AFTER BEING BOOTED FROM THE ERLC, RADICALIZED LIBERAL ACCUSER RUSSELL MOORE JUST KEEPS EXPOSING HIMSELF.
Rev Thomas Littleton
10/30/2021
Thanks to Albert Mohler who mentored employed and promoted Russell Moore for nearly 3 decades, Southern Baptist now have a well credentialed professional theological accuser in the public square to point fingers at them.
THE LATEST ON MOORE AND THE COMPANY HE KEEPS
David Axelrod@davidaxelrod“10 yrs ago, I’d have parents concerned about their children losing their faith. Now I’m hearing adult children who are saying, ‘What do I do w/my mom & dad who’ve become radicalized on Facebook?’” @drmoore on radicalization among evangelicals #AxeFiles: https://link.chtbl.com/V-72qzJt
MOORE ON THOSE TRUMP VOTERS IN THE CHURCH
“Public theologian Russell Moore has long encouraged evangelical Christians to focus on practicing religion rather than engaging in culture wars, something he found increasingly difficult under former President Donald Trump. Moore left his leadership post at the Southern Baptist Convention earlier this year and now works for Christianity Today. He joined David to talk about how working for a conservative Democratic congressman on Capitol Hill reaffirmed his belief in the possibility of politics, why his dad didn’t want him joining the ministry, and why he felt compelled to call out issues he saw in the church, even as it led to his departure from the SBC.”
CNN COVERED THE INTERVIEW…WHICH WAS ON CNN.
“(CNN)Public theologian Russell Moore, a prominent evangelical leader who was an early critic of Donald Trump, says he doesn’t see support for the former GOP president waning and warns that it is “entirely possible” that Trump could seek the White House again and win.”I don’t think he’s had any change in terms of the support that he has. The question is, is there an alternative? And in looking around the Republican Party right now, it certainly is hard to see who could be an alternative for people’s- for people’s loyalty and votes. So I think it’s- I think it’s entirely possible that he could run in 2024 and win,” Moore said, speaking with David Axelrod on “The Axe Files” podcast.Moore said when he first spoke out in 2015 against then-presidential candidate Trump, most people in the evangelical social-conservative world, who would later be among Trump’s key supporters, agreed with him. But then, Moore said, he noticed a shift among evangelicals — “not because Donald Trump changed, but because he started winning.”
“He said he saw the decision as “choosing between my conscience under Christ and saying things that I didn’t believe. So it would have been- it would have been easy to say, well, this is who most of our people, this is who they’re with, and so I’m going to get on board. But to do that, I would have, I couldn’t have done it. I couldn’t have lived with myself,” he said.”
“Moore was heading the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, the public policy arm of the nation’s largest Protestant denomination. Moore left the role this year and now works for Christianity Today.”
WHO IS DAVID AXELROD?
“In 1984, David Axelrod’s campaign management team helped win Congressman Paul Simon a seat in the U.S. Senate. Axelrod has since led successful campaigns for numerous Democrats, and his client roster includes such names as Bill and Hillary Clinton. Axelrod has also gained national repute for helping African-American politicians get elected in landmark victories, most notably Barack Obama. Axelrod served as senior advisor to President Barack Obama, senior advisor to the Obama-Biden Presidential Transition, senior strategist to Barack Obama’s historic campaign for the presidency in 2008 and his 2012 re-election campaign. Today he serves as the Director, Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago.”
OBAMA CAME FROM THE CHICAGO POLITICAL MACHINE
Now Russell Moore shows himself at home in the realm of Chicago politics where he can bash Christians for their political views.
“The University of Chicago Institute of Politics occupies a rare place in America’s higher education landscape, offering our students pathways to civic engagement, opportunities for service, and a home for civil discourse and free expression.”
Our Mission
“The nonpartisan Institute of Politics is committed to fostering in our students a passion for public service, meaningful dialogue and active engagement in our democracy.”
RUSSELL MOORE IS ACTUALLY LISTED AMONG THE FELLOWS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO /AXELROD INSTITUTE OF POLITICS
Russell Moore
“Public Theologian and Director of the Public Theology Project at Christianity Today”
“Through “Evangelical Religion in American Politics and Culture” seminars, he will speak to the complicated relationship between American religion – particularly in its evangelical Protestant form – and the current political and cultural landscape.”
Russell Moore also has his own new program called “The Russell Moore Show”.
Ethicist Russell Moore, left, and Bible teacher Beth Moore have a discussion in front of a live audience at Immanuel Church in Nashville, Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021. RNS photo by Bob Smietana
MOORE AND MOORE TOOK THE LOW ROAD AS VICTIMS
“NASHVILLE (RNS) — Two of the best-known ex-Southern Baptist leaders in the country got together at a Nashville church on Thursday (Sept. 9) for a night filled with Bible verses, banter and bittersweet memories.”
“The event, entitled “Lessons in Leaving (and Staying),” featured Bible teacher Beth Moore and ethicist Russell Moore — and was the first live event for a new Public Theology Project from Christianity Today magazine, where Russell Moore landed after leaving the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission.”
CONCLUSION
It is really all about politics isn’t it … and about the nasty habit of conservative Christians voting pro life pro family and Republican? In the end of the discussion it is really all about the political establishment of which Moore is a part, and their deep hatred of President Donald Trump and those Christians who support him.
Russell Moore is an avid “never Trumper” and a Mississippi Democrat. Now he is a full fledged member of the Chicago thug Democrat machine. Congratulations.
Moore has a need to be heard and Baptist have funded the need for years. Mike Huckabee famously ask “How long will Baptist pay Russell Moore to insult them?” At least now he is on Christianity Today’s payroll and whoever else will hire him to do what he does.
BOB ROBERTS AND MICAH FRIES NEVER SEEM TO MISS AN OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE SOME NEW INTER-FAITH EFFORT. DAVID PLATT NOW JOINS THE MIX. THIS ONE IS JUST IN TIME FOR THE FLOW OF AFGHAN MUSLIMS IN THE U.S. AND A SIGNIFICANT INTER-FAITH POLICY SHIFT.
Rev Thomas Littleton
10/27/2021
You may have read about the “Neighborly Faith” movement on Christian Campuses to teach about the Muslim faith to young Christians on Christian Campuses . Now some of the same Baptist are offering the latest movement in interfaith interaction to “build community”.
Enter Multi-faith Neighbors Network
TRANSFORMATION BEGINS WITH RELATIONSHIPS
MFNN builds mutual trust and respect among faith leaders through civic engagement, authentic relationships, and honest dialogue leading to resilient, compassionate, and flourishing communities.
“The brainchild of Pastor Bob Roberts Jr. and Imam Mohamed Magid, two prominent American religious leaders representing thousands of Evangelical and Muslim congregants, MFNN uses the extensive ties we have established with other faith leaders across the country to build bridges between religions.”
VISION AND MISSION
“JOIN TOGETHER ON THE THINGS THEY SHARE IN COMMON “
BOB ROBERTS ON BACK ROW WITH A FAMILIAR FACE OF DAVID PLATT UP FRONT
Great day with Pastor Bob Roberts Jr. and evangelicals getting to know one another and planning projects for grassroOts. #BuildingBridges
MFNN AND MUSLIM WORLD LEAGUE MEET AND BREAK BREAD
October 26th 2021
MWL welcomed a number of American evangelical leaders in Washington, DC to review the contents of the Charter of Makkah and its purpose to establish community and global harmony.
UPDATE – SINCE THIS ARTICLE WAS WRITTEN THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION HAS COME TO LIGHT .
A former federal prosecutor Andrew McCarthy who has testified before Congress and has investigated/ prosecuted terrorist in 2012 said the following about the Muslim World League :
Our Government and the Muslim Brotherhood My Speech in Washington
by Andrew McCarthy August 9, 2012
“…the Muslim World League in Saudi Arabia, (is) perhaps the most significant Muslim Brotherhood organization in the world.”
As recently as 2018 many others have testified before Congress that the Muslim Brotherhood is “GLOBAL THREAT” DUE TO IT’S MASSIVE SUPPORT OF TERRORISM .
So David Platt and Bob Roberts , along with these other evangelicals meeting with the “World Muslim League”, are collaborating with the “most significant Muslim Brotherhood organization in the world “.
HOW FAR WILL ROBERTS,FRIES AND PLATT TAKE THESE INTERFAITH EFFORTS?
The Charter of Makkah (Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah ) “On May 28, 2019, the “Charter of Makkah” was endorsed unanimously by an unprecedented group of the world’s leading Muslim scholars, who gathered in the Holy City for the promotion of moderate Islam. “The Charter of Makkah” offers Muslims around the world guidance on the principles that speak to the true meaning of Islam. The Charter of Makkah is orientated around the following principles: 1- All people, regardless of their different ethnicities, races and nationalities, are equal under God. 2- We reject religious and ethnic claims of “preference.” 3- Differences among people in their beliefs, cultures and natures are part of God’s will and wisdom. 4- Religious and cultural diversity never justifies conflict. Humanity needs positive, civilized partnerships and effective interaction. Diversity must be a bridge to dialogue, understanding and cooperation for the benefit of all humanity.”
THERE IS MORE ON THE CHARTER WHICH HAS 30 POINTS IN TOTAL.IT CAN BE FOUND IN WML LINK BUT THE MEETINGS PURPOSE WAS TO DISCUSS ENACTMENT.
WML met with American muftis, imams, and other leaders in Washington, DC to discuss Islamic affairs and preparations to enact the contents of the Charter of Makkah within societal and official frameworks
ROBERTS MULTI-FAITH NEIGHBORS NETWORK
Our Beliefs
“MFNN believes that equipping faith leaders to engage with leaders of other faiths can help build resilient communities.
MFNN believes that when Pastors, Imams, Rabbis, and other religious leaders come together to build relationships and learn from each other, they become models for their own faith communities. By way of example, they remove fear and increase understanding within their own faith communities.
MFNN believes that multi-faith relationships allow everyone to hold onto their own beliefs while still building deep bonds with other faiths and serving their city together. Faith leaders can be a powerful, moral voice in society. Working cooperatively, they can model the very kind of society and world that all of us are trying to build – one where community, cooperation, and the common good are respected.”
WHATS MISSING ?
THE GOSPEL FOR ONE
There is a long history of the failure of God’s people to remain faithfully exclusive to Jesus and salvation in no other name and “on mission” to preach that exclusive truth to all people. We have NEVER been called to “Build Community” with other religions and false gods. Is someone in the leadership so ignorant of or blind to the problems this created for old testament saints?
Jesus has not made the faith less exclusive but even MORE.
Acts 4: 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: 9 If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, 10 let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. 11 This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ 12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
YET BAPTIST LIKE ROBERTS AND FRIES MUST THINK THEY KNOW BETTER THAN THE APOSTLES AND THE WORD OF THE LORD.
Our Methodology
“MFNN develops grassroots movements built on mutual trust and respect among individual faith leaders, their families, their congregations, and their broader communities. The Multi-Faith Neighbors Network initiative begins at the local level, in carefully targeted cities and towns across the United States and the World, based on polling data and the willingness of faith leaders and congregations to participate in this initiative.”
“We work with faith leaders to mobilize their congregations to use their vocation to serve others. Whether it is in their city or around the world, people of faith should be peacemakers by doing humanitarian projects together.”
“When pastors, imams, rabbis, and other clerics and religious leaders come together to learn from each other, they become models for their own faith communities.”
JUST IN TIME FOR THE FLOOD OF MORE MUSLIM REFUGEES
“Showing Hospitality to Strangers: Texas Churches Welcome Afghan RefugeesOur co-founder Bob Roberts Jr. says this moment may mark a change in how evangelicals think about refugees. “There’s a shift that’s taking place. We’re coming back to who we are”
“Multi-Faith Neighbors Network@MultiFaithNN · Oct 27 Muslims, Jews & Christians in Pittsburgh cooked welcoming meals to prepare for the arrival of 15 new Afghan refugee families. Incredible story of coming together regardless of faith background & partnering together for the common good & needs in our communities.”
EVENTS
2022-03-06
KELLER, TX
Global Faith Forum
“The Global Faith Forum is a gathering of unlikely allies that venture down an unlikely path with the goal of building flourishing communities. We are moving from a conversation about others faiths, to a conversation with other faiths. A conversation that allows us to hear from those of different faiths, different worldviews, and different ideas that shape the way we communicate.”
“Featuring speakers like Christine Caine, Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, Ambassador Sam Brownback, Nobel Peace Prize winner David Beasley, and others, it’s going to be a powerful time. There is no cost at all to attend the event, but registration is required and limited.”
“A Christian Theology of Multi-Faith Partnership“
by Micah Fries, Steve Bezner and Bob Roberts Jr
“Multi-faith is a challenge for many evangelicals. Evangelical Christians are not historically known to involve themselves in multi-faith, primarily out of a fear of sacrificing their evangelical distinctives and the exclusive truth claims of the gospel and as a result, evangelicals have unfortunately often created a subculture that isolates them from substantive relationships with people of other faiths. This is disconcerting as we believe both in multi-faith and the exclusive truth claims of Jesus as demonstrated in the Bible. We firmly believe that, not only are these concepts not in tension with one another, but they are in harmony with each other.”
“Multi-faith partnerships also serve to provide clarity between the Christian faith and other faiths, as well as strengthening our own faith. When we represent other beliefs outside of our own, too often we fail to do so in a way that those who embrace those other beliefs would affirm. This is often an act of dishonesty. As Christians we must tell the truth. It is difficult to know the truth apart from interaction with those we are trying to understand. It is also difficult for those who disagree with us to know what we believe, unless we have a relationship with them as well. There is also a tremendous benefit to our own faith when we examine it, and have it examined, by those who do not hold to the same set of beliefs that we do.”
SPORTING THE GRAND DECEPTION
“RELIGIOUS FREEDOM FOR ALL“
“At the heart of the American ideal, since its foundation, has been the principle of religious freedom. This commitment owes its foundation and strength, in large part, to Baptist pastor Roger Williams who demonstrated, theologically, that religious freedom is a biblical expectation. We believe that faith is a personal decision, and that each person must make a decision for themselves, without coercion, that determines what they believe. [Romans 14:5, 1 Corinthians 10: 29] Because we believe that this decision must be made without coercion, and that each person is eternally responsible for their own decisions, faith must then be allowed to exist on a level playing field. We do not believe that any faith should be prioritized or privileged over another. To do so would be to lean into coercion, and it would also deny our fundamental faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ. This appeal is also rooted in the dignity of every person. Each person is created by God with inherent worth and value and that worth is demonstrated by each person’s own volition.”
THE GRAND JUSTIFICATION OF MODERN DAY ERROR
WORKING FOR THE COMMON GOOD
“This is an often overlooked, and yet vital component of our collective Christian responsibility, and has been throughout Christian history. Through the years Christians have been involved in starting hospitals, universities, facilities for the aged, and orphanages. These are all activities that serve the common good, and which care for those who are in need. The commitment to serve the common good is evidenced in both the Old and New Testaments. God called the exiles in Babylon to live in such a way in their ungodly community so as to cause the blessings of God to be present. [Jeremiah 29: 4-14] We are told that our responsibility as followers of God is to pursue good, and not evil. We are to seek justice. [Amos 5: 14-15] Our pursuit of good government is an example of the biblical and necessary responsibility to pursue the common good of society.”
PARTNERS AND LIKELY FUNDING
BUILDING RESILIENT COMMUNITIES
“We have partnered with organizations such as the Templeton Religion Trust, the Doha International Centre on Interfaith Dialogue, The Institute for Global Engagement, Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies, El-Hibri Foundation, and continue to partner with similar organizations to build relationships between clerics – that spreads to grassroots action – in order to bring down tensions and build flourishing communities.”
THE SINGLE BIGGEST FALSEHOOD
Most of these focus , especially those based on refugee resettlement are funded by large government grant programs and therefor prohibit ” “, any explicitly religious activity, giving away Bibles, Bible Studies , prayer, or similar activities.
Yet Multi Faith Neighbors network claims the work is a Gospel opportunity.
LOOK HARD BUT YOU WILL NOT FIND A CLEAR GOSPEL MESSAGE IN THE WORDS BELOW.
THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE OUR FAITH
“Our faith is best shared in the context of relationships. Like most any other piece of good news, while it is certainly possible for us to share it outside of a relationship, it is not as certain that it will be meaningful outside of a relationship. As evangelicals who believe in the importance of sharing our faith, multi-faith partnership provides a level playing ground where we can hear from and learn about the faith of others, but it also provides a unique opportunity to share our own faith with those who are interested. We believe that sharing the gospel is a responsibility of the follower of Christ. [1 Corinthians 9: 16] We believe that the gospel is a message for all people. [Romans 1: 16] Our declaration of the gospel is rooted in our desire to share with others the encouragement and hope that we have received from the gospel. [1 Peter 3: 15] Further, the gospel is rooted in God’s love for the world and is intended to be expressed as a depiction of our love for the same world. [John 3: 16] Multi-faith partnerships, then, provide an opportunity to build real, genuine friendships with people of other faiths, where they have the opportunity to share with us about why their faith is meaningful and significant in their lives, and we, in turn, can share with them about how the gospel has been transformative in our lives. This opportunity also exists to share the gospel in a way that the gospel is not artificially advantaged. Christians in America, in particular, seem afraid of placing the gospel on the same level with other beliefs, which seems to betray a lack of confidence in the gospel. We believe that the gospel is beautiful and should be able to be seen as such when placed on a level playing field beside other faith traditions. [Romans 1: 16]”
CONCLUSION
At no place in the New Testament do we see Jesus or the Apostles engaging in community building with the plentiful rival religions around them. NONE- EVER. The modern day narratives of evangelical leaders like Roberts and Fries serve to build one of the globalist grand deceptions of a false GLOBAL SPIRITUALITY ” and have nothing to do with the true Gospel or the exclusive and eternal HOPE it offers only in JESUS.
PAUL WAS NOT COMMUNITY BUILDING ON MARS HILL AMONG THE IDOLS
ACTS 17:
Addressing the Areopagus
22 “Then Paul stood in the midst of the [a]Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; 23 for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription:
“TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.”
“Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: 24 God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25 Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. 26 And He has made from one [b]blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27 so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28 for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’ 29 Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising. 30 Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, 31 because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”
LAST WEEKS ANNOUNCMENT TO END THE MOVEMENT AT THE “TOGETHER FOR THE GOSPEL” EVENT INDICATES THE OPPRESSIVE REGIME MAY BE COMING TO AN END.
Rev Thomas Littleton
10/23/21
At the recent T4G Conference Mark Dever and Ligon Duncan announced that the events will end in 2022. Christianity Today reported on the Neo Calvinist news story.
T4G Conference Will End in 2022
“With another cofounder leaving, Together for the Gospel prepares for its final event.”
REALITY CHECK FOR NEO CALVINIST !
No amount of explaining or excuses can deflect the hard reality that all is not well in the Neo Calvinist world. The false social justice gospel heralded by the overlapping leadership of T4G and The Gospel Coalition have taken a hard hit and suffered major divisions and defections since the failed 2018 TGC/ERLC co-sponsored event MLK/ 50 . That event in Memphis was said to mark 50 years since the death of Martin Luther King Jr. but in fact was a full reveal of the long cloaked and often denied false gospel of the Neo Calvinist behind the Young Restless and Reformed movement.
Leaders like Mark Dever of 9MARKS , Albert Mohler of SBTS and Ligon Duncan of RTS have long enjoyed unquestioned respect and recognition as conservative theologians. But their conservative credentials failed to provide sustainable cover for their radical departures from the Gospel and even historic Reformed Theology. Trust faded as they descended into the false “Faith And Works ” social justice economics, Diversity Equity & Inclusion cultures and “Equity” -re distribution mission of their movement.
FROM THE CT ARTICLE
“The popular reformed evangelical pastors conference Together for the Gospel (T4G) will hold its final gathering in April 2022, following the departure of one of its founders, Albert Mohler.”
“Dever, Duncan, Mohler, and C. J. Mahaney developed the idea for T4G out of their friendship in ministry. They held the first T4G conference in 2006, drawing 3,000 attendees.”
“We were all surprised how many people came,” said Dever, who leads Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC.”
MAHANEY AND MOHLER ARE ALREADY OUT
C J Mahaney’s participation ended ,sort of belatedly, after a rather disgusting sex abuse and coverup scandal .
Mohler is now leaving according to CT. “
“The end date for T4G comes as Mohler, the president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, moves on.”
“In a video discussion on the T4G site, Dever said Mohler recently told them, “Brothers, I love you guys very much, but I’ve just got to do other things now.” Dever and Duncan cited Mohler’s involvement with a new opinion section at World magazine and his role in the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), which is facing deepening divides and institutional shakeups.”
SOUTHERN BAPTIST DIVIDES ? YES AND MOHLER DISCIPLES ARE AT THE EPICENTER
Yes the SBC has problems and much of it is due to Albert Mohler’s long list of Social Justice warriors like Russell Moore who spent 24 years at SBTS as a student, professor, dean and provost. Moore also spent a disaster filled 8 years at the ERLC misrepresenting Southern Baptist and is now being sued by a former member of the SBC Executive Committee for defamation after Moore’s “leaked emails” somehow found their way to his good friends at secular news outlets like the Washington Post.This was all just in time to impact the SBC annual meeting and the Presidential race for head of the SBC in 2021 .This was a race in which Mohler himself was running and lost by a shamefully distant and telling 3rd place despite his protege’s efforts to vilify Mohler’s key opposition.
Mohler disciple Moore was part of the planners of MLK/50 at which he had accused Baptist in the South of “Worshipping Jim Crow as Jesus “. Moore and Mohler never backed off their narratives and by June in Dallas TX for the annual SBC meetings they were pushing Critical Race Theory (CRT) openly with multiple SBTS professors in tow. By 2019 this same Mohler CRT team of SBTS profs were heading the SBC Resolutions Committee which altered a resolution condemning CRT and Intersectionality into affirmation of them as “Analytical Tools” with the Gospel. CRT has since become THE core issue dividing both the SBC /PCA and even the general public related to education. Secular media has now been covering the broader controversies over CRT among it’s top stories almost daily for over a year.
Mohler and his underlings simply had the SBC early to the issue and ahead of the curve with its deceptions by several years.
Also by 2018 a 15 year Mohler disciple and SBTS New Testament teacher Nate Collins had launched the Revoice “LGBT+ Thriving in Historic Christian Tradition ” movement which further shook up both the SBC and PCA confidence in their “conservative ” theologians. Unless you can agree that “Queer Culture and Queer Theory” will bring with them “treasures into the New Jerusalem” and that the “Nuclear Family is an Idol” as 1990s Feminist Theologians asserted , then you cannot help but reject Revoice or the Seminaries like SBTS and the PCAs CTS who incubated and supported it. The radical LGBTQ “Christianity ” movement came home to roost with the Neo Calvinist who helped birth it.
The full hand of intersectionality against Southern Baptist has yet to be played . Intersectionality engages the kind of feminism behind the Me-Too movement which Mohler and friends look to have used to remove another Baptist seminaries leader /non Neo Calvinist Paige Patterson from office as President of SWBTS.
Mohler called it:
“The Wrath of God Poured Out—The Humiliation of the Southern Baptist Convention.”
That was May 2018 but efforts to platform the Wrath of God blew up once the SBTS Revoice ties were exposed and simply would not go away. The Patterson story faded and only with the February 2019 Houston Chronicle SBC Sex Abuse Scandal ( the one Mohler protege Moore is being sued for defamation over related to his accusations and leaked emails ) brought the Me-Too movement and the obviously expected “women’s empowerment ” movement back into full swing aimed at the SBC.
WHAT OF LIGON DUNCAN ?
Ligon Duncan’s PCA denomination is in a similar pickle due to MLK/ 50 and the resulting exposure of CRT and of the tolerance and outright promotion of the Revoice movement as well.
Duncan famously declared in the face of the groundswell of controversy that “Ligon Duncan ain’t groovin with no Cultural Marxism “. But of course he was even if he did not understand it given that CRT has it’s origins in Cultural Marist ideologies.
(From the CT article on Duncan)
“In 2018, Duncan repented of racial blindness and discussed his friendship with African American pastor Thabiti Anyabwile, who spoke at T4G events from 2008 to 2018. David Platt preached from Amos on race, asking why so many evangelical churches and ministries, including T4G, were so white.”
The country boy “ah shucks” manner of Duncan often makes him the object of jokes even in his own reformed circles and to further detail his failure to resist the invading forces which are likely dismantling their Neo Calvinist movement would almost seem cruel and unfair given his apparent limited ability to understand it .
MARK DEVER AND 9 MARKS HAVE BEEN DUMPSTER DIVING
DEVER AND MOHLER HISTORY
Mark Dever must see the handwriting on the wall that God’s judgement is on their movement and it is collapsing.
It was Dever who first said in 2017 Phoenix SBC annual meetings that Mohler was a liberal theologically in his undergraduate days and made such a radical shift to the right that his liberal base thought he was faking it and following the prevailing winds in the SBC. These revelations were in an interview with Tom Ascol of the Founders Movement . Founders is a more historic Reformed movement in the SBC of which Mohler has long been a part. Of course none of Mohler’s remaining faithful flock have connected the fact that Mohler was a student at SBTS while it was on its death slide into liberalism. It was Mohler who is credited with saving the SBC flagship seminary from liberals grasp yet he began immediately turning out and promoting liberals like Russell Moore into SBC LEADERSHIP.
That is all a lot to think about and digest so take your time.
Back to Dever
Mark Dever’s Capitol Hill Church and 2 other 9MARKS affiliates were the first state side group of churches to bring in the Church of England / TGC/ Tim Keller/ Living Out promoted “LGBTQ inclusion Church Audits ” to force conservative churches into welcome & inclusion, Sharing Children with and hiring LGBTQ staff.
Dever also has his own version of Russell Moore in the 9MARKS editor Jonathan Leeman, who Dever ( and not Leeman’s own TGC or 9MARKS bios) revealed is a graduate of Fabian Socialist place of origin London School of Economics. Leeman, like Moore loves to accuse Baptist and other Christians of things like “Christian Nationalism ” and “Waging a Culture War” for having biblical convictions which are reflected in their worldview, appreciation for America or voting for people like President Donald Trump.
Dever, Leeman and the 9MARKS crew LOVE to lecture on and promote their version church leadership THEY call “Plurality of Elders”. The assertion is that this is the Biblical model for the church. But for any who have experienced it’s (and TGC in general) tyrannical and oppressive applications against concerned believers and whistleblowers -the lack of Biblical basis becomes obvious and the reality of it’s extreme abuses equally as glaring.
In fact the Neo-Calvinist mode is built on being extremely abusive and deceptive. While it promotes itself as a conservative theological movement- it in fact betrays itself by it’s own teachings and political focus as a progressive political movement seeking social change …NOT Gospel transformation.
MORE FROM THE CT ARTICLE AND THE SHUT DOWN OF T4G
“Mohler said in a statement to CT, “Each of us faces questions of urgency and priority in life and ministry. At this stage in my life, I need to concentrate on helping the SBC and working on some important new priorities, including WORLD Opinions.”
“Ligon Duncan and Mark Dever are two of the closest and dearest friends I ever hope to have on earth,” he said, “and I pray God’s blessing on the T4G 2022 gathering, which will be a tremendous blessing to pastors.“
“Pastors David Platt and Alastair Begg were added to the April 2022 lineup, with Mohler taken off.”
TGC/ YR&R LEADER CONFIRMS TO OBVIOUS TO CT
“The Gospel Coalition’s Collin Hansen, in a tribute to T4G, called it “the visible manifestation of the ‘Young, Restless, Reformed,’” the name of his book about the movement, and celebrated it as an early gathering place for Reformed pastors.”
“T4G’s lineup has shifted over the years, especially as it addressed issues like sexual sin and racism.”
CELEBRATING YOUR DEMISE?
“Dever and Duncan said there’s something exciting, or even freeing, about it being their final conference.”
“They emphasized being able to use the T4G stage to introduce new, lesser-known speakers this year who aren’t on what Duncan called the “celebrity circuit.” Four of 14 plenary speakers in the 2022 lineup are African or African American.”
“I’m pretty pumped about this being the last one and maybe being the best one,” Dever said.”
CONCLUSION
What is likely happening is that T4G and TGC are not able to deliver the kind of influence they once peddled for their backers and TO the aging YR&R base. In short they are exposed and Christianity Today is pretty much admitting it.
The party is over. The attendance is likely down and made the conferences no longer profitable. Perhaps they are just tired of hearing their own voices in the echo chamber. It is highly likely that they just know that to continue will mean even greater exposure leaving little hope of living out their days as some icons of Neo Calvinism. Also it just might be that the whole smelly mess corrupting evangelicalism for the last decade and a half is being completely collapsed by Divine Judgement and also that Mohler was half right but just missed the reality that God’s target was not the resurgence old guard but was actually the Neo-Calvinist themselves.
We can thank God for that and pray for His mercies to restore the damage the Neo Calvinist have done for so many years.
Ezekiel 11
Vision of Israel’s Corrupt Leaders
11 “The Spirit then lifted me up and brought me to the eastern gate of the Lord’s house, which faces east, and at the gate’s entrance were 25 men. Among them I saw Jaazaniah son of Azzur, and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, leaders of the people. 2 The Lord said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who plan evil and give wicked advice in this city. 3 They are saying, ‘Isn’t the time near to build houses? The city is the pot, and we are the meat.’ 4 Therefore, prophesy against them. Prophesy, son of man!”
AS THE SBC SEXUAL ABUSE LAW & INVESTIGATIVE PARTNERS TAKE SHAPE THE END OF THE CONVENTON LOOKS TO BE NEARER THAN EVER. WHO IS DIRECTING THE DECISIONS AND FINDING THESE SECULAR LGBTQ, DIVERSITY, INCLUSION SPECIALIST FOR DETERMINING THE FUTURE OF AMERICA’S LARGEST PROTESTANT GROUP ?
Rev Thomas Littleton
10/1/2021
As the weeks pass and the full range of partners at the table with the Southern Baptist Conventions independent task force and investigation partners come to the table the less the investigation looks like a search for justice for abuse victims and the MORE it appears to be the SBC is being positioned for it own demise.
One example as a basis for such concerns is the CHOICE of the SBC Task Force attorney firm who celebrates the following on its website:
“We contributed to the landmark case in Hong Kong concerning LGBT+ rights – QT v. Director of Immigration. The ruling paves the way for greater LGBT+ equality in Hong Kong.
We have joined the Human Rights Campaign in a new initiative to pursue strategic litigation in U.S. state and federal courts to address discriminatory actions against the LGBTQ+ community.
Our Firmwide Managing Partner, Gideon Moore, was part of the delegation that attended an exclusive meeting at the Vatican to present a preliminary research report on the human rights abuses that arise from the criminalization of same-sex acts in the Caribbean.
We were named as a Stonewall’s 2019 Top 100 Employers for LGBT people in the UK.”
Not everyone would be sad to see the Southern Baptist taken to the woodshed by the Diversity and Inclusion specialist law firms and the independent investigation partners “mosaic of diversity and innovation” culture . But the really odd part of recent revelations it that the SBC leaders look to have delivered themselves up to secular partners and allies who do not share their own core values in the least. You would expect the opposing law firms in the pending class action suit representing the victims to take this line of attack to plunder the massive treasuries of the Convention. BUT there is a BIG problem with these kinds of allies on your own team. Why say this? Because these words and ideas espoused by the partners tend to reflect political and social agenda’s not justice. They certainly do not reflect the Gospel or the original mission of any protestant denomination.
You may say the SBC deserves it and it’s demise is coming at it’s hand but whoever is choosing these firms and solution partners for SBC leaders -or whoever is encouraging them toward these partners looks to be ensuring a major failure of the entire process. Political ideologies cannot bring about true justice. They only twist it.
THE CURIOUS CASE OF THE CASE AS IT SHAPES UP.
HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN AND DIVERSITY PULSE ALLIED LAW FIRMS
You can read about he two law firms partnering with the Executive Committee and the Task Force here:
A quick look at the partner chosen by the Task Force for the investigation causes further concerns about the players on the inside. Again who is directing the SBC leaders decisions toward these partners?
Baptist News Global reported on September 10th 2021 that the task force had hired the same firm the Executive Committee had sought to hire. Is there not a problem with objectivity for this partnership as the internal battles develop?
“SBC task forces hires the same investigative firm the Executive Committee wanted but on different terms”
“The independent firm originally hired by the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee to investigate itself has been chosen for that task again — this time by the special task force created by SBC annual meeting messengers in a rebuke to Executive Committee leadership.”
“The letter of engagement with Guidepost Solutions, however, makes clear that the investigation into possible mishandling of sexual abuse claims will occur fully independent of influence by the Executive Committee and its leadership.”
The concerns over a problematic outcome to the investigation surfaced in the annual Convention and continue to be discussed in media reports like this one in Baptist News Global. BUT according to some the process appears to be ensuring greater transparency. What does not look reassuring is the compatibility of this partners vision and the Christian Convention and the over 47,000 churches it represents.
GUIDEPOST SOLUTIONS
VISIONAND MISSION
Vision Statement
“A mosaic of diversity and innovation.”
Mission Statement
“Guidepost Solutions fosters an inclusive environment of professionals who share common values of diversity and equality. We treat each other with respect. We listen to and learn from one another with compassion and empathy. We encourage diverse viewpoints as we provide innovative solutions for our clients’ complex challenges.”
“A dedicated Diversity + Inclusion Committee brings our team together by offering educational presentations, open platforms for listening and discussion, and learning opportunities. We incorporate these activities into our workday and beyond.”
THE GUIDEPOST SOLUTIONS VISON AND MISSION LOGO
“Many of our team members are actively involved in community organizations and programs supporting diverse communities. Some include:“
“Human Rights First works to create the political environment and policy solutions necessary to ensure consistent respect for human rights — whether protecting refugees, combating torture, or defending persecuted minorities.”
TYPICAL OF TODAYS CORPORATE WORLD BUT NOT REASSURING
Though these kinds of values and vision statements are typical in todays corporate climate the SBC looks to have either failed to recognize that such statements reflect something deeper than mere words or the SBC are being misled by someone inside their own inner circles.
THE SBC LOOK TO HAVE COME TO THE DANCE WITH SOME ONE ELSE GIRLFRIEND.
In light of the Executive Committee law firm’s HRC / PRO LGBTQ stance and the “Diversity and Inclusion Pulse” of the Task Force law firm- the decision to engage Guidepost with its “Mosaic of Diversity” looks to be troubling indeed. The SBC leadership look to be in over their heads if no one noticed the clash of cultures in the partners they have chosen.
CONCLUSION
Something feels OFF here in the entire process and raises concerns of a predetermined outcome that will have more to do with the demise of the Southern Baptist Convention via the political and cultural forces and ideologies long opposed to it and little to do with the actual justice for the actual victims of abuse.
Many are expressing concerns. These CULTURAL realities among the partners and allies chosen so far look to confirm the concerns.
One has to ask “where is the Gospel in all of this ?” or maybe that should have been asked by Baptist leaders long before it ever got to this stage in the process. Again “Who is directing these decisions and setting this trajectory on the inside at the SBC?”. That person or persons should NOT be trusted.
You can read a more on the Task Force choice of law firm at Capstone Report
“Why are Christians using worldly, unbiblical outsiders in dispute with the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee?”
MANY LAW FIRMS HAVE SUCCUMB TO THE HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN INCLUSION METRICS OVER THE YEARS. BUT WHY IS THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION HIRING A LAW FIRM WHO BOAST ABOUT IT’S HRC /LGBTQ APPEASEMENT?
Rev Thomas Littleton
9/28/2021
The Southern Baptist Convention is in a nasty internal brawl with how it will handle sex abuse and allegations of long term cover up of it. Even Baptist are confused about what is going on with all the players in the room. For example the seminary heads who historically are under the directorship of mentor Albert Mohler are making open demands of the leadership in the Executive Committee. The central issue at the moment is about calls for the Executive Committee to “waive attorney client privilege ” so as not to impede the investigation by a recently appointed “Task Force”.
According to “The Baptist Paper ” on September 21th -the SBC executive Committee and others involved in the “task force” investigation into the years long sexual abuse and coverups have approved the hiring of a major law firm to help with the investigation.
THE LAW FIRM NAMED WHO WAS HIRED WITH THE APPROVAL OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.
“The survivors as well as friends attending with them said they are hopeful as they prepare to watch the business proceedings take place again today. Some also noted they understood the need for the Monday afternoon executive session. The executive session was approved 54 to 23 in order to discuss the situation with attorneys from the law firm of Locke Lord, a firm recently hired with the approval of the EC officers.”
BAPTIST GLOBAL MEWS PROVIDES THE FOLLOWING ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
“…However, one of the Executive Committee attorneys, Paul Coggins of Dallas, “rejected the offer of speaking with our attorneys in the meeting and also rejected their opinion that the task force could be the contracting party for the investigation,” the statement continues.”
“Coggins, an attorney with the law firm Locke Lord in Dallas, based his opinion on the judgment of longtime SBC attorney Jim Guenther of Nashville, according to the task force.”
SOME HISTORY ON THE SBC ABUSE SCANDAL :
According the to the Houston Chronicle who first reported the sexual abuse and coverup scandal in 2018 -there are hundreds (over 700 ) of abuse victims .Many of these were children at the time. Based on other media reports and statistical realty -some are same sex sexual abuse. Sex with minors is still classified as pedophilia .But you are not likely to see words LIKE THAT OR homosexual used in any of the SBC stories.
SO WHY IS THAT?
Another good question might be “why was this law firm chosen?” when it expends a significant amount of its webpage introduction to its “LGBTQ INCLUSIVE CULTURE and Human Rights Campaign awards for Corporate Equality Index” in 2021 and for “five consecutive years?
PERHAPS SOUTHERN BAPTIST LEADERS INVOLVED IN THIS CHOICE MAY DO WELL TO RESPOND .
Lock Lord Law Firm website :
About us
“Locke Lord is a premier full-service Am Law 100 law firm that has earned a solid reputation for complex litigation, regulatory and transactional work on behalf of clients in important and growing industry sectors around the world.”
“Throughout our more than 130-year history, we’ve cultivated partnerships with a broad range of public and private companies, from Fortune 500 leaders to startups and emerging businesses. Our team can design strategic solutions that meet your long-term goals no matter how large or small your matter, applying our established tradition of responsive, personalized service.”
“At Locke Lord, our diverse and inclusive culture of collegiality and collaboration — core values of the Firm — across all of our offices and practices is ultimately reflected in our client experience by culminating in a deep understanding of our clients’ businesses.”
“Corporate responsibility is also an important part of Locke Lord’s mission as we reach out to the communities we serve in meaningful partnerships and pro bono work.”
LOCKE LORD CELEBRATES SEVERAL CORPORATE ACHIEVMENTS WHICH FEATURE ITS LGBTQ AWARD FROM HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN
January 28, 2021 – “Locke Lord has achieved a 100 percent rating in the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation’s 2021 Corporate Equality Index (CEI) for the fifth consecutive year. A perfect score in this annual report evaluating policies and practices related to LGBTQ employees, culture and corporate social responsibility earns the Firm the distinction of being an employer of choice for LGBTQ employees.”
“With each passing year, we continue to hone our focus on the Firm’s core value of diversity and inclusion, which is integral to our business and culture and essential to our success. We are extremely proud to achieve our fifth consecutive perfect score on the CEI — the result of our unwavering dedication to creating a welcoming environment for all of our attorneys and team members,” said Locke Lord Chair (name).
“We are once again honored to receive this recognition from the HRC. Our ongoing strong performance on the CEI underscores our deep commitment to LGBTQ equality at Locke Lord, in the legal profession as a whole and in the communities in which we live and work,” added Locke Lord Senior Partner and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer (name )”
“Locke Lord predecessor firm Edwards Wildman earned a 100 percent rating in the HRC Foundation’s CEI for seven consecutive years from 2009-2015. The Firm and its attorneys have a long history of supporting LGBTQ civil rights and health care organizations, including the LGBTQ Bar Associations, GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), Fenway Health, Human Rights Campaign, AIDS Action Committee, Imperial Court of New York, Equality Illinois and Mainers United for Marriage.”
“Diversity and inclusion is one of the Firm’s five core values and an integral part of Locke Lord’s strategic plan. Locke Lord understands that fostering an inclusive environment results in better decision-making, better outcomes for clients and a firm where team members can be successful and thrive. To read more about Locke Lord’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, click here.”
About Locke Lord LLP “Locke Lord is a full-service law firm with global reach and 20 offices designed to meet clients’ needs in the United States and around the world. The Firm has a history that spans more than 130 years and is a leader in the middle market arena. Locke Lord focuses on providing the highest levels of commitment, quality and service to clients across its five Key Sectors: Energy and Infrastructure; Finance and Financial Services; Insurance and Reinsurance; Pharmaceutical; and Private Equity. In addition, the Firm advises clients across a broad spectrum of other industries, including fund formation, venture capital, health care, public finance, real estate, technology, cybersecurity and white collar, while providing a wealth of experience through its complex litigation, intellectual property, tax, regulatory and transactional teams.”
THE SBC HAS FEATURED SEVERAL ABUSE SURVIVERS BUT SO FAR NONE HAVE BEEN FROM THE LIST OF SAME SEX OR HOMOSEXUAL ABUSE.
In spite of almost weekly reports of same sex abuse of children by pastors, including Baptist /SBC pastors and the original reports having indicated this reality- NONE of the SBC / ERLC/ Press featured survivors have been from same sex abuse. None of the abusers of survivors (who were children) at the time are being named as pedophiles.
AT ONE TIME A WEBSITE DEVOTED TO “STOP THE BAPTIST PREDATORS” LINKED TO THE ONGOING NEWS STORIES OF PEDOPHILE AND HOMOSEXUAL ABUSE CASES.
That site was folded into another abuse survivor site several years ago.
Are the SBC / the Executive Committee /The Task Force leaders blind to the reality of same sex sexual abuse in their midst or have they hired a law firm which boast its inclusion and HRC awards for some other reason?
SO WHAT IS REALLY GOING ON?
Will those victims/ survivors of same sex abuse also be included in the impending CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT ? Or will they continue to be ignored and further abused by a culture of “inclusion” that winks at inconvenient facts?
FROM THE 2018 HOUSTON CHRONICLE 3 PART SBC SEX ABUSE STORY
“Houston Chronicle: Abuse of Faith Series on the SBC”
Photo from the Houston Chronicle 2018 articles
Excerpt:
“It’s not just a recent problem: In all, since 1998, roughly 380 Southern Baptist church leaders and volunteers have faced allegations of sexual misconduct, the newspapers found. That includes those who were convicted, credibly accused and successfully sued, and those who confessed or resigned. More of them worked in Texas than in any other state.
“They left behind more than 700 victims, many of them shunned by their churches, left to themselves to rebuild their lives. Some were urged to forgive their abusers or to get abortions.”
Where are the rest of the victims/survivors and when will their presence be acknowledged ?
HRC AND THE SBC HISTORY:
HRC has a long history of attacking Southern Baptist for their biblical stance on sexuality and gender. HRC has been working since 2014 with Project One America ” to press their cause in the deep South states where the SBC churches are mainly located.
HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN EVEN HAS A GUIDE AND SCORING METRIC FOR BAPTIST
“The Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in the United States, with over 16 million members, has discriminated against gay and lesbian people for more than a quarter-century”
LGBTQ EQUALITY
ON SEXUAL ORIENTATION & GENDER IDENTITY
“In a 1996 “Resolution on a Christian Response to Homosexuality,” the SBC declared that “even a desire to engage in a homosexual relationship is always sinful, impure, degrading, shameful, unnatural, indecent and perverted.”
“In the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message statement, the SBC equates “homosexuality” with adultery and pornography, declaring, “In the spirit of Christ, Christians should oppose … all forms of sexual immorality, including adultery, homosexuality and pornography.”
“The SBC calls on its members to a “love the sinner but hate the sin” approach and affirms the possibility of reorientation from same-sex attraction and supports “ex-gay” ministries. As the SBC website states: “Christians can, and should, minister to homosexuals in a kind, yet firm manner. The church should never turn its back on homosexuals who are searching and seeking to heal the hurts within their lives. … While God hates the sinner in his sin, we are called to love the sinner and hate the sin. In doing so, Christ can work through our lives to touch those lost in a world of confusion and darkness.”
“Likewise, the SBC website also asserts: “We affirm God’s plan for marriage and sexual intimacy – one man, and one woman, for life. Homosexuality is not a ‘valid alternative lifestyle.’ The Bible condemns it as sin. It is not, however, unforgivable sin. The same redemption available to all sinners is available to homosexuals. They, too, may become new creations in Christ.”
“At the 2012 SBC Annual Meeting, the SBC passed a resolution affirming “that gender identity is determined by biological sex and not by one’s self-perception—a perception which is often influenced by fallen human nature in ways contrary to God’s design (Ephesians 4:17–18).”
“In 2017, top leaders of the SBC joined ined other evangelical leaders in a statement Aug. 29 denouncing LGBTQ people and their identities as “inconsistent with God’s holy purposes in creation and redemption.”
ON MARRIAGE EQUALITY
“In 2003, the Southern Baptist Convention issued a statement reaffirming its opposition to marriage equality. It called on “Southern Baptists not only to stand against same-sex unions but to demonstrate our love for those practicing homosexuality by sharing with them the forgiving and transforming power of the gospel of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).”
“At at the 2012 SBC Annual Meeting, the SBC also reiterated its opposition to frame marriage equality as a civil rights issue.”
ON NON-DISCRIMINATION
“The SBC does not support anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people and opposes LGBTQ equality. to the current repeal of the policy “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” that prohibited LGBTQ individuals to serve openly in the military.”
“In June 2010, a resolution (On Homosexuality and the United States Military) passed that states: “we oppose changing current law to normalize the open presence of homosexuals in the armed forces, and insist on keeping the finding of Congress that sustains current law, which states that even ‘the presence in the armed forces’ of persons demonstrating ‘a propensity or intent to engage in homosexual acts’ creates ‘an unacceptable risk to . . . the essence of military capability.’”
ON ORDINATION
“The Southern Baptist Convention does not ordain openly LGBTQ people, nor does it ordain women. However, alternative Baptist denominations such as the Alliance of Baptists do ordain both women and LGBTQ people.”
IN 2014 HRC ATTACKED THE SBC AFRESH WHILE IN REALITY WERE INVITED TO A MEETING WITH KEY LEADERS LIKE RUSSELL MOORE OF THE ERLC AND ALBERT MOHLER.
As Southern Baptists Meet To Talk Same-Sex Marriage Strategy, Don’t Be Fooled By “Softer” Rhetoric
October 27, 2014
SBC Remains One of Nation’s Most Virulently Anti-LGBT Denominations
“WASHINGTON – As members of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) gather today in Nashville for a conference aimed at devising strategy to combat the movement toward marriage equality for LGBT Americans, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation has called for an end to the denomination’s vilification of same-sex couples.”
“Though the SBC has characterized the conference, organized by its Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, as an effort to find new ways to discuss the growing acceptance of marriage equality, there should be no confusion that its well-publicized campaign to mask harsh LGBT rhetoric does not represent change in either practice or policy.”
“The head of the HRC Foundation’s Religion and Faith Program, who is attending the conference, said: “LGBT people are routinely spiritually, emotionally, and even physically harmed by the rhetoric that originates in church pulpits and seeps into playgrounds, classrooms, workplaces, and even into dinner table conversations.”
SBS LEADERS WELCOMED HRC LEADERS WHO STILL MADE A SHOW OF FIERCE OPPOSTION
“The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) may be dressing up its upcoming conference with “softer” rhetoric, but SBC policies and practices remain the most stridently anti-LGBT among religious organizations in the U.S.”
“A sampling of typical LGBT animus from ERLC/SBC this year alone: *ERLC President Russell Moore announces a conference to ostensibly help pastors answer community questions and asserts that “homosexual behavior is still a sin,” and “same-sex marriage Biblically forbidden.”
WALL STREET JOURNAL, WHO HAD LOVED MOORE’S MORE “WINSOME TONE” TOWARD THE LGBTQ ISSUES TOUTED THE ERLC/HRC MEETINGS AS A BREAKING OF BREAD CELEBRATION
Southern Baptists, Gay Community Break Bread at Conference
Baptists Strike New Tone on Homosexuality From the Pulpit, in Private
YET MOORE AND OTHER LEADERS MET BEHIND CLOSED DOORS WITH HRC LEADERS.
According to HRC individual reports and to social media of activist in the LGBT camp – the ERLC head Russell Moore all met together behind closed doors to chat it up …about about …well no one outside the room has ever been told and NONE OF THE BPATIST LEADERS PRESENT has ever written about this private meeting .
YES A SECRET PRIVATE MEETING WITH SBC LEADERS AND HRC IN TOOK PLACE IN 2014
Albert Mohler who admitted to “being wrong about homosexual orientation” at the 2014 PUBLIC meetings departed from his long held position that orientation was a “construct of homosexual activist hermeneutic to undermine the authority of scripture and it’s clear condemnation of homosexual behavior”. Mohler sited his concern of how his denial might make some people feel in his flip flop of convictions about the Bible vs “orientation”.
MOHLER HAD MET PERSONALLY WITH ANOTHER LGBTQ ACTIVIST THE SAME WEEK
“Mr. Mohler, head of the theological seminary, said he hoped the conference would make Christians “motivated to be unafraid to engage with LGBT persons.”
“Mr. Mohler this week met with Matthew Vines, an openly gay Christian author who argues the Bible doesn’t prohibit lifelong same-sex marriage. Mr. Mohler wrote a response to Mr. Vines’ book, “God and the Gay Christian.”
“It was a gracious, honest conversation. I think all evangelical Christians are having to learn anew how to discuss these issues,” Mr. Mohler said.”
“The pair agreed to keep in touch over email, and alert each other if one ever felt wrongly portrayed by the other.”
“This was an amazing event,” said Mr. Vines. “Not for the public sessions but for the private meetings. It’s not like anyone is suddenly pro-gay,” said Mr. Vines. But, he added, “it feels like a new era.”
( From the 2014 Wall Street Journal Article)
HRC AND OTHER SOUTHERN BAPTIST HISTORY
In 2009 the Obama Administration brought faith leaders together in his Faith Based Neighborhood Partnerships overhaul and grant program. The SBC Executive Committee CEO at the time Frank Page joined the Obama team for the Faith Based Partners grant programs. SBC moved into position to find “common ground for the common good ” and the common motivation of grant money from tax dollars for community development and other related projects. Among the partners the SBC CEO Frank Page sat down along side was the leader of the Human Rights Campaign Religion & Faith Program,
Inaugural Advisory Council
The inaugural Advisory Council published its report of recommendations to the President in 2010. Chapters of the report are devoted to each of the following six subject areas.
Harry Knox Director, Religion and Faith Program, Human Rights Campaign Foundation
Dr. Frank Page Pastor, Taylors First Baptist Church; President Emeritus, Southern Baptist Convention
(Page was also the CEO of the Executive Committee until forced to step down years later due to an unspecified moral failure)
THE TASK FORCE SELECTED ITS OWN PRO LGBTQ LAW FIRM
(Information from Baptist Global News coverage of SBC meetings)
“The task force explains this matter in its Sept. 29 letter: “The task force retained our own legal counsel, Linklaters attorneys Adam Lurie and Richard Smith. Both men are former senior Department of Justice officials with extensive background also in corporate law. “
“LINKLATERS BOAST “DIVERSITY & INCLUSION IS THE PULSE OF OUR FIRM”
“
We want to be known as the ‘best in class’ firm for Diversity & Inclusion – a diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone feels they belong, and diversity is celebrated.
Our motivation
“We know that our differences make us a better law firm. Our diversity enables us to attract the best talent, drive innovation, and deliver the best experience to everyone who comes into contact with us. That’s why being a leader in Diversity & Inclusion is an integral part of our firm’s vision and strategy. As a responsible business, it is important to us that we represent the diversity of our people, our clients and our communities, and that we create an inclusive culture in which everyone – regardless of background, identity and circumstance – can reach their full potential.”
“GLOBAL PRIORITIES OF THE FIRM INCLUDE LGBT “
Strange days have indeed found the Southern Baptist Convention during it’s sexual abuse scandal and the efforts to see it investigated.
CONCLUSION
So the Southern Baptist Convention and many of it’s key players in the sex abuse scandal investigation have a long and curious history with the LGBTQ lobby and Human Rights Campaign in particular. NOW they are adding to both that history and the curiosity surrounding it by overlooking or omitting or blind to the same sex sexual abuse in their midst -while in the middle of the present investigation into the abuse. And by choosing a law firm which boast of its own inclusion and diversity and multi year AWARD WINNING STATUS with HRC, the Southern Baptist investigation is beyond the bounds of curiosity and falls far short of the integrity the Task Force and the Southern Baptist leadership are saying they seek to ensure in the investigation. The combined realities actually INVITE and provide massive license for suspicion and outright doubt over the entire process and intentions. And the surviving victims look to be set up to be abused all over again.
Matthew 12:33-37
A Tree Known by Its Fruit
33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. 34 Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. 36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. 37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.””
IN FEBRUARY 2021 THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION RENEWED THE FAITH BASED PARTNERSHIPS FUNNELING FEDERAL DOLLARS TO CHRISTIAN MINISTRIES AND DENOMINATIONS. BY MAY 2021 LEADING EVANGELICALS WERE WORKING WITH FBP DIRECTOR AND THE GLOBALIST COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS ON “RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES ROLE IN” COVID MANAGMENT.
Rev Thomas Littleton
Revelations of continued collaboration by key evangelical leaders like Ed Stetzer with the Council on Foreign Relations have been unsettling confirmation on what some have been warning about for decades. The once biblically conservative evangelical church cannot blindly follow their leaders unless they wish to be delivered into the hands of anti-Christ global forces, groomed into “useful idiots” and trafficked as the volunteer workforce of the future.
“KIM:Thank you. Greetings, I’m Walter Kim, president of the National Association of Evangelicals, an organization that connects forty denominations and scores of Christian institutions and ministry. I’m delighted to be part of this conversation on the religion community’s role in managing COVID-19. And along with me, as conversation partners, are Reverend Jacqui Lewis, senior minister for public theology and transformation at Middle Church in New York City. She is an author and activist preacher, public theologian, working particularly in the areas of racial justice, but also seeing the church as a place for social transformation. And with us, also is Melissa Rogers, executive director at the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. A role that she held previously with distinction and now has renewed. Melissa is not only an expert on religion in America, but she is also supremely capable leader to bring together people from various segments of society to address our country’s greatest needs and possibilities. So, Jacqui, Melissa, thank you for joining in this conversation.”
“ROGERS AND LEWIS: Delighted to be here. Thank you.”
THE ROLE OF FAITH BASED PARTNERSHIPS IN SEDUCTION OF THE CHURCH
MELISSA ROGERS
“One of the things I’ve mentioned is the Equity Task Force that the Biden administration has put in place along with the COVID response team. And I think that leadership and leadership in the faith community in particular in this area has launched a new conversation. And that has been all to the good.”
THE FOCUS ON INTERFAITH WORK IN THE FBP
LEWIS:
“Thank you, Melissa, for those reflections. I wanted to dovetail into this idea of resilience and maybe even to put resistance in that. I think faith communities across denominations and across Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Sikhs, Christians, I think I’ve seen my colleagues across the nation really show the ways love, revolutionary love, has no bounds.”
BOASTING ABOUT THE 2020 THE ELECTIONS
“So I think there was, again, across the nation across denominations, ways that faith leaders found to tap into creativity, to art, to community organizing, to protesting, to voter reform—look what we did in the elections during COVID. The way that we organized ourselves to learn issues, to share, to share resources, the Poor People’s Campaign, Vote Common Good, just some of the allies that we work with. “
(NOTE: Vote Common Good- is one of the radical progressive efforts to move Christians left in their voting in order to ensure a defeat of President Donald Trump in 2020.It was headed by Emergent Doug Pagitt whos radical funding and associations have been exposed on Worldview Weekend broadcast as well as this website.)
RACE AND INTERSECTIONALITY WERE THEIR ALLIES
“We had a tough year, not just with COVID, but the George Floyd murder, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, all of these moments of kind of racial crisis, the rising violence against Asian communities. We also, as faith communities, resisted oppression, resisted violence, and resisted racism, and actually bound ourselves, I think, together in an interfaith and multi-ethnic, multi-gendered movement for justice. And so I’m really proud of that.”
SHAMING FAITH LEADERS WHO DOUBTED THE PANDEMIC RESPONSE
“And I would say maybe one more thing, not to be polemic, but to say, in some places, faith pretended that the pandemic wasn’t real, okay. In some places, faith-based leaders gave their folks a sense that wearing a mask or distancing from one another was against faith, that if God was real and good that we wouldn’t have to do that. And I struggled to understand that, I just want to make sure I say that out loud, to understand how responsible we are, for the ways our congregants take in information through the lens of faith leaders who they trust, and how powerful that is, right? And how important it is that we steward that power well.”
BACK TO KIM CELEBRATING THE THEOLOGY OF PANDEMIC MEDICINE
KIM:
“I’ve heard words—resilience, resistance, engagement, creativity. And I sense that the work of the NAE face very similar issues. And, we’ve been seeking to engage in a few different ways. One is to inform. And so very early on, getting information out there, not only about the nature of this virus, but also about responses and—Jacqui, to your point, getting good information that puts it, not only in medical terms, but also in theological terms—medicine as a gift from God, the kind of creativity that was required to engage with worship service that both of you have mentioned, and in some ways, this has been a remarkable moment of entrepreneurial spirit within churches, spirit-led creativity that I would wish to highlight. But it’s been complicated, right?”
KIM PLAYS THE ASIAN RACE CARD BECAUSE OF WUHAN ORIGINS OF THE VIRUS
NOTE THE SOCIAL AND RACIAL JUSTICE SCRIPT
“And so, we’ve not only had to inform, but we’ve had to collaborate on a variety of issues, not only the medical issues, but the racial justice issues, and certainly as an Asian-American, I sense deeply the recent turns that really are revelation of long standing issues, that perhaps in the Asian-American, Pacific Islander community have been more silently endured.”
“NAE that we’ve been seeking to do is engagement, of actually participating, not just talking and building alliances, and developing this sense of solidarity, but engaging and becoming vaccinations sites at churches, or engaging with advocacy issues that deal with Black and Brown communities that have been disproportionately impacted. So, I sense, along with you, both this creative moment, but also challenging moment. And now I want to dive more specifically in why and how religious communities are particularly important to our national response to COVID. And by COVID, I’m not just meaning the virus, physical virus, but I mean, this whole last year and what has been revealed in our social settings. “
LEWIS GOES TOTALLY OFF THE GRID IN RACIAL CLAIMS WITH COVID
” And there’s this way in which what COVID showed us all is Black and Brown people die first—are most devastated. In fact, whole generations of Latinx, Hispanic men are actually lost to COVID. The ones who are on the frontlines, the one who are in the bodega jobs, the ones who drive the taxis, the ones who drive the Ubers.”
THE CHURCH IS CHARGED WITH ECONOMIC JUSTICE
“So there’s an economic reality that faith communities can help people understand—that our economy, if our economy is going to be God’s economy, how do we think about paying people more who work less? How do we—who work in these frontline jobs? How do we think about paid leave for moms and dads? How do we think about a living wage? How do we think about giving, making sure that everybody has healthcare? All those economic issues show themselves to us. Along with, again, the racial issues show themselves to us. We found out that we’ve not overcome, we’ve not overcome the way caste and race cause us to oppress one another. And I think those of us who do theology have an urgent responsibility to teach our congregants, to teach our faith leaders, the oneness of God, the many languages God speaks, the value that God has on all human life. The way that we are one people called to one, one hope, one ethic, and I think that we not only have a responsibility, we have an urgent calling, to make sure that these theologies of welcome, these theologies of love and justice become like air we breathe, and not so much caught in creed, and culture.”
MELISSA ROGERS JOB -ENGAGE THE FAITH COMMUNITIES IN BIDEN ADMINS AGENDA
KIM:
“Melissa, your job is to get faith communities engaged. So I imagine you have a lot of why’s and how’s.”
ROGERS:
“There are some why’s and how’s, yes. One of the things that I think has become even more clear during this period, is that because of the role that faith plays in our country, religious leaders and faith-based organizations are vital to public health. And you don’t have to be a person of faith necessarily to see that, and let me just talk through one example. When we were thinking about early on getting facts to people about the virus and the vaccination, and you reference this, Walter, and also Jacqui as well, we knew that working with faith communities was going to be essential. It wasn’t a choice. It was something that had to happen in order to effectively meet people across the country and around the world. And some of the reasons for that are just very factual. Houses of worship are pervasive, and they’re familiar to many Americans. Religious leaders are among the most trusted figures in our communities, and vast majority of religious leaders are enthusiastic about helping, and one of the great bright spots of this has been that, for the most part, this has brought faith communities together, and saying, we can work on this together,”
“SEEING TRUSTED FAITH LEADERS GET THE VACCINE” HELPFUL IN BUILDING TRUST
MELISSA
“This love your neighbor moment has brought us together. We know that people have fears and anxieties, questions that need to be answered. And we know that when they see someone they trust getting the vaccine, talking about the facts here, that that can really change their willingness to get the vaccine. And that matters a lot.”
FAITH COMMUNITIES KEY TO HEALTHCARE /COVID JUSTICE / HEALTH EQUITY
“We also know that many faith groups are exceptionally good at reaching underserved communities. And that matters a great deal. We also know that houses of worship are often gap fillers for a lack of culturally-sensitive healthcare. They help people you know with language barriers or with information barriers or other kinds of access barriers, for example, many minority groups and immigrants. And so it’s just shot into the public recognition, I think, that faith communities are absolutely central to public health, including to this virus but not limited to this virus”….. because we’ll face other challenges in the future and we want to make sure we’re ready. So one thing I’m really grateful for is that President Biden has understood this from the very beginning. And he was very clear that we should be working with faith communities of all kinds, and indeed, has himself visited pop-up vaccination clinics at a chapel recently, and has always taken a great interest in this. So it’s a great moment, I think, to think about how the government works with faith communities in a way that respects church-state separation, and religious liberty for everyone, and partners on shared goals, and make sure that no one is left behind.”
KIM ADDRESSES THE ONGOING CHALLENGE OF VACCINATIONS
KIM:
“There’s a tremendous kind of collaborative spirit that’s developed as a result of this challenge. And, of course, there are moments of fragmentation, we are human. And despite the call to shared humanity, there is a streak of obstinance in all humans. But, by and large, I have entered into all sorts of conversations I don’t think I would have had otherwise. Tomorrow night, I’ll be with bBlackdoctors.org, in a collaborative event, a multi-racial approach to this challenge of vaccination. “
“And these are relationships and partnerships, these are collaborations that maybe would not have existed. But the new kinds of friendships that develop from this, hold a promise far beyond this pandemic. They are friendships, they are relationships, that could be leveraged for other sorts of social challenges in the future, that the faith community could be using this as an occasion, not just to solve a problem of this past year, but to engage with problems in the coming years that beset us. “
KIM CONFIRMS THE NAE WORK WTH AD COUNCIL /COVID COLLABORATIVE
“So at the NAE we collaborated with the Ad Council and faith leaders in Black and Brown communities to produce ads that the NAE—we could not have produced. But the Ad Council, that’s their job, that’s their expertise, and to be able to use that in the collaborative effort to get information out, but distributed in these trusted places. Both of you talked about the church as being this trusted, localized, trusted place. And these are very powerful issues, because, you know, if we’re going to address issues of racial justice, yes, they’ll be national conversations, but they’re going to be localized efforts that need to move the needle for change, the conversations on the local level. So this has been very heartening for us to broach these opportunities together.”
MELISSA ROGERS TOUTS THE BIDEN ADMINS PUSH FOR FBP ACTIONS
ROGERS:
“Okay. Sure. Yeah, well, so this week has been a landmark week, as the President announced more than 60 percent of people eighteen years and older have received at least one dose of the vaccination. Cases have continued to decrease, hospital admissions are down, deaths, thank God, are down, and we’re vaccinating between about 1.5 to 2 million people per day. So I think we are winning the war against the virus, but the battle is not done. There is an incredible amount of work ahead of us, particularly this summer. The President has set a goal that 70 percent of the country’s adults will have at least one vaccination shot by July 4, and 160 million Americans will be fully vaccinated by July 4. And in that regard, I’d just like to mention, if I could, several things that, and I know I’m preaching to the choir here, but I hope that we can all redouble our efforts this summer and just want to mention a few resources that you can take advantage of, some of which are new. One is vaccines.gov, to help people find a location near them where they can be vaccinated. They can also text their zip code to 438829, that’s 4388292, to find a vaccination near them. There’s an 800 number that they can call. And also, we’re having a Digital Day of Action this Friday, May 21.”
KIM SPEAKS OF BREAKING BREAD AS A COVID CORPS MEMBER PASTOR
” Speaking as not only president of the NEA, but as a local pastor, reengagement of all that church represents. The breaking of bread together, the studying of the Bible in small groups, the being on mission in our neighborhoods, sending short-term mission teams overseas in different contexts to help out, I mean all the myriads of ways that the church represents an opportunity of service. And this is true of other faith traditions as well. And it’s in part why I joined with the COVID Community Corps and recently put out a Trusted Voices video with the Department of Health and Human Services that followed me around as I got my second vaccination shot, and one of the most compelling things about that second vaccination shot for me was to see the people gathered there.”
KIIM/NAE VISION OF “WHAT AMERICA COULD BE”
KIM:
“I mean, men, women, old, young, racial diversity, ethnic diversity represented in the line as I was standing, waiting to get my shot. And it really was the sense that we can do this. And we are doing this. And it really does take everyone. And that’s a very compelling vision of what America could be. And in its better moments, really is, but we need to continue to persist in this. “
CONCLUSION
For 18 months this writer and a few others like Brannon Howse have warned that very influential evangelical leaders were aligning the church with globalist in the pandemic. No doubt the church should play a role in relieving suffering and grief but not as partners with government funding in Faith Based Partnerships with the Biden administration or with Council on Foreign Relations view of “What America could be” since their global dreams began in 1921.
Evangelicals like Ed Stetzer and Russell Moore (who has worked very closely with Kim and the NAE with the Ad Council /Facebook for Faith) have lost sight of their own vision and calling if they ever had it. God has never called on the church or it’s leaders to be partnered with the very forces seeking to destroy it’s influence and ability to bring the Gospel and REAL HOPE to the dying .Eternity is the vision most needed by those who faithfully serve the living God. Not the Faith Based Partnership justice and equity gospel nor the Council on Foreign Relations anti-Christ, enslavement vision honed over the last century.
Nothing could be farther from the work of God than these godless agendas. The deception at this level is well beyond ignorance. It is demonic.
THE HISTORICALLY CONSERVATIVE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN AMERICA HAS ALREADY SPLIT ONCE OVER THE RADICAL REVOICE EVENT AND HAS REMAINED SHARPLY DIVIDED OVER IT’S PUSH FOR “LGBT+ THRIVING IN HISTORIC CHURCHES” MOVEMENT. GREG JOHNSON WHO PARTORS THE PCA CHURCH WHICH FIRST HOSTED REVOICE IS AGAIN SPEAKING AT THE 2021 EVENT.
Rev Thomas Littleton
9-24-2021
Revoice annual conference “promoting Sexual Minorities , Queer Theory , Queer Culture,” and now a “Queer Oriented Couple” continues to trash it’s way through the conservative PCA. The denomination began in 1973 by conservative men like D. James Kennedy and Frank Barker in response to the same errors “Thriving ” in other Presbyterian denominations like the PCUSA.
Todays leaders in the PCA seem hopeless and helpless to stop the same forces from ripping the PCA apart. The PCAs annual meeting in 2021 saw a battle over the issue of ordination of teaching elders who use a gay self identity. In what looked like a victory after much time devoted to the “side A vs side B narrative .( fully affirming of LGBTQ identity AND activity including marriage vs those who espouse commitment to celibacy and biblical sexual ethic but identify as LGBTQ Christians) The PCA appeared to have strong support among it’s teaching elders for standing against the movement on the ordination of self identified gays issue.
Previously in the 2019 General Assembly Greg Johnson whose Memorial Presbyterian Church in St Louis MO near the PCA flagship Covenant Theological Seminary (CTS) had made a tearful appeal for his cause backed by Tim Keller disciple/ protege Scott Sauls who has endorsed and supported Revoice from the 2018 launch and was helping plan the first event in 2017 according to social media. An estimated 40% of elders applauded Johnsons emotional appeal.
Revoice has continued to enjoy a controversial and divisive status in both the PCA and Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) given its clear origins and remaining strongholds in both conservative denominations seminaries. CTS is filled with advocates and supporters of Revoice and it is fair to say that multiple professors and faculty have helped incubate the movement. Yet the full story of it’s origins show that it was a Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS ) graduate, doctorial student, Garrett Fellow and New Testament Teacher Nate Collins who founded the movement at SBTS.
TODAY THE REVOICE MOVEMENT CONTINUES TO DIVIDE A CONQUER THE PCA.
“Revoice exists because we want to see gay/SSA people who adhere to historic, Christian teaching about marriage and sexuality experience peace and belonging in their local faith communities. We envision a unified, faithful, and peaceful Church where these individuals are able to grow in holiness and in their knowledge of the scriptures, knowing that they are of infinite worth and value to their Creator; where transparency about one’s orientation and ongoing experience creates enhanced possibilities for local churches to utilize and celebrate the unique opportunities that these individuals have to serve the Kingdom of God; and where these individuals are welcomed into the lives of spiritual families so that all can grow together in their knowledge of God and his Kingdom.”
THE 2021 EVENT
“Greg Johnson Greg Johnson is Lead Pastor of historic Memorial Presbyterian Church (PCA) in St. Louis, where he has served on pastoral staff since 2003. He holds a Ph.D. in Historical Theology with a concentration in American religion from Saint Louis University and an M.Div. from Covenant Theological Seminary. He is the author of The World According to God: A Biblical View of Culture, Work, Science, Sex & Everything Else.”
SESSION 4
Together for the Kingdom
“Jesus said that the world will know we are His followers by our love for one another. This means we need each other to represent Christ well in this world. Our collective witness is essential to how Jesus wants to be represented. As we imitate and follow Christ, in his humility, zeal for justice, sacrificial love, and preferencing of the other before the self, we dramatize the amazing love of God before the watching world.”
ALSO SPEAKING IS THE AUTHOR OF SINGLE ,GAY CHRISTIAN WHICH WAS ENDORSED BY PCA PASTOR TIM KELLER’S GOSPEL COALITION COFOUNDER D.A. CARSON
“Greg Coles, PhD Gregory Coles is the author of Single, Gay, Christian (InterVarsity Press, 2017) and No Longer Strangers (InterVarsity Press, 2021). He holds a PhD in English from Penn State and lives in Idaho’s Treasure Valley, where he works as a writer and speaker. Greg is a Senior Research Fellow at The Center for Faith, Sexuality & Gender and curates most of his creative activities.”
SEXUAL MINORITIES CONTINUE THE MANTRA OF SOCIAL JUSTICE FOR LGBTQ “CHRISITANS”
“Together As Sexual Minorities”
“We need the body of Christ in all its diversity. We need those who are different from us, and we also need those with whom we have great similarity. Scripture teaches us that one of the reasons God allows us to experience suffering is to gift us with divine comfort that we can then offer to others who similarly experience suffering. We do not have to figure things out on our own; there is a repository of wisdom of what it looks like to follow Jesus with the unique challenges and questions that sexual minorities face.”
“Speakers: Aaron & Liz Munson, Greg Coles, Elizabeth Black, Pieter Valk, Christian Johnston”
GREG JOHNSON CONTINUES TO THRIVE IN BOTH HIS DENOMINATION AND IN HIS ROLE IN THE RADICAL LGBTQ+ THRIVING MOVEMENT.
While Greg Johnson is thriving- his denomination has split and continues to remain unable to effectively call it’s rogue SSA /gay indentified leaders to repentance.
CONCLUSION
The activist train supported by Tim Keller’s TGC, multiple PCA seminaries and colleges, key Southern Baptist ERLC and SBTS leaders ( and many more) is rolling on while the conservative leaders in these movements seem helpless or unwilling to do what it takes to stop it. Appeasement is not working. It never has and NO denomination has ever “Thrived” from such a movement.
For more background on the PCA ,Revoice, Johnson’s role , and the languishing PCA efforts to contain their in house activist you can read the following articles”
Also go to thirtypiecesoofsilve.org type in the search box for Revoice
When the scandalous Revoice Conference movement for “LGBT+ Thriving in historic Christian (church ) traditions” emerged in 2018 the soon to be confirmed primary influence behind the movement was the American Psychological Associations interfaith sexual and gender identity expert Mark Yarhouse . Yarhouse had endorsed the Revoice conference on social media but his often quoted books and looming influence were an undeniable inspiration for the Revoice movement.
Living Out, the ministry of Sam Allberry in the UK had also been endorsed Revoice “for their US audience” while preparing to host Tim and Kathy Keller for their Living Out Gender Identity conference in London. Yarhouse soon surfaced as a key part of the brain trust behind Living Out as well. Both these movements have received a great deal of scrutiny and criticism as they dance well beyond the fringes of Christian orthodoxy and push the limits toward sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI). In the June 2018 event for Living Out the infamous “LGBTQ Inclusion Church Audit was introduced and praised as “brilliant ” by Kathy Keller. This shocking moment was brought to you by the long time association of the Keller’s organization The Gospel Coalition with Mark Yarhouse. According to Yarhouse Bio he had provided the Whitepaper document which became the TGC gold standard on SOGI in 2010.
THE MANTRA OF SAME SEX ATTRACTED = “SEXUAL PURGATORY ” FOR STRUGGLING BELIEVERS.
Christians being SSA or Same Sex Attracted language has been the product of the work of Yarhouse and others like him who place high value on Atheistic or Interfaith Psychology and seek to mix and mingle it with the Gospel and true conversion. It is a sort of “sexual purgatory ” for people who have had a history of homosexual or lesbian desires or activity. SSA is a sort of stop gap for the lack of the human genome studies search for the elusive “gay gene” which did not materialize. SSA language was drafted for the church in 2010 (same year as Yarhouse TGC Whitepaper) by several people in the collapsing “Ex gay Ministries” or Exodus International and Exodus Global for the 2010 Lausanne Movement South Africa meetings at which Tim Keller (Keller again ) was the keynote speaker and crowned as the new John Stott and the leading Christian Thinker of our time.
SSA is a sort of Alcoholics Anonymous for Christians with homosexual or lesbian desires or lingering temptations. Yarhouse and others like him offer no real Gospel HOPE that such temptations will ever go away or that the victims can be set free from them. This view and stance for ministry is totally anti Gospel and anti transformation. It is not only hopeless but anti- or against Christ redemptive work which millions have known to be more than enough to suffice and redeem their lives including their desires. That Jesus is able to save to the Uttermost (Hebrews 7:25) actually means what it promises.
YARHOUSE CUTTING EDGE GENDER WORK FOR CHRISTIANS LOOKS TO BE THE NEW FRONTIER .
Increasingly the Yarhouse narrative on Gender shows the deep fault line of a “make it up as you go along ” approach. Gender is a very simple issue from both a biblical and biological perspective. The sad incidence of biological malformation is very rare and not at all the driving factor in the world of “gender dysphoria “. Yarhouse and Sprinkle are both focused more and more on the trendy movements behind transgenderism and their confusing narratives appear to be as fluid as the identities of those they seek out to feature in order to prove themselves correct and justify the churches need of their insightful expertise conferences and endless stream of books.
In short Transgender is the new punk and it is essential (according to those in the industry) that we have leading Christian experts to interpret the unfolding mysteries it entails. Where would the church be without Christianized psychology? We would most likely be more firmly anchored in and able to offer the true hope of the Gospel to those coming out of sexual sin, distortion and abuse. Instead we seek to navigate these ruinous waters with human wisdom mostly originating from lost men who either hated God or were Universalist idolaters.
YARHOUSE ROLE AS A LEADERHIP BOARD MEMBER AND SPEAKER AT REVOICE
By 2019 Yarhouse was both the featured speaker and a member of the leadership council of Revoice movement .
Yarhouse has long moved across the lines of the professed “Side A / Side B ” positions in the ongoing and fluid narratives of so named “LGBTQ Christianity”
(Taken from a LGBTQ Christianity advocacy page)
“A person who has a “Side A” perspective on Christian sexual ethics typically believes the following: God makes people gay. God blesses same-sex marriages in the same ways He blesses opposite-sex marriages. Holding these beliefs typically requires some theological maneuvering around the six “clobber passages” that people claim refers to same-sex sexual activity, but most Side A gay Christians I know believe that the Bible is not binding or prescriptive for a modern context.”
“Now let’s talk about the “Side B” perspective: Same-sex attraction is not what God intended and is a result of the Fall. But, we do not choose who we are attracted to and there is no formula to change ones attractions. There is no context for same-sex sexual or romantic activity that God blesses, so they are sins. God calls all Christians to a vocation of celibacy or marriage with someone of the opposite sex. Side B Christians may identify as gay in a limited way , finding it helpful to identify with those of a shared heritage and similar life experiences.”
THE SAME GROUP HAS ADDED SIDE X AS A DESCRIPTIVE SEGMENT WHICH IS IN FACT THE HISTORIC BIBLICAL VIEW.
“And finally, there is the “Side X” perspective: Same-sex attracted Christians must reject their attractions and work toward changing their attractions. Continuing to experience SSA is a sign of willful disobedience and/or lukewarm sanctification. Homosexuality in any form is sinful . God intends for all people to marry someone of the opposite sex.”
Mark Yarhouse in his work moves across ALL these spectrums and appears to counsel a “What ever works for the person” approach. Why wouldn’t he since his own training and standard and work with the APA is both interfaith and based on the pragmatic and Atheistic history of Freudian psychology?
MARK YARHOUSE WHEATON BIOGRAPHY
“He was also invited ( in 2010 ) to write the featured white paper on sexual identity for the Christ on Campus Initiative edited by Don A. Carson for The Gospel Coalition.”
YARHOUSE INTERFAITH WORK WITH THE AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION AND OTHER ENTITIES
(NOTE :The APA has been on very long journey to normalize homosexuality since 1973)
“Mark A. Yarhouse, Psy.D., is a clinical psychologist who specializes in conflicts tied to religious identity and sexual and gender identity. He assists people who are navigating the complex relationship between their sexual or gender identity and Christian faith. He is the Dr. Arthur P. and Mrs. Jean May Rech Chair in Psychology at Wheaton College, where he runs the Sexual and Gender Identity (SGI) Institute. He is an award-winning teacher and researcher and is the past recipient of the Gary Collins Award for Excellence in Christian Counseling. He was a past participant with the Ethics and Public Policy Center think tank in Washington, DC, and he was named Senior Fellow with the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities to conduct a study of students navigating sexual identity concerns at Christian colleges and universities. He has been a consultant to the National Institute of Corrections to address issues facing sexual minorities in corrections, and he was part of a consensus panel from the American Psychological Association on sexual orientation and gender identity change efforts that convened to provide input to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in Washington, DC. He is currently the Chair of the task force on LGBT issues for
YARHOUSE APA WORK WITH DIVISION 36
“Benefits of membership include receiving the journal Psychology of Religion and Spirituality and the division Newsletter, as well as many opportunities to make professional contacts in the field through participation in the Division’s Mid-Year Conference, APA’s annual convention and other division activities.”
“A wide variety of psychological interests and activities exist among the members of the division. Members work in virtually every area, from experimental and statistical research to clinical work with children and adults. We are concerned with both the scientific and applied aspects of our field. Many members do research exclusively on issues in the psychology of religion and spirituality; others bring this interest to bear on a variety of allied areas in psychology. Our professional affiliates may be found working in sociology, religious studies, and the other social sciences. Some members also possess a clerical degree and integrate psychology with the requirements of pastoral life as researchers and practicing clinicians.”
YARHOUSE LATEST BOOK
In August of last year Yarhouse published his latest book with coauthor Julia Sadusky.
“Emerging Gender Identities: Understanding the Diverse Experiences of Today’s Youth “
“This inviting text provides a useful framework for Christians to use in approaching what can be difficult conversations around gender identity.”–Publishers Weekly”
“This book offers a measured Christian response to the diverse gender identities that are being embraced by an increasing number of adolescents. Mark Yarhouse and Julia Sadusky offer an honest, scientifically informed, compassionate, and nuanced treatment for all readers who care about or work with gender-diverse youth: pastors, church leaders, parents, family members, youth workers, and counselors.”
“Yarhouse and Sadusky help readers distinguish between current mental health concerns, such as gender dysphoria, and the emerging gender identities that some young people turn to for a sense of identity and community. Based on the authors’ significant clinical and ministry experience, this book casts a vision for practically engaging and ministering to teens navigating diverse gender-identity concerns. It also equips readers to critically engage gender theory based on a Christian view of sex and gender.”
About the Author
“Mark Yarhouse(PsyD, Wheaton College), a licensed clinical psychologist, is the Dr. Arthur P. Rech and Mrs. Jean May Rech Chair of Psychology in the School of Psychology, Counseling, and Family Therapy at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois, where he leads the Sexual & Gender Identity Institute. Yarhouse has authored or coauthored several books, including the well-received Understanding Gender Dysphoria.”
“Julia Sadusky (PsyD, Regent University) works as a clinical psychologist in Denver, Colorado. She also serves as a youth and ministry educator, offering trainings and consultations on the intersection of sexuality, gender, and theology. Her research experiences and clinical training have focused on the study of sexual and gender identity, including providing individual, family, couples, and group therapy for those navigating sexual- and gender-identity concerns. She is an advisor for the Center for Faith, Sexuality & Gender.”
Yarhouse himself was as Regent University at the time the first Revoice conference emerged in 2018 but has since returned to Wheaton Colloge where FELLOW APA expert and coauthor Stanton Jones was employed. Jones has not only cowritten books with Yarhouse but endorses the new Emerging Gender Identities book.
“We are faced with a dizzying ongoing evolution in cultural understanding of and recommended responses to a kaleidoscope of emerging gender identities. This book offers richly informed and thoughtful Christian analysis of these phenomena, along with compassionate and challenging recommendations for ministry.” —Stanton L. Jones, Wheaton College (emeritus); coauthor of the God’s Design for Sex family sex-education book series”
ADDITIONAL ENDOSEMENTS COME FROM
Preston Sprinkle who is a Master’s Seminary graduate also heads his own organization promoting LGBTQ Christian identities and is ” author of Embodied: Transgender Identities, the Church, and What the Bible Has to Say.”
–Shirley V. Hoogstra, president, Council for Christian Colleges & Universities who has also endorsed the radical “Fairness for All ” legislation backed by the funding of Paul Singer who funds both “Fairness ” and the HRC efforts promoting “The Equality Act”.
Caleb Kaltenbach, pastor and author of Messy Grace. (Caleb has added the “Messy” narrative to the LGBTQ conversation subverting the call to personal holiness and espousing that grace and conversion are “Messy ” and expectations should be adjusted to accept the confusion the new branding for LGBTQ Christianity brings with it.
YARHOUSE MOST DISTURBING ENDORSEMENT COMES FROM A TRANSSEXUAL “FOLLOWER OF JESUS “.
“Yarhouse and Sadusky are unafraid of exploring the overlap of Christianity, psychology, and cultures, and equally unafraid of reaching out in peace. I admire such a version of Christianity. I have read every page of this book. I disagree with the authors’ concept of suffering, but that is a minor point. I found myself nodding my head in agreement over and over. I endorse this book for ministers, parents, and gender-exploring youth.” —Caryn LeMur, a male-to-female transsexual and a follower of the words and life of Jesus –This text refers to the paperback edition.
According to social media post LeMur is identifies as a woman married to a woman since 2011/ LeMur profile photograph also contains a rainbow filter meaning that LeMur identifies not only as a woman but as LGBT.
TO CLARIFY
So to clarify – Mark Yarhouse new Book “Emerging Gender Identities: Understanding the Diverse Experiences of Today’s Youth” is endorsed by a person born a male who identifies as a “male to female transsexual ” who also identifies as a lesbian.
Meanwhile after the disturbing and divisive impact of both Revoice and Living Out who reveal Yarhouse is still the gold standard on SEXUAL ORIENTATION GENDER IDENTITY for many leaders of denominational seminaries and counseling departments in conservative “biblical ” churches.
SOME EXAMPLES OF YARHOUSE FAR REACHING INFLUENCE:
Tim Keller’s organization The Gospel Coalition has never disowned Yarhouse and remains committed to his twisting messaging via TGC editor on all things LGBTQ-Sam Allberry of Living Out ministries
JD Greear Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) President for 3 years endorses Yarhouse in his Mega-Church counseling Department.
SBC flagship seminary SBTS and its head Albert Mohler have endorsed a wide range of Yarhouse influenced people including Allberry and actually educated and employed the founder of Revoice Nate Collins. Collins is a VERY close associate of Yarhouse and included him in the 2019 Revoice event and leadership.
Albert Mohler SBTS disciple/ ERLC head for 8 years / TGC leader Russell Moore continues to advocate a host of Yarhouse disciples like Allberry and Collins.
No one in the PCA or SBC denominations affiliated with Keller’s The Gospel Coalition have removed their endorsement or spoken critically of Mark Yarhouse or the 2010 Whitepaper he provided TGC.
-What do we know and what do we not know about where gender dysphoria comes from?
-What are the biggest needs you are seeing in the church right now related to sexuality and gender identity?
-What would you say to Christ-followers who believe that the Bible prohibits them from fellowshipping with someone who claims to be a believer, but is pursuing transitioning?
-What is the most effective way for pastors to engage people who struggle with gender dysphoria?
Key Quotes from Dr. Mark Yarhouse
“Gender dysphoria is the experience of distress that can be associated with a lack of congruence between a person’s biological sex and their gender identity.”
“I do think the church is at its best when it can do a couple things simultaneously…I think you do need a biblical starting point and firm scriptural foundation for the church. But then I think you are also going to need a winsome way of presenting that to a culture that is pretty skeptical of the church.”
“You need Christians with ‘convicted civility,’ and I would just add to that, convicted civility seasoned with compassion for the people who are navigating these questions around gender and sexuality. If you don’t have a heart for people, it’s going to be very hard for you, I think, to really be part of their journey.”
“The average Christian in the pew may tell you what they believe, but they don’t know why they believe what they believe. So you obviously want pastors who have done that homework…but I don’t know that a single pastor should think of themselves as a Long Ranger who has to rethink the whole thing over again.”
“There’s a global Christian witness in this area, there’s a historical Christian witness in these areas.”
“How are you conversant with the broader culture, which is very diverse?…How do you engage with others who disagree with you in a winsome manner, with that convicted civility, seasoned with compassion? I think that’s often the thing that’s missing.”
CONCLUSION
CONFUSED YET? Just stick with the Biblical standard of sexuality and gender and you will in fact be fine no matter where you may be coming from in your past. Jesus has nailed or sins to His cross by taking them upon Himself and offers HIS salvation on the same “uttermost” and comprehensive level to everyone. Sinners welcome. No need for APA revisionist who manipulate and harm people and accuse those holding to the hope and power of the Gospel of being the ones doing the harm.
The choice for the Saints- especially those who have experienced true conversion but have lingering sexual temptations of any sort, (which is 100% of the population of Christian pilgrims in this world.) is do we accept the sad assertions of reality put forth by Yarhouse and others that we cannot escape our sexual temptations , especially those with SSA, but must be defined by them and labeled as “such and such” kind of Christian? Or can we embrace the powerful work of redemption that changes not only the eternal destiny but also the very nature of the true believer?
Do we cling to the fleshly desires we know are offensive to a Holy God while being comforted by the sirens song of modern prophets for hire who mingle faith with reason to the point of false doctrine ? Or can we dare to “look unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of out FAITH? (Hebrew 12:2 )
Are these verses true?
16 Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.”
Facebook has made itself the unofficial censor of free speech and reasonable concerns over the Pandemic , the 2020 Election and pretty much any subject they now please .So why is the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty (ERLC) WILLING to receive grant funding from Facebook to develop “tech ethics” applications for the future? Given that ERLC and its former head of the ERLC worked directly with Soro’s and Pierre Omidyar funded National Immigration Forum and with Obama Foundations Michael Wear in the Paul Singer backed & Campaign -the Facebook funding should not shock informed Baptist. Besides – it is not the first time Russell Moore /ERLC have partnered with Facebook. This time the end goal is to set yet another bar for how Christians engage the issues of our time in the technical (including social media) realm. So why is the Baptist ERLC working for a primary collaborator in controlling information and even discussion? Just read on and see.
“NASHVILLE (BP) – The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission plans cutting-edge work the next 18 months on technology and pro-life issues, trustees of the Southern Baptist entity were told at their annual meeting.”
“Thacker unveiled to the trustees a new research project he is leading – the Digital Public Square. Launched after the trustees’ vote of affirmation, the project is designed to produce resources to assist churches and leaders to “navigate this digital age with wisdom and to think through some of the most complex and crucial ethics challenges to our faith with wisdom and insight,” he said in his report.”
“The project, Thacker said, will help answer such questions as:
What is the proper role of government in digital governance?
How do I disciple other people if they’re primarily being shaped by technology in their use and habits?
How do we champion free speech and religious freedom in an increasingly polarized society?
“The resources to be provided during the next 18 months consist of four major elements, he said: (1) A “state of digital governance report” that will present a portrait of current and future technological issues; (2) an evangelical Christian statement of principles on “content moderation and digital governance;” (3) a church resource kit scheduled to be released in the summer of 2022; and (4) two books to be published next year – “Following Jesus in the Digital Age” and “The Digital Public Square: Ethics and Religion in a Technological Society.” Thacker is writing the former for Broadman & Holman Publishing and editing the latter for B&H Academic.”
“Given the current state of debate over the proper role of free expression and religious freedom and digital governance,” the ERLC believes this is an important area in which to invest, Thacker told the trustees. It will produce “substantive resources” and “seek to equip the church in the digital age and allow us to advocate for these principles in this important arena,” he said.”
SO WHO IS FUNDING THIS “IMPORTANT “WORK? FACEBOOK WHO HAS MADE ITSELF PUBLIC ENEMY NUMBER ONE TO FREE SPEECH AND RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
According to the Baptist Press article a Grant from Facebook ,along with Cooperative Programming funds are helping fund ERLC in this unethical project. Unethical because the average Baptist would never imagine it’s own Ethics and Religious Liberty entity would be involved in such projects after watching their voices arbitrarily censored and silenced on their own social media pages through out 2020/2021 global events.
ERLC /BAPTIST PRESS SEEM BOTH CLUELESS AND SHAMELESS.
“The project is funded by the Cooperative Program, the SBC’s unified giving plan, but Facebook Technologies LLC also provided a research grant after the effort was under way. Thacker provided assurances to the trustees and on the project’s website – www.erlc.com/digital – regarding the ERLC’s independence in accepting the grant.”
“This research grant was provided on an unrestricted basis, meaning the grant monies will be used at [the] sole discretion of the ERLC leadership team and board of trustees without any direct or indirect oversight by Facebook in research efforts nor any influence on project outcomes or resources produced,” according to the answer to one of the Frequently Asked Questions on the website. “All materials produced in this research project will be copyrighted to the ERLC and/or the individuals contributing.”
“Facebook and other technology companies have approached the ERLC for resources because “there is a dearth of literature in this area,” Thacker said to the trustees. “There’s been very little if any research done into the nature of religious freedom and religious expression in the digital age.”
THE FOX RUSSELL MOORE’S PUPS ARE STILL RUNNING ERLC
Most of the ERLC staff are still the hires of now disgraced former head of the ERLC Russell Moore . Many are his former interns at SBTS. Jason Thacker joined ERLC under Moore and is leading out in the Facebook funded tech ethics work. What more insult can Baptist leaders add to their base after Thousands complained about Moore for 8 years before he was finally terminated? Now his ideological offspring and siblings continue to misrepresent regular Baptist people.
WHO IS BRENT LEATHERWOOD?
“Brent Leatherwood, named acting president at the board meeting, told trustees Thacker “is quickly cementing his reputation as one of the leading voices, if not the leading voice, in evangelicalism as it relates to technology ethics, and we believe this project is a natural place to house all of this research, to produce resources that will equip the church and to again just allow him to have a platform to speak into these issues.”
Besides being the “Acting President ” Brent Leatherwood was hired by Russell Moore when he and subversive pals at the Tennessee GOP had been “run off” for subverting conservative candidates in TN political battles.
In short -Moore is gone – but his brood are still running the ERLC.
MOORE /ERLC WORKED IN RECENT MONTHS WITH FACEBOOK TO PUSH VAX AND COMMUNITY BUILDING
Evangelical leaders explain why skeptical evangelicals should get vaccinated
“Evangelical Christians can overcome their suspicion of COVID-19 vaccines through a renewed focus on missions and a form of patriotism that engenders unity instead of division, Russell Moore said during a recent webinar hosted by the Facebook for Faith learning group.”
“I spend a lot of time telling Christians, don’t make your country your idol. Put the kingdom of God first. (Being vaccinated) is an opportunity for good, genuine, God-approved patriotism,” said Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission.”
“He and fellow panelists Emily Smith, a Baylor University epidemiologist, and Walter Kim, president of the National Association of Evangelicals, sought to address the vaccine skepticism of white evangelicals.”
MOORE WAS HAPPY TRIANGULATE WITH NAE ADN FACEBOOK TO PUSH GLOBALIST NARRATIVE ON THE CHURCH.
“A March 2021 poll by the Associated Press and NORC Center for Public Affairs Research reported that 40% of white evangelicals said they refuse to be vaccinated, compared to 25% of the overall population who hold the same view. A survey conducted by the Pew Research Center that month found the trend to be higher, with 45% of white evangelicals declaring they will not get a vaccine.”
“Distrust predates the vaccine“
“Among white evangelicals, the aversion to vaccination is more about deeper cultural and political fissures than it is about the vaccines themselves, Moore said when asked what fuels conservative Christian suspicion about COVID-19 vaccination.”
Russell Moore
“Arguments and disagreements about the vaccines aren’t fueling the conflict. Pre-existing conflict is often fueling the arguments over vaccines and vaccination,” he said. “And in many religious contexts, previously open wounds and points of difference are exacerbated by all the stress that the entire world has been through over the last year.”
CONCLUSION
The SBC Executive Committee canned Russell Moore in May 2021 and sent him packing with no fanfare just BEFORE its annual meeting in June 2021. Sadly the SBC is still allowing his former interns and staff hires to run things and run ERLC into the rocky shores of globalist partnerships while it “runs off” the rest of the SBC base. The end game of this “inside baseball on ethics of technology” is not MORE freedom of religion or freedom of speech for Christians. It is more control and censorship powers with the future narrative to be written by one of Christians own ethics organizations and applied by social media /tech giants.
Unless Baptist leadership and ERLC Trustees can wake up and smell the coffee ,or in this case the stench, then little change in the trajectory of the Ethics arm of the nations largest protestant denomination can be expected. Already the SBC status is quickly fading based on the continued slide into compromised funding and the ever rising number of SBC refugees.
2nd CHRONICLES 20
“The End of Jehoshaphat’s Reign”
35 After this Jehoshaphat king of Judah allied himself with Ahaziah king of Israel, who acted very wickedly. 36 And he allied himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish, and they made the ships in Ezion Geber. 37 But Eliezer the son of Dodavah of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, “Because you have allied yourself with Ahaziah, the Lord has destroyed your works.” Then the ships were wrecked, so that they were not able to go to Tarshish.
ED STETZER IS NO STRANGER TO WORKING WITH GLOBALIST. IN MAY 2021 HE JOINED THE COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS TO DEAL WITH CONSPIRACY THEORIES IN THE CHURCH OVER THE 2020 ELECTION, IMMIGRATION, COVID 19, CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM /TRUMPISM, MIKE LINDELL AND MORE.
Rev Thomas Littleton
August 30 2021
Ed Stetzer is everywhere a Christian should not be and working with organizations who have nothing to do with Christian mission. In fact many organizations such as the Council on Foreign Relations with whom Ed joined to discuss “Faith Communities and Disinformation” in May 2021 are decidedly globalist and anti Christian. So why does Ed Stetzer use his influence to aid such organizations and accuse Christians of “Conspiracy Theories and Disinformation” ? What topics of conversations do the accusations cover? And who is pays Ed to continue to represent us in Christian media while misrepresenting us as conspiracy nuts to the enemies of the cross?
According to 2020 financial reports CFR has a budget of over $82 million annually and assets of over $624 million. Evangelicals like Ed Stetzer are living on the extreme fringe of irony to attempt to merge the goals of Christian Gospel mission with one of the oldest and most powerful global think tanks in existence. To mention this reality and the extreme irony of Stetzer conspiring with CFR to deal with “Conspiracy Theories ” and disinformation among faith communities and (mainly) American Evangelicals is no doubt in itself proof that conspiracy to coordinate messaging by those seeking to label Christians as the problem to globalist goals,
“The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), founded in 1921, is a United Statess non profit think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs . It is headquartered in New York City , with an additional office in Washington DC. Its membership, which numbers 5,103, has included senior politicians, more than a dozen secretaries of state , CIA directors, bankers, lawyers, professors, and senior media figures.”
“CFR meetings convene government officials, global business leaders and prominent members of the intelligence and foreign-policy community to discuss international issues. CFR has published the bi-monthly journal Foreign Affairs since 1922, and runs the David Rockefeller Studies Program, which influences foreign policy by making recommendations to the presidential administration and diplomatic community, testifying before Congress , interacting with the media, and publishing on foreign policy issues.”
SO ASK YOURSELF WHY IS STETZER’S WORK WITH EVANGELICAL LEADERS OF INTEREST TO CFR?
Stetzer is not the first evangelical to work with CFR .Richard Land and Rick Warren have both done the same. It is helpful to point out that all three of these leader claim Southern Baptist Convention membership and hold various positions in the SBC which is the largest protestant denomination in the US.
“Joan Donovan, research director of Harvard University’s Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Public Policy, and Ed Stetzer, executive director of Wheaton College’s Billy Graham Center, discuss the spread of disinformation in faith communities.”
“So we are delighted to have with us today Joan Donovan and Ed Stetzer, to talk about disinformation and faith communities. I’ll just give a few highlights of their distinguished backgrounds.”
“Joan Donovan is a research director of the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Public Policy, where she leads the field in examining internet and technology studies, online extremism, media manipulation, and disinformation campaigns. Her research and teaching interests are focused on media manipulation, and she has been showcased in a wide array of media outlets, including NPR, The Washington Post, New York Times, among others. Prior to joining the Harvard Kennedy School, she was a research lead for Data and Society’s media manipulation initiative, where she led a large team of researchers studying efforts to manipulate sociotechnical systems for political gain. “
(NOTE :This center at Harvard Kennedy School is named for the former producer of Dan Rather/CBS News . According to it’s history “Since its founding in 1986, the center has also emerged as a source for research on US campaigns, elections, and journalism.” The center also focuses on-“Combating fake news & Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review“. “
“In September 2017, First Draft News, a non-profit that works on solutions to challenges with trust & truth in news, set up a home base at the Shorenstein Center. The network includes more than 100 organizations that help newsrooms & tech companies verify news. This announcement is part of the Shorenstein Center’s broader work and research in the area of combatting fake news.”
“In February 2017, the Shorenstein Center hosted a conference on fake news, bringing together academics and practitioners to discuss solutions to the problem. The conference was co-sponsored by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, as well as Northeastern University”)
EVANGELICAL LEADER IN THE CFR EVENT ON SQUASHING CONSPIRACY THEORIES IN THE CHURCH IS HEAD OF THE “BILLY GRAHAM CENTER “.
“Ed Stetzer is the dean [of the School of Mission, Ministry, and Leadership] at Wheaton College, and he also serves as executive director of the Wheaton College Billy Graham Center. He’s a teaching pastor at High Point Church in Chicago, and has been the interim teaching pastor of Moody Church in downtown Chicago. He’s written many books, hundreds of articles, planted, revitalized, and pastored churches, and trained pastors, contributing editor for Christianity Today. He is the founding editor of The Gospel Project, a curriculum used by more than 1.7 million individuals each week for bible study. And he has a national radio show “Ed Stetzer Live” that airs Saturdays across the country. So welcome, both.”
STETZER IS “HELPING CHRISTIAN LEADERS AND PASTORS DEAL WITH CONSPIRACY THEORIST IN THE CHURCH”
Stetzer is actually at a conference informing and instructing Christian Leaders on dealing with Conspiracy Theories and uses his slide power points for the CfR interview.
STETZERS PASTORAL CONSPIRACY EVENT IS :
“Confronting Conspiracy Conspiracy Theories, Media Habits, and The Challenge of Digital Discipleship”.
DALLAS MORNING NEWS Covered Stetzers work informing pastors against Christian conspiracy theories
You can watch the video to see Stetzer’s slide show from the conference as it used in the Council on Foreign Relations webnar.
ED IN HIS OWN WORDS ON TOPICS LIKE…..
“QANONERS IN OUR MIDST”
“TRUMP”
“MIKE LINDELL “THE MY PILLOW GUY” IS NAMED AS A PROBLEM
“MUSLIMS HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM “
“EVANGELICAL ARE SUSPICIOUS OF THE MEDIA “
‘EVANGELICALS BUYING IN TO QANON’S GREAT AWAKENING”
STETZER WALKS THE CFR AUDIENCE THROUGH HIS SLIDE SHOW FOR EVANGELICAL LEADERS.
“STETZER: Happy to do so. And I guess I, by the bio, you can obviously tell I’m not just an observer, but I’m a participant in my religious tradition, Evangelicalism in particular, and the reality is Evangelicals have a problem. Now, it’s not just an Evangelical religious tradition, but that they have been disproportionately impacted in and around issues of conspiracy theories. So I actually, I’ll be talking about this today, I’m at a gathering of religious leaders here right now who asked me to address this issue. So I actually now do conferences and webinars, helping denominations and religious leaders walk through and help their communities engage some of these conspiracies and conspiracy issues. This is actually the title slide from that presentation. And you’ll notice I use some a bit of insider language, but I want to let you know my own context here.”
“So conspiracy theories, media habits, and the challenge of digital discipleship, that last few words insider language, so things that Evangelicals, and people of faith, of other Christian traditions use to describe some intentional change that’s needed. Let me tell you where I began to weigh into some of this conversation. It was actually in an article in USA Today. And Evangelicals need to address the QAnoners in our midst. And I wrote in there QAnon has been making headlines, but Evangelical Christians should not be swept up into the bizarre movement. Now, if you’ll notice the date is actually September 2020. And the first headline, the first line of the of the story, QAnon, in my editorial, QAnon has been making headlines in recent weeks, it’s going to make more, I received substantive pushback from this article. And people say no, this is not an issue. Of course, on January 6, the world saw there was an issue. And when the rioters prayed on the floor of both the House and the Senate, in Jesus name, with Evangelical language and with Evangelical feel, I think people began to realize indeed, just how big of an issue this actually was. So what I want to walk through with you is a bit of some research we’ve done, and a little bit of background, not too much, but a little bit of background, particularly focusing on “Q” and QAnon, and hopefully this will find helpful, you’ll find this helpful as well.”
“So in fall 2017, we begin, conspiracy theories have been around a long time. Chain letters go back a very long time. But technology has accelerated, and brought people together, and found more engagement in and around this issue. So if you’ll notice, here at fall 2017, let’s make sure I’m sharing the correct screen. I’m not sure I was there. Let me just make sure I am now, now I am. So in fall 2017 Q emerges, begins, I won’t go into too much details what’s called a Q drop. October 28, 2017, very much connected to the Trump administration. And I would also say that the Trump administration’s particularly high connection to white Evangelicalism actually is evident in some of this data as well. But Q claimed an impending storm was going to come. And what happened very soon is, is that events were interpreted in light of this coming storm, there’s a deep state conspiracy. Most of us are aware of these things, such as sex trafficking, global election fraud, and more. Every event, though, was soon interpreted through this lens, this two part lens of evil, global conspiracy, and an impending, impending but unexpected victory that’s often called the “Great Awakening.” So QAnon beliefs and commitments include, and again, this is a bit theological and historical, but a gnostic framework of knowledge, authority, and power, with some special knowledge that people have and share, and they share in their communities and their chat rooms, but also a cosmic binary of good versus evil. The populist suspicion of traditional government institutions, media, and corporations, and a nationalistic lens of history, political authority, and cultural power. Well, if you look at those two middle points in particular, those are already existing in Evangelicalism. And they’re existing in many religious traditions. And what I want you to hear is that QAnon, and some conspiracies, travel well on the tracks that religion has already laid. Now, again, you heard from the very beginning, I am a coreligionist, I am an Evangelical, I really do believe that there is indeed a behind-the-scenes spiritual battle between good and evil. I really do believe indeed, that there will come a time when there will be a great revealing of all things. So the language is actually so similar to Evangelical and religious language, who may be already suspicious of media and more, I’ll show you some data that points to that in a minute.”
“So Q encourages followers to look for clues, to kind of see. There was, it actually blew up on Wayfair was a perfect example of people begin to look for clues and find the clues, which I will tell you, religious people like me, actually will sometimes think and act that way in general to see, well, how is God at work here? We’ve seen God work in our lives. And so this is kind of laid on some of the tracks that are there. So the question is, how prevalent are they in the church? Now remind, I want to remind you that my audience is not normally the Council on Foreign Relations. My audience is my coreligionists. So when I wrote that article in September, trying to sound the alarm, I think people may be were as engaged or as aware had how significant the prevalence was. But we actually did a survey, that I’m going to share with you, that kind of unpacks some of these things. But I know that sometimes these memes probably seem silly to you. The meme here on the left, and I will tell you, it seems silly to me. But there’s a subtle way to capitalize on Christian language to attract Christians or people of other faiths, right. I’ve talked to Muslim imams who have similar experiences as well. There are scripture verses talking about war, and the challenge of the Christian life, and then they get reoriented. And it’s easy to take certain passages, which I won’t for the sake of time go to. So a couple things that are key: the spiritual terms, so QAnon and similar conspiracy theories, have actually demonstrated ability to subvert classical Evangelical language.”
“Now, I want to say to you, this is really important, that QAnon is a substantial influence in France that is not tied to religion, in the same way that it’s tied here in the U.S., which has a disproportionate Evangelical population, depending on how you count a third of Americans. And so there is more to it than religion. But that’s our topic today. And certainly, as to my coreligionists, I share that concern as well. Even language like the “Great Awakening” is actually language that’s very much taken from Christian religious history. And more. So many Evangelicals recognize this language, I actually take people through a museum at the Wheaton College Billy Graham Center, and I show them the First Great Awakening, and the Second Great Awakening. So many of this says, trust the plan, there’s a Great Awakening coming, and more. So this can lower the fence of many Christians who also are already suspicious of mainstream media, as they might call it, and more.”
“Let me, so you might see some memes like this, “where we go one, where we go all,” that’s language that actually when I wrote the article in USA Today on conspiracy theories, I used the hashtag “where we go one, where we go all,” which I can assure you certainly alerted people to the article and led to much enthusiastic response but this idea of, “don’t tread on me, don’t mess with us.” So real quickly, and then I’ll close, half of U.S. Protestant pastors, in a survey that we did, hear conspiracy theories in their churches. Around one in eight strongly agree their congregations, or congregants are sharing conspiracy theories. We’ve defined it using Merriam-Webster here. So this is a widespread issue among congregations as well. They hear these things on a consistent basis. More larger churches are more likely to hear, older churches are more likely to hear as well. And I think one of the things we’ve got to remember is that people who are Evangelical, already have a suspicion, that the Trump administration tapped into and QAnon tapped into, and others, they already have a substantive suspicion, you’ll see non-Evangelical in yellow, Evangelical by belief, I won’t explain all that, but it’s a series of four things called the Bebbington Quadrilateral. They have a higher belief that the mainstream media puts out a lot of fake news. So we step into a situation where QAnon uses religious language, has engaged different people. When I explain to Christian pastors and leaders, I talk about different kinds of them. Some are attracted, some are advocates, some are apostles of these conspiracy theories, I won’t unpack that with you, because my time is up. But what I want you to hear is that conspiracy theories run on the tracks that religion has already laid. Furthermore, there’s already a suspicion of mainstream media, and some of these people have now found one another in echo chambers, we might say, dark corners of the internet, they’re not that dark. The most likely place somebody planned to participate in the January 6 riots was on Facebook. And it was part of what got banned, but it was Facebook, where these things were planned on private Facebook groups, where people get in echo chambers and get even self-radicalized. For me, I’m trying to teach pastors and Christian leaders how to address and how to engage this. I know many of you come from different traditions, some of you are religious scholars, I want you to hear, I think this is a big, substantial issue that still remains for us to address thanks for the opportunity to share with you.”
STETZER CONTINUES TO BROADEN THE TOPICS TO INCLUDE:
STETZERS WORK WITH THE NAE
SOCIAL MEDIA
ALOGORITHIMS TO SUPRESS CONSPIRACIES
CHANGING MEDIA HABITS AMONG CHRISTIANS
CHRISTIANS WHO WENT TO TRUMPS RALLY ON JANUARY 6TH
FREE SPEECH VS CONSPIRACY THEORIES
LEGISLATIVE ANSWERS
More of the interview
“ADDRESSING THE REAL THREATES CAUSED BY CONSPIRACY THEORIES”
“FASKIANOS: We’ll go, we already have three written questions in the queue. So let’s just start right there, and you can add any additional points you want to make. So the first written question comes from Galen Carey, who is of the National Association of Evangelicals. “How should legislators and regulators address real threats caused by conspiracy theories without harming the free speech which ordinary citizens and companies depend on as a cherished freedom?” So I don’t know who wants to take that one?”
“STETZER:Do we, is it one of us? Because I’d be happy to defer.”
FASKIANOS:Yeah, yes, you should go.
STETZER: Okay. All right. So good. Galen and I, just full disclosure, I’m on the executive committee of the National Association of Evangelicals, and Galen and I did not text one another about this question. And Galen, who works in public policy for us at the NAE, let’s say I mean, it’s a tricky question. For me, the immediate answer is, that may not be the place where we go first. I think, ultimately, two thousand years ago, Rome had hot and cold running water. And I know this sounds strange, but stay with me, they had hot and cold running water. And it had hot and cold running water, because people discovered a remarkably malleable metal, called lead. And so the lead pipes would take the hot and cold running water into the affluent of Rome. And historians would later, this is not the case. But soon there were books written that the fall of Rome was the madness created by lead poisoning and more. But what a technological revolution it brought.”
“Here’s what I would say, I think one hundred years from now, we’re going to look back at social media, and see it much like the lead pipes, it brought to us amazing things, and it weaponized so many things, and caused so much difficulty and destruction. So I think first place I would look to is how we might see those media habits changed. As Dr. Donovan mentioned, there are algorithms and algorithms, not just point to things that you like, I recently bought a backpack and I can’t stop getting backpack ads. But also what they do, is people respond more to things that they’re upset about, than the things that they’re interested in or want to dialogue about. So it creates an echo chamber where the volume goes up, up, up, up, and how could we get to a place where, I mean, there were a lot of normal people who went to Washington, DC to protest, what they thought the election that was stolen, though they were obviously misled on that. But then a subset of them, actually, many of them came home and said I can’t believe I did this. How did they get there? Well, they got there because things got normalized over time, as the anger and the fear and the echo chambers continued.”
“So I don’t know Galen, legally, what, or legislatively, what should be addressed, but I do know that social media is a huge part of this problem. Now, there have always been conspiracy theories. But boy, they have been accelerated exponentially, and weaponized in ways we haven’t seen before. Could it be that part of that is legislation related to how information gets passed and how algorithm? I don’t know. I’m very much a free speacher, and I’m very concerned about limitations to free speech. But I bet Dr. Donovan has more wisdom, she has testified to the Senate and I have not.”
“DONOVANS WISDOM “ SUGGESTIONS
TARGET MEDIA LIKE “THE MY PILLOW GUY”
“DONOVAN. ….Certain people within these networks are making money, like actual cash. And the second thing that they’re doing, is they’re building network power, they’re building amplification power, that is they’re growing their audiences, they’re gaining clout, and then they monetize it again later. So that incentive structure is something that we also need to pay quite a bit of attention to. Because if you can make money off of convincing people that their rights are being taken away from them, and that that the voting machines are flipping ballots in favor of the other party, in and you’re in that case, committing some kind of defamation or disingenuousness towards another company like Dominion Voting Systems.”
“Then we actually have to start discussing where liability falls, and for right now with the internet, liability falls on the individual poster, which is why you see Giuliani and My Pillow guy, and everybody getting sued, Fox News getting sued by this company, rather than having some kind of regulation. But we don’t actually want to normalize litigiousness around this either. “
THE MODERATOR GOES TO Q&A
QUESTIONS COME IN ABOUT
REFUGEES AND IMMIGRATION POLICY AND CONSPIRACY THEORIES HINDERING HUMANITARIAN WORK
STETZER’S RESPONSE
“STETZER: Yeah, happy to. And thank you for your work among immigrants and refugees, so essential right now. And there is a correlation, but not a complete correlation between nationalistic, anti-immigrant, anti-refugee mentality. And I don’t know the full answer to your question in the sense that, for me, on the morning of the 2018 midterms, this is the article that I ran in Vox magazine, “Fellow Evangelicals Stop Falling for Trump’s Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric.” And I started the first sentence, “President Trump is trying to fool Evangelicals like me,” this time, it’s using the false that an evasion of a caravan of poor people marching through Mexico. So I don’t know, I share your concern. And I’ve tried to be a vocal advocate.”…. “we do need Christian leaders and pastors to speak up and out on immigrants and refugees. But I would tell you, that the National Association of Evangelicals has been consistently speaking in that space, and has not been listened to by many of the rank and file Evangelicals, who are being discipled thirty hours a week by their cable news choices, not by their pastors on Sunday morning. So I don’t know. I don’t know the answer. But I bemoan with you the situation.”
NEXT QUESTION DEALS WITH CHRISTIANS DISTRUST FOR “MAINSTREAM MEDIA”
“FASKIANOS:Thank you. So the next written question comes from Jay Michaelson, who works at the intersection of politics and spirituality. He’s columnist for The Daily Beast. And this is mostly for you, Mr. Stezter. “Given the suspicion that many, I think this is in your slide, 50 percent believe the mainstream media, have suspicion of mainstream media, or think it’s misinformation? Is there anything we in those institutions can do to help combat the spread of conspiracy theories? Or does this have to be entirely an inside job?”
ALSO ADDED TO THE QUESTION BY THE MODERATOR FOR CFR-PASTORS NEED TO FIX IT -WHAT CAN THEY DO?
How can pastors combat the problem ?
“And I’m just going to add on to that, what would you say to the Evangelical or Protestant pastors and what they should be doing and how they should be combating this in their congregations without turning off those who are believing it?”
STETZER’S RESPONSE
( The response of a real thinking Christians would be to ask “why Christians should trust the liberal /far left / anti Christian mainstream media.)
“STETZER: So, first question was, what can we do? And I’m not sure particularly if he was speaking in terms of the media context, but let me just answer it in that context. Do better covering religion. You know, we have things like RNA, Religious News Association, others, because when religion is covered, it’s often covered poorly. And so what happens is, people read the coverage of their religious tradition and say, that’s nothing like what I know or I’ve experienced. And so they feel you know, Rachel Zoll, actually, who we recently, we lost her battle the cancer was the AP’s religion reporter. And when this article came out, this was actually before the 2016 election, “Evangelicals feel alienated and anxious.” It was actually a fair article, it described well the idea that some evangelicals feel, this is a pastor quoted, I happen to know the pastor quoted in the article, but this pastor says, “you’ll be hated by all nations for my namesake, let me tell you that time is here.” So when you believe already that there is, that the kind of the systems of the world are stacked against you, that need leads you to places to find other information, and ultimately, I would say that, there’s a blog called “Get Religion Done” by Terry Mattingly, and quoting the famous line to press just doesn’t get religion.”
“So get religion better, and follow just basically the AP style guide. Not everyone is a fundamentalist because they believe these things, AP style guide has a certain description of how to do that. So from a media perspective, I think the media could do better and there are good religion reporters, I mentioned RNA, there’s good religious reporters doing good work and if mentioned some, I would fail to mention enough and I’d feel bad. Second, I think, reference to what pastors and church leaders can do. We surveyed Protestant pastors, I work with a lot with Protestant pastors, mainly Evangelicals. And what I would say, I did a webinar on some of these issues with the Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins. And one of the conversations we had that I thought was so helpful, was that people are persuaded by people who they see as near them or like them, not by people who they see as drastically different and far away from them. So it’s unlikely that most of Evangelicals are going to be persuaded by blank or so and so.”
STETZER DISCUSSES WHAT HE AND THE WHEATON BILLY GRAHAM CENTER ARE DOING
ON COVID -Stetzer and BGC at Wheaton collaborate with CDC/ HHS/ and Francis Collins for message coordination to Christians . – (NO CONSPIRING HERE RIGHT?)
“So for example, what we’ve done at the Wheaton College Billy Graham Center, is I reached out to the CDC, we work with the HHS, and I said, help me find Evangelical Christians. And again, I think science can be brought from all different contexts. But when Francis Collins, and I had Francis Collins on, I talked about it, and he shared his faith, he’s been very open about sharing his faith. He’s the head of the National Institutes of Health. Or Jay Butler, who works at CDC Infectious Diseases, or the head of or the editor of Vaccines Magazine, or Vaccines Journal, who’s actually attended the church you mentioned earlier, Moody Church and is now the head of vaccine at Mayo, I had each of them on. And pastors and church leaders told me they played that in churches around the world because, and each time I said, “tell us about your faith, tell us about your journey.” People say, okay, this person, and again, please forgive me, but we’re trying to persuade people here. These people are in us and among us, therefore, we can trust them more readily. And what I would say is pastors and church leaders can help people hear from Evangelical scientists and leaders, I have on my radio show this weekend, Dr. Emily Smith from Baylor University, and I think she tagged herself, “your friendly neighborhood epidemiologist.” Great. So, and a professor at Baylor University in this field, so each of those. Oh, and I will tell you, I expect the radio show to be filled with people calling who are upset that I’m talking positively about vaccines on a Christian radio program.”
“So, but I think that’s the key. So what I tell most pastors, just tell them to ask their doctor, because they know and trust their family doctor, but then bring in some trusted voices who they’ll, they won’t discount immediately. And they’ll listen to but who also know what they’re talking about, as like Francis Collins, I know. I know, a local church can’t call in Francis Collins, but they can just Google. He was on The Daily Show yesterday, talking to Evangelicals about vaccines and encouraging them away from conspiracy theories.”
NEXT QUESTION ON “CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM ” BLAMES TRUMP AND RACISM
“Next question -, “the scholarly discussion has shifted over the last years from talking about American Evangelical fundamentalism to Christian nationalism, the latter intersecting with a particular view of what America should be, a Christian nation, and also conspiracy theories like QAnon. What’s your take on the shift of discourse? And how does racism intersect with those issues?”
“STETZER: Dr. Donovan, I answered the last one once you jump in on that.”
“DONOVAN. America is a place in which people are proud patriots. They believe in a country. But depending upon what kind of nationalism you favor, we see white nationalist, or white supremacist elements creep into the discussion, as well as different kinds of envisioning of a nation that if there are too many religions, or too much religious diversity, then solidarity falls apart, right?”… “And Trump was really one of the only candidates in 2016 that was going to come out and say, “Make America Great Again.” And in that return, that “again,” is really important. I know there’s been a lot of debate about, it actually being code for saying, “make America white again.” But think about this, what does it mean to say “again,” right, especially in the context of people who were nostalgic for an America they may have never experienced, right, an America where they are told that there was less racial animus, and less racial strife, because there were clear racial hierarchies, and gender divides during the Jim Crow era, for instance. “
ON CHRISTIAN NAITONALISM
FASKIANOS: “Yes. Great with United Religions Initiative.”
“FREW: Right. Ed talked specifically about how QAnon uses Evangelical language and builds on pre-existing Evangelical ideas. But to what extent does QAnon spread in other religious communities, especially those of non-Abrahamic religions?”
“STETZER: Yeah, so we know QAnon has engaged in places with no religion, or with other religions, and variants of it. I would say that we shouldn’t be surprised that considering Evangelicals are the largest singular religious group, I guess other than the “nones,” or the non-practicing, but the largest singular religious group. So we shouldn’t be surprised that it’s going to be particularly prevalent in our conversation, though I do mention in my concern, that it might be disproportionately influential in an Evangelical context. I’m not an expert, for example, on QAnon’s engagement in Hindu communities or things of that sort. I’ve had several conversations with imams, who tell me that it’s not QAnon per se, but conspiracy theories take root in other religious traditions, but they often emerge from other historical factors. The other religious traditions may feel marginalized or isolated for different reasons. They may feel isolated or marginalized by other groups, that then they perceive to be this way. It’s much like the earlier question, where we talked a lot about Christian nationalism.”
NEXT QUESTION ON EDS WORK WITH EVANGLEICAL PASTORS
“FASKIANOS: Okay. I’m going to take the next question from Palwasha Kakar, who is at the United States Institute of Peace. “I’m interested in hearing more about Pastor Ed’s work with Evangelical pastors, how do you help them identify and work on deradicalization? Do you build on the international CVE, countering violent extremism, work in this area? Or how does it differ in your understanding?”
(HERE ED STETZER ADMITS HIS USE OF LANGUAGE TO ATTEMPT TO PRESEUDE EVANGELICALS )
ACCORDING TO STETZER ” PASTORS AND DISCIPLESHIP ARE THE ANSWER
“STETZER: First, we don’t call it deradicalization. First thing, but because nobody sees themselves as that. But I get exactly what you’re saying and appreciate the work of deradicalization. The language I used at the beginning, and the way, because I’ve written a lot to try to persuade Evangelicals on some of these issues. And I actually have, and I know it’s very easy for us to sit back and say, “oh, those QAnoners,” well, I actually have friends in the, who are self-identified QAnoners, in the Evangelical community, who actually text me when I’m being discussed on QAnon message boards. And they say they defend me on those message boards. But that’s another story for another day.”
“So for me, I try to frame in such a way that people can receive the message. And again, for us that often comes around in terms of discipleship. I talked about this on NPR’s Morning Edition. And the host asked me, and I kind of struggled because it’s like, it’s insider baseball language. I said, so there are things, I explained, that as Christians we want to disciple in, and things that as Christians, we want to disciple out. So what needs to be discipled in, in 2021? Well, it might be seeing yourself as a “world Christian,” seeing that men and women from every tongue, tribe, and nation are, that’s frequent language in the pages of the Scriptures. It might be helping people to see that, and language I often use is that we should not be among the gullible.”
“And I actually would point out, I mean, I do just so we’re clear, I do believe, I bet my whole life on the fact that there was a person who was dead on Friday, and on Sunday was back from the dead, and everything I believe, is framed and shaped around that reality. But I do point out how, as our Christian witnesses impacted the last slide that I didn’t get to, because I went too long in the first session, actually talks about the danger to our Christian witness. I lead the Wheaton College Billy Graham Center. So I care deeply about our Christian witness. And I pointed out somebody who kept posting about this QAnon conspiracy, and this QAnon conspiracy, and this one, and then it came to Easter, and they said, “oh, and Jesus rose from the dead.” And I would just say it’s really hard to persuade a world about a supernatural event called the resurrection, when you’ve posted six other things about bizarre conspiracy theories from pizza, Comet Ping Pong, to Seth Rich, and some of you know these different references, to Wayfair, to whatever else it may be. So I do try to frame it around, I will say that Jesus literally himself says he’s the truth. And I try to remind people that the last conspiracy, so many people jumped in the Wayfair conspiracies, some of you missed that, but it became a thing for a few days. And I encourage people, go back lovingly to those people and say, listen, that obviously wasn’t the case. Or somebody showed up at the Comet Ping Pong with a gun to find a basement. And there was no basement. And so at which point, do you say I’ve been fooled four times. But yeah, here’s the thing. Me, you, that’s not going to happen, when their pastor pulls them aside, when they’re friends.”
“And so what we’ve actually done, even in my own church, had someone upset and leave, because I have been advocating for vaccines. And they said, I’ve been fooled and tricked. And I have noticed that since I took the vaccine, my 5G cell phone reception is just way better. But that’s another story for another day. Sorry. I appreciate you getting the joke there, Irina. But what I would say is, is that what we did is when that person posted,” I’m leaving the church because our teaching pastor is for vaccines.” We just had somebody go and say, and talk to them, and I think they still left mad. But they also now engage a different congregation and seem to have moderated their views. So remember that people are best persuaded by people they already trust. And I think that’s going to be a key thing for co-religionists, not just in Evangelicalism like I am, but for other religions as well.”
LAST QUESTION
(CALLER COULD NOT BE HEARD SO REPEATED BY FASKIANOS “That is just too bad. Let’s see. I’m just looking. I guess we could just look into the final questions to see, if we could maybe just end with this one. According to recent poll, over half of Republicans believe the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump.
“DONOVAN……Exactly what we discussed here today, that it’s really about the route the information takes to get to people, the sort of ambiguities that the conspiracy theory is supposed to be answering for them. Conspiracy theories really are about synthesizing information and making a simple scapegoat, so that you can kind of either make your determinations and then deal with it.”
NOTE- BY THIS DEFINITION ALONE THESE CRT SPEAKERS ARE ADMITING THEIR EFFORTS TO SYNTHESIZE INFORMAITON ABOUT EVANGELICALS .MEANWHILE THEY ARE ADMITTING TO MAKING THEMSELVES “CONSPIRACY THEORY” CONTROLLERS CONSPIRING TO PROMOTE THEIR OWN UNPROVEN THEORIES AND CONCLUSIONS ABOUT EVANGELICALS AND PEOPLE OF FAITH.
“FASKIANOS:And Pastor Stetzer, any last words from you to leave us with and what people can do.”
IN HIS FINAL THOUGHTS STETZER DOUBLES DOWN ON THE 2020 ELECTION
STETZER CALLED THE CONCERNS OVER THE COMPROMISED ELECTION OF 2020 “A DAY OF RECKONING FOR EVANGLEICALS”
“STETZER: Faith traditions, Evangelicalism, my faith tradition, has a long history of making mistakes and resetting, and making mistakes and resetting. After the January 6 riots, I wrote an article in USA Today called, “Evangelicals Face a Reckoning.” And I think that’s true. And part of that’s internal. So our hope is, my hope is, as someone who literally believes the things I’m not some outsider, I really do see how God is even at work in the world, and work in our churches, that our churches will stand up and stand out in a difficult time, many have in ways of serving their communities, in the midst of COVID, I think we need to serve our communities, through intellectual discipleship, better ways of thinking politically. And helping people. Gullibility is not a spiritual gift. And we have to help people to be more discerning in their understanding of the culture and the context around them. It’s multifaceted. We talked about actions that different parts and parties need to place, I spent a lot of time just two hours ago, I’m at a meeting in Colorado, just spoke on some of these issues.”
“One of the most controversial days for many people, many pastors who texted me, was the Sunday after the election in November. Do I pray for President-Elect Biden? This has never been a question before. Everyone always prayed, I guess during maybe Bush v. Gore, the Bush-Gore, afterwards, people were unsure. But this is a case where the election was soon called, by all main, even including Fox News, all mainstream news. Yet pastors didn’t know what to do and still struggled with it. It’s going to take some courage. But that’s hopefully, that courage comes from a relationship with the Lord that causes us to want to do what the writer of Hebrews says, and I’ll close with this. Hebrews is a book in the New Testament. The Hebrews says, to provoke one another, love and good deeds, I think that’s part of our responsibility, to tell the truth, help people understand the truth, and to make sure that the truth is the focus of our beliefs, and what’s propagated amongst our congregations. Thanks so much for the opportunity to share.”
FASKIANOS:Thank you both. This is really fantastic. ..”
CONCLUSION
As evangelical leaders like Ed Stetzer use their influential positions as hirelings and false prophets for global goals and global politicalized think tanks like Acton Institute and The Gospel Coalition and media outlets like Christianity Today it should come as no surprise that they would conspire against Christians with Council on Foreign Relations. With topics like Trumpism, Nationalism, Christian Nationalism, Covid and election integrity concerns labeled as conspiracies, men like Mike Lindell and Networks like WVW and Lindell TV are no doubt the TARGET of globalist conspirators to silence the opposition and all the concerns they are voicing for the millions of voiceless Americans and conservative Christians who know how real these concerns are.
As for Stetzer and Warren and Land and other evangelicals who are involved with CFR and the massive interest behind it -their treachery is something they should be concerned about both now and on judgement day. THE OUTSTANDING QUESTION is “who chose Ed Stetzer and who (besides the SBC supporters and Christianity Today) is paying him to collaborate with globalist?” Perhaps Ed would like to speak to that.
Pastors and Christians who follow leaders in collaboration with global ideologs are , in reality, manning the doors of the “disinformation” controllers train cars which are being loaded to carry Gospel inspired Christians into the thought containment camps of the brave new world religion of Christ-less Christianity. This false church finds it’s home in the bosom of the Great Harlot of Babylon.
thirtypiecesofsilverdotorg 