Tuesday, May 22, 2018

'Religious Lingo' A Misguided Effort: Leftist Christian Leaders Organizing March To 'Reclaim Jesus'



Obama, Clinton Pastors and US Bishop Who 'Stole Show' at Royal Wedding Set to March on White House to 'Reclaim Jesus' from Pres. Trump; 'America First is Heresy Against Christ'




A theological who’s who of Leftist Christian leaders are organizing a march on the White House to ‘Reclaim Jesus’ from President Donald Trump that is set for the evening of May 24. One of the leaders of the anti-Trump march is Rev. Michael Bruce Curry who ‘stole the show‘ with his lengthy sermon at the British royal wedding on Saturday between Prince Harry and American Meghan Markle. Three march organizers were spiritual advisors to President Barack Obama while one counseled President Bill Clinton during the Lewinsky scandal and later endorsed Hillary Clinton for president in 2016.


The Reclaiming Jesus campaign is a response by Leftist Christians infuriated by President Trump’s continuing strong support from white evangelical Christians who overwhelmingly voted for (81 percent) in the 2016 presidential election
A statement and video for the Reclaiming Jesus campaign state Trump’s America First policies are “theological heresy for followers of Christ.”

Thursday, May 24th, 7 p.m., National City Christian Church (5 Thomas Circle, Washington, DC 20005)
We believe two things are at stake: the soul of the nation, and the integrity of faith. We believe the issues are more deeply theological than merely political or partisan. We believe it is a time for prayer and response, for contemplation and action. 
In this moment of political, moral, and theological crisis in America we are deeply concerned about the resurgence of white nationalism, racism, and xenophobia; misogyny; attacks on immigrants, refugees, and the poor; the regular purveying of falsehoods and consistent lying by the nation’s highest leaders; and moves toward autocratic political leadership and authoritarian rule. 
We invite you to join us for a service of prayer and gospel proclamation, followed by a procession to the White House and a silent prayerful candlelight vigil as a witness that the church will not be complicit, but faithful.

The full Reclaiming Jesus proclamation (excerpted below) contains the ‘America First is heresy’ statement.

In 2009 the New York Times reported Rev. Otis Moss, Jr., Rev. Joel C. Hunter and Rev. Jim Wallis were among a group chosen to be spiritual advisors for President Barack Obama. Obama had to abandon his church of twenty years in order to win the presidency because of the controversial sermons of Rev. Jeremiah Wright and was without a pastor.
Rev. Tony Campolo counseled President Bill Clinton during the Monica Lewinsky scandal where it was revealed Clinton would return to the White House from Easter Sunday service at a nearby church and met Lewinsky for oral sex in the Oval Office.
In 2016, Campolo endorsed his “personal friend” Hillary Clinton for president and spoke at her nominating convention where he said, “…On this memorable night, we pray for Hillary Clinton. May her candidacy send a message to women everywhere that the glass ceiling that has held so many of them down is being broken, and that a new day is dawning, not only for women, but for all people everywhere. We ask all these things in Your holy name. Amen.”




We are living through perilous and polarizing times as a nation, with a dangerous crisis of moral and political leadership at the highest levels of our government and in our churches. We believe the soul of the nation and the integrity of faith are now at stake.
It is time to be followers of Jesus before anything else—nationality, political party, race, ethnicity, gender, geography—our identity in Christ precedes every other identity. We pray that our nation will see Jesus’ words in us. “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).
When politics undermines our theology, we must examine that politics. The church’s role is to change the world through the life and love of Jesus Christ. The government’s role is to serve the common good by protecting justice and peace, rewarding good behavior while restraining bad behavior (Romans 13). When that role is undermined by political leadership, faith leaders must stand up and speak out. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state.”
It is often the duty of Christian leaders, especially elders, to speak the truth in love to our churches and to name and warn against temptations, racial and cultural captivities, false doctrines, and political idolatries—and even our complicity in them. We do so here with humility, prayer, and a deep dependency on the grace and Holy Spirit of God…
…WE REJECT the resurgence of white nationalism and racism in our nation on many fronts, including the highest levels of political leadership. We, as followers of Jesus, must clearly reject the use of racial bigotry for political gain that we have seen. In the face of such bigotry, silence is complicity. In particular, we reject white supremacy and commit ourselves to help dismantle the systems and structures that perpetuate white preference and advantage. Further, any doctrines or political strategies that use racist resentments, fears, or language must be named as public sin—one that goes back to the foundation of our nation and lingers on. Racial bigotry must be antithetical for those belonging to the body of Christ, because it denies the truth of the gospel we profess…
…WE REJECT misogyny, the mistreatment, violent abuse, sexual harassment, and assault of women that has been further revealed in our culture and politics, including our churches, and the oppression of any other child of God. We lament when such practices seem publicly ignored, and thus privately condoned, by those in high positions of leadership. We stand for the respect, protection, and affirmation of women in our families, communities, workplaces, politics, and churches. We support the courageous truth-telling voices of women, who have helped the nation recognize these abuses. We confess sexism as a sin, requiring our repentance and resistance…
…WE REJECT misogyny, the mistreatment, violent abuse, sexual harassment, and assault of women that has been further revealed in our culture and politics, including our churches, and the oppression of any other child of God. We lament when such practices seem publicly ignored, and thus privately condoned, by those in high positions of leadership. We stand for the respect, protection, and affirmation of women in our families, communities, workplaces, politics, and churches. We support the courageous truth-telling voices of women, who have helped the nation recognize these abuses. We confess sexism as a sin, requiring our repentance and resistance…
…WE REJECT the language and policies of political leaders who would debase and abandon the most vulnerable children of God. We strongly deplore the growing attacks on immigrants and refugees, who are being made into cultural and political targets, and we need to remind our churches that God makes the treatment of the “strangers” among us a test of faith (Leviticus 19:33-34)…
…WE REJECT any moves toward autocratic political leadership and authoritarian rule. We believe authoritarian political leadership is a theological danger that threatens democracy and the common good—and we will resist it. Disrespect for the rule of law, not recognizing the equal importance of our three branches of government, and replacing civility with dehumanizing hostility toward opponents are of great concern to us. Neglecting the ethic of public service and accountability, in favor of personal recognition and gain often characterized by offensive arrogance, are not just political issues for us. They raise deeper concerns about political idolatry, accompanied by false and unconstitutional notions of authority…
…WE REJECT “America first” as a theological heresy for followers of Christ. While we share a patriotic love for our country, we reject xenophobic or ethnic nationalism that places one nation over others as a political goal…”
The statement which is all about Leftist politics, closes by saying it is not about politics and cloaks itself in Christian faith.
Our urgent need, in a time of moral and political crisis, is to recover the power of confessing our faith. Lament, repent, and then repair. If Jesus is Lord, there is always space for grace. We believe it is time to speak and to act in faith and conscience, not because of politics, but because we are disciples of Jesus Christ—to whom be all authority, honor, and glory. It is time for a fresh confession of faith. Jesus is Lord. He is the light in our darkness. “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).









A number of Never-Trump "progressive evangelicals" have banded together and released a document they hope will draw evangelicals away from the president.
A cursory reading of the document called "Reclaiming Jesus" finds a lot that most Christians would have a hard time disagreeing with. Statement Three, for example, says: "We believe how we treat the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the stranger, the sick and the prisoner is how we treat Christ himself." (Matthew 25:31-46). The following "therefore" statement, however, reads like an attack on President Trump's policy on illegal immigration:
"THEREFORE, WE REJECT the language and policies of political leaders who would debase and abandon the most vulnerable children of God. We strongly deplore the growing attacks on immigrants and refugees, who are being made into cultural and political targets, and we need to remind our churches that God makes the treatment of the 'strangers' among us a test of faith (Leviticus 19:33-34)."


Christian apologist Alex McFarland of Truth for a New Generation says nothing in scripture demands open borders and unsafe communities.


"I pray that people will not be misled by the religious lingo sprinkled throughout this document and [by] the either accidentally or intentionally crafted logical fallacies that permeate this very unsettling tome called Reclaiming Jesus," he tells OneNewsNow.

Statement Six of the document says the authors believe in the Great Commission found in Matthew 28 – and the subsequent "therefore" statement describes the "America First" philosophy as "a theological heresy for followers of Christ."

"While we share a patriotic love for our country, we reject xenophobic or ethnic nationalism that places one nation over others as a political goal," the document adds.
McFarland admits his hope that the document "dies a quick and quiet death – because it's a misstatement of the gospel and it's a misstatement about what patriotism really is."

Dr. Robert Jeffress, senior past of First Baptist-Dallas, contends that signers like Campolo and Wallis make Karl Marx himself look like a conservative. "I think as you lift the veil, what this really is is one more attempt by the Never-Trump Christians to try to diminish or take away the very positive things that are going on," he tells OneNewsNow.


Jeffress, one of President Trump's evangelical advisors, argues that the self-described objectiveof "Reclaiming Jesus" – i.e., trying to lure evangelicals away from their support for the president – likely won't come to pass. "These Never-Trumpers have very little influence over evangelicals as a whole, as seen by the president's continued high approval ratings," he notes.








1 comment:

Levin said...

They apparently don't reject the killing of millions of unborn children, however. We are truly in the days of good being called evil and evil being called good.