Assemblies of God Response to the Boy Scouts of America's Resolution May 23, 2013

Royal Rangers ^ | 5/23/13 | George O. Wood, General Superintendent

[SoFloFreeper]

Assemblies of God leadership regrets that the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) has voted to change its policy regarding inclusion of homosexual youth members. We believe – as do a majority of Boy Scout volunteer leaders and parents – that this is not the best policy for BSA, nor for the young men it serves.

As the landmark 2000 Supreme Court decision stated, BSA is a private organization with freedom of association to determine its own membership standards, upholding BSA's policy not to allow homosexual leaders or members. BSA stated at the time that a departure from that longstanding policy would undermine its purpose of guiding boys to keep themselves "morally straight," which is part of the Boy Scout Oath.

While we are disappointed by BSA's recent membership decision, we are pleased that the organization will retain its policy regarding adult leaders, and applaud the organization for standing firm on that issue. However, today's vote to allow homosexual youth members negates BSA's ability to legally defend its position regarding leadership and opens the door to more efforts by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) lobbies to make further policy changes.

A majority of scout groups are sponsored by churches or other religious entities, which have as their foundation a belief in biblical teachings that identify homosexual behavior as outside of God's plan for sexuality. While we agree that youths who experience confusion or same-sex attraction need to be welcomed, in our churches they are confronted with this biblical teaching and will be counseled and prayed with that God will help them to align their lives in conformity to that teaching. We agree with the BSA that we need to demonstrate compassion and welcome those who are struggling with sexuality issues, but not in a way that condones such behavior, which is what the new BSA policy does.

Though the BSA shares a common mission with the Church, "to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes," the Church answers to a higher Authority in providing a value-added spiritual dimension. As such, based on Scripture, we provide a loving, welcoming environment to young people in their search for purpose, meaning and God's best for their lives. Until this decision today BSA agreed in teaching that "homosexual conduct is not morally straight" and in not wanting to "promote homosexual conduct as a legitimate form of behavior." BSA had been well-served by holding to that position.

We believe that the BSA policy change will lead to a mass exodus from the Boy Scout program, as Assemblies of God and many other churches can no longer support groups that are part of an organization allowing members who are openly homosexual. However, as a positive alternative, we offer a program – the Royal Rangers – that operates with values consistent to that of the BSA prior to today's change.

In the fractured family and culture today, we recognize that many youth are struggling with sexual identity and behavior. Our Assemblies of God churches seek to help these young people experience sexual purity in their lives, and remain virgins until married to a person of the opposite sex. Love, counseling and prayer is given for those who fail in this regard so that young people who engage in sexual relations outside marriage can reset their moral compass toward God's will through repentance, forgiveness and restoration.

Dr. George O. Wood General Superintendent Assemblies of God

[SoFloFreeper]

What is Royal Rangers?

Royal Rangers is a mentoring program for future men. We provide Christlike character formation and servant leadership development for boys and young men in a highly relational and fun environment. Our mission is to evangelize, equip, and empower the next generation of Christlike men and lifelong servant leaders.

Mentoring Future Men

We are prepared to take Royal Rangers to a whole new generation of future men, to the iPod generation. The iPod has three characteristics important to its users. These same qualities are reflected in Royal Rangers.

Robust

Mechanically, every iPod is the same. It is a robust electronic device designed to deliver high quality music. Royal Rangers is likewise a robust mentoring ministry that shapes future men into godly husbands and fathers and excellent servant leaders in every sphere of life. Royal Rangers is a tool that men and boys, serving together, can use to evangelize their world, equip the next generation of Christlike men, and empower them to become lifelong servant leaders.

Flexible & Effective

Functionally, each iPod is unique, reflecting the user’s choices and preferences in music and media. Royal Rangers is also highly flexible and agile, enabling each outpost to implement our effective discipleship process while reflecting the preferences and practices of its local church leaders to best impact the families in its communities.

Royal Rangers provides flexibility in… Uniforms Staffing Activities - Outdoors, sports, trades, professions, arts, technology, and ministry. Curriculum Cost - Royal Rangers offer cost effective options so every boy and church can participate.

Interconnected

An iPod is a device that is highly interconnected with other technologies. In a similar way, Royal Rangers is highly modular and interconnected, a complement to the ministries of any church. Royal Rangers serves as a compliment to other church ministries, such as…

[SoFloFreeper]

http://royalrangers.com/

or

http://www.onmyhonor.net/

are two organizations that will happily take any family wanting to avoid the forced celebration of sodomy that the Boy Sodomites of Amerika have chosen to pursue.

[GeronL]

Another possible alternative:

http://www.youngminutemen.com/

[freedumb2003]

>>What is Royal Rangers?<<

(I am NOT making fun of this organization!)

It is good to know it is available since the BSA will now be rump rangers

[E. Pluribus Unum]

It is the sexual deviants who are the bullies.

[Jvette]

It’s a foot in the door and thus all over for the BSA.

What a shame.

[HarleyD]

Good for the Assembly of God churches. Hope many will follow suit.

[ConradofMontferrat]

Ok, so we let queers run rampant in the military.

Result?

Now we have queer sex assaults THROUGH THE ROOF!!

And the Orwellian Bleating Sheep wander around aimlessly, bumping into each other, bleating: “Whooo Kneeewwww? Ohhhh, Just Whooo Kneeewww???”

Hey, STUPID WHITE PEOPLE! Queers didn’t assault other males when they FEARED FOR THEIR CAREERS!!

How Effin GD dumb ARE YOU IDIOTS?

Let me tell you how EFFIN GD DUMB: Lets send a bunch of BOYS out into the woods with a bunch of QUEERS either in charge or sleeping side by side!!

This is CRIMINAL. The first kid gets assaulted by a queer, because that’s what queers do, and the parents will SUE the BSA into non existence.

And after all, that’s what queers REALLY want.

/rant>

[Yosemitest]

What's next is the destruction of the Boy Scouts of America.
Many will withdraw their children and their support for ANY organization that supports homosexuals.

Those who support homosexuals are against our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ.
These anti Christ people only bring destruction on us ALL.
I have NO sympathy for homosexuals!

Homosexuality is a "Mark" of disobedience.

It was given by our Heavenly Father to test us
to see ... if we will OBEY our Heavenly Father,
and abide by His commandments, statues, and ordinances.

Someone once asked

"Why are they [homosexuals] all so angry?"

The answer is in the definition of "REPROBATE".

rep·ro·bate \ˈre-prə-ˌbāt\ a. [L. reprobatus, reprobo, to disallow; re and probo, to prove.]

1. Not enduring proof or trial; not of standard purity or fineness; disallowed; rejected.


Reprobate silver shall men call them, because the Lord hath rejected them. Jer. 6.




2. Abandoned in sin; lost to virtue or grace.

They profess that they know God, but in works deny him, being abominable and disobedient, and to every good work reprobate. Titus 1.

3. Abandoned to error, or in apostasy. 2Tim. 3.

And the reason"why" is given in the Bible.

God has a cure for homosexuals.

But will we OBEY our Heavenly Father?

[Persevero]

Excellent statement by the AOG man. What a sad day for America.

Well, onward. My sons are all out of scouting now anyway (one is Eagle). I doubt any grandchildren will ever join. I guess they don’t care. They will more likely be in Royal Rangers or Christian Service Brigade if they want a similar experience.

Adios, Scouting.

[Albion Wilde]

Sadness: Boy Scouts ping.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Obeying our Heavenly Father means energetic evangelization of the lost. Period... I’ve crossed paths with you before and you have made it quite clear that you are arguing for capital punishment for them, but you end up just pinning your argument for doing that and not, say, stoning Sabbath breakers, to your worldly “fight or die.”

[ThomasThomas]

Royal Ambassadors (RAs) is a Bible-centered, church-based, Southern Baptist mission education organization for boys in grades 1-6. Tried and proven for more than 100 years, this ministry embraces the relationship between a young man and his call to missions

[Gene Eric]

BSA should have rejected any recognition of the professed sexuality of minors, and instead enforce its original code of moral conduct.

[Lancey Howard]

The Boy Scouts are dead to me. In response to a relentless militant homosexual attack their leadership caved and took the coward’s way out. Shame on them. I hope the organization falls apart and dies.

[Rome2000]

Are they out of their freaking heretic minds?

"Royal Rangers" sounds pretty gay.

So a bunch of evil faggots extort the BSA leadership to allow queers in the scouts, and "George Wood" the "General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God" solution is to talk "Royal Rangers" and "Ipod"s.

Whats needed here is to unleash a combination of the tactics of Queen Mary I along with the most vicious and patriotic laywers money can buy (pretty slim pickings)against the BSA leadership.

This will not stand.

"Royal Rangers" are a retarded cash grab.

[WVKayaker]

"Royal Rangers" sounds pretty gay.

Rome2000 sounds pretty gay.

Are you out of your freaking heretic mind?

You obviously know nothing about the organization. The AG is one of the strongest Christian churches around the world. They don't have pedophile priests,but they did have Jimmy Swaggart!

The Assemblies of God are the last place to throw your stones!

Disclaimer: I am not a member of the Assemblies of God, but I have been to lots of their meetings.

[olezip]

BSA stated at the time that a departure from that longstanding policy would undermine its purpose of guiding boys to keep themselves "morally straight," which is part of the Boy Scout Oath.

Indeed, it is a sad and strange day for the BSA, when an organization somehow twists and warps the meaning of "morally straight" to include openly deviant sexual behavior.

It looks to me like the BSA is violating its policy to support a transient popular culture that will not hold because it runs directly counter to natural law.

How very foolish of those supporters of the homosexual agenda! Those members of the BSA are wittingly or unwittingly guaranteeing chaos! People with common sense know this. But of course, like the Democrats, they will blame anybody but themselves for the resulting disorder.

Satan loves chaos! Pray for them!

[Jimmy Valentine's brother]

It’s amazing to me that a vocal minority consisting of 5% of the population can have so much to say about how we conduct our daily lives.

[2001convSVT]

“We believe that the BSA policy change will lead to a mass exodus from the Boy Scout program.”

I believe the same, the beginning of the end of a great organization.