Pain Capable Unborn Act Vote

Last week, I noted that a Senate vote on the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act was coming. The bill would have outlawed most abortions after 20 weeks of gestation.

The vote came yesterday and was much as expected.  The bill did not gain the 60 votes necessary to overcome a filibuster. 53 voted for the bill, among whom were only two Democrats, Casey and Manchin.  44 voted for it, among whom were two Republicans, Collins and Murkowski.

Three Democrats running for President, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Amy Klobuchar, did not vote. But they did have a debate last night, and we pretty much know how they would have voted.  Yes, including Klobuchar.  She voted against a similar bill in 2018.

Otherwise, the vote was party line – the Democrats for babykilling, the Republicans against.

I am watching to see how “pro-life” “social justice” church types are responding or not responding. I have issues with the Southern Baptists’ Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) and its leader Russell Moore, but to their credit, they have denounced this failure to protect late stage unborn.

On this Ash Wednesday, keep the unborn in your prayers, and the terrible record of the U. S. in not protecting them in your penitence.

Russell Moore’s Address to the ACNA Provincial Assembly

I have to apologize if I seem a bit disoriented.  I just listened carefully as Russell Moore gave his address to the Provincial Assembly of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA), and – you may need to sit down right now – I loved it.

It was edifying, challenging, engaging, digging very relevant truth out of Luke 4:14-30.  Not only did I enjoy it, I will have to watch again for my own edification.  And, no, there wasn’t any of the past annoying stuff, not even any straw men that I can recall. Yes I know, shocking.

I could speculate on what happened. Perhaps, as I recently suggested might be the case, he is toning down the social justice angle.  Perhaps he simply felt there were more important things for ACNA to hear.  I don’t know.  I do have to give credit where credit was due – Moore’s address was excellent.

His main theme was that there are two errant Christian responses to the secularization of culture: 1. Not taking secularism and its effects seriously enough,  2. Or taking secularization as inevitable, which in turn leads to accommodation or outrage.

He advocated a better way – embracing the challenge of proclaiming what has always been a counter-cultural Gospel and of being willing to be distinctive, to “bear our strangeness . . . knowing that the Holy Spirit and the blood of Christ is enough.”

I urge not just Anglicans and Baptists, but all Christians to watch for yourselves.  It begins at about 53 minutes.

Yes, I just made a strong recommendation for something from Russell Moore. . . .  I may have to be very Anglican and drink strong ale this evening. 

Southern Baptist Convention Passes Resolution 9, The Aftermath

Last night, I did not sleep well.  Part of that was likely being upset. (And if this post seems a bit stream-of-consciousness, I apologize ahead of time.)  But I did sleep on yesterday’s passage on Resolution 9 by the Southern Baptist Convention, and I’m glad I did.  For I now do not see the situation as bad as I did last night.

But it is bad.  There is no getting around it – Resolution 9 endorses the use of “critical race theory and intersectionality . . . as analytical tools” in the church. Yes, they are to be subordinate to scripture and not used “as transcendent ideological frameworks.”  Yes, it is just one resolution from one convention passed after a reportedly rushed debate.  But the fact remains that today the SBC is officially on the record as okaying the use of these racist Leftist ideologies “as analytical tools” in the church.

But read for comprehension the whole resolution for yourself.  (Scroll down.  And, no, I do not yet think “the Southern Baptist Convention is gone” or some of the other conclusions at the source.)

One funny/sad/true conclusion: 

So, as of right now, Ben Shapiro and Jordan Peterson hold to a better, more biblical view of radical feminist inspired Intersectionality and Critical Race Theory than Southern Baptists.
Ouch!

So what to do now?  First, my free advice for Southern Baptists. It may be worth as much as it costs, but anyway…

First and foremost, being unhappy about this is not enough.  The now dying and dead mainline denominations once had lots of people unhappy about the direction they were going.  But they continued to enable the liberals by continuing to send in their offerings.  Yes, an important start is to stop enabling the social justice cabal with your offerings.  Cut them off and let church leaders know why.  And if your congregation won’t cut off the money spigot to them, then cut off the money to your congregation and perhaps find another church home. The Lord’s money shouldn’t be spent for evil anyway.  So don’t let it.

Second, organize and/or support those who are organizing. And not just for a year or two.  Those old enough, remember the conservative resurgence in the SBC? Maybe I am too optimistic, but I think it can be done again with God’s help.  But it took years.  And it took work.

I do think the Southern Baptists are too important and too committed to scripture to give up on them just yet.  But it will take more than grousing to turn things around.

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Resolution 9 also puts us Anglicans in the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) in a bad position.  For Russell Moore is on tap to be a keynote speaker at our Provincial Assembly next week.  And he supports Resolution 9 by endorsing all the resolutions passed:

Stellar work by the #SBC19 Resolutions Committee. These were strong, biblical, thoughtful resolutions. Grateful for their adoption by the Southern Baptist Convention.

— Russell Moore (@drmoore) June 12, 2019

Frankly, I suspect he had a role in drafting it. But that is pure speculation on my part. 

It is that much clearer that inviting Moore to speak was a mistake, but what to do now?  Perhaps, the ACNA College of Bishops should consider disinviting him, but they won’t.  And I am not sure that is now the best way to proceed.  I personally support disinviting him but realize that would likely cause a lot of tumult at this late date.

I would suggest key bishops ask him to stay away from social justice issues during his speech.  But that’s like inviting Trump and asking him not to mention The Wall.

There is one thing the bishops should do for sure – the procedure for selecting speakers at Provincial Assemblies must be changed.  And the bishops should let it be known that it will be changed.  That would nicely and indirectly acknowledge that selecting Moore is a mistake and that efforts will be made to avoid similar mistakes in the future.  And the selection of speakers this year demonstrates the process must be changed anyway.

What about the rest of us in ACNA who oppose critical race theory and other “social justice” madness?  Don’t be quiet about it.  Respectfully but firmly talk to your rectors and bishops. 

And the time may be near to redirect your offerings although I hope it doesn’t get to that point.  If you do at some point find it necessary to withhold funds from ACNA or diocese offices or from other ACNA entities, let church leaders know why.  I have for reasons of conscience in one instance, but I’m not ready to recommend that for others. 

Again just being unhappy doesn’t work.  See The Episcopal Church for how that ends up.

Also, if I were attending the Provincial Assembly, I would likely walk out immediately after Russell Moore begins his speech.  But that’s just me.  Attendees are free to consider doing likewise.

About That Russell Moore Immigration Video

I’ll be honest – when I began watching Russell Moore’s latest on immigration, I braced myself for a rise in blood pressure.  And my temper may have blipped up for a moment when he engaged in his usual practice of turning opponents into straw men and visa versa.

But he only did that briefly and not as obnoxiously as he has in the past.  And he actually made some good points and was somewhat balanced.  He even proclaimed, “Borders are Biblical.” Further, he put that front and center in the accompanying tweet.

NEW EPISODE

Borders are biblical. Our immigration system is broken. Immigrants bear the image of God. These are just a few of the things Christians need to keep in mind in the #immigration debate.

And we’ll talk about all of it in this @YouTube episode: https://t.co/AoPNnzaKz5

— Russell Moore (@drmoore) May 28, 2019

 

Now I do not find his video particularly profound.  But it certainly is an improvement on his past videos and podcasts on topics dear to the “social justice” crowd.  And (I can hardly believe I am saying this.), his video finds more common ground with those wanting to crack down on illegal immigration than it does inflame them.

But see what you think.  I think the best way to watch the video is with Jon Harris’ balanced analysis of it.

Reflecting further on this video, I wonder if Moore has decided to seek to find more common ground with politically conservative and/or Trumpist faithful instead of smearing and alienating them.  Yes, wishing thinking perhaps.  But one can hope.

Since he is a keynote speaker at the ACNA Provincial Assembly, we may find out in about two weeks.

Woke and Semi-Woke Churchers Rather Quiet About Omar’s Anti-Semitism

If there ever was a teachable moment about anti-semitism, last week’s  controversy and sham vote about Rep. Ilhan Omar’s anti-semitism was surely one of them. So I have been wondering if the usual social justice church crowd would take the opportunity to speak out and teach or whether they would shy away because a Somali immigrant Leftist Democrat Congresswoman spouting off anti-Jewish tropes and the said Congresswoman not being called out on that by the Democrat-controlled House does not exactly go with The Narrative, don’tcha know.

Well, after this controversy has been going on for a week, it is fair to say that the dominant response from the woke and semi-woke church crowd has been . . . quiet.  And that is charitable.  I have not heard a peep.  And God knows I’ve been listening and looking.

Here is a good place for a disclaimer. I obviously am not omnipresent nor omniscient.  So if I have missed something of import, please feel free to comment.  Also, it is possible that some are being very careful about what they say and are about to post something.  I wish they would exercise such care about many issues, but I can relate to that; heck, I have delayed making this post. It is possible someone mentioned below speaks up after this post. And with that, here goes with a sample.

At Russell Moore’s site, I see nothing about anti-semitism.  Now I grant he does not post with the frequency of say…

…Al Mohler.  Yes, yes, he is hardly a flaming woke church guy.  But it is fair to say he is sympathetic.  And he does post very frequently on the events of the day.  But scrolling the topics of his daily briefing, I see nothing on anti-semitism the past two weeks.  And that although he tends to be quick about commenting on the events of the day.  For example, this morning he comments on the latest academic cheating scandal.  But I see nothing on Omar and anti-semitism. Why?

The Southern Baptist Convention’s and Russell Moore’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission?  Nothing recent.

The Gospel Coalition’s site?  Nothing recent.

National Association of Evangelicals? Nothing recent, but their site is not frequently updated.

Here in the Anglican Church in North America, we have the Anglican Multi-ethnic Network (AMEN), which is very sensitive to racial and immigration issues.  Are they sensitive to Leftist anti-semitism?  You would not know from their site. But they are not frequent posters, so maybe they will pleasantly surprise me some day. 

I hesitate to lump Sojourners in with the above.  Those Leftists are hardly Christian at all anymore.  But they are oh-so-concerned about everything woke under the sun and do they post their concern and wokeness!  Are they concerned about Omar’s anti-semitism?  No. 

This is obviously not comprehensive. (Again, feel free to add in the comments.) But I think all of the above people and groups would say that how we handle social and cultural issues should enhance our witness to the Gospel, not detract or distract from it.  And on that much, yes, I agree.

So what kind of witness is this recent quiet about anti-semitism?