Three months ago Bethany Christian Services, the largest Christian adoption and foster agency in the United States revealed themselves to be treacherous twofold sons of hell after announcing they would be offering their adoption services to homosexual, lesbian, and transgendered couples.
In their annual report, Bethany explains that they have spent the last 2.5 years focusing on becoming “an anti-racist organization” that has required “intensive learning experiences for all staff on anti-racism principles.” (Translation: indoctrinated in Critical Race Theory.)
As a result, they have declared their opposition to the federal law, the Multi-Ethnic Placement Act (MEPA), which prohibits race from being a factor in adoption.
Being freshly trained in the ways of wokeness, they are now convinced that MEPA has contributed to “disparate outcomes for BIPOC children and families” and are urging that a child’s race be “considered as part of the best interests determination for child placement.” This is being done because allowing white families to adopt black children from the foster care system “can cause a lot of harm to children of color.”
In order to factor in the race quotient, they are putting a much stronger emphasis and consideration on “the cultural, ethnic, or racial background of the child and the capacity of the prospective foster or adoptive parent to meet the needs of a child of such background.”
The report concludes by saying they believe that the laws that say the adoption process should be “colorblind” are misguided, as it “prevents social workers from ensuring the protection and support of Black children’s cultural heritage and from assessing whether a family is ‘unqualified or unprepared’ to parent a child of another race.”
We said it last time and we’ll say it again; shame on them. May they cry out to God in repentance.
In a demonstration of how much they value racial diversity and inclusion, Columbia University is hosting a series of racially and sexually segregated graduation ceremonies for racial, sexual, and financial minorities.
While not replacing the general commencement, yet, these themed services will be given to the self-identifying in order to provide safe space and intimate setting so that they can “reflect on personal growth and community experiences that have impacted their time as students through to graduation.”
They explain on their website:
The university is breaking down the ceremony into the following categories,
Native Graduation: A graduation ceremony for Native Americans
Lavender Graduation: A graduation ceremony forLGBTQQIP2SAA+
Asian Graduation: A graduation ceremony for Asians
FLI Graduation: A graduation ceremony first-generation immigrants and low income students.
Latinx Graduation: A graduation ceremony is for Latinx students
Black Graduation: A graduation for Black folk.
There is no separate ceremonies for white students who aren’t queer or poor.
Racially and sexually segregated graduation ceremonies. One of the ‘best’ universities in the world. 2021.
At this time, it’s uncertain whether or not biracial or bisexual students will be able to attend the ceremony of choice, or whether they would have to attend the one that most closely reflects their skin color or sexual orientation.
In a recently unearthed sermon clip from 2018, SBC Pastor and former International Mission Board President David Platt described how because he has white skin, he has blind spots when teaching the scriptures.
Platt was last seen telling congregation members if they were upset and contemplating breaking fellowship with other congregants who were promoting, working for, or voting for the pro-baby-killing Democratic party, then perhaps they should leave.
In this clip, however, he describes himself as “part of the problem” of racial injustice. Platt earnestly vows to teach on issues in the bible pertinent to black congregation members too, and not just white members as perhaps he’s done in the past.
He condemns church growth ideology that says he should not speak on race issues and affirms that it’s important to declare that white people are part of the problem when it comes to those very issues. He says:
I want to sacrifice more of my preferences as a white pastor. I need to grow. And my laying aside of preferences for members of this body because I want Christ to be exalted through increasing diversity in our leadership and our membership.
On a related note, I do not want to speak from the bible on issues that are popular among white followers of Christ while staying silent in the bible on issues that are important to the non-white followers of Christ. That’s not faithful pastoring.
I actually read this week how studies have shown that white church leaders are less likely to speak and act prophetically on race issues because white church leaders have more to lose when they do. Basically, if you want to draw a crowd in general, stay away from racial issues.
And if you want to draw a crowd of white people or black people or this type of person or that type of person then stay away from saying any one of those types of people is part of the problem on racial issues.
Because the reality is many people mainly want to be comforted when they come to church, and as people, we’re naturally drawn to that which brings the most benefit with the least cost.
So if you give people a choice between the church of comfort and the church of comfort but you need to make sacrifices to charge your life, people will choose the church of comfort most every time. Which is why we’ve designed so much of the church culture the way we have today.
It’s why we’re so prone not to talk about issues that are uncomfortable to us and I just want to see the bible doesn’t give us that option. Like Amos 5 doesn’t give us that option. We cannot truly worship God while we stay silent on injustice in all kinds of areas.
And I know as a white pastor I have blind spots. So I am part of the problem. I need friends and fellow pastors around me from different ethnicities who help me see those blind spots.
And I’m committed to listening and learning and loving- laying aside whatever contemporary church growth methodology says the best way to grow the church. I ignore the issues. I want to do the exact opposite. I want us to hear God’s word clearly on these issues and then we can trust him with the growth of this church.
David Platt is right about one thing: he is a part of the problem, but not in the way he thinks.
Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church has invited “African American and/or Black Members” and their spouses of any ethnicity to attend a special gathering with racial trauma experts, with non-spousal white church members asked to pray for the event but to stay away.
Warren sent the invite out to members, informing them that “We don’t want to be a church that just talks about love, that just studies love, that just defines love, that just prays about love. It’s not enough to just say we love people. We have to show love.“
With Saddleback’s many campuses still closed and with no plans to reopen any time soon (the opposite of loving people in their church), the special gathering is happening via Zoom and is virtually hosted by Pastor Anthony Miller and Dr. Anita Phillips.
Miller is the communications pastor at Saddleback, and Phillips is the Trauma-expert. As one might expect, Phillips is a theological mess and deeply compromised. She promotes and partners with Trinity-denying Heretic TD Jakes, retweeting out his material and being a speaker at his “Woman Thou Are Loosed” masterclass. When she’s not doing that, she’s hosting In the Light Podcast, which is a smorgasbord of divisive, gospel-redefining critical race theory talking points. The announcement continues:
Our worship team has also arranged a one-of-a-kind gospel experience. We want this to be a safe space for our Black brothers and sisters to heal and be fed mentally, emotionally, and spiritually by their church family heading into the new year…
Worshipping next to a person with white skin is not safe? Congregational worship is nothealing or edifying when there is white folk around? What fresh hell is this? Does Saddleback believe white brothers and sisters are giving black members the heebie-jeebies because of their melanin?
Furthermore, keep in mind this is a Zoom call. No one is even in the same room. This is some next-level divisiveness that the church is facilitating black members needing a virtual “safe space” to have their “gospel experience” so that they can “heal” away from the lighter-skinned congregants.” God forbid there might be white members sharing bandwidth with black members and streaming the same thing.
Notice also how Saddleback singles out “African American” members as privy to this evening of racial healing and that other “persons of color” like Asians, Hispanics, and Latinos will have to content themselves with staying away from this blacks-only service and hanging out with the whities in prayer? To wit:
For everyone else in our church family, I invite you to pray that God will use this night to begin the healing process that leads to true fellowship in our church family, and that God will begin the ministry of reconciliation in all of us as we head into new waters in the new year.
True fellowship and reconciliation do not occur within a body by having a “Blacks-only service,” or a “Latino-only service,” or a “Whites-only service.”
Rather, true fellowship occurs when you denounce these hellish, racist, race-baiting filthy rags as satan-stained damnable doctrine and instead have every tongue, tribe, and nation worship together as one in Jesus Christ, irrespective of race, gender, age, socioeconomic status, or any other artificial divider the world might think up.
Dear Saddleback Family,
We don’t want to be a church that just talks about love, that just studies love, that just defines love, that just prays about love. It’s not enough to just say we love people. We have to show love.
I can’t wait to share with you my vision for next year, and how we’re going to continue loving and serving people who are in pain. But right now, before the year is over, we’re starting with our Black brothers and sisters.
So if you are an African American and/or Black member of Saddleback (and spouses, no matter your ethnicity), you are invited to a special Zoom gathering Monday night December 14, at 6:00 PM with me, Pastor Anthony Miller, and Dr. Anita Phillips, racial-trauma expert and host of the In the Light podcast. Our worship team has also arranged a one-of-a-kind gospel experience. We want this to be a safe space for our Black brothers and sisters to heal and be fed mentally, emotionally, and spiritually by their church family heading into the new year. Click here to register and receive the link.
For everyone else in our church family, I invite you to pray that God will use this night to begin the healing process that leads to true fellowship in our church family, and that God will begin the ministry of reconciliation in all of us as we head into new waters in the new year.
The Gospel Coalition’s Thabiti Anyabwile has criticized anyone upset over the ERLC’s recent Policy Director endorsing Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, calling them straight-up racists.
Steven Harris is the ERLC’s recent Policy Director in DC who worked with government leaders in the legislative and executive branches to advocate for the ERLC’s position on important issues while also analyzing legislation and producing content for ERLC outlets. He resigned from that position just recently, and has since joined up with a group called “Evangelicals for Biden” to endorse the Democratic candidate for President.
Harris was highly endorsed by Anyabwile, which led to him lashing out on social media at anyone who anyone criticizing his young endorsee.
Certain Voices in the SBC are intent on denigrating and vilifying any African American who dares think for themselves and who rejects Trump Worship and conscience-binding legalism of fundamentalist elements.
and
Until those voices are challenged and rejected, the SBC is doomed to its racist and racially intransigent past and culture.
and
It’s time to end the partisan and racist foolishness that blemishes the Church.
It is of note that Thabiti doesn’t name names and say exactly who are these overt racists who are specifically denigrating black folk who support Trump and “think for themselves.” He says “until those voices are challenged and rejected, the SBC is doomed to its racist and racially intransigent past and culture” but doesn’t give a list of examples of the racist elements that should be challenged. Which groups is he talking about? Which people are the racists?
Second, we at Protestia have no issue with someone who cannot vote for Trump due to conscience issues. That is completely fine and praiseworthy. It’s one thing to not vote for Trump, or to vote the third party or not at all; it is another to actively endorse Joe Biden, a vote which is really going to Kamala Harris who reigns queen over the democratic culture of death.
In Harris’s role with the ERLC, he was allegedly lobbying on behalf of “pro-life issues” and getting paid to do it from the Cooperative program. Now mere months later, in contradistinction to his earlier role, he is actively promoting these decrepit leaders who are entrenching and expanding access to these Mephistophelean evils, seeking to persuade other Christians to join him in lifting up the Democratic party and all the policy horrors that would come from that.
We don’t like that, and we’re racists because of it?
Thanks, Gospel Coalition, but we’re not buying what your race-baiting boys are selling.
Jemar Tisby, leader of the Witness Black Christian Collective, a group rife with pro-choice leaders and speakers which daily reminds us how little they actually care about race or justice given their blinding hypocrisy, has given us an idea of how long he believes pastors should cease and desist from their “regularly scheduled programming'” and drag their congregations through the seven circles of hell in order for them to become sufficiently woke and versed in the ways of Critical Race Theory.
We don’t have the energy today at Pulpit & Pen to deal with this, so we will let others join the fray. These posts are not responding to each other, but are all directed at Professor Tisby.
