THIRTY YEARS AGO SEMINARY WAS VIEWED, BY MANY YOUNG MEN CALLED INTO MINISTRY, AS SOMETHING TO BE ENDURED. TODAY THE INORDINATE OBSESSION WITH PHILISOPHY MIXED WITH CRITICAL THEORY LACED SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY HAS CAUSED A GENERATION OF YOUNG POSTMODERN MEN AND WOMEN TO SEE THEOLOGY AS AN END IT ITSELF AND THEMSELVES AS BECOMING PART OF AN ELITE THEOLOGICAL CLASS.
MEANWHILE THEY HAVE NO CLUE OF HOW MANIPULATED, INDOCTRINATED AND IMPACTED BY TAINTED FUNDING- THEY, THEIR EDUCATION AND THEOLOGY HAVE BECOME.
Rev Thomas Littleton
6/20/ 2023
WHY IT MATTERS SO VERY MUCH
As the church goes so goes America and American /Western civilization.This is proven and beyond credible dispute.The beyond dispute is the reality that church is in steep decline in America and especially in the South where it has long been at the center of culture and family life. It would take a massive move of the Holy Spirit to revive the church at this point and THAT would require humility, repentance and rending of the collective hearts of the saints. It would start in the prayer closet and mainfest in the pulpits and in the alters of the churches. THAT is not happening because the pulipts are infected and the infection has spread from the seminaries.
It matters most at this stage because the continued rot in the seminaries then flood into our churches and impact our families and our children. This happens EVERY TIME a church hires a new pastor or staffer from these tainted institutions. The problem (beyond prayerless and, at times, unsaved students and faculty) is MONEY. Pretty simple. Below is an examination of just one institution in this authors local city located at a former Baptist University and now filled with the deadly poison of WOKE Justice/ Faith and Works socialist economics and the ongoing grants and impact of tainted money DESIGNED to infiltrate and corrupt our institutions , movements and churches.
THE ROOT OF THE ISSUE
BEESON DIVINITY SCHOOL (SEMINARY) – ONE LOCAL EXAMPLE WHERE TAINTED APOLOGETICS IS THE NEW DISCIPLESHIP
(NOTE- Beeson Divnity School was begun in 1988 and had ecumenical activist academic Timothy George as its founding Dean. Georige is responsible for the problematic Evangelcials and Catholics Together (ECT) movement and the ecumenical manifesto The Manhattan Declaration . Currently Beeson host on campus the latest of Dr.George “big ideas” the new E&C T- which is Egalitarians and Complentarians Together. Thisactivist filled effort is headquartered in “The Center for Women in Ministry at Beeson” .Though the Divinity School was founded as a non denominational institution it sits on a Baptist University (Samford) campus .Its theological leanings tend to be more Anglican and Charismatic than Baptist and decidedly ragged edged ecumenical. Beeson has been receiving the “Faith and Works” driven WOKE Justice grants of Kern Family Foundation and its Oikonomia Network, formerly KERN PASTORS NETWORK for many years.)
SOME BEESON HISTORY WITH KERN FAMILY FOUNDATION /OIKONOMIA GRANTS
FIRST TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT FAITH AND WORK ECONOMICS MEAN
( NOTE -The Socialist and WOKE /Inclusive justice Faith and Works economics is best seen at ITS epicenter and ORIGIN at Princeton and Yale Centers for Faith and Work aka Faith and Culture . The Princeton Center is headed by David Miller while Yale Center is headed by Croation progressive Miroslav Volf)
Cloaked in terms like Human Flourishing, Cultural Engagement and The Common Good”- Faith and Work ideology is a slick form of Socilist economics wrapped in Biblical justice and bible verses but of necessity is driven by Diversity Equity & Inclusion /WOKE Justice and pro -progressive and global goals ideology.
Beeson Divinity School’s long Kern/Faith and Works history –
Published on January 20, 2015 by William Nunnelley
“Samford University’s Beeson Divinity School has received a $94,667 grant from Kern Family Foundation to train pastors to help their congregations understand the intersection of faith, work and economics. The grant will be dispersed over 18 months beginning in June, according to the project supervisor, associate professor of divinity Mark DeVine.”
“The Bible and the history of theology have much to say about the work human beings were created to do; about the money earned doing it and about wealth and poverty,” said DeVine. “With the resources this grant provides, we seek to comprehend and explore the relevance of this rich subject and educate and equip pastors to do so within their ministry settings.”
“Teaching in the area of faith, work and economics is largely absent in most seminaries,..”
Published on May 16, 2017 by Kristen Padilla
“Samford University’s Beeson Divinity School received its third grant from the Kern Family Foundation for the extension of the school’s Faith and Work program. The grant is for $78,520 for the period of May 2, 2017, to November 2, 2018. ”
“Directed by Associate Professor Mark DeVine, this initiative received its first Kern grant in 2013. In the last four years, funds from these grants have brought in scholars and experts in the field of faith, work and economics to speak in chapel services, workshops and symposia. These guests have included Tim Keller, Os Guinness, Russell Moore, Wayne Grudem and Scott Rae. “
THE NEW BEESON APOLOGETICS- “AWARD WINNING” … AWARDS FROM TGC/CHRISTIANITY TODAY AND ITS WOKEHOUSE MACHINE.
“Samford University’s Beeson Divinity School has announced that Joshua Chatraw will serve as its next Billy Graham Chair of Evangelism and Cultural Engagement beginning in fall 2023. “
“Chatraw, who is currently the executive director of the Center for Public Christianity in Raleigh, North Carolina, is an award-winning author in the fields of evangelism and apologetics. Having written, co-written and edited eight books, his most recent award was for his book, Telling a Better Story: How to Talk about God in a Skeptical Age, which won a 2021 Christianity Today Book Award. As the school’s Billy Graham Chair, he will teach courses in evangelism and apologetics.”
CONFIRMING THE TAINTED TIES OF THE GOSPEL COALITION
(NOTE- Beeson’s Collin Hansen is a key player in the Neo-Calvinist/Young Resltess and Reformed movement’s launch which lead to the establishment of The Gospel Coalition- which is WOKE central among Christian organizations.)
“Josh Chatraw is one of the brightest young scholars in the fields of apologetics and evangelism,” said Collin Hansen, co-chair of Beeson’s advisory board and vice president for content and editor-in-chief of The Gospel Coalition, as well as executive director of The Keller Center. “I have long admired his writing and often recommended his work to professors, pastors and parents. His teaching experience for the academy as well as the church, in addition to his years of mentoring young adults, uniquely suits him for this new role. I can’t wait for Beeson students to begin learning from him. He and his family will be a great addition to Samford University as well as the broader Birmingham community.”
More Chatraw history and Tim Keller /TGC
https://web.archive.org/web/20220808045706/https://centerforpublicchristianity.org/about/
Our Story
“A group of Raleigh’s community leaders and downtown pastors were drawn together by a common vision to develop Christian leaders whose lives would have a transformative impact on the wider community. Where important conversations could take place in public forums for the good of our city. Their thinking took shape, focusing on a program that would address the necessity and importance of integrating faith and work for the sake of a flourishing city.”
“Their vision turned into reality in 2016 when Holy Trinity Anglican Church and Vintage Church with their partners launched New City Fellows, a 9-month intensive discipleship program for emerging leaders in Raleigh, under the directorship of Katherine Alsdorf, who founded Redeemer’s Center for Faith and Work and Gotham Fellowship. Two years later Josh Chatraw assumed leadership as director of New City Fellows.”
“With the Fellows program established and a network numbering in the 120s, the broader vision can be realized under the banner of the Center for Public Christianity. New City Fellows remains the Center’s flagship initiative, and it is now joined by gatherings – events designed to rally, network, and support our alumni – and forums that engage the community at large in dialogue to address the pressing issues of our day for the common good and God’s redemptive work.”
Our Leadership
Joshua D. Chatraw, Executive Director
“Dr. Chatraw is executive director of the Center for Public Christianity, lead teacher for New City Fellows, and theologian-in-residence at Holy Trinity Anglican Church – all based in Raleigh, NC. His writing and speaking focuses on public theology, apologetics, and culture. He has written and edited several books including, Apologetics at the Cross, Cultural Engagement, The History of Apologetics, Telling a Better Story, Truth Matters, and Truth in a Culture of Doubt. His writing has received numerous awards, Outreach Magazine Resource of the Year in Apologetics and The Gospel Coalition’s Book of the Year in Apologetics/Evangelism, and his work has been featured in outlets such as Christianity Today, The Gospel Coalition, World magazine, and The Washington Post. He earned his Ph.D in Biblical Studies from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, a Masters of Divinity from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Bachelors in Business from Georgia Southern University. Josh has served in a full-time academic teaching post, as well as pastorates at churches in Virginia and Georgia. Josh and his wife, Tracy, have two children, Addison and Hudson.”
CHATRAW INVOLVEMENT WITH KERN/ OIKONOMIA NETWORK
EWP Talks on Culture: The Context for Transformation
Our collection of EWP Talks on Culture will help your students understand the social structures that shape them as human beings, for good and for ill, and how we can act to strengthen what is right and challenge what is wrong in those structures. The gospel is not…
Augustine’s Apologetics for a Fragmented World
Note: From The Augustine Way: Retrieving a Vision for the Church’s Apologetic Witness (Baker 2023). Reprinted by permission of the publisher. Citations have been omitted. As the philosopher Charles Taylor explains, “No one acquires the languages needed for…”
TIM “KELLER CENTER FOR CULTURAL APOLOGETICS “
Chatraw is also part of the newly launched KELLER CENTER with actiivst like gay Anglican priest Sam Allberry ,Revoice/ CRU SSA identified actiivst Rachel Gilson, TGC activist Rebecca McLaughlin , and Obama Foundation led & Campaign leaders Alan Nobel and Kori Poter.
His bio from the Keller Center
“Joshua Chatraw-The Keller Cetners staff adn Fellows bios:”
Joshua Chatraw is the director of the Center for Public Christianity and theologian-in-residence at Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Raleigh, North Carolina. Some of his books include Telling a Better Story, The Augustine Way, Apologetics at the Cross (co-authored with Mark Allen), Surprised by Doubt (co-authored with Jack Carson, Cultural Engagement (co-edited with Karen Swallow Prior), and The History of Apologetics (co-edited with Alister McGrath and Benjamin Forrest).”
Daniel J. Lee, Program Coordinator- CHATROW FORMERLY LED “NEW CITY FELLOWS” IS ALSO FROM THE KELLER ORGANIZATION
“Daniel runs operations, curates the Fellows program, and teaches on its faculty. Previously, he was Pastoral Apprentice at the Summit Church, where he worked with The Summit Institute and small groups ministry developing classes and teaching on discipleship, Bible study, and faith-and-work. Daniel hails from New York, where he helped plant Maranatha Grace Church and taught, led worship, and oversaw operations on its staff. Prior to that, he worked in the legal field in Manhattan and attended Redeemer Presbyterian Church. Daniel has a Masters degree in theology from Westminster Theological Seminary. An alumnus of New City (class of ’18), he shares with wife Crystal (Gotham Fellows class of ‘15) a passion for faith-and-work ministry, travel, hospitality, and biblical justice.”
DIRTY PLAYERS MEAN ROTTEN FRUIT
CHATRAW HAS HELPED FURTHER THE #MeToo Movement in the church with players like activist Karen Swallow Prior.
New City Fellows
Come join the Center for Public Christianity for this important conversation on March 27 at Vintage Church downtown.
Center for Public Christianity is with Josh Chatraw at Vintage Church.
· Raleigh, NC ·
“What do Christianity and the #MeToo movement have in common? Much more than you think. Join us and explore this question with Karen Swallow Prior and director Josh Chatraw at the Center for Public Christianity’s first Public Forum on March 27.”
CHATRAW AND CT EDITOR /REVOICE LGBTQ THRIVING LEADER ANDY CROUCH /SOUTHERN BAPTIST CRT/BLT ADVOCATE /RESOLUTION 9 CRT AND INTERSECTIONALITY INFLEUNCER WALTER STRIKLAND AND OTHER KERN FUNDED OPERATIVES IN SEMINARIES
PROMOTING ACTIVIST AS “LEADING THINKERS”
Center for Public Christianity is in Raleigh, North Carolina.
“This year’s class of New City Fellows has enjoyed the privilege of learning and hearing from an incredibly rich diversity of leading Christian thinkers and practitioners.”
“Become a New City Fellow and learn from leaders like these. Grow as a disciple with other emerging leaders. Integrate faith, work, and culture. Learn how to seek the welfare of our city.”
“Applications for the next class due May 1st. Learn more at centerforpublicchristianity.org“
CONCLUSION
Seminaries have always been battlegrounds and the chosen turf for progressive and leftist take overs of Christian movements. Some who go into ministry are not really called of God and some admittedly are not truly born again so they cannot discern the difference between the Bible and progressive ideologies wrapped in bible verses. But this new generation of students, faculty and seminaries face an even greater threat in the intense focus of massive amounts of money and infuence being brought to bear on the seminaries. This is being done in order to MOVE THE CHURCH LEFT POLITICALLY and remove the church from hindering the globalist anti- gospel agenda .The plan goes DEEPER to even co-opt the energies, vision and wealth of the church as well as next genration Christians into global goals schemes to enslave human kind. Ironically it is the church and true believers who are entrusted by Jesus with the VERY KEYS to set the captives FREE.
Lord rend the heavens and come down. Meanwhile beloved- do not hire anyone coming out of these tainted institutions like Beeson unless you want their WOKE infections or are willing to vet their worldview and ideology and you can help them escape its influence before putting them in a place of influence.
Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ
13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”
14 So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” 19 “And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
Matthew 10
Sending Out the Twelve
5 These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. 6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. 9 Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts, 10 nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food.
11 “Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out. 12 And when you go into a household, greet it. 13 If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14 And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet. 15 Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!”
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