The Money Trail

Money can buy influence, and the wrong kind of influence can lead to all sorts of corruption. We have to understand that there are morally-challenged, well-funded efforts to distort, deceive, and diminish the Christian message. 1st Timothy 6 says:
9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.
10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
11 But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.
12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

"Follow the money" - that's a phrase that is commonly used in the political sphere, and you can learn a lot to see the sources of income that fund campaigns. It was used in the headline of an article that I'll be covering later. 

The phrase is important in ministry, as well - as a listener-supported ministry, we depend on the Lord to use His people to sow into this ministry. But, you have so-called Christian organizations that have donors who are attempting to buy influence by making contributions - and we need to know about that. 

Certainly, there is legitimacy regarding Israel's attempt to eradicate a terrorist foe. I, as well as Christian leaders who stand with Israel, recognize the importance of that nation's right to exist and its long-standing history in God's plan. 

In America, there are well-funded organizations that are furthering the cause of Hamas - a terror organization that stands in opposition to the ways of God. A Politico story recently highlighted how the protests in favor of the fictitious nation called "Palestine" and the dangerous group, Hamas, have spread to college campuses.  And, there's nothing organic about it. 

The article says that two organizations that have funded the events at a number of campuses, including Columbia, are Jewish Voice for Peace and IfNotNow, which receive support from the Tides Foundation, which is connected to George Soros and has also been funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The article says, "...a spokesperson with the Open Society Foundations, of which Soros is the founder and chairman, said in a statement that it 'has funded a broad spectrum of US groups that have advocated for the rights of Palestinians and Israelis and for peaceful resolution to the conflict in Israel.' The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which has previously funded the Tides Foundation and other groups, said it no longer has active grants to Tides. It also does not support Jewish Voice for Peace or IfNotNow." You also have the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, which "has given nearly $500,000 directly to Jewish Voice for Peace, which explicitly describes itself as anti-Zionist, over the past five years. Rockefeller Brothers has separately given grants to both the Tides Foundation and the Tides Center."

Susan and Nick Pritzker are megadonors and founded the Tides Foundation, which according to Politico, has "supported the Adalah Justice Project, which has also been part of protests at Columbia University. The group wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that 'universities are hedge funds, deeply embedded with weapons manufacturers.' Tides also supports Palestine Legal, a legal defense fund that is offers legal assistance to 'students mobilizing against genocide.'  The Politico article also notes:

The Tides Foundation issued a statement about funding groups that protest, saying it is “committed to advancing social justice,” adding that its “community of fiscally sponsored projects, donors, and grantees represent a wide range of perspectives on what social justice looks like.”

Palestine Legal has been a fiscally sponsored project of the Tides Center since 2013, and Adalah Justice Project since 2016, according to a spokesperson. Jewish Voice for Peace and IfNotNow “are grantee partners.”

Some of these names of progressive philanthropic organizations curiously show up in an article at the First Things website, written by former WORLD Magazine, now Daily Wire writer Megan Basham, called, Follow the Money to the After Party. She referenced a book by author Tim Alberta that mentioned something called, "The After Party," which "offers pastors and small groups a curriculum 'reframing Christian political identity from today’s divisive partisan options.'”  But, apparently, this brainchild of Russell Moore of Christianity Today, commentator David French, and Curtis Chang of Duke Divinity, according to Alberta, was having some trouble getting off the ground from evangelical donors - so it found some deep pockets.  Basham writes that "...in May 2022, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors announced that The After Party would be one of the thirty-two beneficiaries of their New Pluralists project, which is investing $10 million to 'address divisive forces.'"

The guest list for this project is a laundry list of progressive beneficiaries; the article notes:

In the same grant round as The After Party is a group seeking to promote the “leadership of rural LGBTQ+ people.” Another is committed to “keeping the remaining fossil fuel resources in the ground” in the name of “climate justice.” In 2019, The After Party’s benefactor gave $100 million to the Collaborative for Gender and Reproductive Equity, an initiative that funds efforts to safeguard abortion and ensure “youth” have access to “gender-affirming care.”

But, wait, there's more - in the Politico article, an organization called the Tides Foundation was mentioned. The New Pluralists project website notes that it has donated to the One America project;" Basham notes: "One America has received over $2 million from some of the most powerful foundations on the left—such as the Tides Foundation, the Hewlett Foundation, the Walton family’s Catena Foundation, and the John Pritzker Family Fund—all of which fund enterprises promoting abortion, LGBTQ issues, and other left-wing priorities. The Hewlett Foundation, which also directly funds The After Party, is the second largest private donor to Planned Parenthood."  The writer poses the questions, "Does anyone really believe these secular progressive grant-makers are interested in developing a church curriculum about politics without an eye toward affecting policy? Or that this curriculum will strengthen evangelicals’ commitment to the very causes progressives despise?"

Basham states: "Creating a Bible study curriculum to teach churches how to engage politics is by nature a political act. That’s even truer if you’ve turned for financial support to unbelievers committed to advancing left-wing policies..." She also correctly relates: "One would be hard-pressed to identify evangelical voices who’ve done more to bring a divisive focus on politics into the pews—all under the pretense of de-escalation and bipartisanship."

This can reminds us that we should always allow God's Word to shape our decisions.  That even includes the selection of leaders. But, there are powerful forces wearing a "Christian" or "religious" cloak that are determined to deceive the faithful.  We mustn't let them get away with it.  And, one element that can be helpful is the phrase that Basham's article uses in the headline, that she attributes to the movie, All the President's Men: "follow the money." That can also be expanded to the concept, "follow the associations."

There are plenty of people who seem perfectly righteous and Biblical, yet, when you examine who endorses them or with whom they associate, it raises red flags.  One indicator of Biblical faithfulness can be the associations of various Bible teachers and church and ministry leaders.   We can develop a sense of discernment, paying close attention to someone's Biblical fidelity by examining the fruit, using the Word of God as a guide, and listening to the inner voice of conscience so that we protect our own spirits from teaching that would lead us astray.