Turning Point Contributes to Conservative Faction in the Southern Baptist Convention
It should not come as a surprise that a far right, religious based political front operating as a pro-Trump PAC is providing financial support for a faction in the Southern Baptist Convention that is attempting to gain control of the denomination's leadership positions and its entities. Turning Point, led by a MAGA operative by the name of Charlie Kirk, is a political arm of the Trump campaign, aimed at religious conservatives.
The Conservative Baptist Network, known as CBN, formed within the Southern Baptist Convention with the announced intention of working to gain control of the executive committee, trustee boards and officer positions of the Southern Baptist Convention. The claimed motivation is based on their perception that the denomination is once again drifting into the wilderness of liberalism, based on their disagreement with its choice of leadership, specifically because one of the "architects" of the "Conservative Resurgence" in the convention, a movement which began a takeover effort in 1979, was fired for dereliction of duty from his position as president of one of the SBC's six seminaries, which he named and received as a reward for his political efforts.
They were also upset that the convention rejected an attempt to bring a very slanted, misinformed, inaccurate resolution on Critical Race Theory, written by an outside political faction. The resolution contained false assertions, misconceptions and errors in stating its case against Critical Race Theory. It was headed off by two black pastors serving on the resolutions committee who saw that, if passed, would be a major embarrassment to the convention, the propagation of a lie by a Christian denomination. And they were upset that the executive director of their Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, being consistent with the use of the word "ethics", was openly opposed to the candidacy and presidency of Trump. Aside from the fact that he was a staunch doctrinal and theological conservative, and had more knowledge of historic Baptist positions on separation of church and state than any of his critics, they could not stomach the spokesperson for their denomination being opposed to a man who exhibited none of the characteristics of a Christian life or walk.
All of that, they insist, are signs that the convention is becoming "woke," so they organized a faction, complete with a board and officers, because among Southern Baptists, nothing can be achieved until it is made clear who the prominent and important people are, and set out to raise money in order to get their candidate elected president of the convention. It could be argued, in a denomination where membership and attendance is on the decline, and funds are becoming more and more scarce for missionary and evangelistic ministry, that the last thing they need is to put money into a political campaign, including flying their candidate around to various rallies and gatherings. They have failed to get any of their candidates elected to any of the officer positions in the SBC, even the ones that have no real power other than organizing an annual meeting of their group.
Though they vehemently deny they are really Trump campaign advocates within the denomination, which is exactly what they are, it is clear there are plenty of connections. The resolution on Critical Race Theory that came into the convention in 2019, before it was modified significantly and passed reluctantly, came through members of CBN who were serving as messengers, getting it from a far right political action group, none other than Turning Point U.S.A. It was originally introduced by a California pastor with connections to the Falwells and Liberty University.
There's a Whole Lot of Irony Here, and Even More Hypocrisy
The aim of the CBN, at least, what they claim they are seeking, is doctrinal purity for the Southern Baptist Convention. These are individuals who claim they believe in the inerrancy and infallibility of the Bible, and who are so certain that their way of interpreting the Bible is the right way to interpret it that they support the removal of churches from cooperation with the SBC if they have women on their staff who serve in any role labelled as a pastor.
You'd think that if they are that doctrinaire and narrow in their beliefs, they would be more careful in making sure that groups with which they associate, and which help them advance their cause by giving them money, are in agreement with their own convictions. But they've accepted at least $50,000 in support from Turning Point U.S.A., in spite of the fact that there are serious differences of interpretation and opinion between Charlie Kirk, its executive director, and the CBN's stated views. Kirk, in fact, would be pretty close to being a heretical apostate, in the view of CBN, if he weren't a major MAGA Pac.
So CBN stands behind kicking out Southern Baptist churches that don't see eye to eye with them on women in the pastorate, but they take money from Turning Point, with whom their agreement is almost exclusively political, and even at that, ignores morals and ethics.
It was at a Turning Point rally in Phoenix last year that Don Junior made a speaking appearance, and as he stuttered and bumbled his way through the address, told those gathered there that following the teachings of Jesus and his gospel wouldn't get them anywhere in this world. Jesus was too much about turning the other cheek, and loving his enemies, and Don Junior said that he sort of understood that, but that was probably the reason why Christians were not getting anywhere in this world anymore.
And CBN is fine with that, but not with a convention that wants to be honest and tell the truth in the resolutions that it passes.
Truth Exposed
So CBN is really just a MAGA group within the Southern Baptist Convention. How does that old saying go, if it looks like a duck and it quacks like a duck........?
"Just wait," CBN's leaders said, after losing votes in Anaheim at last years SBC annual meeting. "Next year we will be in New Orleans and that will be a lot closer to our territory. We'll have the votes to win when we get there."
And so, the current SBC president, Bart Barber, who ran against Mike Stone, the Georgia pastor who was the CBN candidate, won re-election by a two to one margin on their turf, in New Orleans, earlier this month. CBN's vote totals have been smaller each year since they have been organized and have announced a candidate. That's good for Southern Baptists, in keeping their denomination out of the hands of leadership that are only interested in using it for political purposes and financial gain.
But it should be disturbing to Evangelical Christians everywhere in America, seeing that secular politics under Trump is working to subvert churches and denominations, turning them away from their Christian mission and purpose, and from the gospel of Jesus, and into political action committees devoid of spiritual authority and power, and full of poisoned heresy.
The Apostle Jude warned the early Christians of such kinds of intrusions. These are good words to remember today.
For certain intruders have stolen in among you, people who, long ago were destined for this condemnation as ungodly, who pervert the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only master and Lord, Jesus Christ. V. 4
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