S-9 PEOPLE-FILES
- Lee Strobel - Allie Beth Stuckey - Tim Stuen - Meera Subramanian - Jack Sullivan Jr - Matthew Sullivan - Tony Sumpter - Greg Surratt - Matthew Sutton - Jen Sutphin - Donnie Swaggart - Jimmy Swaggart - Carol Swain - Richard Swanson - Barbara Swee - Leonard Sweet - Stanislav Syniy -
==Lee Strobel======
Zorek Richards
- January 28, 2022:
- Lee Strobel said the following in an announcement that he was headlining the 2022 Louisiana Baptist Evangelism Conference: “Evangelism is even more important today, but so is apologetics, or offering reasons for why we believe what we believe...My friend J. Warner Wallace, an atheist detective who came to Christ after his investigation of the Gospels, went so far as to say, ‘evangelism in the 21st Century is spelled apologetics.’ I think he’s on the right track. We need to help people know why we believe that Jesus is the unique Son of God. That’s going to be vitally important as we face a nation and world that are skeptical and sometimes even hostile toward our faith.” I agree and disagree with this. Apologetics is good to learn.. Sharpens the Bible knowledge. But, I believe every Christian has a testimony and a need to "testify" and give witness of why he or she believes what they do. But the commission in Acts 1:7–8 states Jesus said to the disciples, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Maybe conferences like the one Strobel mentions is helpful for some, but for the vast number of people who cannot attend such conferences...God has provided a way that keeps your testimony real that has no urgent need for conference. In 3 words: "Read Your Bible.": 2 Timothy 3:16–17: All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
==allie beth stuckey======
October 2024: Excerpt from Allie Beth Stuckey's book "Toxic Empathy: How progressives exploit Christian compassion."
Some Christians who oppose stricter immigration laws argue that the Bible orders us to love the foreigner. But God’s command to love the foreigner or sojourner must be understood against the backdrop of God’s character, namely, His orderliness.
Scripture indeed contains several verses about respecting and loving the “sojourner” and the “foreigner.” Leviticus 19:34 calls on the nation of Israel to “treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.” Deuteronomy 10:18–19 tells us that God “loves the sojourner” and that therefore Israel should love the sojourner too. These verses are important, and they tell us about God’s character: He has compassion for the outcast, displaced, and lonely. But any attempt to use these passages as evidence that the Bible demands allowing both illegal and legal immigration is faulty.
First, it should be noted that many, particularly progressives, who use these passages as support for liberal immigration policy regularly criticize Christian conservatives for using Scripture as support for our own policies, condemning us as tyrannical theocrats. But it’s not only okay but reasonable and right, for a Christian to allow God’s Word to shape what we think about policies and how we vote. We just have to make sure we’re doing so properly, through thoughtful exegesis and application. That means we must seek to understand the context.
When Christian conservatives use Psalm 139:15–16, for example, which says that God carefully, fearfully, and wonderfully knit us together in our mothers’ wombs, as our reason to oppose abortion, we’re not taking the verse out of context. That’s what Scripture says, and that’s what it means: God made us in the womb, therefore we have human dignity in the womb. But when progressives use these Old Testament verses as a prescription for unlimited immigration, either legal or illegal, they completely disregard the historical and biblical context of the command to honor the foreigner.
When God called on the Israelites to “love the sojourner,” that wasn’t a green light for every immigrant to enter Israel — or America, for that matter. Let’s look at the context: Just before the Jews left their slavery in Egypt, in the earliest days of Mosaic law, the Lord told His people that the relationship between them and the sojourner wasn’t one-sided. Yes, they were supposed to love the sojourner and treat him with respect, but the sojourner had duties too. They had to follow the exact same Mosaic law as the Jews (Exodus 12:49).
In Exodus 12:48, God told Moses that the stranger “shall be as a native of the land” but only if he “let all his males be circumcised.” God wasn’t condoning uncontrolled immigration, but rather the orderly acceptance of people willing to observe Jewish practices and to assimilate into Jewish culture. Just because aliens wanted to enter Israel didn’t mean that the Jews were obligated to suspend the enforcement of their laws. Reciprocity and respect were requisite. Israel had to respect foreigners and treat them with dignity, but foreigners had to do the same to the nation of Israel, and they could not respect Israel without respecting its laws. So if we’re going to apply the immigration laws of ancient Israel to the United States, we’re looking at much more restrictive policies than we have today.
America is not ancient Israel, though, so Christians don’t have the responsibility to enact Old Testament laws here. But Christians can and should look at both the Old and New Testaments to learn what actions create a just, peaceful society and what actions enable injustice and chaos.
Scripture depicts walls, both literally and metaphorically, as a defense against disorder and evil. Nehemiah called upon his fellow Israelites to “build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision” (Nehemiah 2:17). When the wall was finally built, Levites came to “celebrate the dedication with gladness, with thanksgivings, and with singing, with cymbals, harps and lyres” (Nehemiah 12:27).
In the Psalms, David calls upon the Lord to “build up the walls of Jerusalem” (Psalm 51:18) and prayed that peace would exist within the walls of Jerusalem and security within her towers (Psalm 122:6–7).
Solomon admitted the necessity of walls when he wrote that “a man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls” (Proverbs 25:28).
The prophet Isaiah compared the salvation of God to “walls and bulwarks” (Isaiah 26:1) and that when the Jews live in a land without devastation or destruction, “you shall call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise” (Isaiah 60:18).
I’m not offering these passages as precise policy prescriptions for American immigration law, but I do hope to demonstrate how highly God regards order, peace, and security for nations, and that walls — or any form of strong borders — are representative of them.
In short, borders create order, while borderlessness creates disorder. Chaos and disorder always have victims, and they’re usually those with the least physical, economic, or political power to defend themselves.
It is because of — not in spite of — God’s heart for the vulnerable that He gave us the ideas of nations, borders, governments, and laws. Acts 17:26-27 says, “And [God] made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him.”
Contrary to popular opinion, borders aren’t an evil construct devised by tyrants. They’re a concept contrived by God.
And yet, not everyone in the church agrees that we should restrict illegal immigration. In fact, some argue that to do so is against our call as Christians.
NOTE From The Haystack: The book essentially makes claims about verses from the Old Testament in which she claims the verses are important (love the sojourner". etc). But then uses other verses in the Old Testament to frame what God really meant ...which she essentially voids the verses she claims "progressives" use and embraces the ones the right wingers use. Stuckey is a right winger and can only speak from her position...and, hence, her book. I can write a book about pretty much any subject if I can pick the verses I want and discard the rest as being irrelevant if I pick the position I want to embrace first. (She has been conservatively blogging since 2017) An important premise for anyone wanting to know God's heart on any subject is to seek to seek the God who is there and not the God we want. --Zorek Richards 10/14/24
Some Christians who oppose stricter immigration laws argue that the Bible orders us to love the foreigner. But God’s command to love the foreigner or sojourner must be understood against the backdrop of God’s character, namely, His orderliness.
Scripture indeed contains several verses about respecting and loving the “sojourner” and the “foreigner.” Leviticus 19:34 calls on the nation of Israel to “treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.” Deuteronomy 10:18–19 tells us that God “loves the sojourner” and that therefore Israel should love the sojourner too. These verses are important, and they tell us about God’s character: He has compassion for the outcast, displaced, and lonely. But any attempt to use these passages as evidence that the Bible demands allowing both illegal and legal immigration is faulty.
First, it should be noted that many, particularly progressives, who use these passages as support for liberal immigration policy regularly criticize Christian conservatives for using Scripture as support for our own policies, condemning us as tyrannical theocrats. But it’s not only okay but reasonable and right, for a Christian to allow God’s Word to shape what we think about policies and how we vote. We just have to make sure we’re doing so properly, through thoughtful exegesis and application. That means we must seek to understand the context.
When Christian conservatives use Psalm 139:15–16, for example, which says that God carefully, fearfully, and wonderfully knit us together in our mothers’ wombs, as our reason to oppose abortion, we’re not taking the verse out of context. That’s what Scripture says, and that’s what it means: God made us in the womb, therefore we have human dignity in the womb. But when progressives use these Old Testament verses as a prescription for unlimited immigration, either legal or illegal, they completely disregard the historical and biblical context of the command to honor the foreigner.
When God called on the Israelites to “love the sojourner,” that wasn’t a green light for every immigrant to enter Israel — or America, for that matter. Let’s look at the context: Just before the Jews left their slavery in Egypt, in the earliest days of Mosaic law, the Lord told His people that the relationship between them and the sojourner wasn’t one-sided. Yes, they were supposed to love the sojourner and treat him with respect, but the sojourner had duties too. They had to follow the exact same Mosaic law as the Jews (Exodus 12:49).
In Exodus 12:48, God told Moses that the stranger “shall be as a native of the land” but only if he “let all his males be circumcised.” God wasn’t condoning uncontrolled immigration, but rather the orderly acceptance of people willing to observe Jewish practices and to assimilate into Jewish culture. Just because aliens wanted to enter Israel didn’t mean that the Jews were obligated to suspend the enforcement of their laws. Reciprocity and respect were requisite. Israel had to respect foreigners and treat them with dignity, but foreigners had to do the same to the nation of Israel, and they could not respect Israel without respecting its laws. So if we’re going to apply the immigration laws of ancient Israel to the United States, we’re looking at much more restrictive policies than we have today.
America is not ancient Israel, though, so Christians don’t have the responsibility to enact Old Testament laws here. But Christians can and should look at both the Old and New Testaments to learn what actions create a just, peaceful society and what actions enable injustice and chaos.
Scripture depicts walls, both literally and metaphorically, as a defense against disorder and evil. Nehemiah called upon his fellow Israelites to “build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision” (Nehemiah 2:17). When the wall was finally built, Levites came to “celebrate the dedication with gladness, with thanksgivings, and with singing, with cymbals, harps and lyres” (Nehemiah 12:27).
In the Psalms, David calls upon the Lord to “build up the walls of Jerusalem” (Psalm 51:18) and prayed that peace would exist within the walls of Jerusalem and security within her towers (Psalm 122:6–7).
Solomon admitted the necessity of walls when he wrote that “a man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls” (Proverbs 25:28).
The prophet Isaiah compared the salvation of God to “walls and bulwarks” (Isaiah 26:1) and that when the Jews live in a land without devastation or destruction, “you shall call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise” (Isaiah 60:18).
I’m not offering these passages as precise policy prescriptions for American immigration law, but I do hope to demonstrate how highly God regards order, peace, and security for nations, and that walls — or any form of strong borders — are representative of them.
In short, borders create order, while borderlessness creates disorder. Chaos and disorder always have victims, and they’re usually those with the least physical, economic, or political power to defend themselves.
It is because of — not in spite of — God’s heart for the vulnerable that He gave us the ideas of nations, borders, governments, and laws. Acts 17:26-27 says, “And [God] made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him.”
Contrary to popular opinion, borders aren’t an evil construct devised by tyrants. They’re a concept contrived by God.
And yet, not everyone in the church agrees that we should restrict illegal immigration. In fact, some argue that to do so is against our call as Christians.
NOTE From The Haystack: The book essentially makes claims about verses from the Old Testament in which she claims the verses are important (love the sojourner". etc). But then uses other verses in the Old Testament to frame what God really meant ...which she essentially voids the verses she claims "progressives" use and embraces the ones the right wingers use. Stuckey is a right winger and can only speak from her position...and, hence, her book. I can write a book about pretty much any subject if I can pick the verses I want and discard the rest as being irrelevant if I pick the position I want to embrace first. (She has been conservatively blogging since 2017) An important premise for anyone wanting to know God's heart on any subject is to seek to seek the God who is there and not the God we want. --Zorek Richards 10/14/24
The Blaze's Allie Beth Stuckey Has Fascinating Definition Of 'Most Of Our Problems In Society'
This week, should you not be aware, is Turning Point USA’s Young Women’s Leadership Summit, featuring the likes of Charlie Kirk, Benny Johnson, Candace Owens, Dana Loesch, Morgonn McMichaels (not to be confused with Morgan McMichaels, from the second season of RuPaul’s Drag Race), Lara Trump, Laura Ingraham, Lauren Boebert and, of course, Marjorie Taylor Greene. Monday’s first speaker was The Blaze’s Allie Beth Stuckey,
whom we last heard from in March when she was very surprised that a bunch of MAGA men responded to a video of some young women dancing at a Mardi Gras celebration by claiming it was the reason “men” don’t want Western women. Or at least men like John Lithgow in Footloose, were he to appear on 90 Day Fiancé, engaged to a woman who does not speak English (Wonkette 6/11/24) READ MORE>>>>>
This week, should you not be aware, is Turning Point USA’s Young Women’s Leadership Summit, featuring the likes of Charlie Kirk, Benny Johnson, Candace Owens, Dana Loesch, Morgonn McMichaels (not to be confused with Morgan McMichaels, from the second season of RuPaul’s Drag Race), Lara Trump, Laura Ingraham, Lauren Boebert and, of course, Marjorie Taylor Greene. Monday’s first speaker was The Blaze’s Allie Beth Stuckey,
whom we last heard from in March when she was very surprised that a bunch of MAGA men responded to a video of some young women dancing at a Mardi Gras celebration by claiming it was the reason “men” don’t want Western women. Or at least men like John Lithgow in Footloose, were he to appear on 90 Day Fiancé, engaged to a woman who does not speak English (Wonkette 6/11/24) READ MORE>>>>>
The Blaze's Allie Beth Stuckey: “Most of our problems in society” are “caused by premarital and extramarital sex”
ALLIE BETH STUCKEY (GUEST SPEAKER): Don't live with your boyfriend or your fiancé before you get married. Statistically, you are far more likely to break up or to divorce if you do. Not everyone, of course, but that is statistically true. Plus, you are giving him all of the milk without having to buy the cow, you are playing wife without him really having to play husband. The truth is, and this is uncomfortable and unpopular to say, most of our problems in society, most of our problems, a huge portion of problems in society are caused by premarital and extramarital sex. Fatherlessness, abortion, all kinds of sexual depravity, even gender confusion are caused by a culture that prioritizes irresponsible and perverted sex. That is the truth.
(Media Matters 6/10/24) READ MORE>>>>>
ALLIE BETH STUCKEY (GUEST SPEAKER): Don't live with your boyfriend or your fiancé before you get married. Statistically, you are far more likely to break up or to divorce if you do. Not everyone, of course, but that is statistically true. Plus, you are giving him all of the milk without having to buy the cow, you are playing wife without him really having to play husband. The truth is, and this is uncomfortable and unpopular to say, most of our problems in society, most of our problems, a huge portion of problems in society are caused by premarital and extramarital sex. Fatherlessness, abortion, all kinds of sexual depravity, even gender confusion are caused by a culture that prioritizes irresponsible and perverted sex. That is the truth.
(Media Matters 6/10/24) READ MORE>>>>>
Right-wing media are split over Trump selling $60 “God Bless the USA” Bibles
Right-wing media are split over former President Donald Trump selling a “God Bless the USA” Bible for $59.99 just ahead of Easter Sunday. Some right-wing figures are calling Trump’s Bible “sacrilegious,” while others are saying it’s “blessed.” According to the Bible’s sales page, the Trump presidential campaign is not profiting from sales of the book. However, the page does not say anything about whether or not profits are funding Trump’s
legal battles, of which there are many. Trump is selling the Bible in partnership with country singer Lee Greenwood. BlazeTV podcast host and anti-LGBTQ commentator Allie Beth Stuckey described Trump selling Bibles as giving her “the ‘ick’ times 1000." “It feels sacrilegious, it feels political, it feels like you’re selling a Bible to pay your legal fees, which I just don’t like,” Stuckey said.
(Media Matters 6/10/24) READ MORE>>>>>
Right-wing media are split over former President Donald Trump selling a “God Bless the USA” Bible for $59.99 just ahead of Easter Sunday. Some right-wing figures are calling Trump’s Bible “sacrilegious,” while others are saying it’s “blessed.” According to the Bible’s sales page, the Trump presidential campaign is not profiting from sales of the book. However, the page does not say anything about whether or not profits are funding Trump’s
legal battles, of which there are many. Trump is selling the Bible in partnership with country singer Lee Greenwood. BlazeTV podcast host and anti-LGBTQ commentator Allie Beth Stuckey described Trump selling Bibles as giving her “the ‘ick’ times 1000." “It feels sacrilegious, it feels political, it feels like you’re selling a Bible to pay your legal fees, which I just don’t like,” Stuckey said.
(Media Matters 6/10/24) READ MORE>>>>>
==tim stuen====== |
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August 4, 2016: KOTA: Neighbor wants city to sue Dove Christian Center
“We want our neighbors to know that we love them,” said Senior Pastor Tim Stuen of the Dove Christian Center. “And I think that's love for someone to be able to have a chance to come contact with Almighty God.” |
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meera subramanian
Journalist Meera Subramanian found conflicting thoughts on climate and the environment from Christians through her own work as a freelance reporter. Subramanian went on to co-found the Religion & Environment Story Project, a group focused on the intersections between religion and the environment.
Following the 2016 presidential election, Subramanian traveled through the rural U.S. to gather environmental viewpoints from conservative communities, places at the “frontlines of the climate crisis,” as a part of a series of stories she wrote for Inside Climate News. Science and religion are often depicted as opposing forces in the debate over climate change, but Fargo isn’t afraid to make an explicitly Christian argument for environmentalism that he believes can capture hearts and minds.
In conservative Eastern Oregon, which has been battered by wildfires, floods and decades of drought, he’s counting on his message being especially relevant. And researchers are watching Oregon, and rural America at-large, to see if these types of arguments will break through in communities where these issues can sometimes carry political baggage. --Antonio Sierra: Oregon Public Broadcasting: The Christian case for fighting climate change is being tested in Eastern Oregon 2.25.23
Following the 2016 presidential election, Subramanian traveled through the rural U.S. to gather environmental viewpoints from conservative communities, places at the “frontlines of the climate crisis,” as a part of a series of stories she wrote for Inside Climate News. Science and religion are often depicted as opposing forces in the debate over climate change, but Fargo isn’t afraid to make an explicitly Christian argument for environmentalism that he believes can capture hearts and minds.
In conservative Eastern Oregon, which has been battered by wildfires, floods and decades of drought, he’s counting on his message being especially relevant. And researchers are watching Oregon, and rural America at-large, to see if these types of arguments will break through in communities where these issues can sometimes carry political baggage. --Antonio Sierra: Oregon Public Broadcasting: The Christian case for fighting climate change is being tested in Eastern Oregon 2.25.23
===jack sullivan jr======
'A broken nation': Columbus church leaders call for unity after Trump rally Shooting
The Rev. Jack Sullivan Jr., the executive director of the Ohio Council of Churches, a cross-denominational partnership composed of 4,000 congregations and two million members, said faith provides guidance when national events leave believers shaken. "(Faith) helps us to gain clarity concerning the values and the vision of God for humanity, which has to do with flourishing and abundant living and does not include any acceptance of violence," he told The Dispatch. "And so, people should be able to express their perspectives and their views on politics and life in general without violence and intimidation. And that goes for everybody.
(Columbus Dispatch 7/14/24) READMORE>>>>>
The Rev. Jack Sullivan Jr., the executive director of the Ohio Council of Churches, a cross-denominational partnership composed of 4,000 congregations and two million members, said faith provides guidance when national events leave believers shaken. "(Faith) helps us to gain clarity concerning the values and the vision of God for humanity, which has to do with flourishing and abundant living and does not include any acceptance of violence," he told The Dispatch. "And so, people should be able to express their perspectives and their views on politics and life in general without violence and intimidation. And that goes for everybody.
(Columbus Dispatch 7/14/24) READMORE>>>>>
matthew sullivan
March 27, 2023: Christianity Today: Presbyterian School Mourns 6 Dead in Nashville Shooting
Parents were invited into the chapel at The Covenant School in Nashville on Monday morning, like they are every school-day morning. They sung and prayed with the roughly 200 elementary students and 40 or 50 staff at the Presbyterian Church in America school and listened as pastor Matthew Sullivan “raises it to another level,” as one student put it, with his kid-friendly Bible lesson.
Parents were invited into the chapel at The Covenant School in Nashville on Monday morning, like they are every school-day morning. They sung and prayed with the roughly 200 elementary students and 40 or 50 staff at the Presbyterian Church in America school and listened as pastor Matthew Sullivan “raises it to another level,” as one student put it, with his kid-friendly Bible lesson.
==tony sumpter======
Tony Sumpter
Many of you are new to our community and church, and often one of the more challenging things is our worship services. You might describe our worship service as very traditional or you might be tempted to call it “seeker insensitive.” And as one of the disciples might have asked Jesus at one point, “What is up with that?” The answer is that we are committed to worshipping according to Scripture. Much of modern worship has become a highly consumer-driven product, from the worship songs and bands to the architecture and messages and coffee stations, the whole thing has become oriented to the tastes and preferences of people, and often even non-Christians. But one of the central messages of the Bible is that our desires, preferences, and tastes have all been twisted by sin, especially when it comes to spiritual things. This is what idolatry is: crafting our own images of God or of what we think a god or gods ought to be. Israel, emersed in Egyptian culture, thought that the worship of Jehovah needed a golden calf and sexual immorality. Many moderns, emersed in Netflix, and Instagram, and Spotify, think that worship needs to have a lot more entertainment value.
--Tony Sumpter; Having Two Legs; Worship According to Scripture; 9.5.23
--Tony Sumpter; Having Two Legs; Worship According to Scripture; 9.5.23
==greg surratt======
Jan 28, 2023: Christian Post: Rep. Nancy Mace jokes about premarital sex with fiancé at prayer breakfast attended by her pastor
Mace's comment on her sex life came several minutes after Seacoast Church Pastor Greg Surratt honored both her and Scott as a part of his congregation.
"I want to honor him today and Nancy Mace, who is also a part of our congregation," said Surratt, the co-founder of the church planting organization the Association of Related Churches.
Mace's comment on her sex life came several minutes after Seacoast Church Pastor Greg Surratt honored both her and Scott as a part of his congregation.
"I want to honor him today and Nancy Mace, who is also a part of our congregation," said Surratt, the co-founder of the church planting organization the Association of Related Churches.
==matthew sutton======
David A Hollinger
We now have a formidable body of scholarship that establishes the depth and extent of these features of the American evangelical tradition, confirming and expanding on Richard Hofstadter’s legendary analysis in his 1964 book, Anti-intellectualism in American Life. This new body of scholarship is the work of a remarkable generation of young historians who have yet to receive the credit they’re due, so I name some of them here: Darren Dochuk, Matthew Sutton, Anthea Butler, Timothy Gloege, Jesse Curtis, Lerone Martin, J. Russell Hawkins, Stephen Young, Daniel Hummel, Daniel Silliman, and—the only one in this cohort to gain wide media recognition--Kristin Kobes Du Mez, author of the justly famous and marvelously titled, Jesus and John Wayne. Sadly, while the majority of these scholars have written for Religion Dispatches, the conclusions of these bold and creative scholars have been largely ignored in the discussion of religion and politics found in the pages of The Atlantic, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and other media of comparable reach and influence. --David Hollinger; Religion Dispatches; The Critiques of Evangelical Writers Opposing Christian Nationalism Fail to Recognize Evangelicalism’s Troubling History 6/18/24
==jen sutphin======
Jen Sutpin
Jen Sutphin, host of the YouTube channel Fundie Fridays, observed, “The Duggars became a beacon for the evangelical community, the fundamentalist community, and they finally saw themselves represented on TV.”
Evangelicals watched because they recognized themselves in the Duggars. The Gospel Coalition responded because they recognized they are going to be categorized as part of the same theological framework as IBLP. And everyone who has deconstructed conservative evangelicalism recognizes the story of the Duggars and IBLP is our story, no matter what part of evangelicalism’s tower we grew up in.
We all recognize what’s going on here. Sure, there are some nuances between the Duggars, Bill Gothard, IBLP, The Gospel Coalition, fundamentalists, John Piper, Kevin DeYoung, John MacArthur, Voddie Baucham, Al Mohler, and all the organizations they write for or denominations they are members of. But they’re not fundamentally different from one another. They’re simply contractors building the same tower, with different assignments. So let’s stop pretending like the entire tower doesn’t need to be taken down.
--Baptist News Global: How to connect the dots while watching Shiny Happy People 6-7-23
Evangelicals watched because they recognized themselves in the Duggars. The Gospel Coalition responded because they recognized they are going to be categorized as part of the same theological framework as IBLP. And everyone who has deconstructed conservative evangelicalism recognizes the story of the Duggars and IBLP is our story, no matter what part of evangelicalism’s tower we grew up in.
We all recognize what’s going on here. Sure, there are some nuances between the Duggars, Bill Gothard, IBLP, The Gospel Coalition, fundamentalists, John Piper, Kevin DeYoung, John MacArthur, Voddie Baucham, Al Mohler, and all the organizations they write for or denominations they are members of. But they’re not fundamentally different from one another. They’re simply contractors building the same tower, with different assignments. So let’s stop pretending like the entire tower doesn’t need to be taken down.
--Baptist News Global: How to connect the dots while watching Shiny Happy People 6-7-23
==donnie swaggart======
Pastor Donnie Swaggart rebukes black Church for endorsing Kamala Harris
Evangelist Donnie Swaggart, the only son of televangelist Jimmy Swaggart, is now coming under fire from black Christians after he delivered a scathing rebuke of the black church and Bishop John Drew Sheard, the presiding bishop and chief apostle of the Church of God in Christ, Inc., for endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for president. “The statement I'm about to make, I'm going to be called a racist and I will be called every name under the sun, but somebody needs to stand up and speak to the black church,” Swaggart began in his critique to members of the Family Worship Center Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where his father remains senior leader. “When the largest African American Pentecostal denomination, when that leader stands up and said I endorse that woman, he was saying, I endorse murder, I endorse homosexuality, I endorse lesbianism, I endorse transgenderism, I endorse every evil that Hell could prosper or bring up to [be] right. That's wrong folks!” he said to applause. (Christian Post 10/25/24) READ MORE>>>>>
Evangelist Donnie Swaggart, the only son of televangelist Jimmy Swaggart, is now coming under fire from black Christians after he delivered a scathing rebuke of the black church and Bishop John Drew Sheard, the presiding bishop and chief apostle of the Church of God in Christ, Inc., for endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for president. “The statement I'm about to make, I'm going to be called a racist and I will be called every name under the sun, but somebody needs to stand up and speak to the black church,” Swaggart began in his critique to members of the Family Worship Center Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where his father remains senior leader. “When the largest African American Pentecostal denomination, when that leader stands up and said I endorse that woman, he was saying, I endorse murder, I endorse homosexuality, I endorse lesbianism, I endorse transgenderism, I endorse every evil that Hell could prosper or bring up to [be] right. That's wrong folks!” he said to applause. (Christian Post 10/25/24) READ MORE>>>>>
==jimmy swaggart======
Televangelist Report Card
Fundraising appeals covered a wide range of styles. Some ministries, like Paul Crouch’s Praise the Lord and Charles Stanley’s In Touch, had separate segments offering an item in exchange for a contribution. Others, such as James Robison’s Life Today, used larger segments of airtime to raise money for the poor by showing the hosts traveling to a needy part of the world. Some hosts made direct financial appeals to the camera, such as Jerry Falwell (plugging his correspondence school), Robert Tilton (asking followers to “make a vow” for $1,000 so they will be blessed), or Swaggart (“We’ve given you something. … and now I need your help”). Half of the organizations never responded with any financial information (including Robert Schuller, Pat Robertson, Oral Roberts, Falwell, Swaggart, Robison, Benny Hinn, and Jack Van Impe). About one-fourth replied by sending inadequate pie-chart information that gave no specific details about how much money was spent on salaries and who made up the board of directors. Charles Stanley’s In Touch ministry first put me on the fundraising mailing list before sending the requested information two months later, and it took a second request to get Graham’s organization to finally send a basic financial statement.
(Christianity Today 10/22/01) READ MORE>>>>>
Fundraising appeals covered a wide range of styles. Some ministries, like Paul Crouch’s Praise the Lord and Charles Stanley’s In Touch, had separate segments offering an item in exchange for a contribution. Others, such as James Robison’s Life Today, used larger segments of airtime to raise money for the poor by showing the hosts traveling to a needy part of the world. Some hosts made direct financial appeals to the camera, such as Jerry Falwell (plugging his correspondence school), Robert Tilton (asking followers to “make a vow” for $1,000 so they will be blessed), or Swaggart (“We’ve given you something. … and now I need your help”). Half of the organizations never responded with any financial information (including Robert Schuller, Pat Robertson, Oral Roberts, Falwell, Swaggart, Robison, Benny Hinn, and Jack Van Impe). About one-fourth replied by sending inadequate pie-chart information that gave no specific details about how much money was spent on salaries and who made up the board of directors. Charles Stanley’s In Touch ministry first put me on the fundraising mailing list before sending the requested information two months later, and it took a second request to get Graham’s organization to finally send a basic financial statement.
(Christianity Today 10/22/01) READ MORE>>>>>
==carol m swain======
Trump's Bible endorsement draws mixed reactions from Christians: 'Syncretistic expression'
Carol M. Swain, a conservative Christian retired political science and law professor at Vanderbilt University, echoed Starnes' comment. "Why should anyone get bent out of shape because Trump endorses Lee Greenwood's USA Bible?" she asked on X. "America would be better off if more people read the Bible and the founding documents. Putting them together in one volume makes it easier for people to be educated about our nation and its roots." According to its website, the Trump campaign is not making money from the Bible. It is "not owned, managed or controlled by Donald J. Trump, The Trump Organization, CIC Ventures LLC or any of their respective principals or affiliates." (Christian Post 3/30/24) READ MORE>>>>>
Carol M. Swain, a conservative Christian retired political science and law professor at Vanderbilt University, echoed Starnes' comment. "Why should anyone get bent out of shape because Trump endorses Lee Greenwood's USA Bible?" she asked on X. "America would be better off if more people read the Bible and the founding documents. Putting them together in one volume makes it easier for people to be educated about our nation and its roots." According to its website, the Trump campaign is not making money from the Bible. It is "not owned, managed or controlled by Donald J. Trump, The Trump Organization, CIC Ventures LLC or any of their respective principals or affiliates." (Christian Post 3/30/24) READ MORE>>>>>
==richard swanson======
Bart Pfankuch
Richard Swanson, a religion professor at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, the reduced interest in religion and church attendance in America could have the long-term effect of making individuals and communities more callous to the pain and suffering of others and less willing to help.
“I get up believing that in the universe, it is expected that little kids would not go to bed hungry, or that other basic problems must be solved,” he said. “To me, losing a religious community would take away the place where I would learn social responsibility. --Bart Pfankuch; Aberdeen News: Churches in South Dakota, nationwide dealing with lower attendance, affiliation numbers 7.19.22
“I get up believing that in the universe, it is expected that little kids would not go to bed hungry, or that other basic problems must be solved,” he said. “To me, losing a religious community would take away the place where I would learn social responsibility. --Bart Pfankuch; Aberdeen News: Churches in South Dakota, nationwide dealing with lower attendance, affiliation numbers 7.19.22
==barbara swee======
Barbara A. Swee is Associate Pastor at Northland Christian Assembly in Flagstaff, Arizona.
Abigail Kessler
After hearing over three hours of public comment on the topic, Flagstaff City Council approved a resolution supporting abortion access in the city at its meeting Tuesday...........Many commenters who spoke against the resolution cited religion, specifically Christianity, as their reason for opposing abortion, quoting Bible verses and prayers and using religious language.
The group included a few local pastors: Joshua Walker, teaching elder of Church of the Resurrection (though he said he was here as a “concerned citizen” rather than a pastor), David Berry, senior pastor of Flagstaff Christian Fellowship, Barbara Swee, associate pastor of Northland Christian Assembly, and Jim Dorman, founding pastor (now retired) of Christ’s Church of Flagstaff. “I’m here today on behalf of myself and the nearly 300 people of my church,” Berry said. “ ... Together we are all in vehement opposition to the proposed resolution 2023-12. The mission of Flagstaff as we’ve been reminded is to protect and enhance the quality of life for all. That certainly includes the most vulnerable among us who cannot defend and speak for themselves, people in the womb.”
Some of those who supported the resolution mentioned the separation of church and state in their comments, saying that to act based on the religious beliefs of other commenters would go against it.
Northern Arizona University professor of comparative cultural studies Diana Coleman also noted that these beliefs were from a subset of one religion.
“We have not heard the religious side, as I’ve heard people say; we’ve heard from a thin, select fringe of conservative Christianity that doesn’t represent all of Christianity,” she said. “ ... We do have separation of church and state, we have the establishment clause. This religious-inflected dialogue is inappropriate to be forced on and also very disingenuous.”..........Matthews said the religious views should be heard, however, as they were community members’ perspectives.
“I don’t think that it was about well, this is a religious thing or a God thing, so you need to be shamed into making a decision,” she said. “ ... This is their belief and they are part of the community.”
In his part of the discussion, McCarthy said the question was about who was making decisions.
“Someone [tonight] said there are differing opinions on the issue. Well, that’s obvious. But one side, who would say ‘pro-choice,’ they’re saying, ‘I’m not going to make that decision for you.’ The other side is saying, ‘I want to make that decision for you.’” --Abigail Kessler; Arizona Daily Sun; Flagstaff City Council adopts resolution supporting abortion access 3.11.23
The group included a few local pastors: Joshua Walker, teaching elder of Church of the Resurrection (though he said he was here as a “concerned citizen” rather than a pastor), David Berry, senior pastor of Flagstaff Christian Fellowship, Barbara Swee, associate pastor of Northland Christian Assembly, and Jim Dorman, founding pastor (now retired) of Christ’s Church of Flagstaff. “I’m here today on behalf of myself and the nearly 300 people of my church,” Berry said. “ ... Together we are all in vehement opposition to the proposed resolution 2023-12. The mission of Flagstaff as we’ve been reminded is to protect and enhance the quality of life for all. That certainly includes the most vulnerable among us who cannot defend and speak for themselves, people in the womb.”
Some of those who supported the resolution mentioned the separation of church and state in their comments, saying that to act based on the religious beliefs of other commenters would go against it.
Northern Arizona University professor of comparative cultural studies Diana Coleman also noted that these beliefs were from a subset of one religion.
“We have not heard the religious side, as I’ve heard people say; we’ve heard from a thin, select fringe of conservative Christianity that doesn’t represent all of Christianity,” she said. “ ... We do have separation of church and state, we have the establishment clause. This religious-inflected dialogue is inappropriate to be forced on and also very disingenuous.”..........Matthews said the religious views should be heard, however, as they were community members’ perspectives.
“I don’t think that it was about well, this is a religious thing or a God thing, so you need to be shamed into making a decision,” she said. “ ... This is their belief and they are part of the community.”
In his part of the discussion, McCarthy said the question was about who was making decisions.
“Someone [tonight] said there are differing opinions on the issue. Well, that’s obvious. But one side, who would say ‘pro-choice,’ they’re saying, ‘I’m not going to make that decision for you.’ The other side is saying, ‘I want to make that decision for you.’” --Abigail Kessler; Arizona Daily Sun; Flagstaff City Council adopts resolution supporting abortion access 3.11.23
==leonard sweet======
Leonard I. Sweet is an American theologian, semiotician, church historian, pastor, and author. Sweet currently serves as the E. Stanley Jones Professor Emeritus at Drew Theological School at Drew University, in Madison, New Jersey; Charles Wesley Distinguished Professor of Doctoral Studies at Evangelical Seminary; Distinguished Visiting Professor at Tabor College; and Visiting Distinguished Professor at George Fox University in Portland, Oregon. Sweet is ordained in the United Methodist Church. Before his current seminary positions, Sweet had been E. Stanley Jones Professor of Evangelism, Vice President of Academic Affairs, and Dean of the Theological School at Drew from 1995 to 2015. Prior to his appointments at Drew University, he served as President and Professor of Church History at United Theological Seminary, Dayton, Ohio. His first academic administration position was as Provost and Associate Professor of Church History at Colgate Rochester Divinity School/Bexley Hall/Crozer Theological Seminary.
Leonard Sweet
Good luck with saying in the past 500 years “I’m sorry, I don’t do books.” Good luck with saying in the next 30 years, “I’m sorry I don’t do Internet.” As the book was the delivery system for learning and faith development, the Internet will be the delivery system for learning and faith development…..........What’s the first thing a missionary does? Learn the language. This is the language of the world we live. I’m sorry if you don’t like it. You could go “okay, I don’t like Swahili.” Well, if God has called us to be ministry now in this kind of a world, so you don’t get to choose: you have to learn a new language...........The Devil is an evangelist. The Devil is learning their language. The Devil is learning how to speak on the Internet real well. So, are we going to leave him with the field? Or are we going to get in there in the struggle of good and evil. -Dr Leonard Sweet
March 24, 2023: Religion Unplugged: On The Front Lines: In War-Torn Kherson, Church Is A Symbol Of Hope And Resilience
“We didn’t plan to live like this, but after waking up to the war, we started evacuating people from our city. The volunteer work continues since then,” says Stanislav Syniy, while driving a van to his native Kherson in the south of Ukraine.
“We didn’t plan to live like this, but after waking up to the war, we started evacuating people from our city. The volunteer work continues since then,” says Stanislav Syniy, while driving a van to his native Kherson in the south of Ukraine.
