Four months ago, California Governor Gavin Newsome put up a series of billboards across the country, targeting states where abortion is illegal or severely restricted and urging them to come to his state to get an abortion, blasphemously quoting a bible verse for good measure.
Now, a coalition of pro-life groups has put up their own billboards in the same location as those were, targeting the same people who might have seen them and urging them to save sex for marriage and to “plan your future, not your abortion.” The website links to abortionlessfuture.com, which gives information on access and locations of crisis pregnancy centers.
Newly-elected Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-MI) quotes scripture to defend the practice of child sacrifice in pursuit of prosperity during a House floor speech on January 11, 2023. Scholten has served as a DEACON in a Christian Reformed Church (CRCNA), LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, and her husband is a professor at Calvin University, which is affiliated with the denomination.
Madame Speaker, I rise today in support of parental and maternal rights and in opposition to H.R 26. I’m the first mother in history to represent West Michigan in Congress. This matter is deeply personal to me. I recently shared publicly about my own experience navigating a complex miscarriage and the loss of my daughter.
As a pro-choice Christian who chose life, this issue is so personal to me. My faith informs my actions, but it doesn’t dictate the policy of an entire nation. And further, when I read the scripture, I turn to passages and I’m guided by passages like Jeremiah 1 verses [sic] 5, which states: “I knew you before I formed you, and I placed you in your mother’s womb.” Doesn’t say the government’s womb or the Speaker’s womb. It says the mother’s womb.
I believe life is precious, but I reject the idea that if I embrace the sanctity of life, I also must be forced to invite the federal government in to regulate it. We must protect families from unnecessary government intrusion into the most sacred and personal decisions of our lives.
h/to @WokepreacherTV for basically this whole post, as it’s cribbed directly from his YT page. Also, unsurprisingly, she’s also LGBTQ-affirming. She’s not a Christian at all, and her church is cowardly for not excommunicating her and handing her over to Satan.
In a newly unearthed clip from October 2021, Todd explains that he hates studying and doing sermon prep, but will do so for his whole life because he has a “vision” from God.
Vision eliminates excuses. When you get a vision, excuses become irrelevant. I do tons of stuff I don’t like doing because of the vision that God’s given me. Can I be HOT with ya’ll? Humble, open, transparent? I don’t like studying to preach every Sunday. It is tedious work for me. I start on Wednesday, to get to Sunday, and I’m working on Thursday, and on Friday, and on Saturday, and I’m tweaking up until 30 minutes before service on Sunday. Every week.
I hate it. But I will do it for the rest of my life. Why? Because of the vision God has given me. I don’t have an excuse when God gives me vision. And this is why your excuses are louder than your production. It’s because you don’t have a vision. But let’s eliminate excuses by doing what? Getting a vision.
Mike Todd says he hates doing sermon prep "I don't like studying to preach every Sunday."
The fact that Todd doesn’t like studying to preach every Sunday is evident, as his sermons are generally terrible and have so little scripture or exegesis in them. What is shocking more than anything is his claim that he spends four days crafting them, as a braindead monkey with a pen taped to its hand and Chick Tract in the other could write a better sermon than he could.
While on occasion the research that goes into sermon prep can be a chore, by and large, it should be a joy and a desire to study the word of God and then bring it before the congregation. The fact that Todd finds this so tiresome and bothersome demonstrates that he’s not equipped for this even a bit.
h/t Kdubtru. For a longer commentary on this clip, watch this vid:
(Ministry Watch) A pro-life pregnancy center firebombed last June in Buffalo, New York, has decided to conduct its own investigation into the violence.
CompassCare, a ministry to women in crisis pregnancies that has been operating since 1980, incurred over $500,000 in damage to its facility due to the violence. Services continued in an alternate location while the center was being repaired, but it took 52 days to rebuild the firebombed center, its president Jim Harden said.
The center has received little help from local, state, and federal law enforcement, Harden noted, so it will conduct its own investigation in conjunction with the Thomas More Society, a Roman Catholic public interest law firm in Chicago.
The goal of the investigation is to look at all violent events at pregnancy centers across the country, estimated to be 78, dig deeper, and find commonalities, Harden said. Then they will use the evidence found to file a civil suit.
Copeland is a blight on the church, and who better to be blight-buddies with than Bill Johnson, senior pastor of Bethel Church in Redding, California, who had him speak at their January 8 evening service?
Copeland was the guest speaker of honor, with Bethel leaders heaping praise on him,
Kris Vallotton: “I think it’s prophetic that Kenneth Copeland is here. Not just because of who he is, but because of the season he’s come in. I’ve been thinking about for the last month and a half that the righteous will live by faith. And here’s one of the fathers of the faith movement”
And
Bill Johnson “I mentioned this morning, in 2012, a prophet friend of mine sent me a word. And he said, in this word, the Lord was going to open up a connection, a thread of connection to Kenneth Copeland. And I was to pull the thread and something would open up for us as a family.
A few years ago, I had the privilege of joining our brother in his office, going through his ministry, spending time with him. He prayed for me and basically tackled me to the ground almost. And as the power and the love of God just overflowed my life, I’ve just been so marked by their whole team.
And then I had the great privilege of speaking at their Believer’s Convention here a couple of years ago, such a wonderful time. And I tell you what, I have just fallen in love with this man. I’m so thankful that we have the opportunity to receive a real believer, a believing believer, a man of genuine faith.
And I believe that God is going to release over us. In fact, that was the word I got in 2012, that there would be a specific release over this house. And I just feel like the luckiest guy on the planet to be able to say, here’s my friend, Kenneth Copeland to come to minister to us tonight. I’d like for you to welcome him.
What does it look like when arch-heretic Kenneth Copeland swings by to preach at Bill Johnson's Bethel church? This.
(The Dissenter) This is not satire, this actually happened. It is truly staggering and deeply concerning to hear the absurdity of the claims made by certain members of the Democratic party regarding the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. This legislation, passed by the Republican-led House of Representatives, mandates that every infant who survives an abortion must be immediately offered medical care in an attempt to save the child’s life.
However, Congressman Jerry Nadler from New York made the preposterous assertion that providing medical care to a child who has survived an abortion would somehow endanger their life. He stated that “the problem with this bill is that it endangers some infants by stating that that infant must immediately be brought to the hospital.” This claim is not only unfounded but also an insult to the value of human life and the sanctity of every individual’s right… to continue reading click here.
Editor’s Note. This article was written and published by the Dissenter.
On this episode of Protestia Tonight for January 11, 2023, we speak with Dr. Jared Moore about the evangelical compromise on so-called “SSA Christianity” and “Revoice theology,” discussing reasons why supposedly solid Christian ministers are faltering on the issue and how it relates to attractional, market-driven church methodology. The PT VIP (patron-only) portion of the show is included, where we continue the discussion and answer sincere questions on the SSA issue.
The Gospel Coalition’s resident ‘gaytheist’, Jackie Hill Perry, has renounced her former promotion of the Enneagram, writing that she now sees it as dangerous and “demonic” after studying it deeper. This newfound revelation contrasts sharply with many of her professing peers, including other TGC writers, who have praised it and previously promoted it.
I was really skeptical and have been for some years, when people were saying that the Enneagram was demonic. Because I do feel like sometimes people can be way too deep. But the Lord prompted me to study that thing for a good two days. Evil. And it ain’t even funny. Like, it’s legitimately doctrines of demons, divination, witchcraft.
And I just, I had no idea. No idea… Okay, so one of the dudes who was the originator of the contemporary understanding of Enneagram, as we know it, he said that he got his information about it through angelic visitation from a spirit or divine being named Metatron, which we know is a demon. And then the other guy who created the types. He said on YouTube, that he got his understanding of the wisdom of types through through automatic writing, which is a form of channeling spirits, where a demon basically guides your hand or guides your mind to help you write certain ideas. So when we say, Oh, I’m type one, type two, type three, whatever. We’re literally applying to our identity, the wisdom of demons. Like it, it’s literally that deep.
While this is a positive step away from one aberrant teaching, we hope that she continues the practice of reexamining and studying her beliefs so she realizes how much false teaching and demonic beliefs she still holds.
Bill Gothard is an American Christian minister and speaker who founded the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP) in 1961, a non-profit organization that teaches biblical principles for family, education, government, and business.
Popular with many conservative, IFB, and homeschool parents, he was perhaps best known for his Advanced Training Institute (ATI), a homeschooling program with a curriculum based on the Sermon on the Mount, and his strict teaching on proper Christian behavior, which focused on the importance of following biblical principles in all aspects of life, emphasizes the authority of the Bible, personal responsibility, and the concept of a biblical “chain of command.” For decades the organization put on conferences, training seminars, and published books, booklets, and other materials to promote its teachings.
In latter years, Gothard and the IBLP faced increasing pressure and scrutiny. Critics raised several concerns, including allegations of sexual misconduct, lack of transparency and accountability for abuse victims, cult-like practices, rigid gender roles, legalism, the promotion of cruel child-rearing practices, and suspect theological interrelations of the scripture. Former members have reported feeling isolated and controlled by the organization, and many have criticized IBLP’s teachings as being overly restrictive and rigid.
Some of the biggest proponents of the IBLP were Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, who many saw as the “face” of the teachings and spoke at their summer camp. Recently, their Jinger Duggar was sharply critical of the movement and how it impacted her upbringing, writing in her new book ‘Becoming Free Indeed’ that the practices of the IBLP were “built on rules, not God’s Word.”
In 2014, 34 women came forward with stories of sexual harassment and misconduct by Gothard, including 4 who allege molestation. This led to the resignation of several IBLP board members and his role at the organization. Several alleged victims soon filed a lawsuit against Bill Gothard and IBLP but withdrew it in 2018, citing complexities and the statute of limitations.
After the allegations were revealed, the Board released a statement saying:
Mr. Gothard has acted in an inappropriate manner, and the Board realizes the seriousness of his lack of discretion and failure to follow Christ’s example of being blameless and above reproach….At this time, the Board unanimously agrees that Mr. Gothard is not permitted to serve in any counseling, leadership, or Board role within the IBLP ministry.”
Since leaving, Gothard has been busy, hosting men’s gatherings in his home, writing several new books, and expanding EmbassyUniversity.com.
According to close friend Bob Cosby, a decorated army veteran, emergency department physician, and IBLP alumni, he has been in contact with Gothard, who told him his reinstatement to the IBLP is imminent, making the claim in a private Facebook group dedicated to supporting him.
Several weeks ago, TGC wrote Patrick Miller kicked up a bit of drama by criticizing Christianity Today for their top twenty most-read stores, as tracked by clicks and view count. He notes that the majority of them “center on celebrity-Christian-Drama” and wonders aloud about their strategy of generating revenue by feeding the outrage machine.
“Meanwhile in 2022 ad revenue appears to rely mostly on disrupting institutional trust in the church…CT seems fixated *not* on giving us a positive vision for Christianity tomorrow, but instead liquidating institutional trust, and building a platform off the sins of Christianity yesterday….When 15 of Christianity Today’s top 20 stories are scandals in the church, and NONE give us hopeful stories of the church… Well, you’ve made your brand and ad strategy clear.”
In response, Christianity Today CEO Timothy Dalrymple declined the asserted strategy, pointing out that they are accountable to their subscribers, not advertising dollars, which wouldn’t go to boost wages for their reporters anyway. He laments, “I wish our reporters were highly paid, but they’re not,” careful to note that they are “non-profit.”
While it is true that Christianity Today is a non-profit organization, their seeming appeal to poverty, exemplified by this status, is somewhat disingenuous, given information by their 990 tax records.
Christianity Today generated $10,073,165 in revenue in 2019 and paid $6,182,183 in salaries and compensation. While there is no indication of how much the reporters make, if they make anything at all, Dalrymple himself was paid $242,526 in total compensation, with other senior roles also being paid handsomely as well, ranging from $188,264 to $128,276. Not bad for a non-profit that apparently doesn’t pay their reporters.
Dalrymple says they are accountable to their subscribers and followers, but it is undeniable that advertising plays a huge role in their revenue, bringing in $2,685,549, which is their primary source of income and is more than their circulation fees or resource products.
We don’t begrudge anyone a wage or payment for their labor- far from it. Nor are we critical of any site that uses advertisement for revenue, as ours is frequently rife with them. But appealing to their non-profit status as a reflection of their poverty, or a defense of not “making a killing” through certain editorial tactics, does not follow. Neither does suggesting that if a third of their revenue were lost, it would have no impact on their executive compensation.
They released editorials calling Trump voters “jobless” and “uneducated,” with former Editor-in-Chief Mark Galli explaining that he didn’t even know any Trump Supporters. This was the same guy who was a dedicated Roman Catholic for the last two years of his tenure there, and no one there even cared.
