Posted on 03/16/2015 8:11:28 AM PDT by Kaslin
The course of history changes at special moments when courageous individuals step up to take a stand, often at personal risk, on issues burning in controversy.
One of those moments was just celebrated with the commemoration of the historic civil rights march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama in March 1965.
Another such moment is unfolding before us today.
A group of some 150 black pastors, the National Baptist Fellowship of Concerned Pastors, is standing in protest against an invitation from the American Baptist College, in Nashville, Tennessee, to Bishop Yvette Flunder to speak at the college’s annual Garnett-Nabrit Lecture Series, March 15-18.
These pastors are protesting because Bishop Flunder is an open Lesbian, legally married to another woman, and a proud and aggressive advocate of this lifestyle. In a press release, the pastors called this invitation “irresponsible, scandalous, non-biblical, and certainly displeasing to God,” and requested that Dr. Forrest Harris, president of the College, rescind the invite.
Both the National Baptist Fellowship of Concerned Pastors and the American Baptist College are affiliated with the National Baptist Convention USA, which, with a reported 31,000 congregations and 7.5 million members, is the second largest predominantly black denomination in the Untied States.
The American Baptist College was founded almost a century ago and recently received designation as a Historically Black College and University. Many leaders and activists in the civil rights movement matriculated there, including renowned civil rights leader Rep. John Lewis (D-GA).
In addition to Bishop Flunder, two pastors who are advocates of same-sex marriage have been invited to share the platform with her.
The National Baptist Convention USA states with crystal clarity as positions on its website that “National Baptist endorsed chaplains, although serving in a pluralist environment, are not to participate in any activity that implies or condones same sex marriage or same sex union.” And, that “the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc., affirms that marriage is a sacred biblical covenant between a man and a woman.”
The co-coordinators of the National Baptist Fellowship of Concerned Pastors, Reverends Dwight McKissic and Randy Vaughn, say that the invitation from American Baptist College President Forrest Harris to Bishop Flunder “trampled on the beliefs of the school’s founders.”
The pastor group expresses legitimate concern in their press release that no notice was provided to parents of the student body about the presentations that these advocates of same sex unions will make.
ABC President Harris has pushed back, defending his invitation of Bishop Flunder and criticizing the group of Concerned Pastors for “idolatry of the Bible,” which he defines as viewing the Bible as “synonymous with God and truth.”
But if Christianity is about eternal principles and truths, to where exactly does President Harris turn for these principles if not to the Bible? The New York Times? The Washington Post? MSNBC?
Particularly powerful about the Concerned Pastors’ press release is its focus on the whole country and not one particular ethnic group.
They expressed concern for “the state of our nation, our families, our churches, and our schools.”
Data overwhelmingly shows the correlation of family breakdown with poverty and social pathology.
Yet the percentage of American adults today that are married has declined to around 50 percent compared to over 70 percent in the 1960’s, at the time of the civil rights movement. Along with this we see dramatic increases in out-of-wedlock births and single parent households.
These pastors know that blacks are paying a particularly high price for the havoc that the moral relativism that has hijacked our national culture has wrought.
Now pastors are taking a stand. Enough. No more sitting quietly by as those posturing moral chaos as religion hijack our nation and our children.
These courageous black pastors are standing tall with truth so our nation may have a future.
Racist.
More a matter of which “protected group” is the bigger victim ... need those $$$ to continue to roll in. Pure victim envy on display here.
Popcorn time.
“idolatry of the Bible,” which he defines as viewing the Bible as “synonymous with God and truth.”
What is truth?
Well, there's your problem...
Whut?
Liberalism is truly a mental disease.
I see what you did there!
John 18:37 Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?”
Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”
38 Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, “I find no fault in Him at all.
39 “But you have a custom that I should release someone to you at the Passover. Do you therefore want me to release to you the King of the Jews?”
40 Then they all cried again, saying, “Not this Man, but Barabbas!”
To me, the basic difference with civil rights for minorities and talking about civil rights for homosexuals can be discussed in terms of what rights of people are being violated.
For example, in the Jim Crow South, blacks were discriminated against in various ways. Are homosexuals discriminated against in fundamental ways, such as being denied the right to vote, freedom of speech, public accomodations, etc. ?
The movement for homosexual marriage, to me, is not so much about someone’s civil rights as it is a movement to change the definition of marriage.
Under existing marriage laws, we all have the same rights. We are limited to opposite sex partners. We are limited to one partner at a time. We are banned from marrying certain close relatives, etc. The same standards apply to homosexuals there as anyone else.
I understand a homosexual man doesn’t want to marry a female, but he has that right.
Homosexuals are not, and have not, been discriminated against in the same manner as racial/ethnic minorities. Yet we’re being told by the liberals, the media, etc. that it is a core violation of civil rights if we don’t allow homosexual marriage.
Funny, that's what Pilate said just before he sentenced Truth (Jesus) to crucifixion.
We are all Barabbas. Guilty, imprisoned and set free because someone else died in our place.
Rue Paul?
Amen!!!
I think I see the root of the problem.
A while back they decided that Scripture was somehow wrong in not allowing the ordination of women.
Once they let the camel's head in the tent other camels come flooding in.
[ More a matter of which “protected group” is the bigger victim ... need those $$$ to continue to roll in. Pure victim envy on display here. ]
White Male Homo-type sexuals tend to have more disposable income than Food Stampers....
Well, yeah, sure. I mean it could mean nothing more than that.
Jesus Christ: You can’t impeach Him and He ain’t gonna resign.
Being gay is actually LESS OF A CRIME... than being democrat..
Being GAY is BAD on a few levels...
Being a Democrat is BAD on so many levels it’s ridiculous..
Being a Gay Democrat is a SLAP to the black culture.. and is bizarre..
Must not take much to become a black pastor..
Was Obama speaking? (rimshot)
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