Aug 8

13 Years of the GBCS’s Greatest Hits, Part One: Social Stances

File this under the “evil men do in the name of God”

Be sure to read the whole thing, but here is a small sample of the garbage done by the General Board of Church and Society

The GBCS staff endorsing and participating in an April 2004 abortion rally – without consulting or even notifying their directors. Press accounts described this DC rally as focused on defending abortion against any legal limitations (especially protesting the federal ban on partial-birth abortions/infanticides) and promoting partisan election campaign efforts. Speakers and marchers repeatedly denounced pro-life Christians with hateful rhetoric while making countless crass references to sex acts and female anatomy. My own eyewitness account is apparently archived here on a website to which I have no connection. Another account, by a pro-legal-abortion columnist, noted how“[s]ome of the protest signs were crude to pornographic”while “[p]rofanity and obscene gesturing toward the pro-life [counter-protesters] were commonplace” among the GBCS-supported marchers. And here is a compilation of observations the hateful-mob characterwhich many of the GBCS-supported marchers adopted (warning: not G-rated).

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Jul 25

A New Chief for United Methodism’s Lobby Office

The more things change…

The United Methodist General Board of Church and Society (GBCS), the official Capitol Hill lobby for America’s third largest religious body, has announced its new general secretary will be the Rev. Susan Henry-Crowe, long-time chaplain of United Methodist affiliated Emory University in Atlanta.  She will succeed Jim Winkler, who is term limited after 12 years.   Henry-Crowe has affirmed same-sex unions at the chapel and advocated LGBTQ causes while a member of the United Methodist Judicial Council.  So she is definitely from the liberal wing of United Methodism.  GBCS has exclusively represented the liberal wing of the church for about 50 years, so there is little surprise about the new appointment.

The non-liberal majority within United Methodism has long been ignored by GBCS, which for years has disregarded the church’s official teachings about marriage and opposition to most abortion while strenuously advocating conventionally liberal or left-wing stances on dozens of political issues every year to Congress and the media.  Since GBCS so clearly makes no effort to represent most United Methodists, Congress and the media largely stopped listening to pronouncements from GBCS many years ago.

GBCS has about a $5 million budget and a couple dozen staffers, which is not huge.  But it is the largest denominational lobby in Washington, D.C.  And the resources are not insignificant for a denomination that increasingly suffers from financial limitations thanks to 50 years of continuous U.S. membership loss.   Even if GBCS did represent most United Methodists, it’s questionable how effective it could be while routinely defused across so many different topics.    It’s also true that the vast majority of United Methodists don’t even know their denomination has a lobby office on Capitol Hill.  Clergy, understandably anxious to avoid controversy, do not typically tell their parishioners about GBCS.

Nobody can call this unexpected. While I was happy to see Winkler go, the person replacing him is just as evil.

Jul 22

The lynching of George Zimmerman

A pretty good rundown. I already noticed all of this because I actually paid attention to the trial, but it’s good to see if you’re one of the ones upset by the verdict.

Jul 17

Pro-Life Libertarianism

Liberty Without Apologies

On the topic of abortion, the libertarian movement is strongly divided in two camps: those who support abortion and those who oppose abortion. Within the pro-abortion libertarian communities, the unborn child has been given the labels of “parasite” and “trespasser.” Let it be known that libertarians have always spoken their mind. From a rational standpoint, it is impossible for an unborn child to be either a parasite or a trespasser. By definition, a parasite is never the same species as its host. As much as the pro-abortion advocates would love to claim that an unborn child is something alien, an unborn child and its mother are both undeniably human. An unborn child also does not feed off its mother in a manner intended to harm her; after all, child-rearing is the most natural thing a woman can do. An unborn child is not a trespasser, either, as…

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Jul 17

Police, FBI, Jury, and the Martin family attorney all agree: “It’s not about race”

It’s good to see some sanity and facts make their way into the discussion about the Zimmerman verdict. Personally, I’m happy justice was served and the left-wing media didn’t get to do their lynching. Of course, it wasn’t for trying.

Right now many outrage merchants in the so-called Christian left are spinning the same memes and lies that HuffoPo and MSNBC have done for the past 18 months, so this article is a godsend.

There are a lot of voices on the left calling for the Justice Department to bring Federal civil rights charges against George Zimmerman, but on what basis?  Let’s look at all the folks who have told us this case wasn’t about race:

  • The Sanford Police
    The April 2012 report says Sanford, Fla., Detective Chris Serino found “Zimmerman’s actions were not based on Martin’s skin color” but “on his attire, the total circumstances of the encounter and the previous burglary suspects in the community.”
  • The FBI report
    After interviewing nearly three dozen people in the George Zimmerman murder case, the FBI found no evidence that racial bias was a motivating factor in the shooting of Trayvon Martin, records released Thursday show.
  • The Jury
    The Juror B-37, a mother of two who grew up in a military family and used to have a permit to carry a concealed weapon, said she did not believe Zimmerman racially profiled the unarmed black teenager when he called police to report a suspicious person.
  • The Martin family’s attorney
    A Trayvon Martin family lawyer threw the trial of cop wanna-be George Zimmerman into turmoil Thursday by suddenly declaring that the case was “not about race.” “It’s not about racial profiling,” Daryl Parks declared. “He was profiled (criminally). George Zimmerman profiled him.” Parks dropped this bombshell after prosecutors spent the last few days arguing that Zimmerman profiled the 17-year-old specifically because he was black.  Asked why Parks was changing his tune now, the lawyer made another head-scratching statement. “We never claimed this was about race,” he said.

So, would somebody care to explain how most of America came up with the notion that the George Zimmerman trial had anything to do with race? 

Jun 27

Why no outrage over Planned Parenthood actions?

A Heapin' Plate of Conservative Politics & Religion

Jenifer Bowen

In her unrelenting patronage of Planned Parenthood, Rekha Basu attacks Gov. Branstad for a new provision, recently approved by the Iowa Legislature, that allows him to review the state’s public funding for abortions. She paints herself as an advocate of young girls who are victims of incest [“Poor Women Become Tools in a Political Game,” June 23].

Where is Basu’s outrage over Planned Parenthood’s well-documented history of collecting money for abortions and delivering young girls back into the hands of their abusers without reporting anything to the police? Or undercover investigations that revealed Planned Parenthood employees, including one here in Iowa, urging statutory rape victims to change their age?

The new Medicaid reimbursement does not prevent any of the abortions from happening. It is simply a review of what the state will approve or disapprove using taxpayer dollars for reimbursement.

Iowans are sick of sexual predators hurting our children. If…

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Jun 27

It’s official: the IRS targeted conservative groups, not liberal

A Heapin' Plate of Conservative Politics & Religion

By Tom Quiner

Liberals began rewriting history immediately.

Their spin: the IRS targeted liberal groups as well as conservative groups. In other words, there is no scandal.

The IRS Inspector General J. Russell George quickly set things straight:

“We found no indication in any of these other materials that ‘Progressives’ was a term used to refer cases for scrutiny for political campaign intervention.”

He said liberal groups were NOT targeted.

Mr. George said Tea Party and other conservative groups were processed as “potential political cases” every time.

The Obama Government’s IRS DID target conservative groups.

Here’s an example of how the discrimination worked, as described by Rebecca Diserio. She was DownloadedFileinvolved with the Tea Party. She was conservative. She was Catholic.

Strike one, strike two, strike three, you’re out!

Here’s her story:

In 2010, I started my Blog Talk Radio show, which grew into a “Radio Network” called “Fidelis Radio Network”.  Blessed…

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Jun 17

Liberal Dishonesty on Lesbian Activist Denied Ordination

For me, the split in the UMC can’t happen soon enough. I wouldn’t even care if it was the traditionalists leaving. Let the liberals have the UMC name, it’s tainted enough already.

Juicy Ecumenism - The Institute on Religion & Democracy's Blog

By John Lomperis (@JohnLomperis)

Once again activists seeking to overthrow biblical standards for sexual self-control in the United Methodist Church are not letting the truth get in the way of their orchestrated, well-funded campaign to undermine and paralyze our denomination.

The official United Methodist position in our governing Book of Discipline could hardly be clearer. We officially say that “sexual relations are affirmed only with the covenant of monogamous, heterosexual marriage,” that our church “does not condone the practice of homosexuality and considers this practice incompatible with Christian teaching” (Paragraph 161F). We also define marriage as a “covenant … between a man and a woman” and even “support laws in civil society that define marriage as the union of one man and one woman” (Paragraph 161B). Clergy candidates “shall … agree for the sake of the mission of Jesus Christ in the world and the most effective witness…

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Jun 8

From the Brain of Bart: Yet Another Reason to Root for the Ravens?

I have a ton of respect for Mr. Matt Birk. If only the clergy and bishops of mainline denominations had this kind of dedication to God.

And while this is wonderful news, I’m afraid it’s not enough to make me leave Steeler Nation. 😉

Juicy Ecumenism - The Institute on Religion & Democracy's Blog

By Barton Gingerich (@bjgingerich)

The culture wars are heating up the gridiron. My beloved (and may I add reigning champion) Baltimore Ravens were all invited to visit President Barack Obama at the White House. One player declined: center Matt Birk. The reason for his boycott?  Birk informed KFAN-FM yesterday, “I would say that I have great respect for the office of the presidency, but about five or six weeks ago, our president made a comment in a speech and he said, ‘God bless Planned Parenthood.'” Birk continued, “Planned Parenthood performs about 330,000 abortions a year. I am Catholic, I am active in the pro-life movement and I just felt like I couldn’t deal with that. I couldn’t endorse that in any way…I’m very confused by (Obama’s) statement. For God to bless a place where they’re ending 330,000 lives a year? I just chose not to attend.”

The Super Bowl…

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Jun 6

Claremont School of Theology Solidifies Progressive Orientation with New Leadership

Attention United Methodists, your tithes go to support this garbage.

Juicy Ecumenism - The Institute on Religion & Democracy's Blog

By John Lomperis (@JohnLomperis)

Claremont School of Theology (CST) has announced that this summer, the Rev. Dr. Kah-Jin Jeffrey Kuan will become its new president, while its current president, Rev. Dr. Jerry D. Campbell, will continue on as president of Claremont-Lincoln University.

CST is one of the thirteen official, offering-plate-funded United Methodist seminaries in the United States.  As we have reported earlier, Campbell caused quite a stir when he repudiated evangelism after presiding over a $50 million gift enticing the then-financially-troubled CST into transforming itself from a stand-alone Christian seminary to one part of Claremont Lincoln University, a new, multi-faith consortium for training clergy in Christian, Unitarian Universalist, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, and Jain traditions. We have also reported on recent controversy stemming from CST’s concerns about its chapel cross offending non-Christians.

Kuan is known as “a strong proponent of religious pluralism.” He only became…

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