IN A RECENT AMERICAN THINKER ARTICLE DR. ROBERT LOPEZ COMPILED A SHORT LIST OF THE “LONG MARCH” OF PROGRESSIVE TAKE DOWN OF CONSERVATIVE CHRISTIAN ORGANIZATIONS AND INSTITUTIONS. WHO IS NEXT AND WHAT IS LEFT?
Rev Thomas Littleton 8/14/2020
America’s conservative Christians have long relied on organizations to represent them in the public square. The CORE concerns of religious liberty, marriage, family and human sexuality have been entrusted by believers to these organizations for YEARS. Voices from these organizations have spoken for the biblical convictions of believers for decades from local state governments to DC and in national media. But things have changed rapidly and more of these organizations have either taken questionable funds and the poisonous compromise that comes with it,or replaced long time leadership with spineless pillow prophets of the “third way”.
O THE TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGING
The undeniable reality is that the very leaders and organizations many conservative American’s are looking to represent them are working with and, at times, for THE VERY FORCES seeking to shape a new identity for Christians in the public square. In short the organizations themselves are seeking to be the agents of change and to redefine what it means to be a conservative Christian.
Saints your gladiators are no longer entering the arena for you. The coordination of the massive and sudden shift makes the existence of unseen forces at work undeniable. Someone is organizing the demise of these organizations and the movement they have represented.
THE LOPEZ ARTICLE
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2020/08/et_tu_falwell_the_lefts_playbook_at_liberty_u.html
Note a partial timeline of right-wing organizations that changed management since 2012:
- In 2012, Jim Daly assumed leadership of Focus on the Family, which had formerly been run by James Dobson.
- In 2013, Russell Moore took over the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. Also rising in the ERLC was Joe Carter, who had ties as well to the Gospel Coalition.
- In 2013, Exodus International disbanded. Soon plans for “Revoice” took shape.
- In 2015, the Chuck Colson Center announced a new leader, John Stonestreet.
- In 2016, the NeverTrumps appeared.
- In 2017, Rod Dreher’s Benedict Option counseled Christians to withdraw from politics.
- In 2017, Michael P. Farris became the new leader of the Alliance Defending Freedom. Farris is chancellor of Patrick Henry College, from which conservative author Stephen Baskerville vanished last year.
- In 2017, the Heritage Foundation “ousted” Jim DeMint as its leader. Half a year later, Kay Cole James replaced him.
- In 2017, upon Phyllis Schlafly’s death, a battle broke out over who would lead the Eagle Forum.
- In 2017, the Museum of the Bible opened with a succession of leaders until settling on the current Harry Hargrave.
- In 2018, the Southern Baptist Convention shifted with the election of J.D. Greear as a president with ties to 9 Marks and Acts 29. Critics such as Tom Littleton say these groups gerrymander the Convention with politically progressive church plants.
- In 2019, Oliver North had to resign from the National Rifle Association after longtime leader Wayne LaPierre accused him of plotting an ouster based on threats amounting to blackmail.
- In 2020, Tom Littleton says the Singer-funded Alliance for Lasting Liberty launched, bringing into its orbit the Mormons; the Seventh Day Adventists; the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities; and, it appears, the National Association of Evangelicals.
- In 2020, Janet Parshall resigned from the chairmanship of the National Religious Broadcasters, one year after Jerry Johnson resigned as president and CEO.
“We would need multiple articles to detail similar shake-ups of pro-life groups, Catholic organizations, veterans’ organizations, supposedly right-wing media, Tea Party groups, campus conservatism, and of course the entire GOP.”
LETS LOOK AT SOME OF THE ORGANIZATIONS LOPEZ HAS NAMED AND WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THEM.
Lopez points out the problem :
“Such takeovers require startup money. Funds from corruptible sources like George Soros, Paul Singer, and the Koch Brothers poured into the right wing during the 2010s. The goal was usually to move staunch rightist groups toward:
(1) a leftward or libertarian position;
(2) a hybrid position consisting of staunch anti-socialism mixed with softened positions on social issues; or
(3) a mole/double-agent position, publicly supporting conservatism while secretly sabotaging it.”
Now some specifics:
(MORE TO COME IN FUTURE ARTICLES)
President of Focus on the Family
FOCUS ON THE FAMILY WAS ON THE HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN HIT LIST IN 2012
FOCUS ON THE FAMILY UNDERWENT A SUDDEN AND MASSIVE SHIFT ON CRITICAL FAMILY ISSUES
New York Times took note of the 2013 shift
Focus on the Family Works to Change Its Message
By
NYT notes that Daly was seeking to “change the tone ” and distance himself and FOF from conservative Christian LEADERS of the former generation. This is “message shift” and a clear marketing strategy. With so many doing the same thing and at the same time it is impossible NOT to conclude that forces behind the scenes are driving it.
FOF WAS AMONG MANY WHO ENGAGED A POSTURE SHIFT ON LGBTQ ISSUES
How Evangelicals Lost the Culture War Before it Started: LGBTQ Infiltrators and Facilitators
THE 2015 UNIVERSAL CALL FOR “CIVILITY”.
JIM DALY OF FOCUS ON THE FAMILY IS AN EVER PRESENT NAME ON ANY LIST OF LEADERS CALLING FOR COMPROMISE. BASED MOSTLY ON CHANGING THE TONE ON HOMOSEXUALITY BY CHRISTIANS, CIVILITAS IS JUST ONE EXAMPLE.
“Also signed on to Civilitas are Fuller Seminary, Wheaton College, and BIOLA University leadership. Biola only a few months later invited “gay theology” activist Mathew Vines to their campus and Biola’s apologetics department soon launched a “Rethink” of how apologetics approaches issues like LGBTQ. Tim Keller of the PCA, Rick Warren of the SBC, Jim Daly of Focus on the Family coupled with the major players of the Obama Faith Based Partnership advisory team are also Civilitas Board members. ”
FAIRNESS FOR ALL A STRATEGIC EFFORT
FAIRNESS FOR ALL IS LEGISLATION SELLING OUT OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM TO BE REDEFINED THROUGH LGBTQ / ISLAM AND OTHER FORCES ANTITHETICAL TO IT. FAIRNESS IS TOUTED AS A RESPONSE TO HRC AND BILLIONAIRE PAUL SINGERS “EQUALITY ACT”.)
There is no compelling reason to think that any common or middle ground exist in such battles over these key issues given the timeless character and unchanging word of God. Christians are being brought to the table to have conversations there are no BIBLICAL basis for having. Conservative believers are being asked to support efforts and sit quietly in the outer circles of organized “debate”. Christians are being called to agree to and believe the impossible – when the same funders and forces are moving both sides of the “conversations”and their own champions at the table have already been part of negotiating predetermined outcomes.
LGBTQ and Immigration shape shifting are telling measures of the evangelical compromise foreplay.
FACT CHECK -“FAIRNESS FOR ALL” IS ALSO A PAUL SINGER OPERATION. (MANY OF THOSE EVANGELICAL LEADERS AND ORGANIZATIONS CT ESPOUSES HERE TO BE OPPOSED TO FAIRNESS LEGISLATION ARE ALSO BUSY ERODING CONSERVATIVE OPPOSITION TO COMPROMISE. THINK IT THROUGH IN THE LENS OF THE DIALECTIC PROCESS.
CHRISTIANITY TODAY REPRESENTS THE NEW GUARD AS THE OLD GUARD IN “STRONG OPPOSITION”
“Strong Opposition”
If Christianity Today is calling you “Strong Opposition ” it is likely you are not.
FROM THE CT ARTICLE ON FAIRNESS FOR ALL
“The legislation faces strong opposition from LGBT-rights groups who say it enshrines discrimination into law—and from conservative religious groups who say it concedes too much to LGBT-rights groups.”
“Leaders from more than 90 evangelical groups signed a statement rejecting any legislation protecting sexual orientation or gender identity after the CCCU started to advocate for a Fairness for All law in 2016. The list of signers included The Gospel Coalition president D. A. Carson, Focus on the Family president Jim Daly, First Things editor R. R. Reno, and Southern Baptist leaders Russell Moore and Al Mohler.”
“Christians cannot support [Fairness for All] for this overarching reason: It is grounded in an unbiblical conception of the human person,”
“Other evangelical leaders, however, including pastor Tim Keller, legal scholar John Inazu, and CT editor in chief Mark Galli, have argued that a both/and approach is possible. The Fairness for All idea has also received support from some legal scholars, and it has been endorsed by the Seventh-day Adventist Church and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A similar law has been enacted in Utah, with the support of the LDS church.”
“If legislators come to think it’s possible to embrace LGBT rights and religious liberty, they may be able to convince voters. Michael Wear, chief strategist for the And Campaign and former faith outreach director for President Barack Obama, said that in a pluralist society where people disagree about very basic things, it’s critical that leaders help people find common ground.”
“Proposing a bill helps voters imagine a different possibility,” Wear said. “It’s like, this is an option. This is on the table. We need to make this conversation more concrete, not less. Voters don’t have an imagination for how it would be possible. It takes leadership to take real risk and show them how it could be.”
“The And Campaign has urged all the 2020 presidential candidates to come out in support of the Fairness for All Act.”
( NOTE: TIM KELLER RECENTLY SURFACED AS AN ELDER HELPING LEAD & CAMPAIGN)
THE DALY DOUBLE
IN 2014 JIM DALY WAS PART OF THE FAILED MOVEMENT TO PRIME THE CONSERVATIVE CHURCH TOWARD LGBTQ COMPROMISE IN THE NAME OF “IMAGO DEI”.
The Imago Dei Campaign: Evangelical Groups Say Gays Made in God’s Image
“The leader behind the movement, Rev. Samuel Rodriguez Jr., president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, says the goal is to change the narrative of evangelical engagement in the public square, especially when it comes to traditional culture war issues. Other heavy hitters have joined him. President of Focus on the Family Jim Daly, televangelist James Robison, producer of The Bible Series Roma Downey and her husband, Survivor producer Mark Burnett, and vice president of the Liberty University Mat Staver have all signed on. The launch of the website was pegged to Martin Luther King Day as a reminder that the Biblical message and justice go hand in hand.”
“The Imago Dei signers are not making a political statement about hot-button issues like gay marriage. But the Imago Dei campaign does mark the first time, Daly says, that Focus on the Family—a group that opposes gay marriage—has publically stated that gays are created in God’s image alongside straight individuals. “People have said love the sinner, hate the sin,” Daly explains. “So often I think that has fallen woefully short, and it certainly appears like we are hating the sinner as well as the sin. And that is the difference—you’ve got to recalibrate and say I know you are made in God’s image, and therefore you deserve my respect.”
“That change in tone is significant for organizations that have used the image of God doctrine to defend their opposition to gay marriage. A position paper still posted on the Focus on the Family website says: “Focus on the Family is dedicated to defending the honor, dignity and value of the two sexes as created in God’s image—intentionally male and female—each bringing unique and complementary qualities to sexuality and relationships.” When asked whether or not that position page would change given the Imago Dei Campaign, Daly did not say, but he clarified that affirming the image of God in people does not condone their behavior.”
FOCUS SHIFT TRACKED EARLY BY NPR
https://www.npr.org/2012/11/18/165399634/evangelical-leader-suggests-its-time-to-collaborate
“The election has also triggered some soul-searching among evangelical Christian voters. For decades, some in the movement have talked about being under attack for their beliefs in what they see as an increasingly secular country. They say there’s a culture war going on in America, especially over polarizing issues like abortion and gay marriage. Now, one of the movement’s top leaders says it’s time to stop the war rhetoric and start reaching out for compromise.”
( THAT WAS JIM DALY USING ALMOST THE VERY SAME WORDS THAT MONTHS LATER RUSSELL MOORE, AS NEWLY APPOINTED HEAD OF THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST ERLC WOULD ECHO)
“Jim Daly is the president and CEO of Focus on the Family based in Colorado. He stopped by our studios last week during a trip to Washington.”
IMMIGRATION SHIFT
DALY SHIFTS ON IMMIGRATION- ANOTHER PLACE WHERE IT PAYS TO COMPROMISE
https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2012/juneweb-only/exclusive-jim-daly-on-immigration.html
Exclusive: Focus on the Family’s Jim Daly on a New Stance on Immigration Reform
“However, several changes among leadership and priorities have paved the way for other leaders connected with evangelical institutions to take a stance. Other names included Max Lucado, Russell Moore, Margaret Feinberg, J.D. Greear, and Timothy George. Organizations included World Relief, Bread for the World, the Southern Baptist Covention’s Ethics & Public Policy Center, Esperanza, the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, and the National Association of Evangelicals. Daly could not attend the gathering of several evangelical organizations on Tuesday, but longtime Focus staffer Tom Minnery will join the release. On Monday, Daly spoke with CT about why he signed the statement and what it means for the organization.”
FOCUS IN HOUSE NARRATIVE ON IMMIGRATION REFORM
“The time has come for Christians to lead on the issue, which is why I have decided to be part of a diverse coalition of evangelicals committed to finding a bipartisan solution to the current immigration stalemate. After seeking counsel from my colleagues and our Board of Directors and discerning God’s wisdom on the issue, I decided to sign a proposal that I pray will help the country move closer towards true immigration reform.”
“Here’s why I have signed the proposal:
“The topic of immigration reform has become a major issue to families, even naturalized ones who have been here for generations. Their status profoundly affects their stability, structure and quality of life and there’s no denying that the system, as it currently stands, is broken.”
ONE GOOD INDICATOR OF WHY IMMIGRATION HAS BECOME “A FAMILY ISSUE” FOR MINISTRIES
https://cis.org/Rush/Private-Refugee-Resettlement-Agencies-Mostly-Funded-Government
$$$ SIMPLY FOLLOW THE MONEY FOLKS $$$
THE AGENCY OF ONCE TRUSTED ORGANIZATIONS IN BRINGING ABOUT SOCIAL CHANGE AMONG CONSERVATIVE CHRISTIANS IS A BETRAYAL OF THAT TRUST.
CONCLUSION
We will look in greater detail at the compromises and the forces inspiring them with some of the other organizations on Dr. Lopez list. The one thing all conservative Christians must now face is that they/we are left alone (without these major organizations support) in the battle for faith and family and freedoms in the public square.While being told by these organizations that we are being marginalized by holding the standard and that we are living in a post Christian America, they neglect to tell us about the significant role they and their organizations have played in the demise of conservative Christian alliances.
Remain faithful. God does not need think tanks, 501 C 3s or men and women who say they stand for Him while opening the back gates of the city to the enemy.
Conservative Christians you may appear to be on your own but you are not.The Lord stands with you if you are standing for His Word… even when these others have forsaken their post.
IN GOD’S ECONOMY STRENGTH IS IN THE FAITHFULNESS OF A FEW.
” Joshua 23: 10 One man of you shall chase a thousand, for the Lord your God is He who fights for you, as He promised you.”
JOSHUA 23 :
( in context)
6 Therefore be very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, lest you turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left, 7 and lest you go[a] among these nations, these who remain among you. You shall not make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause anyone to swear by them; you shall not serve them nor bow down to them, 8 but you shall hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have done to this day. 9 For the Lord has [b]driven out from before you great and strong nations; but as for you, no one has been able to stand against you to this day. 10 One man of you shall chase a thousand, for the Lord your God is He who fights for you, as He promised you. 11 Therefore take careful heed to yourselves, that you love the Lord your God.”
thirtypiecesofsilverdotorg 