The Southern Baptist Convention Faces a Day of Reckoning

Russell Moore: This is the Southern Baptist Apocalypse

Southern Baptists Refuse to Act on Abuse Despite Database of Abuse Reports

Rachel Denhollander Calls for a Southern Baptist Reckoning on Abuse

It would be difficult to pinpoint the origins of the disaster that has occurred in the Southern Baptist Convention, characterized by the report from Guidepost Solutions on the manner which the SBC's executive committee handled allegations of sexual abuse within the Southern Baptist Convention.  The veneration of leaders of the denomination's "Conservative Resurgence," which began in 1979, and the subsequent "carte blanche" they were given within the denomination's executive level is at the bottom of the effort to cover up as much abuse as possible.  

Victims of the abuse have been trying to get the attention of denominational leaders for years, asking for some kind of resolution and solution to the problem.  In a Christian denomination that professes absolute belief in an inerrant, infallible Bible, they not only hit a stone wall, but they found their integrity questioned, accused of being tools of the Devil and accomplices in a Satanic attack on the SBC's mission efforts, and in some cases, wound up being accused themselves.  What transpired, and has now been reported by the Guidepost Solutions' investigative report, was not only inexcusable, but was contrary to every Christian principle on which the SBC claims to stand.  

The 2022 Annual Meeting in Anaheim won't be "The Reckoning" 

It's really too soon for reaction to this 300 page report from Guidepost Solutions to sink in and be read and understood by Southern Baptist leaders, and by those who will be elected to serve as messengers from their churches to the convention's annual meeting in Anaheim in a couple of weeks.  Reaction to it has been varied, from those who are calling for repentance and for reform of a system of committees and trustee boards which permitted the kinds of abuses of power that the report uncovered, to a faction that can't quite wrap their minds around the reality that the denomination they believed was spiritually superior to everyone else because of its conservative theology is experiencing something like this.  There's all kinds of distraction, from claiming that the SBC is drifting into "theological liberalism" to claiming that many of its current leaders are "woke."  Though neither allegation can be substantiated by a whit of proof, it's a distraction from the real problem. 

The Sexual Abuse Task Force, SATF, which is the group that commissioned, and then received, the investigation report from Guidepost Solutions, will be making recommendations for messengers to vote on at the convention in Anaheim in just a couple of weeks.  These recommendations deal specifically with the findings of the investigation and are aimed at correcting flaws and putting things straight when it comes to the Executive Committee's handling of sexual abuse allegations.  

There will be other motions, put forward by messengers, aimed at reforming an outdated, flawed system of committees and trustee boards, which run the denomination, its mission boards, its seminaries, its publishing house and its commissions.  There will be a call for all of the remaining executive committee members who voted against waiving privilege so the investigation could move forward unhindered to step down or be removed.  There is precedent for making such a motion, though the convention has never done something like that before, I wouldn't take bets on that not happening now.  

There were a number of executive committee staff, two former Executive Directors and several former SBC Presidents, including both of the "architects" of the Conservative Resurgence implicated in the report. I also suspect there will be a motion calling for the removal of anyone connected to all of those former leaders on a trustee board or committee, and there will be lists of who those members are and where they are serving.  That's also something I wouldn't bet against happening, nor against its success. 

The Reckoning Will Happen Over Time

Regardless of any action, or lack of it if a certain faction has its way, it will be the people in the churches who bring about the reckoning.  It will take time to see if the plans that are made have the desired effect in resolving the problem, and even more for people to trust that what convention and church leaders are doing will prevent abuse and protect victims.  That might not ever materialize.  

Depending on which faction gets its officers elected in Anaheim will also determine how much trust there will be.  If the faction that is throwing out the distractions, and looking at gaining the reins of power for other purposes, a group called CBN, (Conservative Baptist Network), then the report will not be taken seriously and a group of individuals who think that the victims of sexual abuse are really serving the Devil's purposes in interfering with SBC evangelistic efforts will be in control of denominational operations.  

But there's a vacuum in the leadership as the old line Conservative Resurgence faction fades, and has been dealt what I would consider to be a fatal blow by their handling of this scandal.  Who steps into that vacuum?  The younger pastors and church leaders who are the next generation after the resurgence group ages and retires have not expressed any interest in taking up the bureaucratic mantle of leadership.  Those who have given it a shot get discouraged by the infighting and jockeying for power among the good-ole-boys and don't seem to be interested in the same kind of power politics.  And when they do step up, their critics abandon their Christian principles and beliefs to castigate and criticize, spewing vitriolic resentment over their choices and ways of doing things.  They are neither liberal nor woke, but they've been accused of being both and that's not always good for their ministry. 

Many of the younger pastors and leaders with the potential to exercise visionary leadership for the denomination because they're having success with it in their churches are just leaving the SBC because they see that it is holding them back. David Platt, who was the youngest executive director ever appointed to the International Mission Board, left the bureaucracy and what was considered one of the most "prestigious" positions in the denomination behind to go back to pastor a church, this time a non-denominational one.  

What the SBC needs, and whoever it chooses as its leaders, is humility.  That's a Biblical value, by the way, something that the denomination has not been known to exhibit.  When the current SBC president, Ed Litton, exhibited humility, admitted to a highly publicized mistake he had made, and asked forgiveness, the response from his fellow pastors and denominational leaders wasn't a humble one. As right wing politics have infused the convention and confused its values, humility has been replaced by arrogance and divisiveness and what happened to Pastor Litton was an egregious example of the shift in values.  

Denominations Have A Lot of Unnecessary Baggage and This is a Good Example

Southern Baptists always point to their Cooperative Program as the reason that justifies the existence of a Baptist denomination known for its squabbles, fights and issues.  A unified giving plan for missions seems like justification for all of the unbiblical aspects of denominationalism. But the Cooperative Program is a bureaucracy in which a massive amount of the money that is received from the churches goes to maintaining the structure of the bureaucracy.  There's no argument against that claim.  The administration of the SBC takes a lot of money, not only contributions from the churches, but money from investments made over the years, in property held by the denomination and profits from Lifeway, its publishing house.  

What happens among Southern Baptists is a competition between prominent pastors in "prestigious" pulpits, networks of individuals who can use their influence and the power of certain denominational positions to get their friends and relatives into those denominational jobs like seminary administrators, field administrators of the mission boards, executive positions like the seminary presidencies, Lifeway execs, the ERLC and the executive board.  Paige Patterson and Paul Pressler, when they organized the Conservative Resurgence, created a hierarchy and rewarded loyalty, claiming it was all about belief in the inerrancy and infallibility of the Bible.  

If it is to be successful, and at this point, success is anything that leaves the SBC somewhat intact, the reckoning that is coming has to purge this system of the worldly temptation to power and influence, making leadership positions servants, not Lords of the manor, and basing the qualifications on skill and spiritual calling, not on connections and influence, or money.  Unfortunately, I don't think the SBC is capable of getting to that point.  The appeals to "missions support" have been veiled demands for loyalty to individual leaders for too long.  Those churches with younger, visionary leaders have been in the process of finding other ways to engage in evangelism and missions outside the restrictions of SBC rules and the percentage of undesignated giving from SBC churches to the Cooperative Program has steadily declined ever since the Conservative Resurgence took control of the denomination.

The SBC, as a bureaucracy, will continue to exist.  Bureaucracies have self-preservation modes built in.  They will downsize, combine, merge, explain away, recall missionary personnel from the field before they will close the doors of the headquarters building and dissolve the executive committee. Their next executive director will be in the same mold as the most recent ones, white, older, a pastor of a larger church who is well connected and well known, because they won't be able to find a younger, more visionary leader who would want this or who is willing to endure being labeled a "liberal" or "woke," even though such a person doesn't likely exist in the SBC at the moment.  And what will distinguish Southern Baptists, aside from a declining, aging membership, will be the stain of the sexual abuse scandal.   

Gifts Being Given to Democrats for November 2022: No Excuses for Not Voting

This isn't rocket science, it's politics.  

I'll admit up front that I'm not a political strategist.  I majored in history, minored in English with the original intention of going to law school, but got attracted to a different, history-related career while still in college and along with that comes the interest in politics.  Political commentary is a writing hobby and I write from a fairly unique position here, that of being a strong, committed, progressive-to-liberal Democrat and a Christian with an Evangelical background (though I no longer identify as "Evangelical" because of what that now defines).  

What I've been seeing, over the past six weeks or so, is a political shift that is pushing advantages toward Democrats and changing the mid-term election outlook.  The President's job approval rating doesn't seem to show much movement, nor does Trump disapproval, but there's a lot of movement elsewhere, and it seems to be heading toward a different outcome than the standard "President's party always loses seats in Congress during the mid-terms."  

Follow My Reasoning Here  

Regardless of the composite poll, a clear majority of registered voters think January 6th was a genuine, certified, honest to goodness attempted coup which would have destroyed representative, constitutional democracy and turned the United States into an autocracy led by an oligarchy.  A more clear and certain majority believe that it was an insurrection, that Trump was behind the organizing and motivating, and that anyone involved in it should be arrested and prosecuted, including the members of the government, Congress, the executive branch cabinet and the former President himself.  The polling varies from 57% up to as high as 65% on that, depending on how the question is asked.  

A clear majority of voters, 58%, believe that abortion should be legal up to a period of time between the third and sixth month of a pregnancy.  About that same percentage of voters believe that if a woman's right to control her own body is affected by a decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, then other rights belonging to other groups of people are all at risk, particularly women's rights.  

Over 85% of voters believe that background checks and a minimum waiting period should be required before anyone is allowed to purchase a gun, and 58% believe that high powered, military-style rifles should not be available for purchase.  Somewhere in there is a clear majority who believe that 21 should be the minimum age for making a gun purchase, and a similar percentage feel that someone who has documented mental health issues should not be allowed to buy a gun. 

Those numbers come out of a variety of polls, similar to other numbers and other polls and they are at least as steady as some of the political stuff from the past year.  That should all translate into campaign themes which translate into votes which win elections.  When someone walks into a voting booth and starts touching the screen, all of this should have an effect on where the fingers go and which buttons get pushed.  Democrats, being on the correct political side of all of these issues, wanting to prosecute the January 6th criminals, believing that Roe should continue to stand and that abortion is a woman's choice, and that there should be sensible, reasonable, constitutional ownership of guns, should win the lion's share of these elections.  

When Democrats don't win, its because they can't motivate voters to think about these things when they go into the voting booth.  The voter is thinking "defund the police," or "socialism," or "they're coming to take away your guns" or some ridiculous Q-Anon conspiracy theory. Or the price of gas at $4.50 is not worth helping the Ukrainians or saving our democracy.  What they need to be thinking about, when they walk into that booth, is the people who died in the grocery store in Buffalo, the church in California and the school in Uvalde.  They need to remember photos of their faces, smiles, and the fact that they left behind grieving, hurting families who loved them.  They need to be thinking that what they are doing at that moment will make a difference.  

Disappointment and Frustration are Everywhere

Post from Uvalde: We Are Not a Red State, we are an Oppressed State

Look at the replies to this post on Democratic Underground, mine included.  There's a lot of pent-up frustration there.  And why shouldn't there be?  In just a few short weeks, we've gone through this seemingly endless ritual at least three times.  And a group of self-interested politicians stonewalls any effort to make things better and do something about it. The Republicans are not pro-life, as much as they want to claim that position, they won't lift a finger to change things in order to protect kids in schools and that is not a pro-life position.  

Don't think that what's happened hasn't made a difference.  Abbott cut and ran today.  That's right.  He was scheduled to appear at the NRA convention in Houston, but instead, decided that public pressure was hot enough and went to Uvalde to have a press conference instead.  Now don't believe a word that he said in that press conference, but the fact that he was there, instead of in Houston, is a victory on behalf of the children who died in that shooting, and their parents. They are afraid of what the voters might do in November.  It needs to stay that way.  

The sense of futility and frustration that is present in Kpete's post on DU is very much a reality in Texas.  I lived in Texas for 25 years, including a number of years in a South Texas county very similar to Uvalde in ethnic makeup.  Latino voter registration lags behind that of white voters because there is a sense of frustration that nothing gets done and there is a fear that providing the information necessary to register will lead to invasions of privacy and harrassment that white voters don't understand.  That's a reality.  The post correctly reflects a genuine sense of oppression.  I've seen it myself.  And yes, it is motivated by ethnic bigotry.  If the shooting had happened in a predominantly white, middle class suburb, the way everything has been handled and the whole reaction and response by politicians would be different.  

The only way things will change is for people to get involved and while it may seem that voting is futile, the fact of the matter is that there is strength and power in unity and using the ballot box does bring change.  The Latino population in Texas is now at 42%, equal to the non-hispanic white population. But their voice in government, including elected officials of both parties, is less than a third of that percentage.  They're not "immigrants."  Most of the Latino population of Texas, especially in the southern third of the state, are native born, and their ancestors were there several generations before the first white American settlers arrived.  

This isn't "politicizing" these shootings.  Far from it, the right had already politicized the issue by their failure to enact reasonable, constitutional laws that would have prevented these shootings and those who were murdered where they thought they were safe would still be alive.  The Democrats are the only ones with the plans and proposals that will put a stop to this insanity. I'd much rather be accused of  politicizing the event than to have to face yet another day grieving over a classroom full of dead children because I didn't do what I could.  And voting for Democrats committed to gun control is the least that I can do..

We owe this to the families of the victims of the shooting in the Topps Friendly Market in Buffalo, who believed they were safe when they were doing their grocery shopping.  We owe it to the families of the victims of the shooting in the church in California, who thought it was safe to worship God.  We owe it to the families of those precious children in Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, who were only thinking of the last few days of school and though they were safe in their classroom.  We owe this to the parents of the students who died at Sandy Hook Elementary school, at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School, at Columbine, to every single family member of every person in this country who thought their rights were equally protected under the law.  

We owe them more than just our vote.  That's the least we can do.  

I'm Angry, Sad, Frustrated and Sick of the Shootings and I am Committed to Doing Something About it

What about you? 

Saturday, I pulled into a parking spot at the local grocery store where I do most of my shopping, and I did something I can't remember ever doing before.  I sat there listening to the radio for a few minutes, contemplating whether or not I wanted to go inside.  I did some things I've never done before when I went there.  I made myself completely aware of my surroundings.  I found myself sizing up people who were going inside, trying to notice things that I know for sure I never paid any attention to before the shooting in Buffalo.  I took nothing for granted, went in, got what I needed as fast as I could and got out.  

My stepmother, who is 94, was a regular shopper at a Topps Friendly Market in Buffalo when she was more active.  She's a cheerful woman, always smiling, and would take neighbors from the senior apartment complex where she lived to the store with her.  The store they shopped at, just a few blocks from her apartment, was less than five miles from the one where the attack took place.  I cannot imagine even thinking about them being inside with an active shooter.  Many of those in the store who were shot were elderly and I can't help thinking about how their children, grandchildren and extended family members must feel at this point.  

Add to that the news of the church shooting in California, and then, the attack on Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, and I'm at a point now where I can't even describe what I am feeling.  I'm an elementary school principal myself, and for the past two days, I've watched parents drop their kids off, lingering a little longer as they enter the building, giving an extra hug or kiss, a few of them keeping kids home during these last days of the school year.  

I watched the interviews with the family members who lost loved ones in the store shooting in Buffalo.  How do you wrap your mind around the sudden loss of someone you love, imagining their last moments on the floor of a grocery store?  And then, Savannah Guthrie's heart-wrenching interviews with the parents of some of the kids who died in the Uvalde massacre.  Both of those videos should be required viewing for every single member of Congress, every cabinet member, governor and every state legislator in the country.  They should watch until they get it.

It Was Preventable

The fact that an 18 year old can, on their 18th birthday, purchase the kinds of weapons this kid did, is a complete and utter failure of our elected officials, specifically the governor and state legislature of Texas.  In a state that leads the nation in random, mass shootings, where people have died in school classrooms and church auditoriums in large numbers, common sense would indicate that there would be some kind of legislative response.  In Texas, the response has been to make it even easier to get high powered weapons because of the flawed logic that doing so will prevent mass shootings like these from happening. 

Look at the record and see how well that's worked out. 

A background check requirement would not have prevented this shooter from eventually getting his hands on a weapon, but it would have delayed the process and that would have very likely diffused the situation.  There's no clear explanation at this point, but if he was acting on impulse, and didn't have the ability to get his hands on high powered weapons, would he still have been angry or upset enough to go to the school several days after whatever triggered him had passed?  

Of course, a law restricting the purchase of this kind of weapon and firepower would be the most sensible thing to do, not in any way a violation of any intention of the second amendment, a discussion I will have later, but these kids and their teachers would still be alive if such a law had been on the books.  

There's some question about the police response to the situation, the length of time it took, how the guy managed to get into the school past armed security, which is the Republican cure-all for gun crime.  If you look at the school layout, you can see that it is a cluster of buildings, about half the classrooms open to the outside, to exterior sidewalks and the approaches to the school are open.  It's a small town with a small police force and this obviously was not anticipated.  What is obvious is that the firepower possessed by the shooter rendered the armed security precautions useless.  

Gun Laws in the US Are Based on a False Interpretation of the Second Amendment

The failure of our educational system is criminal in and of itself, especially when it comes to serving as the means by which our democracy is preserved, which is one of its claimed purposes.  The fact that an entire political party, and a good segment of the population, have absolutely no understanding of constitutional liberty or law is one of the reasons why things like this happen in the United States, but they don't happen almost anywhere else in the free, democratic world where the right to bear arms is a guaranteed freedom. 

The "right to bear arms," a constitutional guarantee in the second amendment, pertains to a "well regulated militia."  The United States did not maintain a regular, standing army in 1789, when the Constitution was drafted.  Each state had its own militia, some of which fought against other states over various issues.  Militia were made up of men who were called to service when there was a need for them.  By the time the Constitution was drafted and headed for ratification, militia were becoming outdated.  But at the time, a "call to arms" because of a potential attack from a foreign nation, which, in the case of the United States meant Britain, France or Spain, most likely, required men to own their own weapons and keep them close by in case they were called upon to use them.  That, my friends, is the long and short of the "right to bear arms."  

The establishment of a standing military has made private ownership of military-style weaponry obsolete.  Oh, there are populists who shriek about "tyranny" and who own a variety of weapons because they can, but the United States no longer has a "well-regulated militia" requiring private citizens to own weapons.  The National Guard is the closest thing we have to that, but even they provide their service men and women with weapons.  

Here, we are driven by profit motive and money, plain and simple, and acquiring that has become more important than the sanctity of human life.  We have a difficult time learning things from other people.  Other countries have the same rights, but they do not see enforcing accountability as an interference with that right.  And for political conservatives, who seem particularly bent on control when it comes to protecting the unborn, the callous disregard for potential victims of gun violence makes hypocrites out of politicians who claim to be pro-life. 

Simply put, no argument can be made to justify someone carrying a high powered weapon into any venue they please.  That is not what the second amendment means.  And the interpretations of it, reflected in our laws, testify to the ignorance of the law and the constitution of the lawmakers who pass and enforce this legislation, and to the voters who put them there.  It is contradictory to complain that abortion legislation protects the "sanctity of human life" when there's no willingness to protect children in school from mass shooters.  The bottom line is money.  Gun manufacturers make a lot of it.  Protecting school campuses costs a lot of it.  There you have it. 

VOTE

"Doing something about it" means not voting for those politicians who permit this to occur.  It means actively working for the defeat of politicians like Greg Abbott, who is looking out for his own interests, and who, just hours after visiting Uvalde and speaking with victims, was back on the campaign trail raising money for his campaign.  In Uvalde County, voter registration lags behind some parts of the state, which is typical for predominantly Latino counties in Texas.  There is voter suppression and intimidation, for sure, that goes without saying.  In a county where 72% of the population is Latino, but Latino voters make up less than 50% of the total voter registration, something is wrong and something needs to change. 

There's ideology that is being promoted and supported by Republicans that is behind at least some of what is going on.  Clearly, the shooting in the supermarket in Buffalo was racially motivated, by the idea of "white replacement theory," which many Republicans refuse to disavow and which some support, a few publicly.  It is a ridiculously ignorant way of thinking, covered up by more ridiculous, ignorant thinking in their distortions of and opposition to CRT.  

I was very impressed that Beto O'Rourke went to Uvalde, right into the press conference and confronted the governor and the mayor.  We need more of that to wake people up and activate their participation in democracy.  Voter registration in Uvalde needs to reflect the population, as it does in other parts of Texas.  If the murder of 19 children and two teachers can't motivate participation in the process for change, what will?

Republican, Democratic Gubernatorial Primaries in Illinois Are Quite a Contrast

 WGN Republican Gubernatorial Debate

It's pretty boring and turgid, and I just posted it because it's probably the best way to make the point here.  There are five or six Republicans in Illinois trying to unseat Democratic Governor J. B. Pritzker.  There's not much of a chance--in fact--there's not really any chance that any of these candidates will even make this a reasonably close race, but they're sure trying hard.  And they are beating each other senseless in a war of words unlike any partisan primary race I've ever witnessed.  And that's not just rhetoric or exaggeration, they really are.  

Governor Pritzker is One of the Leading Democratic Governors in the Nation

Illinoisans have been blessed.  As one of the most populous states in the country, with its third most populous city and a major transportation hub at what is one of the world's busiest airports, COVID could have been a major disaster in this state.  But our governor was on top of it.  He worked with Chicago officials to make sure there were enough staffed hospital beds to cover any contingency, and in fact, while cases were on the rise everywhere, Chicago's contingency hospitals never got close to capacity.  

Yeah, there were restrictions and mandates, shut-downs and closings.  But this governor always made sure to soften the impact by using the state government to help out as much as possible.  There's a long list of his accomplishments, not all of them popular, but all of them effective in making Illinois one of the better states in which to live during the pandemic.  And a lot of people recognize that.  

He's spending a little bit of time and money campaigning during the primary.  Nothing negative, nothing attacking his potential GOP opponents, but ads pointing to the investments made in creating job growth, excellent job growth in fact, in places where industry and manufacturing were drying up before he became governor.  He's done a tremendous amount in that regard, job growth in Illinois is as healthy as it is anywhere else in the country.  He has a long list of positive achievements on which to run, so there's no need to attack his potential GOP opponents. 

Quite a Contrast on the Other Side

In true Trumpie fashion, the Republicans are ripping into each other, laying out all of their faults and making the case that none of them should be allowed to get anywhere near the governorship of Illinois, based on their total lack of character, lying about their record, and--this is a good one--lying about all of the monetary contributions they are getting from Democrats, including from Governor Pritzker.  The lies are outlandish.  But they are giving the Democrats their campaign theme.  

They've got some time, between now and the primary, to really hand this to the Governor on a silver, or perhaps even gold, platter.  On social media, even conservative Republicans are complaining about the candidates.  The media is trying really hard to be fair, at least equally to the GOP candidates, but they're having trouble not pointing out polling data that shows this will be a runaway for Governor Pritzker. 

The debate was relatively tame, and missing one of the most caustic, vitriolic candidates, Richard Irvin, controversial mayor of the city of Aurora who can't figure out which political party with which to side.  He's been the accuser-in-chief, not holding back anything for the sake of party loyalty, lest one of his opponents be the nominee.  He'll burn the house down if he doesn't get the nomination, I guarantee it.  

The Pritzker campaign doesn't really have to take notes.  They can continue to run as they are, touting the governor's record and not getting in the way of what is a vicious GOP fight.  The Republicans in Illinois will do a great job of convincing voters to re-elect J. B. Pritzker.

For Southern Baptists, Lessons to be Learned from a Devastating Experience

 Timeline of the Sexual Abuse Crisis in the Southern Baptist Convention

If you grew up in a Southern Baptist church, as I did, one of the first things learned was that your church was "closer to God" than other churches.  Yes, indeed, in the Beginners Sunday School class where I have some of my earliest memories of church, my very sweet teacher, a middle aged lady who grew up in the Missouri boot heel, regularly told us that we were in the right place if we wanted to "get close to Jesus," because our church taught the truth from the Bible, while other churches didn't always get it right.  

Her husband didn't accompany her to church, so my Dad would often take her home after services.  We would pass both the Presbyterian and Methodist churches in the small town where I grew up and almost every Sunday, she would make the comment, looking at their empty parking lots as we drove by around 12:20 p.m., "Well look there, they've done turned out and gone home," meaning that their spiritual depth and Christian commitment was measured by the amount of time the sermon went past noon, and a church that dismissed early enough for the parking lot to be empty by 12:20 couldn't be very serious or spiritual.  I never had the heart to tell her the Methodist service started at 10:00, instead of 10:50 like ours did.

But I've heard the same from the pulpit in more than one church.  It does not take very long in encounters with Southern Baptists, to pick up on the fact that they do think quite highly of themselves when it comes to getting their Christianity right, and many of them are quite opinionated when it comes to criticizing other churches and denominations, and pointing out their flaws and errors.  There is a lot of emphasis on "Baptist distinctives," which, translated into real English means "things we believe that no other Christians believe, that make us better than them."  This includes belief that the Bible is without error and its contents are infallible in all areas, not just in spiritual matters, but science, human psychology and history, too; belief that the correct mode of baptism is by immersion only after a person has made a "profession of faith in Christ"; non-connectional, independent and autonomous churches; and the belief that the church must exist free from the control of the governing authorities of the state.

There are still some strains of "landmarkism" among the churches affiliated with the SBC, which is the belief that Baptists alone are the "true church" descended from the apostolic succession, and the only valid baptism is by immersion in a true Baptist church, and the only valid communion or Lord's supper experience is the one given in a Baptist church where non-members are excluded.  Most churches in the SBC are not "landmarkers", but there is still a very strong sense of exclusivity and superiority over "those liberal mainline Protestants" and, of course, widespread condemnation of the Catholic church as apostate.  

The GuidePost Solutions Report was a Shock

Even as awareness of the scope and size of the sexual abuse problem among Southern Baptist ministers and church staff members hit the denomination in 2019, when the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express published the results of their investigation, there were Southern Baptist leaders, according to the GuidePost report, who claimed that at least it wasn't as bad as the Catholics.  And in spite of information coming out which supported what victims groups had been saying for decades, there was very little movement toward doing anything about it.  

What has been done since the Chronicle/Express investigation was revealed, has met with continued resistance and an ongoing effort to keep Southern Baptists in the dark about who was involved in the cover-up and what was going on.  At the highest levels of leadership and legal counsel within the Executive Committee, which is the group that is responsible for convention operations when the annual meeting is not in session, efforts to respond appropriately to the crisis were criticized as being a satanic plot to distract Southern Baptists from their evangelistic ministry.  

The messengers from the churches who were gathered for the annual meeting in Nashville last year decided to take the matter out of the bureaucrats hands, and directly ordered an investigation into executive committee actions regarding sexual abuse in the SBC.  The bureaucrats, including the SBC's Executive Director, Dr. Ronnie Floyd, who had only been on the job a couple of years, fought tooth and nail to prevent it, but the messenger vote was overwhelming and their will prevailed.   

Report of Guidepost Solutions Independent Investigation into SBC Executive Committee Handling of Sexual Abuse Claims

The GuidePost Solutions Investigation and the Chronicle/Express Investigation Point to a Problem that Requires a Solution

The Southern Baptist Convention as a denomination was already experiencing decline and downsizing its operation prior to the Chronicle revelations.  According to its most recent statistical report, membership has declined by just under 3 million in a decade, with more than half of those departures happening since 2016.  That's a staggering loss, even worse than the kinds of declines most mainline Protestants have been experiencing since the 1960's.  Baptisms, which are a measure of the most important outcome of the denomination's mission and purpose, are at a number that is one-fourth of what they were at their peak and over 80% of those are children whose parents are already members of the church.  

There's no question that this crisis, or "apocalypse" as Russell Moore called it, will have a negative impact on all of the statistics, including financial receipts.  And the image that Southern Baptists have carefully crafted, based on their "fidelity" to the Bible and their emphasis on moral and ethical rule-following, has been substantially damaged.  The Southern Baptist name is now being equated with the Catholic church in terms of sexual abuse scandal, and the numbers, on a per-capita basis, are about the same.  

The most shocking aspect of the revelations of this investigation is the fact that the convention's executive leadership at the highest level was fully aware of the scope of the problem, but instead of reaching out to help victims and expose the sin that was being done, they kept silence, using their own database to track the perpetrators, which they said couldn't be done under SBC polity, they were protecting the assets of the convention from lawsuits, and protecting their own positions of power, influence and money.  

Where Do They Go From Here?

NPR Inverview with Dr. Russell Moore, former ERLC Executive Director

The problems that the denomination is facing, this issue in particular, is at least partly due to the blending of secular, right wing politics with Biblical doctrine and theology being preached from pulpits.  Their own doctrine, which includes affirmation of the Bible's inerrancy, states very clearly that infiltration by "worldly influences" posing as allies will lead to the corruption of the church's mission and purpose.  Trumpism, which is all about protecting power by hiding truth and promoting lies, has done to the Southern Baptist convention and many of its churches exactly what the Bible's writers warned about.  Just look at what's happened to Southern Baptists as a result of this sexual abuse scandal. 

Now, they must face a reality that is screaming to the world that Southern Baptists are not any closer to God, more theologically and doctrinally correct, or "better Christians" than those in any other denomination, and they don't seem to have an answer for this problem that has been going on for at least four decades that we know of.  Is the leadership they have, in the limited little circle of influencers and kingmakers who run the SBC now, capable of the kind of admission of guilt and repentance that will be required to demonstrate sincerity?  Will they step up and actually do something besides dialogue and investigation? 

Take a look at the link from NPR, which is an interview with Russell Moore, who initiated the inquiries and actions which eventually led to the investigation being called for from the floor of the convention.  This is a former "insider," someone who had a front row seat to the corruption, yes corruption that was going on at the highest levels of the convention.  The insiders and their supporters intensely dislike Moore, ostensibly because he is a never-Trumper, but really because he called them out and tried to prevent an apocalypse from happening to a denomination in which he was raised, came to saving faith in Christ, was educated, and in which he had a vocational Christian ministry.  Don't you dare question his authority or insights in making these statements.  

We're talking conspiracies to keep information from getting to messengers who show up and vote at annual meetings, which is the only power in the SBC capable of reversing executive and attorney actions within the executive committee.  The last two executive directors of the committee both resigned because they committed corrupt acts, Frank Page because of an "improper relationship" and Ronnie Floyd, for attempting to interfere and prevent messengers from getting information and then, from trying to stop messengers from taking action, which is an abuse of power that lacks integrity. Moore, on the other hand, has crossed the denominational boundary, respect and integrity intact.  That gives his words credibility and nullifies his detractors.

It's Time for a House Cleaning

There are still multiple members of the executive committee who have demonstrated their resistance to this whole investigation and report.  Even though many executive committee members resigned, rather than submit to waiving privilege, it took several votes to get to that point, after some of the resisters walked away.  Those who left helped reduce some of the dead weight holding the convention back.  But anyone who opposed the waiving of privilege, which was a direct instruction of the messengers, needs to resign.  It may be difficult to determine what other activity took place on that committee which members were aware of, but failed to speak out or take action so anyone who calls for all of them to step down would be justified in their request.  

The messengers need to take control of this out of the hands of the bureaucrats.  Whether that can be done with votes of instruction from the floor, or whether they have to vote out every member of the executive committee,  change must occur.  Those who have stonewalled this, which includes most of the EC members who have signed on to the Conservative Baptist Network, need to go, now.  And whatever it takes to get that done needs to be done. This report doesn't just implicate those individuals who were directly involved in covering up, or mishandling sexual abuse, it also implicates those who resisted the investigation and voted against waiving privilege and those who knew all this was happening but, because they wanted to keep their seat and their influence, did nothing. 

Frankly, given the information provided in the GuidePost report, that's just about everyone on that committee.  They all need to be replaced by individuals who have never served on an SBC committee or board, and who are interested in advancing the denomination's mission and purpose, not their own career and resume. Otherwise, the Southern Baptist Convention will quickly cease to be the "nation's largest Protestant denomination," and will be on a quick track to ruin.  Unless there is a house cleaning and genuine repentance, with real action to follow, the Southern Baptist Convention will not survive this apocalypse intact.

 

Former Southern Baptist Executive Calls the Release of the Sexual Abuse Investigation Report, "The Southern Baptist Apocalypse"

SBC Leaders Misled, Covered Up and Bullied Abuse Victims for Years

Russell Moore: This is the Southern Baptist Apocalypse

Yes, Dr. Moore, you are exactly right.  This is the Southern Baptist Apocalypse.  And it is a grieving, heart-wrenching experience for those of us who were raised in its churches.

Baptist News Global: A Pattern of Denial and Deflecting in SBC Sex Abuse Crisis

As difficult as it is for many Southern Baptists to admit, sexual abuse scandals have been as prevalent among their pastors, church staff and denominational leadership as they have been in the Catholic Church, and they are no different in this regard than the whole spectrum of Christianity.  Claiming to be more "conservative," more theologically correct, more "Bible-believing" than other Christians does not make a denomination any more pure, moral or less inclined to spectacular sins.  Christian theology teaches that all human beings are sinners and are subject to temptation, and even though God does provide a "way out," not everyone takes it.  

The culmination of this investigation in the Southern Baptist Convention revealed some things about the way the denomination is structured that made it more difficult for leaders to deal with accusations and reports of sexual abuse in the churches.  I contend that it was the structure, and the culture that has developed within the SBC during its existence, along with its theology and doctrine, that made it impossible to deal with this issue in an appropriate manner consistent with Christian principles.  

Though I don't remember, my first experience in a Southern Baptist church was in the nursery, as an infant.  I do remember the pre-school, or "beginners" Sunday School class I attended every week, and as I got older the other groups in the small church in which I grew up.  I was baptized into church membership at age 6, if not actually converted to Christ at that point, was there whenever the church doors were opened, got my B.A. in a Southern Baptist-related university, and after a "genuine" baptism at age 22, was a member of an SBC affiliated church until I made a deliberate decision to leave two decades ago.  

So for those who are following the developments of this story, some insights into how Southern Baptists do things might be helpful. 

Denominational Identity and Church Culture

The Southern Baptist Convention was formed in 1845, prior to the Civil War, as a result of the refusal of the larger body of American Baptists, known as the Triennial Convention of Philadelphia, to appoint slave owners as overseas missionaries.  From that point on, the Baptists in the southern states were separated from those in the north, and developed a very unique culture that was strongly connected to the cultural institutions of the Antebellum South.  After the war, which devastated many churches and scattered their membership, it was the only place in most communities where white people could come together and experience something that reminded them of life prior to the war. 

The church culture is a combination of segregated, working class and rural whites, around a conservative theology which emphasizes belief in the Bible as "inerrant," or without human error in its authorship, and infallible, or completely authoritative, extending beyond spiritual matters into all subject areas, including being the final authority on science and human psychology.  There is a strong belief in evangelism, converting the "lost" people to faith in Jesus by direct confrontational methods.  

Churches practice "congregational" authority, which means that all members are able to vote on church decisions, including who they will call as their pastor, and who is appointed to church leadership positions like elders or deacons.  That is in theory, anyway.  In actual practice, in most churches a small group of individuals hold the reins of power, and all church decisions must have their approval.  

The denomination itself operates in very much the same way.  In theory, all of its affiliated or "cooperating" churches can elect delegates to the annual meeting, or "messengers" as the are called, and all denominational business is conducted by voting on it.  However, the organizational structure is a throwback to the days of the Confederacy, with a small group of influential people determining what business gets to the floor of the convention to be voted on.  The convention president has the power to appoint a single committee which then appoints the members of the committee on committees which nominates all of the candidates for each open trustee board seat, executive board seat or committee seat, including the important "committee on order of business" which decides what the messengers will vote on.  

Also, the trustees of the governing boards of the denomination's agencies, including its six seminaries, two mission boards, Lifeway publishers and the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, are "elected" by the convention, but they are first nominated by the committee on committees, and then elected as a group by either a yes or no vote from the floor.  It is a very complicated and difficult process for a messenger from the floor to change a name on a slate of nominees.  So whoever is the president of the SBC determines who, from among a very small and elite group of insiders, gets to run the denomination's institutions and agencies and control its business agenda.  

So it is the president of the SBC who determines the business of the convention.  And what you find, among this inner circle of elite oligarchs, are friends and relatives of the officers or insiders who move off one trustee board and on to another, off one committee and on to another.  When an executive position in one of the mission boards, seminaries or commissions becomes available, the person hired will be someone from within this inner circle, chosen because of who they know, not what they can do.  And they will go into their position with a board stacked in their favor who will protect their incompetence and cover up their mistakes in order to stay in power.  

If you look at the list of names, starting on Page 149 of the GuidePost report, of those who were implicated either for perpetuating sexual abuse themselves or for failing to report it at the executive committee level, every single one of them, with one exception, had served as a president of the SBC at some point, and they've all served on multiple committees and trustee boards.  In spite of the claims of the "conservative resurgence" to which they all had to pledge loyalty to get where they were, their interests were centered on holding on to power and using it for their own advantage.  

A Denominational Culture in Which You Can Nominate or Hire Yourself

In addition to the hard blow that has already been felt by the SBC after just one day of the GuidePost report being released, this quirky, insider-oriented "business model," if you want to call it that, combined with decades of "conservative" and fundamentalist leadership, has led to the ruinous decline of Southern Baptist institutions, mission boards, its publishing house and at least one of its seminaries.  Putting friends into executive leadership based on who they know, not on what they can do, doesn't produce competent leadership.  

One of the "architects" of the conservative resurgence claimed two prized executive positions for himself.  He wanted Southwestern Seminary in Ft. Worth from the beginning, but the seat was occupied by someone else that another influence peddler had helped obtain.  So initially, he was given the presidency of Southeastern Seminary in North Carolina.  His only administrative experience prior to leading a seminary of that size had been as president of a broken down, church-run, financially strapped Bible college with 150 students in Dallas.  But he had persisted in helping conservatives gain control of the SBC so he could have build his own empire anywhere he wanted.  He named what he wanted and the trustees gave it to him.  

He left Southeastern with some financial difficulty, declines in enrollment and faculty vacancies caused by low pay and low morale.  When he arrived in Ft. Worth, Southwestern was still the crown jewel of SBC seminaries, the largest theological school in the world, responsible for one third of all degrees granted among the six SBC schools.  When he was finally fired, for failing to report a rape and for "breaking down" an on-campus rape victim, only Midwestern and Gateway seminaries had smaller enrollments, and Southwestern was a shell of its former self.  Trustees, most of whom he hand-picked, were finally forced to let him go because of something they couldn't ignore and which put the school at risk of litigation.  But for years, they had ignored the problems created by failed leadership.  

The other "architect" of the resurgence never aspired to be elected to the presidency, but used his influence to get seats on numerous boards, including the executive committee, from which he pushed his agenda and made sure his sycophants got positions of influence.  He was a johnny-come-lately to Southern Baptist life, coming from a Presbyterian church that had ousted him from its youth ministry staff.  He is one of the two individuals at the executive level who are actually accused of being perpetrators of sexual abuse. 

Lots of Handwringing, Regrets and Public Shows of Repentance are on the Way

Let's give credit where credit is due here.  I'm not sure much of this would have ever seen the light of day if it were not for the efforts of the SBC's immediate past-president, J. D. Greear, a North Carolina pastor who recognized the entrenched, stagnant leadership in the denomination and made a clear effort to appoint fresh faces and names based on their integrity, ability and willingness to serve, and not on their connections.  Greear providentially--and I use that word intentionally--got a third term to serve, and to influence committee appointments, meaning that there were enough non-connected members of the executive committee and other convention committees to prevent the information in the expose done by the Houston Chronicle from getting buried in the bureaucracy.  

Greear also exercised wisdom and discernment as the issue came before the floor of the convention.  Claiming that "bureacratic mumbo jumbo and legalese" had interfered with the convention's ability to do the right thing.  He had taken an interest in doing something ever since the newspaper reports were released and in the position of president, allowed Tennessee pastor Grant Gaines to make the open motion to put a task force in place, and give it carte blanche to investigate, separate from any supervision or interference by the executive committee.  It passed overwhelmingly.

Current SBC president Ed Litton took things a step further, appointing a completely independent, non-connected task force which pushed and pressed forward.  Many of those elected to the executive committee during Greear's tenure were among those who kept pushing and insisting that the members waive privilege, which was the key to the investigation's success.  A number of EC members, mostly well-connected insiders, read the handwriting on the wall and resigned, one of the best things that could have happened to the SBC under its current leadership, which will get to replace all of those members with fresh names and faces not connected to the inner circle elites. Any of the rest who were around before Greear's presidency should step down now, and get out of the way.  

Frankly, it is far too late to make amends with the victims.  Trust can't be regained by a "solemn assembly" and some tearful repentance.  It's a hollow gesture, but financial restitution is not only warranted, but is necessary if any repentant attitude is to be taken seriously.  Most of those who will gather in convention halls as messengers were enablers of the abuse by continuing to support leadership that they knew didn't belong there.  A public display of repentance by many of the same people who showed up year after year and kept these people in power would be meaningless. 

Twenty years ago, I made a deliberate choice to leave the membership of the Southern Baptist church where I had been an active member for over a decade.  My head and heart had left a long time before then, but habits are hard to break.  I have never been able to reconcile claims that the Bible is without error, in a church that is without genuine love for all of its neighbors, unwilling to turn the other cheek and who makes enemies to fight with in order to advance their own position.  That, along with the heretical apostasy of right wing politics codified into doctrine and theology and preached as truth, told me that it was time to go and never look back.  

For freedom Christ has set us free.  Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.  Paul, the Apostle, Epistle to the Galatians, Chapter 5:1.  

 

 

Appearing at this CPAC Event in Hungary Should Disqualify Every American Who Endorsed it by Their Presence From Any Political Office. Ever. Period.

Trump Shares Hungarian CPAC Platform With Antisemitic, Racist Zsolt Bayer 

Any doubt about Trumpism's racist, antisemitic, autocratic fascist tendencies was removed when the former failed President 45, along with a train of sycophants, appeared at a CPAC gathering in Budapest, Hungary, hosted by Hungary's autocratic fascist dictator Victor Orban.  The fact that these Americans even showed up there is clear evidence of their philosophy, politics and their intentions.  They are not patriots in any sense of the word, they are insurrectionists who are only interested in their own power and influence, and in subverting American constitutional democracy.  Otherwise, they would never have been there. 

Appearing, and openly endorsing, someone who has referred to Jews as "stinking excrement" and to other people, like the Roma, as "animals" should disqualify any politician from any influence or power, and access to any American elected office.  Bayer is a despicable and evil throwback to Europe's fascist days.  Sharing the same platform with Jack Prosobiec, an equally evil and disgusting racist and conspiracy theorist, should turn anyone with a conscience and a sense of morality against everyone who was there endorsing that event and its ideology. 

Read through that article thoroughly.  Some of the most despicable, anti-American, hateful, racist and religious bigotry was laid out for the participants, who warmly embraced it and endorsed it, and in so doing, clearly demonstrated exactly what they will do if they ever get back into power.  

Through college and graduate school experiences majoring in history, political science and political philosophy, I've done a lot of reading from authors who claimed that, given the right circumstances and the right conditions, Americans were as susceptible to fascism, racial bigotry, religious bigotry and hatred as Germans were in the 1920's and 30's, and the roots of this wicked, evil ideology would find fertile ground in the United States.  That, in spite of what some European philosophers wrote who were quite impressed by their observations of American democracy and freedom.  

But it's happening.  Our publicly funded educational system, which was touted as the primary means of preserving American democracy, is failing in multiple ways, and especially at that.  A lot of that failure can be laid at the feet of conservative politicians who have undermined it by starving it for resources whenever they got the chance, overcrowding its classrooms, allowing chaos and violence to disrupt the educational process and demoralizing the very people who are most committed to its ideals and principles. 

Churches have become commercial enterprises with pastors acting like CEO's whose mission and purpose is preservation of the institution and to provide a high quality program of religious entertainment to attract people out of other churches in order to keep the offering plates full.  Like schools, their goal is to be financially profitable and politically influential.  So they don't need pastors who will tell the truth. 

Make This a Political Liability for Every American who was There and for the GOP

Republicans need to make a choice here, to either stand for America and its values and principles, including constitutional democracy, and in so doing, to disassociate themselves from everyone who was there, including the former President 45, Tucker Carlson, and anyone else who showed up.  They're complaining that the "leftist, woke media" is engaged in smear campaign.  No smear is necessary, just report straight up who these people are, what they said, and that should be all that's necessary. 

That CPAC conference was Anti-Patriot, Anti-American.  The consequences of participating should be felt at the ballot box in November.  

The Subversion of the Christian Church

Trump Jr. to Young Conservatives: Following Jesus' Example of Turning the Other Cheek Has Gotten us Nothing

We've turned the other cheek, and I understand, sort of, the biblical reference--I understand the mentality--but it's gotten us nothing.  OK?  It's gotten us nothing while we've ceded ground in every major institution in our country."--Donald Trump, Jr. 

And there, wrapped up in one single quote, in context, is the theology of Trumpism.  Following Jesus will get you nothing.  

I'm not really sure exactly where to start on that.  First of all, I would say that the statement makes it very clear that Don Jr. does not "understand the mentality."  Nor does he have even the beginning of an understanding of the gospel message of Jesus Christ which is the core of the Christian faith.  He's pushing an agenda that offers a few benefits for Christians, mainly a modified pro-life position and a white supremacist worldview, in exchange for Evangelical support.  But to get on board, Evangelicals have to abandon the "weak" points of their doctrine, like turning the other cheek, a principle Jesus laid out in his theological discourse known as the "Sermon on the Mount."  That, along with the principle of "loving your enemies" are testimonies to the sincerity of following Christ.  But in the Trumpian mentality being expressed by Don Junior here, they are hindrances to the political right "getting somewhere in the world."  The mentality that he understands is an "us vs. them", divisiveness which is non-Christian in the essence of its content.  He's asking, in exchange for a place at the Trumpism table, Christians to give up some of the core doctrines of the faith.  That's heresy at best, anti-Christian at its worst.  

And many Christians are following Trumpism and changing their interpretation and understanding of the gospel message.

According to Trump himself, people who exhibit grace and mercy, meekness and who seek the good of others ahead of their own ambitions are "suckers."  He says that frequently at rallies, it's in his book, and he's either completely unaware that those character traits and actions are Christian, which is understandable given that he is not Christian and has no working knowledge of what it means to be Christian, or he has advisors who are afraid to tell him.  When he's been asked about God and faith, he clams up, says he has his own view of God and claims that he's done nothing requiring him to ask for forgiveness and that has nothing to do with what he believes about God.  When Christians look past that, to still find some way to support him, they are deceiving themselves and believing a lie.

As this particular piece points out, Junior put forth a divisive, anti-Christian worldview and sets up a vision of a divided America, claiming that the left is taking everything that the right feels entitled to have away from them and that the only way to get it back is a Machiavellian approach of "whatever it takes, whether it goes by the rules or not," while biblically grounded Christian theology and doctrine, get in the way of achieving the goal.  That is exactly what he said, in so many words.  He is suggesting, without understanding the "mentality" at all, that Christians abandon the teachings of Christ in order to win a place in "every  major institution" in our country.  

I won't beat around the bush.  That's antichrist, by the biblical definition found in I John 4:1-3.  It's heresy. Not only does it deny "turning the other cheek,"  the whole perspective expressed by Junior's speech also goes against Christ's teaching to "love your enemies."   And given the source, it is not surprising.

Christian church leaders are aware of this.  Their response has largely been to ignore it and not ever talk about it, deny it and blame it on the "liberal media," or flat out lie about it.  Not all of them, of course, have been duped or deceived but getting 82% of the votes of self-identified white Evangelical voters is a significant deception.  I believe it is the Apostle Paul who states that even Satan can masquerade as an angel of light.  He also warned Christians in the church at Colossae about the philosophy and empty deceit of the elemental spirits of this world.  And he warned against the infiltration of the church by worldly philosophy and influence, which would cause apostasy.  And here, in twenty-first century America, that's exactly what we are seeing.

The Book of Jude

One of the shortest "books" in the Bible is an obscure epistle, or letter, written by Jude, who identifies himself as the brother of James, but who is believed to be the half-brother of Jesus, and who was one of the Apostles of the early Christian church.  He wrote this short epistle to Christians, warning about infiltrators who had slipped into the church, perverting the message of the gospel for their own benefit, and denying the gospel of Jesus and the message of salvation by grace through faith in him.  

This short, obscure book, just prior to Revelation, addresses exactly what has happened to some Christian churches and denominations in the United States today, characterized by the very words of Don Junior to a gathering of youth and young adults.  He has attacked, and denied, one of the specific principles taught by Jesus by which Christians practice their faith and claims that following Christ will "get you nothing."  He couldn't have made himself any clearer than that.  

For certain intruders have stolen in among you, people who long ago were designated for this condemnation as ungodly, who pervert the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.  Jude v. 4

The Apostle likens these "intruders" to the unbelievers among the Hebrews who rebelled against being led out of Egyptian captivity, and to Sodom and Gomorrah, indulging in immorality and pursuing their own lusts up to the point of judgment. And there are some parallels to Trumpism in those words as well. 

Yet in the same way, these dreamers also defile the flesh, reject authority, and slander the glorious ones...But these people slander whatever they do not understand and they are destroyed by those things that, like irrational animals, they know by instinct.  Woe to them!  For they go the way of Cain, and abandon themselves to Balaam's error for the sake of gain and perish in Korah's rebellion.  Jude v. 8, I0, II

There are  two Old Testament examples included as references for Jude's readers, who were most likely Jewish Christians.  Balaam's error was the use of sexual immorality and food sacrificed to idols in order to subvert the will of God for the people of Israel.  Korah's rebellion was a group of Israelites who, once out in the desert as they were escaping Egyptian slavery, decided that going back to slavery was better than dying in the desert and rebelled against Moses' leadership.  They are examples of people who infiltrated the nation of Israel with the intention of getting people to commit to and support a cause that went against leaders who were under God's authority. And those ancient examples are excellent illustrations of what is happening to many Christian churches and groups being influenced by Trumpism and the MAGA movement.  

These are grumblers and malcontents; they indulge their own lusts; they are bombastic in speech, flattering people to their own advantage.  Jude v. 16 

(The boldfaced emphasis in these scripture quotations are mine.) 

Wake Up and Strengthen What Remains

Wake up and strengthen what remains and is at the point of death, for I have not found your works perfect in the sight of my God.  Remember then what you received and heard: obey it and repent.  If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come to you. Revelation 3:2-3

This is not a prophecy, but it is a prophetic warning.  It is very clear that a segment of the Evangelical church has been infiltrated by evil people who are attempting to subvert its gospel message and its mission and purpose for their own political gain.  They are characterized by everything I have cited in these scripture verses here.  They are divisive, and are using temptations of money and the desire for worldly power as the means of enticing people and infiltrating the church.  This alone is antithetical to the gospel of Christ.  

They flaunt their immorality.  Who, among those who consistently push Trumpism, including Trump himself, his older sons, and his sycophants are not deeply involved in deception and lying, and engaged in an openly corrupt and immoral lifestyle, including adultery and sexual immorality?  There is no expressed belief in God, no knowledge of Christian theology or doctrine and no connection to any Christian church.  How is it that these people have gained standing and are now deceiving and perverting churches and denominations for their own political purposes?  

And how is it that leaders among Evangelical Christians have failed to acknowledge these obvious intruders, called them out, protected their churches from their philosophical, intellectual and spiritual harm and have given them a platform to preach their divisive, destructive politics and to use the church's influence to support them?  Could it be that many of them, in this age of mega-churches, big money and powerful influence, have been deceived themselves, or worse, are themselves focused on protecting the power and wealth they have acquired from the church?  I think that has much more to do with allowing the anti-Christian message of Trumpism to sneak in than the debate over abortion rights.  Trump only cares about that because it gets him votes.  And they are using that as an excuse to get past his immorality and his denial of Christ and his teaching.

And could it be that what we are now seeing transpire among American Evangelicals is the beginning of the "angel coming like a thief"?  Sex abuse scandals are running rampant in Evangelical churches, among pastors and church leaders.  Look at the list of megachurches and denominations where pastors and leaders have had to step down because of an immoral, marriage-violating relationship.  It is an epidemic, as bad as anything that happened in the Catholic church, and it provides evidence of the deception that is occurring in the churches.  Evangelistic activity is at an all-time low, membership is rapidly declining, downsizing is a common activity in megachurches, and in denominations and there are high profile lawsuits and legal battles over leadership positions.  

This is not prophecy, in that it is not specific to the present infiltration and subversion of some segments of the Christian church by Trumpism.  But these words are prophetic in that they are an accurate description of what is happening and they are an example which explains and characterizes what has been happening in some segments of American Christianity.  Christ did not establish the church to be used by the state as a means of holding power, or by politicians as an arm or branch of a political party.  Don Jr.'s words claiming that a core teaching of Jesus "gets us nothing" are antichristian. There are many who have been deceived by this antichrist and who are blinded by their own prejudices and biases, and by their own ambitions. 

Wake up and repent.  You've been warned.

 

Another Win for the Biden Administration and for America

US Economic Growth Surpasses China for the First Time Since 1976 

In spite of the fact that the Chinese government is subsidizing and attempting to stimulate the economy with various measures, the United States will see greater economic growth this year, for the first time since 1976.  Coming during a mid-term election year, and remembering James Carville's election predicting advice, "It's the economy, stupid," this is good news.  I know that policy and economic news doesn't always overcome the sensationalism of social issues and the repetitive loop of cable news themes pounded over and over, but there are people who pay attention to this.  

Anyone who is paying attention will take note of the fact that this negates all of Trump's bombast about economic progress "never seen before in history."  Well, he was a liar and his facts were skewed, but the economy under Biden has passed his benchmarks in both economic growth and job growth, with unemployment also being lower than we've seen it in five decades, including at any time under the failed former President 45. 

But, Mr. Carville, Are People as Focused on the Economy as They Were Two Decades Back? 

I observed individuals who paid more taxes on their income under former President 45 than they did under President Obama try to come up with a convoluted and complicated explanation as to why they were "better off" doing that.  They knew their tax bill, on less income than they made in 2016, was higher by several percentage points, mainly because the exemptions were removed.  But they had found someone who explained it all away by saying that the actual tax rate they were paying was lower by about a percentage point.  But, because they lost several thousand dollars of deduction, their taxable income was higher.  Somehow, to them, that meant they were paying lower taxes.  

Well, OK.  And that's the same kind of thing with the economy.  Somehow, even though things are better and the economy is strong and productive and the only reason for not having a job is not wanting one, things are worse.  Granted, there's an inflation problem, though unregulated businesses who can gouge customers under false pretenses is a major contributor to that problem, politics has become so intense that people lose the ability to think rationally.  

Almost Halfway Through Year Two

We're not quite halfway through year two of the Biden Administration and the list of accomplishments and achievements is far longer, and much more stabilizing and beneficial, than anything we saw between January 20, 2017 and January 20, 2021.  Though there's a fascist movement in one of our political parties that is using false pretenses to restrict citizens access to the ballot box, and is a genuine threat to our constitutional democracy, and to the very core values of our nation, we have people in charge who are competent, experienced and know what they're doing and a President who allows them to do their job.  

As an American citizen, I am free.  What freedoms has any American lost because of anything that the current administration has done?  Attempts by the Republican party, and restrictions and laws they've passed mean that I pay a fortune for medical insurance, prescription drugs and health care, and their refusal to permit regulatory authority means I'm paying a fortune at the gas pump, most of which is not "inflation" caused by increase costs at all, but which is massive profiteering going into the pockets of the oil companies.  Profits have soared, while the Biden administration reports that thousands of open drilling permits are going unused, so it is not the energy policy of this President that is causing these high gas prices, it is greed and the refusal of Republicans to hold oil companies accountable.

But there is nothing the Biden administration has done, or the Obama administration before this, that had interfered with a single individual freedom that I have.  The interference with personal liberty that is occurring or planned is coming from the conservative far right. They want to restrict my right to vote and take away the effect of my ballot.  They want the power to ignore election results based on false, unprovable claims of "fraud."  They want to eliminate their accountability to the people.  

What's Not to Like?  

I haven't done any research, but I'd be willing to bet that the polling data generating the lower numbers of President Biden's job approval comes from sources funded by conservatives, or are made up of conservative pollsters.  YouGov polls state that "live results" are not conclusive, but I've participated in several of their polls, and at least one MSN online poll where a majority of the respondents, over 50%, had indicated they either approved, or strongly approved, of the President's job performance.  

And while we are experiencing inflation, some for reasons that can be identified, some because our businesses in this country know how to profiteer off of the news cycle, the administration is being as proactive as it can, far more than any GOP administration would ever try.  I recall, the last time we had a spike in gas prices, during the previous failed administration of former President 45, a spokesperson from his Department of Commerce made the statement that "The President doesn't have any control over the price of gas, that's regulated on a global market."  

What's not to approve?  There's the economy.  There's the outstanding manner in which the President is handling the situation with the Ukraine war, and most Americans, instead of following the conservative favoritism for Russia and Putin, would like to see the US do more to help Ukraine, not less.  I have absolutely no doubt that any GOP administration would have done absolutely nothing to alleviate the baby formula shortage, since their view is "let the market control it."  And because no Republican administration has ever bothered to do anything like that.  A

And, oh, by the way, when I calculated my taxes this past spring, I paid less tax on a little more income than I did in 2020.  

New Tim Ryan for Senate Ad is Exactly What Democrats Need Across the Board

 Tim Ryan Ad Targets Vance Connection to MTG

Marjorie Taylor Green might have won a conservative congressional district in the deep South, in Georgia, but Tim Ryan is banking on the fact that her conspiracy theories and her nutcase politics won't play well in Cleveland, or Columbus or Cincinnati or Akron.  Or Zanesville. 

And I'm fairly certain that they won't.  

Oh, I am sure there are plenty of Ohioans who buy into everything that Greene thinks represents the real world.  It's a poison that a lot of people can't seem to resist the temptation to ingest, and just because you live in Ohio doesn't mean you aren't susceptible to being gullible or ignorant.  But Ohioans don't see all of the things she does or says, especially the extremist rhetoric based on conspiracy theories that can't be reconciled with any existing or known fact.  I knew she was a nutcase lunatic, but some of what he features in his commercial is as bad and as crazy as anything she says.  And playing, and replaying, Vance's endorsement and approval of her is a great way to help people make the connection. 

I've been pretty shocked at the number of Americans who have no clue about constitutional democracy, how their government works, what's in the constitution, or that the President and his energy policy have no control over the price of gasoline regulated in a global market of supply and demand.  And I'm also shocked that in the midst of prosperity, and abundant, free public education the number of people who buy into these crazy, lunatic conspiracy theories is as high as it is.  More than international academic assessments, this fact is a testimony to the failure of American public education.  Isn't one of the goals of a tax supported educational system an educated and informed electorate to preserve democracy?  

But I think countering those social agendas by tackling them directly, rather than debating policy and political experience, is the way to beat the fascist Trumpies at the polls.  And take down some Republicans as well.  

An Evangelical Epiphany? 

Greene is an Evangelical, and a member of North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, Georgia, a non-denominational church considered "moderate" in the Evangelical theological spectrum.  I don't have any information on how involved she is there, how much she attends or anything like that, but her conspiracy theories are out of step with the image that the congregation projects.  It is getting more difficult for some Evangelicals to reconcile extremist views that clearly subvert their theology and there is evidence, plenty of it, that members are leaving churches where right wing politics has been made indistinguishable from doctrine.  

I've seen tweets and other posts on social media, featuring some of MTG's more extreme, paranoid conspiracy remarks and some of her bigotry and white supremacist rhetoric draw a variety of comments from Evangelicals.  It's hard to claim that she didn't say or write something she takes direct credit for doing.  Threads either get down to the "lesser of two evils" discussion, or people just quietly stop posting, not wanting to face the very ugly truth.  There are those within the white, Evangelical community who are genuinely committed to their faith, and can see when something has crept in and displaced the Christian gospel with political rhetoric. Having an organized effort by Democrats across the board, linking other Maga flag-waving candidates to these extremists will have a positive effect on election outcomes. 

There are some hard realities being faced by Evangelical Christians these days.  Attendance in the churches fell off drastically during COVID, and in spite of lifting of restrictions, even in some of the more conservative states where the rhetoric was extreme against vaccines and masks, it has not recovered.  Even though they were denying it during the height of the pandemic, COVID, not the intrusion of secular politics and the watering down of the Christian gospel, is now the culprit to explain the decline.  

But collectively, church membership among those churches and denominations that identify as Evangelical, and are predominantly white, has dropped considerably as well, and was doing so well before COVID came along.  The number of self-identified Evangelicals fell 18% between the 2010 and 2020 census.  Both the census, and at least one religious survey, found that while both mainline Protestant denominations and Evangelicals are declining, there are now more members and worshippers in mainline churches than in Evangelical congregations, for the first time in fifty years.  

The Southern Baptist Convention, which is the largest Evangelical denomination in the United States, just a week ago reported a membership loss of over 400,000 in just the past year.  COVID accounts for attendance decline, but not for people who have resigned or left the membership of their church. Something else is causing that, and I think it's the recognition by some church members that their church has become a political cult. And there are some votes to be gained out of that group of people.  Just 50,000 could make a major difference.

Run With Ryan's Idea

I'd like to see a lot of Democrats take this idea and literally run with it.  The crazy, paranoid and ridiculous conspiracy theories, the racism, the outright lies and the connections to an effort to pull a coup are all much better at getting votes than arguing that Democrats have better policies and plans.  We do that as well, but its sound-byte sensationalism that seems to get votes.  So why not take advantage of that, follow Tim Ryan's model here and watch what happens.  

Barnette Loses Pennsylvania Senate Primary and Says She Will Not Support Either McCormick or Oz

Barnette Blames Hannity for Loss; Declares She Will Not Support Either Potential GOP Nominee

John Fetterman's chances of flipping Pat Toomey's senate seat to the Democratic party just got even greater the day after the primary as Kathy Barnette, who finished third on the GOP side, declared she would not support either of the other Republican candidates who are waiting on the results of a statewide recount to find out if they are the Republican nominee.  

When Fetterman became the Democratic nominee, the Cook Political Report moved the race from the "toss up" category to "leans Democrat."  How much influence Barnette has over those who supported her remains to be seen, but there will be some fallout from her rhetoric.  But if people have seen her, believe her and trust her enough to vote for her, wouldn't some of them decide that they wouldn't vote for any of her former contenders?  In Pennsylvania statewide races, Republicans can't afford to lose even a small part of their base, and they can't win without independent support.  

From Birds of a Feather to a Falling Out Among Thieves

What a wonderful thing it is to see a bona fide extremist right winger go after Sean Hannity following a primary election loss.  That kind of honesty from a right wing extremist is rare.  Of course she's just resentful and angry that Hannity didn't take her side and in spite of the fact that she, Hannity, McCormick and Oz are not all that far apart in their extremist views.  But, here we have a right wing extremist whose words and actions post-election are publicly questioning Hannity's credibility and refusing to support the party's nominee, including the former failed President 45's hand-picked endorsement.  That's quite a wide crack in Republican la-la land.  

With Fetterman secure, by a wide margin, in the Democratic party, and favored to win in a state that has only been close for the GOP in statewide races once in the past four election cycles, Barnette's little temper tantrum is a big threat to whichever Republican winds up being the nominee.  And the longer it takes to count the ballots, and recount, since it will likely be well within the margin to trigger that, the longer it will be before the party leadership can bring about damage control.  She's still kicking and screaming today on social media and getting some press attention.  

So Kathy Barnette may actually wind up doing something positive and contributing to the safety of American democracy after all.  Who'd have ever thought that was possible? 

Failed President 45's Actions Tell Americans He Lied About Voter Fraud in 2020

Former failed President 45, who made a huge deal out of endorsing Dr. Mehmet Oz, and whose ego is taking a major beating over the fact that many of his endorsed candidates are losers, and that this race is too close to call and his endorsee could barely get past the 30% threshold, couldn't hold it in any longer.  I knew, somewhere, somehow, some stupid jackass Republican would try to explain away their defeat by claiming voter fraud.  As it turns out, that jackass is the former President 45 himself. 

Barely a month into primary season, and FP  45 is pushing the voter fraud narrative again.  Does he, in his blind rage, realize that he is not accusing Democrats this time around, but is undermining his own party?  He's accusing another election denier of trying to steal an election because of mail-in ballots cast by Republican voters.  Even among right wing Republicans, that's going to cause some real credibility questions and along with Barnette's refusal to endorse the winner of the GOP primary, will discourage a lot of Republican supporters of both McCormick and Barnette from voting in November.  

Religious bigotry runs high among conservative Republicans in rural Pennsylvania, whose dislike for Oz was openly expressed  by booing him at a rally with FP 45, where a real "crowd" never actually materialized.  Oz isn't really a Pennsylvania resident, but actually lives in New Jersey, and while rural conservatives who live for daytime television generally like his controversial "alternative medicine" quackery, none of that has much appeal among independents.  

With this development from the former President, though, I'm not sure whether Oz or McCormick would be the weaker candidate.  If McCormick wins, a lot of Trumpies will see voting for him as being disloyal to Trump, and their loyalty belongs to the failed former President, not the GOP.  If Oz wins, religious bigotry and hatred for Muslims will cancel out a lot of Republican votes.  Fetterman and Josh Shapiro, who is the popular Democratic nominee for Governor, are a formidable political force in a state where there are a million more registered Democrats than Republicans and a GOP victory depends on getting a super majority of independent voters.  This wonderful, lovely fight will keep some Republicans at home, and convince most independents to support the Democrats.  

Note:  The author was a resident of, and voter in Pennsylvania when Fetterman was originally elected to his current state post.  His comments include his previous experience as a resident of rural, Western Pennsylvania.

Time For Democrats to Get With the Times

Where are the local candidates for school boards, county election boards, city councils, and county boards of supervisors?  Why are we letting Republicans have positions that have the potential to nullify votes and overturn elections that they have trouble winning?  This has become their strategy, along with gerrymandering, making false claims of election "fraud" and demanding that partisan nut jobs be allowed to conduct audits and mess with vote counting machines.  

It's no longer politics as usual.  We can't keep doing the same thing, hoping to turn people out to vote and that they will listen to the issues and we'll keep a majority.  It is time to turn the tables, throw a fit and claim back territory that has been given up which, if the minority keeps it, will lead to the loss of our democracy.  

Democrats have to start taking the conservative social agenda seriously.  We're not talking about a fringe of extremists.  We just had an eighteen year old white supremacist plan and conduct a mass shooting in a supermarket in a predominantly black neighborhood three hours from his home because he believes white people are being "replaced" by black people, instigated by the Jews, for their own purposes.  And a significant percentage of those who self identify as Republicans, 50% of them, claim they believe what he stated in his "manifesto."  We can't be policy wonks, arguing the lack of virtue or idiocy of such an idea. We have to use the tools we have at hand to take any kind of political power out of the hands of people like that.  

When was the last time you went to a protest at a Trump rally?  

Unify Behind a Common Cause

Democrats need to stop messing around over petty issues.  The Republicans are doing their dead level best to drive a wedge into the supposed gap that separates progressives from the rest of the Democratic party.  There is one common cause right now and that is winning enough mid-term elections to keep the Democrats in power in Washington.  We need to add three or four senate seats and maybe 15 more house seats to make it work.  Whatever it takes to win in 2022 needs to be done.  

Every Democratic constituency needs to turn out.  There's no excuse for African Americans to hold back this time around, because they have been the constituency that has been attacked the most from the extremist right.  Seven percent of the black vote stayed home in 2016.  Just one percent more in three states would have made the difference in 2016.  The Latino activists need to take advantage of candidates they have running on the ballot in several states, including Texas and Arizona.  It's the Latino vote in Arizona that succeeded in ousting notorious bigot Joe Arpaio from the Maricopa County Sheriff's office, and in electing Mark Kelly and getting Biden Arizona's 11 electoral votes in 2020. 

Get over the inflation issue.  In perspective, it's just not that important.  Bigger things are at stake. Democrats have some waves to ride into 2022 that have been productive gifts and should continue to be productive into election season.  There's the hearings on the January 6th insurrection.  There are some ways to cash in on that which should motivate a lot of votes come November.  There's the fact that many Republicans are dragging their heels on aid to Ukraine, and there are Republicans who just can't bring themselves to be critical of Putin.  And there's the gift that keeps on giving, the attacks on Roe v. Wade.  Every single one of these issues gets favorable polling above 60%.  

Go There!

I have recently discovered just how much fun it is to engage on social media and "own me some conservatives."  A couple of things have resulted from doing this.  One, Democrats come out of the woodwork.  There have been times when I thought I was the only political liberal in a particular thread or discussion when all of a sudden, I start seeing posts picking up my themes and beating people over the head with them, figuratively, of course.  There's been a sudden surge in hits on this blog, accompanied by comments which I delightfully delete, except for the few that follow my rules.  

And--this may sound a bit arrogant, but I don't really care--I've discovered that a lot of Trumpies and right wing extremists do not have strong English language skills.  With a minor in English and some training and experience in Journalism, it is fun to rip apart arguments not only with facts, but correcting and pointing out the horrible grammar and spelling that is common to conservatives.  I'm not rude, just annoying.  And it is fun to see the response and know that you achieved your objective of getting under their skin. 

Republicans have taken a real liking to AM talk radio.  Call-in shows are the most fun because once they engage you in conversation, they can't cut you off without looking bad.  In larger markets, talk radio has devices, like 10 second delays and the ability to cut you off if they don't like where you're going.  National network programs are very hard to get into, and they have tactics to cut off callers who aren't with their agenda.  But some small town stations with some local talk programs, which also get political in nature, don't have either the sophisticated equipment or the ability to cut you off as quickly as they'd like.  I find some small town AM radio station with a local talk show that broadcasts on line, do a little research, find out what they're talking about and call in.  

Show up at school board meetings and city council meetings and when the conversation gets around to some kind of conservative social agenda issue, speak up.  Follow the rules for addressing the group, but don't let that conspiracy theory or Trumpie talk go unchallenged.  I've actually had a school board president, weary with the conservative jabber that goes on in their meetings, thank me for coming and for stepping up to the mike and challenging the falsehoods, lies and conspiracy theories with facts.  Come prepared.  If you do a little research ahead of time you can find out what cause the conservatives are harping on and gather some facts to refute whatever they say.  

Vote!  Straight Ticket Democrat if They Let You

In some states, they have a tactic of alternating names on the ballot so that you have to look at each name to see their political affiliation, and each line is different.  Others simply let you cast a vote in one box for straight ticket Democrat. I prefer that method, since it takes just a few seconds, the outcome would be no different if I stood and marked each box, and I can make the point with the people who are either in line or who work the polls with my "Voting Democrat" button that I pull out after I vote. 

It is no longer business as usual.  Democrats need to change methods with the times and go head to head against the ignorance and bigotry of the right.  Don't give an inch and while some Democrats may be uncomfortable with some of the tactics, remember that this is being done to preserve democracy, or the freedom to do it might not exist.