Pronouncing Policy

We see some standards for good political leadership in Proverbs 29:
2 When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan.
3 Whoever loves wisdom makes his father rejoice, But a companion of harlots wastes his wealth.
4 The king establishes the land by justice, But he who receives bribes overthrows it.

Now, we cannot always count on righteous individuals to be in leadership over us, but we can seek to pray for and even influence our leaders to do righteous things.  Even though many had questions about the morality of our current President, including many who voted for him, he has surrounded himself with a healthy number of Christian people.   We can be encouraged to pray for our national, state, and local leaders, so that they will create a condition under which the people can rejoice.

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We have been placed in this world to live our lives and to speak God's truth - and that may involve
speaking truth to power or speaking out regarding important issues. 1st Peter 2 says:
11 Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul,
12 having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.
13 Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether to the king as supreme,
14 or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good.

But how do you do that?  That is a question that Southern Baptist leaders are attempting to answer, and it could be a major topic to be debated at the body's upcoming convention meeting in Phoenix.

With over 15 million members, it is reported that the Southern Baptist Convention is the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S.   Southern Baptists have been known for their faithfulness to Scripture and spreading the message of the gospel.

With those types of numbers, they have a unique, powerful voice in matters of public policy.  And, when you consider that there has been a difference of opinion emerge over the last few years about how that should be expressed, then that is certainly noteworthy.

Perhaps a "shot heard around the world" in this debate came recently when the large Prestonwood Baptist Church in Dallas made a significant announcement, according to a Baptist Press article:

A Dallas-area megachurch has decided to escrow Cooperative Program funds temporarily in order to evaluate future support of Southern Baptist Convention causes.

At issue are what the congregation calls "various significant positions taken by the leadership of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission that do not reflect the beliefs and values of many in the Southern Baptist Convention," according to a statement the church released to Louisiana's Baptist Message newsjournal.

This would be about a million dollars annually.

The article also references some comments made by church pastor Jack Graham, a former SBC president and current member of President Trump's team of evangelical advisors.  Louisiana Baptist Message editor Will Hall had asked Pastor Graham about what he had said to The Wall Street Journal:

At issue, Graham said in the interview, was alleged "disrespectfulness" by ERLC President Russell Moore toward evangelical supporters of Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Moore, who publicly opposed Trump during the primary and general election cycles, said in a December blog post he never intended to criticize all evangelicals who supported Trump.

Robert Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist of Dallas, also was quoted by the Journal, according to a Religion News story, which said:

The Journal quoted Robert Jeffress, senior pastor at First Baptist Dallas and a Trump supporter, who said members of his church don’t believe the ERLC “represents our church’s beliefs.”

Hall has comprised a number of quotes from Moore, including a reference in a 2016 editorial to what he had told the New York Times:

In an editorial for the New York Times, Moore called evangelicals’ support for Trump “illogical” and declared “these voters must repudiate everything they believe” in backing Trump.

It must be noted that 80% of white evangelicals cast a ballot for the current resident of the White House.

And, lately, Dr. Moore has made comments regarding Trump's refugee policies. ERLC is still listed as a member of the so-called Evangelical Immigration Table.

Mark Tooley of the Institute on Religion and Democracy wrote this back in 2013:

Popular evangelical author and commentator Eric Metaxas has quit the Evangelical Immigration Table (EIT), citing its ties to leftist billionaire George Soros.

Metaxas Tweeted his announcement late this afternoon: “Did you know George Soros was behind the Immigration thing I signed but then had my name taken off? Yikes.”

Attached was a link to a report about Soros funding for the National Immigration Forum, of which EIT is a program. Likely very few of the prominent evangelicals endorsing EIT knew of its ultimate ties to leftist donors like Soros.

Well, according to the EIT website, the organizations that comprise the leadership of this organization include: the Council of Christian Colleges & Universities, ERLC of the Southern Baptist Convention, Korean Churches for Community Development, the National Association of Evangelicals, National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, The Wesleyan Church, World Relief, and World Vision.

As we consider some takeaways from this discourse, I want to return to the Baptist Press article, which also states:

Some Southern Baptists also have criticized the ERLC for joining a friend of the court brief last May in support of a New Jersey Islamic society's right to build a mosque. The International Mission Board joined the brief as well, and IMB President David Platt apologized Feb. 15 for the divisive nature of the action.

Another story at Baptist Press discusses the issue.  Platt is quoted as saying: "I can say with full confidence...that in the days ahead, IMB will have a process in place to keep us focused on our primary mission: partnering with churches to empower limitless missionary teams for evangelizing, discipling, planting and multiplying healthy churches, and training leaders among unreached peoples and places for the glory of God."

Again, this is a large denomination, so these trains of thoughts are important to highlight and discuss. But, in the end, all Christians, regardless of denomination or cultural background, can recognize there is much that unites us - hopefully, a desire to see the gospel spread to unbelievers and for believers to grow in the knowledge of God.   We may have differences, but we should seek to be unified on the essentials of the faith.

The media, no doubt, finds there is quite a story when there is division in the Church.  And, as I have said, we can be diverse without being divided.   Jack Graham is quoted in Baptist Press as saying that "...our desire is not to seek publicity so we can make the right decision for our church and Southern Baptists."  And, that's the way it ought to be - too often, the rancor becomes the story rather than the reasons that have led to it.  Pray that Christians who disagree will always exercise civility and venture toward meaningful conversation.

Christians, I believe, should be involved in matters of public policy - that's why often I discuss the issues of the day, attempting to highlight a Biblical worldview perspective.  We can prayerfully wrestle internally, as well as with others, how we are to respond, but we should certainly not draw back from speaking the truth.  In dealing with these matters, ultimately, we recognize to Whom we belong and realize we are representing Him.