OF VIRTUE “FOR THE COMMON GOOD “

https://onenewsnow.com/perspectives/guest-commentary/2018/08/23/alliance-of-virtue-common-good-or-grand-deception

“Today, there are three principal individuals who are the recognized faces of the AoV movement. They include Pastor Bob Roberts, who is based in Dallas, Texas; Imam Mohamed Magid Ali, who is based in the Washington, DC, area; and Sheikh Abdullah Bin Bayyah, who is based in Saudi Arabia and serves as the global leader of the AoV.”

“Meanwhile, many within the faith community today are familiar with what is known as A Common Word, a global Islamic outreach effort that was inaugurated in 2006 “

“Eight years after the “A Common Word” document was first introduced (in 2007), an Islamic conference entitled “Reviving the Islamic Spirit” was held on December 23, 2015, in Toronto, Canada. This appears to be the first time the Alliance of Virtue concept was introduced to the West. As described by event organizer Summayah Poonah, the theme of the event was “Alliance of Virtue,” which “speaks to a need to [form] cross cultural alliances in order to aid and facilitate social justice.”

MORE

Islam’s olive branch?

“Issued October 13, 2007, “A Common Word Between You and Us” stressed the need for peace between members of the Christian and Islamic faiths.”

“The document impressed numerous Christian leaders, including evangelical heavyweights like Richard Cizik, Bill Hybels, Brian McLaren, John Stott, Jim Wallis, and Rick Warren – who added their signatures in a response that said evangelicals needed to “ask forgiveness of the All-Merciful One and of the Muslim community around the world.”

THE BIG QUESTION

HOW FAR CAN THE EVANGELICAL CHURCH GO WITH MULTICULTURAL INTERFAITH EXCHANGES AND ALLIANCE AND STILL BE DOING THE GOSPEL ?

This is the unanswered question for many. Evangelism was said to be the goal at one time but now collaboration and common good seem to be the only aim of the ever broadening movement . Was Evangelism with groups in nations that prohibit it ever possible ?  Clearly not so what is the goal ? Why has the SBCs missions focus gone almost exclusively to the AREAS  of the world where seeking to convert those of other religions is a criminal  offense. Much of the “Church Planting ” abroad is also being done in these areas where possible but again they cannot  evangelize people of the native religions.

TIM KELLER AND TGCs COMMON GOOD NARRATIVE 

Tim Keller’s work is saturated with the same narrative of seeking the ” Common Good ”

Keller’s work with Civilitas and Lausanne Movement is driven by the Common Good narrative .

Click to access civilitas_vsp_paper.utv.pdf

Civilitas
“Civil Conversations
for the Common Good”

Oiknomia Network- the Kern Family Foundation funding for Keller and others “Faith and Work” economics is a “common Good” narrative.

Home

The Faith Based Partnerships Reforms outlined under the Obama administration are called “Partnerships for the Common Good ”

https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2013/03/15/working-together-common-good

“Working Together for the Common Good

Keller’s The Gospel Coalition and the Common Good

http://resources.thegospelcoalition.org/library/a-counterculture-for-the-common-good

Counterculture for the Common Good

Timothy Kleiser | June 27, 2016″

Aslo -One example of books Keller is promoting with his city Gospel in Life website

https://gospelinlife.com/downloads/counter-culture-for-the-common-good-9192/

BLENDING MULTICULTURAL WITH INTERFAITH IN THE NAME OF COMMON GOOD 

Interfaith dialog is clearly not marketable to many in the evangelical church in the US but “multicultural ” outreach is all the rave. Bob Roberts is a key leader in the multicultural movement as well.

THE MOSAIX CONFERENCE

NOVEMBER 5TH IN DALLAS TEXAS THE FOURTH US BASED MOSAIX CONFERENCE IS TO BE HELD

https://www.mosaix2019.com/

“Founded in 2004 by Mark DeYmaz (D.Min.) and George Yancey (Ph.D.), Mosaix is a relational network of local church pastors and planters, denominational, network, and ministry leaders, educators and researchers, alike, that exists to establish healthy multi-ethnic and economically diverse churches for the sake of the gospel throughout North America and beyond.”

“Believing that healthy multi-ethnic and economically diverse churches must be established on sound theology for the sake of the Gospel, Mosaix seeks to reconcile diverse men and women to God and to one another, through faith in Jesus Christ, by establishing churches according to the principles and practices of New Testament churches such as existed at Antioch, Ephesus, and Rome; churches in which diverse men and women walked, worked, and worshipped God together as one so that the world would know God’s love and believe (John 17:20-23).”

“For nearly 15 years, Mosaix has served to organize, mobilize and catalyze the Multiethnic Church Movement by casting vision, connecting like-minded leaders, conferencing, coaching, cohort learning, curriculum development, church planting and transition. In that time, and since 2001, the percentage of churches having at least 20% diversity in their attending membership has risen from 7.5% to 13.7%, and to 14.4% among Protestant Evangelical churches. According to sociologist Michael O. Emerson, co-author of Divided By Faith, Mosaix has played a preeminent role in driving the statistical change. Our ongoing goal and vision remains to see 20% of churches throughout the United States achieve 20% diversity in their attending membership and leadership by the year 2020, and 1,000 multi-ethnic churches established through planting or transition by the year 2025.”

https://www.mosaix2019.com/general-info/mosaix-global-network/

“Over 1,500 multiethnic church pioneers and practitioners – including church planters and pastors, network and denominational leaders, authors and educators – are expected to attend Mosaix’ 4th National Multi-ethnic Church Conference  November 5-7, 2019, in Dallas, TX.”

“This triennial event is among the most anticipated, exciting and encouraging pastoral leadership conferences of the year! Plan now to bring your entire team, and don’t miss this next historic chance to experience the people and passion driving the Multiethnic Church Movement today!”

WHAT?

“The Multiethnic Church Conference is being held for only the fourth time in the United States, and for just over 48 hours will represent the epicenter of the growing Movement.”

https://www.mosaix2019.com/general-info/

https://www.mosaix2019.com/general-info/conference-history/

The Conference organizer is Bob Roberts – the template is from Leadership Network who brought us a variety of influences into the mainstream of the evangelical church from the “Emergent Movement ” heresies to Warrens “PEACE Plan Community Development /Faith Based Partnerships ” to recently  sponsorship of the 2019 radical “Revoice LGBTQ Thriving in historic  (conservative ) Christian Tradition “.

Ron Edmondson, President
Leadership Network • Dallas, TX

https://www.mosaix2019.com/sponsors/

Lifeways Ministry Grid is among the event sponsors

Chandler Vannoy, Brand Manager
LifeWay Leadership • Nashville, TN

As are a host of seminaries and Christian educational institutions like Wheaton and Dallas Theological Seminary

PLUS TGC/TIM KELLER PARTNER

AND A FULL GAGGLE OF PROGRESSIVE CHURCHES IN THE LEADERSHIP NETWORK STABLE

MOSAIX SPEAKERS INCLUDE 

BOB ROBERTS OF COURSE

ED STETZER

Wheaton College

JOHN M. PERKINS

JVMP Foundation

AGAIN WHERE DOES IT END?

This present trajectory has the church aimed at the heart of ” Global Spirituality ”

https://charterforcompassion.org/global-spirituality

“By spreading a global spirituality, a spirituality that transcends and includes (but does not compete with) the past and present religions and spiritual traditions, this project wants to contribute to join humans in a global family.”

“Eight representatives of different religious and spiritual traditions have come together to write an “Invitation to Global Spirituality.” An association supports them in sharing and spreading the message, creating an open space for discussion, and developing the project further, so that Global Spirituality becomes visible in the lives of many people around the globe.”

“We have the ability to become global citizens in thoughts, words and actions so that we can work together for peace, justice and sustainability. A world culture of respect, compassion and solidarity can emerge and reshape the planet into a place of wisdom and beauty, harmony and love.”

ERLC NEW POLITICAL PARTNER IN GLOBAL SPIRITUALITY AND THE POLITICS THAT WILL LEAD US THERE 

It should not be shocking to Southern Baptist that its own Ethics and Religious Liberties Commission is leading it into oblivion . Russell Moore it current president is a very progressive and politically driven individual. For him to provide an ERLC Fellow for this Mosaix Conference is very much tracking with the movement he is committed to. Besides the overlap of Bob Roberts with the Multi-ethnic and Interfaith movement – the ERLC recently published its “Civility Report ” for Political Engagement with Global Spirituality partner Fetzer Institute helping draft the document and collaborate on its research with ERLC/ Moore .

Where did this partnership of ERLC and Global Spirituality develop? According to the Fetzer Institute Global spiritualist – at his attending ERLC/ TGC cosponsored MLK/50 event .

“By Sharif Azami

Read more on the ERLC “global spirituality ” partner here

RUSSELL MOORE/ERLC NEW AGE POLITICAL PARTNERS

And here

RUSSELL MOORE/ERLC NEW AGE PARTNERSHIP SPRANG FROM MLK/50

NOT A GOSPEL ISSUE BECAUSE IT IS NOT THE GOSPEL 

Evangelism in obedience to the “Great Commission ” of Jesus is the Call of the church and of every Christian

Mark 16

The Great Commission

^“14 Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. ¹⁵ And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. ¹⁶ He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned”

Nowhere does Jesus call His church to interfaith dialog- community development – bridge building of even conferencing to train leaders for such. He does not call us to draft documents for civility or for the common good. He does call us to be separate – set apart and not unequally yoked with unbelievers and to avoid idolatry with other gods who are in fact not God at all.

BELOVED THESE MOSAIX STYLE MOVEMENTS SIMPLY NOT THE GOSPEL OR THE CALL OF GOD FOR THE CHURCH BUT SOMETHING VERY OPPOSITE IF IT .

A valued history lesson from the Kings of Judah who made bad alliances is awaiting every TRUE believer in the Word of God . Just read it .

Thomas Littleton                                                                                                   10/ 14 /2019

Betrayal today is so commonplace it is often unnoticed . Perhaps it is because it has become expected and we no longer care.We respond with little more than a shrug. This may even be an acquired skill to ensure survival. It is correctly stated “Those who expect little will not be disappointed.” Yet not all betrayal is equal.

Spiritual leaders who betray the trust and position they are assigned by divine appointment sell short not only the flock of God under their care but the Good Shepherd Himself. Judas betrayal was foretold -even on the night it took place but that did not lessen his guilt or accountability or alter his fate. Judas paid a high price for his thirty pieces of silver and so too will the modern evangelical sell outs -those followers of Judas whose spines have turned to rubber ,hearts have grown cold ,and convictions either never existed or have become like silly putty left exposed to the sun.

Some may only be going along with the prevailing winds of culture but others are enemies of the CROSS of CHRIST. They know who they are . Betrayers as used here mean evangelical leaders who allow themselves to be taken for biblical conservatives but drive narrative that undermine the very values their hearers take them as espousing . Hiding progressive politics behind historic theological positions is a betrayal of the kind of trust invested to those who play this game . If the narratives were coming out of true Biblical conviction by these leaders then there would be no need to source or coordinate them from progressive political and social science think tanks. Would there ?

FIVE TURNING POINT FOCUSES OF BETRAYAL 

There are five major areas of betrayal rising on the evangelical horizon today. Take the time to look a them in this writers VIEW -of deepening order of importance and decide for yourself about the gravity of each and the long range error these betrayals bring with them.

*POLITICAL BETRAYAL

*HUMAN AND SEXUAL “RIGHTS ” BETRAYAL

*SOCIAL JUSTICE FALSE GOSPEL BETRAYAL

*”FAITH AND WORK” BETRAYAL :GOING AFTER A GENERATIONS ACHIEVEMENTS AND THE NEXT GENERATIONS FUTURE MAKING YOUR CHILDREN AND GRAND CHILDREN INTO JUSTICE WARRIORS FOR THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY .

*COLLECTIVE FAITH BETRAYAL :USURPING INDIVIDUAL SAVING FAITH AND THE PRIESTHOOD OF EVERY BELIEVER.

EVANGELICAL POLITICS OF BETRAYAL 

In this article we will look at Evangelical Political Betrayal.

Political life is , at its core ,a life of betrayal . This is universally true because political life requires making promises its betrayer cannot keep and endless efforts to be all things to all constituents . Today we see spiritual leaders forming a whole new type of political betrayal.  This one is framed around a false gospel and laced with talking points from the social sciences and left wing think tanks. This betrayal is made to sound Christian with the overuse of hybrid theological jargon which people like Tim Keller seem willing to simply make up along the way as needed. The political engagement stew is then salted with some bible verses tossed in and then published like a global VBS lesson for spiritual children and made to especially appeal to the idealism of the next generation.It really appears to be more like  a set of cheap shots and sucker punches to the intellect and biblical foundation of believers . And yes- they do appear to assume that we are all too stupid to notice .

Example of the rhetoric : (stop when you have had enough )

https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/can-evangelicalism-survive-donald-trump-and-roy-moore

https://www.premier.org.uk/News/World/Tim-Keller-says-being-a-US-evangelical-is-harder-under-Trump

https://hds.harvard.edu/news/trump%E2%80%99s-evangelicals-inconvenient-teachings-christ#

https://www.newsweek.com/2019/08/23/rebel-evangelical-dismantling-loyalty-christian-trump-supporters-1452681.

htmlhttps://www.cnn.com/interactive/2017/politics/state/russell-moore-donald-trump-southern-baptists/

https://www.russellmoore.com/2018/04/06/signposts-evangelical/

HERE IS A LOOK AT THE LATEST POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT GUIDE FROM SBC CIRCLES .IS IT A BETRAYAL ? YOU BE THE JUDGE .

ERLC- DEEP STATE MANUAL FOR 2020 POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT

RUSSELL MOORE/ERLC NEW AGE PARTNERSHIP SPRANG FROM MLK/50

RUSSELL MOORE/ERLC NEW AGE POLITICAL PARTNERS

DISOWNING CHRISTIAN IDENTITY

There was a gathering of LEADING EVANGELICAL THINKERS called by Doug Birdsall because, in his words he was ” fearful that this association with Trump now threatened the focus on personal salvation”. Nice of him to be concerned about other believers salvation just because he does not like how the vote. Over 50 leaders gathered secretly at Wheaton to discuss these issues. One blogger likened  the closed door meetings to a Bilderberg Group approach for solving evangelicalism problems .

https://www.newyorker.com/news/on-religion/at-a-private-meeting-in-illinois-a-group-of-evangelicals-tried-to-save-their-movement-from-trumpism

“Doug Birdsall, the honorary chair of the Lausanne Movement, an international evangelical organization, decided to move ahead with a two-day “consultation” for evangelical leaders that he had been mulling. According to Birdsall, its aim would be to revitalize Graham’s original mission and to discuss the future of the faith.

In the e-mail invitation Birdsall sent to participants, he wrote that the meeting was “prompted by the challenges of distortions to evangelicalism that have permeated both the media and culture since the 2016 election.” He recruited Harold Smith, the president of the Christianity Today ministry, which publishes the evangelical magazine of the same name founded by Graham, in 1956; Claude Alexander, a respected pastor in North Carolina; and Philip Ryken, the president of Wheaton College, in Illinois, to help host the gathering. Jenny Yang, a vice-president with World Relief, a refugee-resettlement group, and Gabriel Salguero, the president of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition, were asked to co-chair. (I was invited to attend because for several years I was the managing editor of Christianity Today.) Like many other young Christians, the 2016 Presidential election left me with an acute sense of abandonment.

Birdsall’s invitation stated that the “support of ‘eighty-one per cent of self-identifying white evangelicals’ for Donald Trump is a call to self-reflection on the current condition of Evangelicalism.” Nevertheless, he insisted, “Our purpose . . . is neither political nor centered on public policy.”

Last week, more than fifty pastors, scholars, and college presidents converged on the Billy Graham Center, at Wheaton, for the meeting. Participants included the Presbyterian pastors Timothy Keller and John Ortberg, and also Mark Noll, a historian of American evangelicalism who is perhaps best known for his book “The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind,” a critique of the movement’s anti-intellectual bent.”

( Photo from Christian Post article https://www.christianpost.com/books/tim-keller-evangelicals-politics-social-justice-how-churches-should-treat-non-christians.html) 

ONE THING IS CERTAIN -WITH 2020 LOOMING IN THE NEAR FUTURE EVEN MORE SUCH MEETINGS AND STATEMENTS ARE GOING ON AND FORTHCOMING  .

Why are the “conservative evangelical ” leaders who found great joy in being in the company of the Obama administration so upset about Trump being President ?

THE PRESIDENCY TRUMP IS NOT THE ISSUE

Love him or hate him Donald Trump altered the US political landscape forever. Presidential politics are a billion dollar industry since the 2008 election and now it is likely to become more and more a billionaire’s game. What is really at issue is the future of Conservative Christian conviction reflected in voting patterns .

Leadership in the Old Testament times was a mixed bag. Leaders often are. Moore and Keller and others desire to shame Christians for voting the best they can. The goal goes beyond voting habits to Christian public identity . Betrayers want American Christians to disown their convictions reflected in their political stand but also call openly for evangelicals to disown the very name or label “evangelical ” along with the very identity . The call is repeated over and over but the goal is not to find a Gospel stance in political engagement but rather to move believers left of center on EVERY

Ironically the spiritual political betrayers are everywhere and seldom even try to hide their betrayal . “Never Trumper Evangelical” leaders like Russell Moore and Tim Keller appear willing to brazenly feed themselves without fear among the flock while they sell you the snake oil of progressive political talking points and assert them as “gospel values ” reflected in the “justice policies” of the Democratic Party. All this takes place while one of the most honest people in the Democratic loop Cecile Richards will plainly tell you “you cannot be a Democrat unless you support ABORTION”. Worst of all your children are being sold this bill of goods at every hand.Even in Christian media , educational institutions ,(where parents are often paying the tuition ) and in your very own churches .  Soon it is likely  Planned Parenthood will have no problem finding even more support from “conservative Christians ” . Liberal churches are already devotees at these pagan alter fires.

HONEST INJUN /SCOUTS HONOR/READ MY LIPS 

So who is HONEST here ? Is it the woman whose organizations budget reached over a billion dollars a year by 2015 by being faithful to its supporters who want to promote “women’s rights to choose” and control “global birth rates ” ? Or is it the SBC “ethicist “Russell Moore and the PCA’s new C S Lewis Tim Keller who wrap their narratives in theological packaging and offer answers and responses to the Christian masses which undermine one of the most black and white convictional issues of our time or any time? Sadly the former head of Planned Parenthood – perpetrator of global child slaughter that would make the priest of  Moloch blush – is more honest than our evangelical talking heads in their political talking points.

This art of theological deceit is practiced across the realm of those leaders in network with Moore and Keller. They cover a range of issues in their casting the vision of a new liberal Christianity with conservative dressing but none more revealing than in the issue of abortion . You can read at this link as Mark Dever and Jonathan Leeman or The Gospel Coalition/ 9MARKS / ERLC practice the talking points calling out Christians for being “single issue voters”. How dare we think the value of life can be distilled into a single issue i.e. saving babies from slaughter ?

9MARKS DEVER AND FABIAN SOCIALIST TRAINED EDITOR :HOW TO DITCH YOUR PRO-LIFE VOTING HABIT .

If we have been slain it was either by the hand of our own or the willingness to deliver Christians  up to their slayers. David did not escape his betrayal of Uriah the Hittite even though it was a hand other than Davids who did the deed. Guilt will find the shedder of innocent blood. It is  had and fast rule of life in God’s economy .Betrayal  results in death .If not  death of the person betrayed – Betrayal does bring about the death of Hope and Trust and often the Hope of the Future .In the worst of cases it brings about the death of the most precious commodity -the FAITH of the betrayed. This is the worst of all possible results. Many are being and have been so betrayed by spiritual leadership today that their very faith in God and His Word are in crisis. While modern day betrayers count their thirty pieces of silver , build their etifacies and organizations and write endless books and conference -many do so over the scattered dry bones of their victims .

We must ask and answer again the question “can these bones live?”. Our reply must be “O Lord thou knowest” for it is beyond human capacity – but nothing is too hard for the LORD of Host.

As far as politics and us regular Joe believers …the 2020 election cycle is well inplay . So are the betrayers of your faith and ,if the have their way… the betrayers of your vote and of life as we know it in America. Perhaps that is less of a Kingdom issue but The world still looks to America for personal freedoms like Religious Liberty . It is certain those who hate our way of life have no commitment to such personal values. Do our spiritual leaders or are they just saying that they do?

ERLC/SBC ABUSE PREVENTION MOVEMENT LOOKS TO EMPOWER WOMEN AND ITSELF.

(Part 2 of the ERLC “Caring Well ” reality check report )

Rev Thomas Littleton                                                                              10-9-2019  

Last weeks ERLC Caring Well Conference has raised some eyebrows as it promoted women’s empowerment as an answer to sexual abuse in the Southern Baptist Convention . With speakers like Beth Moore attacking the historic SBC views of  Complementarianism and blaming it for sexual abuse and the cover up of it . This movement has been been in the making for over a year  and follows on the heels of the SBCs own internal #MeToo efforts which took out conservative icons like Paige Patterson. Now the ERLC offers “empowerment “as the answer to the SBC abuse issues. But make no mistake there is far more to be lost and gained than addressing abuse in the SBC for the “Caring Well” movement .

UNFRIENDLY -UNCOOPERATIVE AND WHISTLEBLOWERS NOT WELCOME 

The issues of sexual abuse, race and same sex attraction (LGBT+ rights )  – as defined or redefined by the politics of Russell Moore and his ERLC regime and the empowerment of the newly tasked SBC “Standing Credentials Committee” to determine a churches standing in the SBC are central to the “Caring Well” ideology. Church Autonomy in the SBC is likely a thing of the past -as ARE  “the Priesthood of the Believer ” and “Freedom of Conscience” . In the future – SBC “Whistleblowers” and “unfriendly ” and “un-cooperatives”  BEWARE ! The ERLC operatives appear to be out to “Search Identify and Destroy” in the name of driving “cooperation ”  and protecting the “vulnerable” as it defines them .

CARING WELL IS THE ERLC’S BABY -IT’S REACH GOES TO THE CORE OF SBC LIFE

CARING WELL MOVEMENT LAUNCHED BY GREEAR PARTNERING WITH ERLC

http://www.sbclife.net/article/2634/sex-abuse-prevention

“Following his June 2018 election as SBC president, Greear formed a presidential initiative, working in partnership with the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), to consider ways to combat the evil of sexual abuse in a church setting.”

“At its Fall 2018 meeting, the Executive Committee, acting on behalf of the Convention ad interim, approved up to $250,000 in Cooperative Program gifts to fund the initiative.”

“At the Winter 2019 meeting, Greear called on Southern Baptists to ten action steps in response to sexual abuse in a church or ministry setting.”

Season of Sorrow and Lament

“Greear called on Southern Baptists to enter a season of repentance of allowing a culture “that has made abuse, cover-ups, and evading accountability far too easy.” He called for a “season of sorrow” to “culminate at the 2019 SBC annual meeting as we have a time for prayer and lament on the subject of abuse.”

“In “Five Updates on the Sexual Abuse Advisory Group,” an ERLC update posted on May 14, Phillip Bethancourt, the Commission’s executive vice president, said that the Sexual Abuse Advisory Group will “lead a time of prayer and lament as well as present a report on its work” during the ERLC’s presentation on Wednesday afternoon at 2:45 p.m.”

BACKGROUND CHECKS -TIGHTENING ORDINATION -CHURCH REVIEWS -DATABASE

Background Checks Considered

“In his February remarks, Greear asked the Executive Committee to “strongly consider requiring background checks, at a minimum, for all SBC standing committees and trustee appointments.”

“The Executive Committee officers have placed consideration of requiring background checks for members of all boards and committees of the SBC on the agenda for the Committee’s September 2019 meeting.”

“Executive Committee staff amended the nominations form completed by Committee on Nominations’ members. Each person nominated to serve in an elected role on SBC boards and committees will be asked to provide written affirmation of the nominee’s willingness for background checks to be conducted on him or her upon their election to serve.”

Ordination Practices Reviewed

“While ministerial calling and ordination continue to be a function of each local church, associational leaders are beginning to review ways to strengthen the process through their local network of churches.”

“Jason A. Lowe, an associational mission strategist in Kentucky, began polling pastors and other Baptist leaders across the Southern Baptist Convention on ways to enhance the ordination screening process, according to a May 10 Baptist Press news story about the survey.”

“In the resultant report, “Above Reproach: A Study of the Ordination Practices of SBC Churches,” Lowe noted that “very little study” has been done on this topic and that no one has a good snapshot of what is actually happening across the SBC when it comes to ordination practices.”

“No one knows how thoroughly candidates for ordination are being examined,” wrote Lowe, who serves as associational mission strategist for the Pike Association of Southern Baptists in southeastern Kentucky as well as executive pastor for First Baptist Church in Pikeville.”

“No one knows how many ordination councils require candidates to complete a background check,” he wrote. “No one knows how many ordination councils examine a candidate’s sexual purity.”

“The 555 survey responses Lowe collated included pastors (60 percent), associational and denominational leaders (17 percent), deacons (9 percent), retired or former pastors (5 percent), and others (9 percent) from thirty-four states, Baptist Press reported. He released his findings in a 42-page report and noted five significant points of interest:”

1. SBC ordination practices have significant room for improvement.
2. Discussions regarding a candidate’s sexual purity are sparse, but on the rise.
3. Ordination practices are changing in both positive and negative ways. For instance, more churches are requiring theological training, and more are conducting background checks and asking candidates about sexual purity. But on the other hand, the role of the ordination council seems to be decreasing in importance. Screening periods have gotten shorter as a whole, and councils involve fewer ordained pastors.
4. Ordaining churches in more populated areas set higher standards for their ordination candidates.
5. Larger churches are more thorough in their examination of ordination candidates. Churches with a larger membership are more likely to cover more topics during the screening process, require a background check, and require training.

The full report is available at https://jasonalowe.files.wordpress.com/2019/04/sbc-ordination-practices-report.pdf.”

ACP Questions Considered

“In his May 14 update, Bethancourt noted that there is no expected change for this fall’s Annual Church Profile report churches are asked to submit beginning this summer and throughout the fall. ”

“Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research, who oversees development of the Annual Church Profile in concert with pastors, state convention representatives, and SBC leaders, told Executive Committee staff in a May 2 email that the 2019 report had already been finalized and distributed to states and associations for them to begin the annual process of collecting responses from more than fifty thousand churches and church-type missions across the United States and its territories.”

Annual Meeting Activities

“During the SBC annual meeting in Birmingham, a beehive of activities will highlight sexual abuse prevention in a church setting.”

“The central element of this focus is a scheduled presentation during the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission presentation, part one, at 2:45 on Wednesday afternoon, June 12. ”

“In addition to the report to messengers, the Sexual Abuse Advisory Group and the ERLC “will partner together for a Monday night event on ‘Sexual Abuse and the Southern Baptist Convention,’” according to Bethancourt’s May 14 update. The event is scheduled for Monday, June 10, and will meet in the South Exhibit Hall, Level 1, in the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex. Space is limited for the event.”

Panelists include ERLC President Russell Moore; SBC President J. D. Greear; author and Bible study teacher Beth Moore; attorney, advocate, and educator Rachael Denhollander; and Susan Codone, a survivor of sexual abuse in a Birmingham area Baptist church, Bethancourt wrote.

The ERLC booth in the exhibit hall will serve as a hub for information, resources, and conversations about abuse.”

Database Possibility Explored

“In his February 18 presentation to the Executive Committee, Greear raised the possibility of a “database of offenders.” He noted that the “subject of a database is complicated and will take time to evaluate.”

“This update was compiled from numerous sources by Roger S. Oldham, executive editor of SBC LIFE and member of Long Hollow Baptist Church in Hendersonville, Tennessee.”

WHAT REALLY HAPPENED AT SBC 2019?

SEXUAL ABUSE RACISM -HOMOSEXUALITY

“BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (BP) — Sexual abuse and racism would draw heightened action within the Southern Baptist Convention under recommendations to be considered during the June 11-12 SBC annual meeting in Birmingham, Ala.”
“A key recommendation, approved by the SBC Executive Committee in its June 10 meeting, calls for repurposing the SBC Credentials Committee to field claims against churches in regard to sexual abuse and discrimination based on ethnicity as well as matters such as homosexuality that would call their relationship with the SBC into question.”

”
“The Executive Committee also approved recommendations to amend the SBC constitution to specify sexual abuse and racism as grounds for declaring a church as “not in friendly cooperation.” The SBC amended its constitution in regard to homosexuality in 1993.”
“SBC President J.D. Greear, in his greeting to EC members, said Southern Baptists are “at a defining moment” in how they respond to some of the challenges before them.”
“I want to be careful not to overblow this … [but] how we respond to some of these things that are ahead of us will not only shape our witness in the present, it will also shape who Southern Baptists are for generations to come.”

THE COMMITTEE -WHAT IS IT? WHAT IS IT FOR?

WHY RE-PURPOSE AN EXISTING CREDENTIALS COMMITTEE ?

….”to field claims against churches in regard to sexual abuse and discrimination based on ethnicity as well as matters such as homosexuality that would call their relationship with the SBC into question.”

REALITY CHECK –

SO THE STANDING CREDENTIALS COMMITTEE IS A RE-PURPOSED GROUP FOR CREDENTIALING MESSENGERS TO THE ANNUAL SBC CONVENTION MEETINGS TO NOW DETERMINE IF A CHURCH IS FRIENDLY COOPERATION WITH THE ERLC’S PROJECTED VIEWS AND STANDARDS ON SEX ABUSE- RACISM -HOMOSEXUALITY AND MORE -“NOT LIMITED TO ” ADDRESSING SEXUAL ABUSE  ALONE 

ERLC PROVIDED A guide to understanding the Credentials Committee proposal

A guide to understanding the Credentials Committee proposal

“May 2019  “The Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention will consider a significant proposal to establish a standing Credentials Committee. This committee will be tasked with handling disputes that arise related to whether churches are in friendly cooperation with the SBC, including concerns with churches over their handling of sexual abuse. The full text of the proposal is available at the end of this article. If this proposal is approved by the Executive Committee and then passed by a two-thirds vote at the annual meeting, the Credentials Committee will immediately become the Southern Baptist denominational body responsible for this process.”

FRIENDLY COOPERATION OR ELSE 

WHAT DID HE JUST SAY ?

In reality this Credentials Committee about.; “This committee will be tasked with handling disputes that arise related to whether churches are in friendly cooperation with the SBC, including concerns with churches over their handling of sexual abuse.”

The issue here is then “whether or not a church is in friendly cooperation with the SBC”. This might also be stated as “is a church in compliance with the leadership of the SBC in a friendly posture .” The Credentials Committee might better be understood as a “Compliance Office” who is empowered to review churches .

What is the proposal?

“This proposal would establish a standing Credentials Committee that would be empowered to “make inquiries of a church” in instances where a dispute regarding friendly cooperation arises. This committee would now be responsible for handling issues arising from churches that act in a manner that is inconsistent with the Convention’s beliefs regarding sexual abuse. The committee would not just address issues of abuse but other subjects such as homosexuality or racism, in accordance with Article 3 of the SBC Constitution.”

“REVIEW “AKA SEARCH AND DESTROY UNFRIENDLY NON-COOPERATIVES

“The Credentials Committee can conduct an inquiry process in which it would “consider the matter and review any information available to it” to assess if a church is in friendly cooperation with the convention, as established in Article 3 of the SBC Constitution. If an inquiry process is completed between annual meetings, the Credentials Committee could make a recommendation to the Executive Committee who would then “determine whether the church is in cooperation with the Convention.” While the Convention and the Executive Committee retain their authority to make final determinations regarding whether a church is in cooperation with the Convention, this committee is authorized to assess and recommend action to the larger body.”

What is the purpose of the proposal?

“The purpose of this proposal is to establish a stand-alone committee that is empowered to assess and address issues such as abuse that could warrant disfellowshipping a church. It attempts to comprehensively address the composition and purpose of this committee. As J.D. Greear described it in the Baptist Press article, “This committee would be charged with handling any issues that may arise as to whether a church is in cooperation with the SBC, including (but not limited to) complaints of sexual abuse.” The proposal is a proactive step taken by the Executive Committee to position the Convention to more effectively address the abuse crisis. The Credentials Committee would carry out responsibilities currently handled by the Bylaws Workgroup of the Executive Committee.”

AGAIN ACCORDING TO THE SBC PRESIDENT GREEAR 

“As J.D. Greear described it in the Baptist Press article, “This committee would be charged with handling any issues that may arise as to whether a church is in cooperation with the SBC, including (BUT NOT LIMITED TO ) complaints of sexual abuse.”

OK THEN – WE THINK WE GET IT !

We got now. So the Credentials Committee deals with “unfriendlies” and ” non-cooperative types.

DUTIES OF THE RE-PURPOSED CREDENTIALS COMMITTEE 

“The repurposed Credentials Committee, if approved by a two-thirds vote of messengers as an amendment to the SBC’s bylaws, would be a nine-member standing committee. A constitutional amendment, meanwhile, requires a two-thirds vote at two consecutive annual meetings.”
“EC members approved the proposed Credentials Committee and sexual abuse constitutional amendment by voice votes, with several members in the negative; the constitutional amendment involving racism passed unanimously.”
“Specifics of the EC’s recommendation for a standing Credentials Committee include:
— A composition of the SBC’s registration secretary, the EC chairman and, for three-year terms, three members nominated by the Executive Committee and four members nominated by the Committee on Nominations for approval by messengers to serve staggered terms at the committee’s outset.
— An assignment to review any information available when an issue arises during annual meeting whether a church is in cooperation with the convention. The Credentials Committee shall either (a) consider the question and, when prepared, make a recommendation to the Executive Committee or (b) make a recommendation to the convention at the earliest opportunity, which will be immediately considered. One representative of the church and one representative of the Credentials Committee shall be permitted to speak to the question, subject to the normal rules of debate.
— An assignment between annual meetings when an issue arises to review any information available. If the committee deems that a church is not in cooperation with the convention, it shall submit a report to the Executive Committee with the committee’s reasons. The EC, at its next meeting, shall consider the report to make a determination. The decision can be appealed to the convention at least 30 days prior to the annual meeting, when the matter will be considered as part of miscellaneous business on the afternoon of the first day of the convention.
— An opportunity for a disfellowshipped church to seek reconsideration by the Credentials Committee if the church asserts it has addressed the matters which led to its removal as a cooperating church, subject to a vote by the Executive Committee.
— Instruction that its queries to a church should never attempt to exercise authority over the church in violation of Article IV of the SBC constitution.
— Creating a Registration Committee, modeled after the manner the Credentials Committee has operated in the past, to continue being appointed by the SBC president for each annual meeting to be involved with the registration process of messengers.”
“Pending messengers’ approval of the Credentials Committee, the Executive Committee voted to nominate its three members for the standing committee: Linda Cooper, president of national WMU; Stacey Bramlett, the EC’s outgoing secretary and senior vice president of Independent Bank in Cedarville, Tenn.; and Mike Lawson, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Sherman, Texas.
Repurposing the Credentials Revisions would entail revisions to SBC Bylaw 8 regarding Messenger Credentials and Registration; SBC Bylaw 15 governing the Committee on Nominations; and SBC Bylaw 29 on Participation in Convention Affairs.
The proposed constitutional amendments entailed revising into more succinct wording the proposals as adopted by the Executive Committee at its February meeting.”

ERLC REVIEWS THE CARING WELL TAKE AWAY 

ERLC’S BETHANCOURT REVIEWED THE TOP 10 TAKEAWAYS

Top 10 takeaways from the Sexual Abuse Advisory Group Report

SOME CURIOUS CONSIDERATIONS

2. The report gives voice to survivors of sexual abuse within Southern Baptist churches.

(How does the Report give Voice to survivors if no contact to REPORT ABUSE exist ?)

IS ERLC /RUSSELL MOORE SOUNDING FAKE ABUSE OUTRAGE? SBC VICTIMS STILL HAVE NO WAY TO REPORT ABUSE .

(In FACT NO SUCH contact to report ABUSE to the SBC exit after over a year of “Caring Well” efforts .)

4. The report acknowledges that failures in responding to sexual abuse have occurred in many ways, including:

(Interesting wording on some of these points !)

• Failing to adequately train our staff and volunteers—on the national, state, and congregational levels—to be aware of and respond appropriately to abuse
• Using church autonomy improperly to avoid taking appropriate action
• Failing to care well for survivors of abuse
• Failing to take disclosure seriously and to believe the survivor
• Failing to report abuse to civil authorities
• Recommending suspected perpetrators to new employment
• Promoting political, institutional, and congregational leaders whose language and behavior glorifies mistreatment of women and children

6. The report acknowledges the way the Southern Baptist doctrine of church autonomy has been misunderstood and misapplied. 

(Two things characterize the historic Baptist faith – The Priesthood of the Believer and Church Autonomy . Both are being lost at the ERLC/ The Gospel Coalition brand of Neo-reformed faith is taking over leadership.)

7. The report acknowledges that some Southern Baptist churches have prioritized institutions over the vulnerable.

( No one has prioritized his institution over people more than Russell Moore has his change agent agenda in the ERLC)

IS CARING WELL  NOW THE BRAND FOR ERLC ABUSES OF POWER?

Then ERLC “promotes the BRAND

Home

Click to access SBC-Caring-Well-Report-June-2019.pdf

SBC 2019 RESOLUTIONS SHUFFLE 

DRIVING RACIAL NARRATIVES NOTHING NEW FOR SOME IN SBC -NOR IS HYPOCRISY OVER RACE

THE GLARING RACIAL HYPOCRISY OF AL MOHLER AND RUSSELL MOORE

Resolutions contend for vulnerable, Gospel

2019 RESOLUTIONS COMMITTEE CHAIR IS AN SBTS/ERLC INSIDER KNOWN FOR HIS RACIAL ACTIVISM

http://kentuckytoday.com/stories/kentucky-baptist-woods-named-chairman-of-so-baptist-resolutions-committee,17369

“Kentucky Baptist leader Curtis Woods has been named chairman of the 2019 Southern Baptist Convention Resolutions Committee, said SBC President J.D. Greear.

Woods, who served on the 2018 SBC Resolutions Committee, will be only the second African American to chair the committee, according to Baptist Press’ review of SBC records. Norris Sydnor, an African American, chaired the committee in 1982.”

“Woods holds a doctor of philosophy degree from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he also serves as assistant professor of applied theology and biblical spirituality. He was on the six-member committee that released in December a report on the institution’s history of slavery and racism.”

SBC HELD ITS 2019 MEETINGS IN BIRMINGHAM ALABAMA TO USE THE CITY AND ITS CIVIL RIGHTS HISTORY AS A BACKDROP FOR RACIAL RECONCILIATION DRIVE

http://sbcannualmeeting.net/sbc19/news/53090/racial-reconciliation-focus-of-pastors-conf-panel

CRITICAL RACE THEORY AND INTERSECTIONALITY VALIDATED AT SBC 2019 

https://christianindex.org/resolutions-contend-for-vulnerable-gospel/

“Curtis Woods, chairman of the 10-member Resolutions Committee, told reporters the “overarching theme” of the panel’s report “would have been protection – protection of the unborn as well as protection of those who could find themselves vulnerable to sexual abuse, as well as just keeping the Gospel of Jesus Christ first, advancing the Gospel, being concerned about the Great Commission.”

CRT

“The resolution affirmed the Bible as “the first, last, and sufficient authority” regarding how the church tries to amend social evils and said critical race theory and intersectionality should only be used in submission to Scripture. The resolution described critical race theory as a set of tools to explain how race functions in society and intersectionality as the study of how various characteristics overlap.

Tom Ascol, senior pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Cape Coral, Florida, sought to amend the resolution, including with language to say critical race theory and intersectionality are “rooted in ideologies that are incompatible with Christianity.”

Woods told the messengers in response, “What we are saying is that this can be utilized simply as an analytical tool, not a transcendent worldview above the authority of Scripture, and we stand by the strength of this resolution.”

THE RESOLUTIONS COMMITTEE ACTUALLY TOOK A RESOLUTION CONDEMNING CRT AND INTERSECTIONALITY AND CONVERTED /REPURPOSED IT AFFIRM .

SBC RESOLUTIONS COMMITTEE “REVOICING RESOLUTIONS” -SUBVERTING SOUTHERN BAPTIST

REVOICE LGBT + MOVEMENT FROM SBTS “STILL THRIVING ” IN SBC

THE RESOLUTIONS COMMITTEE ALSO  REJECTED A CONDEMNATION OF THE CONTROVERSIAL “REVOICE LGBT THRIVING” MOVEMENT AND PUT FORWARD A RESOLUTION OF THEIR OWN PROMOTING SAME SEX ATTRACTION /ORIENTATION

According to the Report the Resolutions Committee also presented these issues for the SBC messengers who acted upon them

“Messengers also approved resolutions in which they:”

(Thirty Pieces of Silver Commentary provided on many of these actions )

• Reaffirmed the doctrine of local church autonomy under Christ’s lordship and rejected its use as a way to conceal the sins of pastors and others in the church who are guilty of abuse. ( interesting that affirming church autonomy while establishing means to dismantle it for lacking “Friendly Cooperation”)
• Urged Christians who battle same-sex attraction “to forsake any self-conception or personal identity that is contrary to God’s good and holy purposes in creation and redemption” and commended the “faithful witness” of such disciples who walk in obedience to Jesus. ( While refusing to Condemn Revoice LGBT+ movement born at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary while founder Nate Collins was teaching NT at SBTS )
• Promised to oppose “a divisive spirit” and to develop a “cooperative culture” for the fulfillment of the Great Commission.( By virtue and authority of the new repurposed Credentials Committee pressure toward cooperation and compliance with less than “friendly persuasion” can be exerted to force compliance with ERLC views on Sex Abuse- Race and Homosexuality /those with SSA)
• Committed to respond to injustices by Gospel proclamation, advocacy for oppressed people, acting with justice personally, and demanding that “spheres of society” function righteously, truthfully, and lovingly. ( Justice is a RED FLAG term in this era of “Social Justice ” false gospel infiltration on the seminaries of conservative denominations like the SBC)
• Renewed their commitment to the Great Commission and encouraged the convention’s seminaries, entities, and churches to enable pastors to understand “how culture and contexts shape ministry methods and strategies.”
• Called for the president and Congress to refuse to extend the military draft to include women.
• Denounced human germline editing and called on Congress and international policy makers to make it unfundable and illegal.
• Confirmed their commitment to Christ over a political party and acknowledged the various political affiliations and viewpoints in the convention’s churches. ( While ERLC promotes the Democratic party and attacks conservative candidates
• Expressed gratitude to God, as well as Southern Baptists in the Birmingham area and all others who helped with this year’s meeting.

REALITY CHECKS WHISTLEBLOWERS GIVEN NO QUARTER 

AGAIN NO PROTECTIONS FOR PEOPLE COMING FORWARD TO REPORT ABUSE WERE PROVIDED AS A “WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTIONS” RESOLUTION WAS REJECTED.

“The committee chose not to act on proposals submitted on the moral character of government officials, reconciliation with Jewish people because of a lack of concern by the SBC during the Holocaust period, peace between the United States and Iran, and the freedom of conscience of whistleblowers in the SBC.”

THE RESOLUTIONS COMMITTEE CHOSE NOT TO ACT ….  on a resolutions supporting “freedom of conscience of whistleblowers in the SBC”

YET we are to believe the ERLC/ The SBC leadership and the (Re-Purposed ) Standing Credentials Committee are committed to “PROTECTING THE VULNERABLE ” .

THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION AFFIRMATIVE ACTION: WHY CRITICAL RACE THEORY, WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT AND LGBT+ ARE THRIVING IN THE SBC

Jeremiah 5

The Justice of God’s Judgment

CONFIRMED ON OCTOBER 8TH AFTER THE ERLC “CARING WELL CONFERENCE ” NO HOTLINE OR ENTITY OR CONTACT IS AVAILABLE  FOR ABUSE VICTIMS IN THE SBC.

Rev Thomas Littleton                                                                                              10-8-2019

( Recently a person of color in the SBC who has been repeatedly abused by superiors and who has watched the Caring Well Conference be planned and executed -asked this writer  how they could report the abuse they had suffered . After an extensive search of SBC websites- the ERLC – The Caring Well Report and web site – and combing through a long list of press releases on the topic of addressing abuse and protecting the vulnerable in the SBC (and the Gospel) -no place for reporting or even contacting the proper channels to report abuse in the SBC exist.

The SBC Executive Committee , SBC President J D Greear  and ERLC head Russell Moore have been talking about SBC abuse since 2018 but to date NO MECHANISM EXIST THAT IS IN PUBLIC VIEW FOR VICTIMS OF ABUSE TO REPORT TO SBC AUTHORITIES . The compelling question is “WHY?” . How can they address or prevent further  abuse with no reporting mechanism in place?

This writer was informed by the Executive Committee that no such place for contact or method of reporting has been established .

Part TWO of this report will examine what IS being accomplished by the Caring Well  effort and how it is being used to promote women’s empowerment and eventual leadership roles of women in the SBC .The effort is also working to empower top down authority overriding  local church autonomy in matters the SBC Abuse Advisory Board  deems under the authority via the newly approved Committee on Abuse from the SBC    2019 meetings in Birmingham June 2019  repurposed “Standing Credentials Committee”.)

CARING WELL OR CARELESS PLANNING ?

ALL THINGS CONSIDERED EXCEPT THE VOICE OF THE VICTIMS 

Russell Moore has been planning and scheming -wishing and and hoping to address sexual abuse in the SBC for over a year .The ERLC has now done a profitable conference, brought  famous victims of abuse with books to sell and even helped draft a 52 page document to go along with the effort – YET to date -NO phone number- abuse hotline or even contact email for victims to report sexual abuse in the Southern Baptist Convention exist . NOTHING

https://erlc.com/upcoming-events/2019-erlc-national-conference

The issue of sexual abuse in the SBC  hit the Houston Chronicle in February 2019

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/investigations/article/Southern-Baptist-sexual-abuse-spreads-as-leaders-13588038.php

HEADLINES READ

The ERLC and SBC work with Caring Well makes it appear the denomination is responding for victims – Still there is no method to report ABUSE.

MOORE MAKES IT SOUND HEART FELT 

“If you think responding to sexual abuse in the church is a distraction from the mission of the church, then you don’t understand the mission of the church.” –

#CaringWell

Normal response would have set up a victims hotline from day one .

The “Caring Well Movement ” is in full swing with no pathway for the victims to report .

Click to access SBC-Caring-Well-Report-June-2019.pdf

CARING WELL -WELL ATTENDED 

SBC PRESIDENT GREEAR ON ABUSE IN SBC 

SBC President J D Greear is up front and highly visible .

http://www.sbclife.net/article/2634/sex-abuse-prevention

“During his remarks at the SBC Executive Committee winter meeting, J. D. Greear told EC members and guests, “I think we recognize, with brokenness, that our culture needs to change when it comes to our response to sexual abuse.”

Noting that the SBC has passed numerous resolutions “making clear how we feel about abuse,” the SBC president said it is time for Southern Baptists to “back up our words with actions that demonstrate our commitment to this.”

“We serve a God who laid down his life to protect the vulnerable,” Greear, pastor of The Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, said in his February 18 remarks. “How dare we proclaim that Gospel with our mouths and turn a blind eye when the vulnerable in our midst cry out for help?”

Following his June 2018 election as SBC president, Greear formed a presidential initiative, working in partnership with the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), to consider ways to combat the evil of sexual abuse in a church setting.

At its Fall 2018 meeting, the Executive Committee, acting on behalf of the Convention and the interim, approved up to $250,000 in Cooperative Program gifts to fund the initiative.

At the Winter 2019 meeting, Greear called on Southern Baptists to ten action steps in response to sexual abuse in a church or ministry setting.”

BUT TALK IS CHEAP JD GREEAR  -SINCE 2018 THERE IS STILL NO HOTLINE FOR VICTIMS 

ROLLING OUT RESOURCES BUT NOT WAY TO REPORT

“Rollout of New Church Resource”

“In the same post, Bethancourt announced that Becoming a Church that Cares Well for the Abused will be ready by the SBC annual meeting. The resource, introduced by Greear in his February 18 EC report, has been developed by a team of survivors, advocates, and experts and is designed to prepare pastors and other leaders to respond well to any reports of sexual abuse within the church setting.”

“Becoming a Church that Cares Well for the Abused is “a free video-based curriculum to equip churches to provide holistic care for abuse,” according to Bethancourt. The twelve-part video series will include a companion written curriculum and will be available in both English and Spanish, he wrote.”

“A handbook by the same title has been published by B&H Publishing and became available for individual purchase for $4.99 on June 4 at LifeWay.com. Discounts are available for bulk orders in increments of 10–49, 50–99, and 100 or more.”

“The B&H website states, “Though the most comprehensive training is experienced by using this handbook and the videos together, readers who may be unable to access the videos can use this handbook as a stand-alone resource.”

SOME OF THE QUOTES FROM THE CARING WELL CONFERENCE 

ERLC VP PUTS THINGS IN PERSPECTIVE ON THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ABUSE ISSUE

ERLC @ERLC Oct 5

BUT APPEARS TO ACKNOWLEDGE A REALITY STILL ENTRENCHED IN THE SBC “FAILURE ”

ERLC SPEAKER DENHOLLER HITS THE ISSUE HARD

CARING WELL SPEAKER -HEAD OF INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE MISSION ENCOURAGES VICTIMS NOT TO GO AWAY YET FAILS TO  NOTICE THEY HAVE NO WAY TO CONTACT THE CARING WELL PARTNERS !

https://www.ijm.org/team/gary-haugen/

BUT NO ONE SEEMS TO HAVE NOTICED THERE IS NO WAY FOR VICTIMS TO REPORT ABUSE.

Something else besides victims themselves is occupying the minds of Russell Moore / J D Greear and the SBC anti- abuse /Caring Well Movement . What is on their minds? What goals exist that take priority over the victims access to help?

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE FOR ERLC /SBC EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND CARING WELL BRAND TO DO WHAT IT SHOULD HAVE DONE IN THE FIRST PLACE…? HOW LONG BEFORE THE SBC ABUSE HOTLINE IS OPEN AND AWAITING THE VICTIMS CALL?

DR Moore – Once more  the people in the SBC who pay your salary and are told to look to you for leadership -are waiting . If this “Caring Well Movement ” with its documents , authority , materials and conferences is about victims of abuse then the victims need the first consideration – not the last.

MORE ON ERLC “JUSTICE SEEKING “WITH GLOBAL NEW AGE PARTNER FETZER 

Rev Thomas Littleton                                                                                                    10-5-2019

The current exposure of Southern Baptist and PCA leaders full embrace of the false “justice gospel ” and its efforts to turn Evangelicals toward being “justice voters ” really began in April 2018 when ERLC and Tim Keller’s The Gospel Coalition co-sponsored the MLK/50 Conference in Memphis TN. The Conference was awash  with”White Guilt ” “White Privilege” and blaming the White  Evangelicals for the woes of the world and the church . The answers provided by the TGC mob of speakers ranged from reconciliation to redistribution and then on to reforming the politics of white conservative Christians to better reflect “justice ” considerations of Christians of color.

Just a short time after these revelations the Dallas Statement condemned this Social Justice approach . The madness continued as the reality  surfaced that TGC affiliated seminaries had been filled with CRT and such like for years. By the 2019 SBC annual meetings the SBC passed a resolution promoting the use of Critical Race theory and Intersectionality as an “aid to the Gospel”  and the battle front for Biblical conservatives to preserve the historic Biblical Gospel against the TGC progressive political machine has not let up since.

So the latest manifestation of the Russell Moore , ERLC and TGC  progressive political activism came out of the closet on September 26th 2019 as the POLITICS  of the justice gospel did their full monty .

Note this Fetzer Institute partnership places ERLC and the many TGC “interviewees” in the report in league with the following organizations according to Fetzer’s Azami.

“And while Fetzer’s immediate concern might be political and social polarization, in the long term, we understand our challenges in American democracy as fundamentally spiritual. To that end, Fetzer is committed to exploring diverse perspectives from multiple angles to inform our learning and support for a flourishing democracy. In addition to our work on this report with the ERLC, for example, we are also working with groups like:

• Interfaith Youth Core and their IDEALS survey on interfaith perceptions among college students,
• Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement’s work to explore the ways faith communities can support democracy and civic life,
• The Inclusive America Project of the Aspen Institute.”

You can read about the full set of issues with the ERLC “Civility Report” here:

ERLC- DEEP STATE MANUAL FOR 2020 POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT

And the New Age partner here:

RUSSELL MOORE/ERLC NEW AGE POLITICAL PARTNERS

NOW MORE INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE 

The ERLC New Age Globalist partnership emerged from the ERLC/TGC MLK/50 Conference according to the Fetzer representative who attended it and was “inspired by Moore’ speech at MLK/50 “.

The full article is below from the Fetzer website.

https://fetzer.org/blog/faith-and-healthy-democracy-report-explores-how-american-evangelical-christians-might

DOUBTLESS THERE IS MORE TO COME FROM THE PROGRESSIVE  MINDED RUSSELL MOORE AND HIS ERLC REGIME .

AT LEAST THIS TIME DR. MOORE NEED NOT TELL SOUTHERN BAPTIST THAT WORKING WITH A NEW AGE GLOBALIST PARTNER LIKE FETZER IS “A GOSPEL ISSUE ” UNLESS OF COURSE YOU ARE WILLING TO ADMIT TO THE FACT YOU ARE PROMOTING A DIFFERENT GOSPEL THAT THE SBC .

TO THE SBC EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE : WHY ARE SOUTHERN BAPTIST HAVING TO PAY FOR THIS TRIPE ?

“This report was supported by the Fetzer Institute to contribute to a healthy democracy in America. The Fetzer Institute is devoted to “helping build the spiritual foundation for a loving world.”

OBTAINING CHRISTIAN CIVILITY BY ALL MEANS INCLUDING NEW AGE SPIRITUALITY .

By Rev Thomas Littleton                                                                                   10/2/2019

The ERLC just released its “Civility Report ” called the “Faith and Healthy Democracy”  in Sept 26th 2019 . The White Paper is by ERLC Fellow Paul Miller a professor of the Practice of International Affairs Georgetown University and a long time Intelligence Analyst working in international affairs, political theory, culture, and theology. Before coming to Georgetown Miller worked for Rand Corporation .

The Civility Report is based on polls and research conducted by Lifeway and its “interviewees ” reads like a who’S who from The Gospel Coalition and the usual suspects of Russell Moore “cultural and political engagement” ideologist . Guys like Michael Wear, Jonathan Leeman , Jemar Tisby , Bruce Ashford, Colon Hansen  and others from TGC grace every page with the standard TGC political rhetoric .

You can find more information on the Civility Report of the ERLC and its Georgetown author here :

ERLC- DEEP STATE MANUAL FOR 2020 POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT

THE MISSION OF THE CIVILITY REPORT 

“This report explores how American evangelical Christians might contribute to healing political and cultural divides in America. It also aims to identify gaps in Americans’ civic education and civic practice and to suggest ways to fill that gap. We hope to engage Christians on what healthy democratic participation looks like: how do we love our neighbors politically, and how might our faith lead us to advocate for human flourishing in the public square?”

IN LAYMEN’S TERMS MINUS THE HUMAN FLOURISHING 

The Civility Report is to encourage civility in and to rethink how Christians engage political discussion . It also shows great concern over where Christians source their news and discourages reading internet and social media or commenting on politics on social media or worst of all- listening to talk  radio or TV interviews. Well given these are the main source of exposure and enlightening the public on the state of the ERLC and TGC progressive politics – it is not hard to understand the reports discouragement of their use.

LIFEWAYS ROLE IN ASSESSING THE BAD POLITICS OF AMERICAN 

“LIFEWAY’S CIVILITY INDEX”

“American political life has seen marked deterioration in recent decades, what has changed? One way of answering that question is through our proprietary poll commissioned through LifeWay Research. LifeWay polled over 1,300 evangelicals nationwide to gauge our views on politics and religion (see Appendix A on methodology and definitions). We share those results throughout this report. (We acknowledge polls are declining in accuracy because of falling response rates and changing technology, but they still provide a useful, if rough, gauge of public opinion). In addition, analysts at LifeWay created a civility index drawn from several questions on the poll and ran multivariate regressions to determine what other observable factors might be associated with higher and lower civility scores”

(The Civility Index is similar to the Human Rights Campaign’s “Corporate/ Health/ and Municipal Indexes”  and provides a sort of “litmus test ” for compliance to the goals asserted.

LIFEWAY WAS NOT THE ONLY PARTNER-ENTER FETZER INSTITUTE 

“This report was supported by the Fetzer Institute to contribute to a healthy democracy in America. The Fetzer Institute is devoted to “helping build the spiritual foundation for a loving world.” It is not a Christian organization, but it shares with the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) a concern for a healthy public square, which we both believe is informed by the unique resources of faith communities. The ERLC is devoted to, “engaging the culture with the gospel of Jesus Christ and speaking to issues in the public square for the protection of religious liberty and human flourishing.” The Fetzer Institute sought to learn more about how American evangelical Christians might contribute to healing political and cultural divides in America. Secondly, and relatedly, this initiative also aims to identify gaps in Americans’ civic education and civic practice and to suggest ways to fill that gap. We hope to engage Christians on what healthy democratic participation looks like: how do we love our neighbors politically, and how might our faith lead us to advocate for human flourishing in the public square?
The ERLC commissioned a public opinion poll (see Appendix B). A team of researchers conducted several dozen interviews with evangelical thought leaders (see Appendix C) and consulted academic and historical work on evangelicals and American politics (see Appendix D). This team talked and debated amongts one another. And we prayed for wisdom .”

THE REPRESENTATIVE FROM FETZER INSTITUTE IN ERLC EFFORTS

Faith and Healthy Democracy

SHARIF AZAMI
“As the Lead Program Officer for the Fetzer Institute, Sharif Azami manages a portfolio of projects in the areas of democracy, faith, and spirituality. Additionally, he provides general support to develop the strategies of Fetzer and build the networks of the organization. Prior to joining Fetzer, Sharif served with CIDA, Oxfam GB, and the United Nations World Food Programme. Sharif earned a master’s in International Development Policy and he holds a graduate certificate in Peace and Conflict Resolution.”

WHO IS FETZER INSTITUTE 

“Our work to realize a more loving world is guided by the development of a new conceptual frame—our Theory of Change—that articulates the need for a global movement. We continue to examine and evolve this theoretical approach, even as we make common cause with all who are working toward a shared and transformative sacred story for humanity in the 21st century.”

“Our work today is in collaboration with inspiring partners as we all work to reveal, inspire, and serve this movement. Learn more about our priority initiatives below and engage with the work through stories, events, resources, and other opportunities to add your voice.”

Click to access Fetzer%20Theory%20of%20Change%201.14.19.pdf

THE CENTRALITY OF
SPIRIT IN OUR THEORY
OF CHANGE
Since our core goal is spiritual
transformation, at the core of
our Theory of Change must be
our understanding of how this
transformation occurs.
The opening words of our
Guiding Purpose—To awaken
into and serve Spirit for the
transformation of self and
society—capture the heart of our
theory of transformation. We are
transformed by awakening into
and serving Spirit.

NOTE FITZER INSTITUTE IS NOT SPEAKING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT 

By “Spirit” we mean that
“something more” within and
beyond physical reality that
binds us together with each
other and with all things in
a deeply interconnected,
meaningful, and sacred reality,
and that calls us to a life of love.
Some traditions conceptualize
this “something more” as God;
other traditions conceptualize it
in nontheistic terms.

The shared experience of Spirit
is the spiritual common ground
for our Fetzer community,
and we believe it can be the
spiritual common ground for
the global community.
In affirming the existence of
Spirit, we are making a profound
ontological affirmation about our
understanding of fundamental
reality—namely, that meaning,
purpose, and love are part of the
very fabric of reality.
This ontological affirmation
informs all aspects of our Theory
of Change and all elements of
our strategy.

GOALS OF FETZERS “THEORY OF SOCIAL CHANGE” 

• Spiritual transformation. As
noted above, awakening into
and serving Spirit is at the
heart of our understanding of
spiritual transformation.
• New Narrative. The
affirmation of Spirit is central
to the ontological foundation
of the New Narrative and
infuses it with deep
existential hope.
• Global movement. Spirit is
both the guide and the “wind
beneath the wings” of the
global movement.
• Spiritual communities. The
shared experience of Spirit
provides the foundation for
our Community of Freedom, as
it does for many life-affirming
spiritual communities within
the faith traditions, and for
many new forms of spiritual
communities emerging outside
the traditions.

*Engagement with science.
We hope to support the
emergence of a scientific
paradigm that opens
space within the scientific
understanding of reality for
Spirit, free will, purpose, and
objective value.

“Conceptual Framework For The New Narrative’s Overarching Meta-Narrative”

BUDDHIST
CHRISTIAN
CONFUCIAN
HINDU
INDIGENOUS
INTERSPIRITUAL
ISLAMIC
JEWISH
TAOIST
OTHER

“ALIGNED NARRATIVES
GROUNDED IN
PARTICULAR PATHS
BUILDING BLOCKS OF
THE NEW NARRATIVE”

FETZERS “NEW NARRATIVE FOR A GLOBAL MOVEMENT “

“The Emerging New Narrative
A far better and more complete
account of the nature of existence
and the human condition is
beginning to emerge, brought
forth by a stronger epistemology.
Recent advances in science and
the philosophy of science are
pointing toward an emerging
scientific paradigm that opens
up space within the scientific
understanding of reality for the
possibility of the independent
existence of consciousness, free
will, and Spirit.

“The Role of the New
Narrative in Awakening
and Empowering the
Global Movement
As noted above, myriad
spiritually grounded change
movements are emerging around
the world but are not yet aware
of being part of a comprehensive
global movement for spiritually
grounded personal and social
transformation. Because the
New Narrative provides a
comprehensive vision for
this global spiritual
transformation, it has the
potential, if clearly articulated
and broadly disseminated,
to awaken this global
movement consciousness.
The Role of the New
Narrative in Aligning
the Movement
As discussed below, the global
movement will necessarily be
a decentralized web of highly
autonomous individual and
organizational actors. The
New Narrative can provide the
movement with the worldview
that organically aligns the
independent initiatives of these
autonomous actors so that they
add up to a comprehensive and
coherent movement strategy.
The Role of the New
Narrative in Growing
the Movement
Finally, by providing a rationally
and emotionally compelling
personal and global vision, the
New Narrative will become a
powerful force drawing new
members into the global
movement.”

John E. Fetzer spent a lifetime inquiring into the interconnectedness between science and spirituality for the transformation of self and society. His search integrated his inner practice (meditation and other mystically oriented practices) to “wake up”, with his outer work in the world. Although one of the most successful persons of his time, He chose not to be constrained by convention, or status, which led him into some of the most controversial fields of his time. Had he lived until now, he would have pushed even further into new frontiers. The reader then is encouraged to re-imagine for themselves where the frontiers lay in current times.

Fetzers biography

John E. Fetzer and the Quest for the New Age

“John E. Fetzer. Wilson’s biography reveals the journey underneath Fetzer’s worldly achievements. Very few people knew that he attributed his personal and professional success to his spiritual practices and awareness of a higher consciousness. Driven by the belief that personal happiness, positive morality, and peace on earth could be achieved by adherence to a pathway and connection to a greater intelligence, he funded top-flight research to validate mankind’s ability to access that infinite intelligence for personal and global good which continues through his endowments today”

FROM FETZER INSTITUTE BIOGRAPHY 

“In his private life, John Fetzer had an intense intellectual curiosity about the “unseen elements” of life. He studied various forms of meditation, prayer, philosophy, and positive thinking, and explored other ways of healing. Throughout his life he was also passionately interested in baseball, an enthusiasm that led him to purchase the Detroit Tigers baseball club. In his later years, the sale of the team and his media holdings resulted in the endowment of the Fetzer Institute.

The interests that shaped John Fetzer’s life can be seen as the seedbed for the questions that define the work of the Fetzer Institute: How can the secular and sacred elements of life be better integrated? How can the insights of science and the powers of technological innovation be utilized to explore the capacities of the mind and spirit? How can the wisdom and insight gained through inner exploration be used to better our individual and collective health? And how can the entrepreneurial spirit and financial resources gained from the American business sector be used in the service of creating a better world?”

ERLC PROMOTING BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES FROM NEW AGE SCIENCE ?

How is the Southern Baptist Convention to survive the politics and the partnerships of Russell Moore and his ERLC regime ?

Not many Baptist are paying close attention to what the influences like TGC and other outside partnerships and funding are doing to their denomination and its associated churches. That needs to change if the denomination is the regain its true Gospel focus. If not then the SBC is bound for the same fate as the mainline denominations and will be little more than a blip on the history of the church in America.

Why is Russell Moore, the ERLC and the TGC  so concerned about the politics of Baptist ? Because they are agents of change and are using “Theories of Social Change ” on the church every day . In some ways they appear desperate – desperate enough to engage partners like FETZER INSTITUTE . For now the mission of this Civility Report and the daily shame fest of evangelical believers for their ” conservative voting ”  habits is to prevent President Donald Trump from a second term in office at any cost -by whatever means possible .

Be Holy

2nd Corinthians 6:

¹⁴ Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what ^[d]fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what ^[e]communion has light with darkness? ¹⁵ And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? ¹⁶ And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you^[f] are the temple of the living God. As God has said:

“I will dwell in them
And walk among them.
I will be their God,
And they shall be My people.”

¹⁷ Therefore 

“Come out from among them 

And be separate, says the Lord.

Do not touch what is unclean,
And I will receive you.”
¹⁸ “I will be a Father to you,
And you shall be My sons and daughters,
Says the Lord Almighty.”