WAR-WAU - PEOPLE FILES
- Alexander Ward - Anthony Ward - Morgan Ward - Bashar Warda - Raphael Warnock - Kay Warren - Tish Warren - Randall Waring - Paul Washer - Craig Waters - JW Wartick - Daryl Washington - Sharon E Watkins - Charles Watson Jr - Barry Waugh -
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==alexander ward======
The rise and fall of Christian nationalism
The article, which was also written by Alexander Ward, defined natural law as "the belief that there are universal rules derived from God that can’t be superseded by government or judges," and likewise called it "a pillar of Catholicism" that has "been used to oppose abortion, LGBTQ+ rights and contraception" in recent decades. (Christian Post; 12/8/25) READMORE>>>>>>
The article, which was also written by Alexander Ward, defined natural law as "the belief that there are universal rules derived from God that can’t be superseded by government or judges," and likewise called it "a pillar of Catholicism" that has "been used to oppose abortion, LGBTQ+ rights and contraception" in recent decades. (Christian Post; 12/8/25) READMORE>>>>>>
==anthony ward======
Leader of schismatic Colorado Springs group disregards excommunication
After receiving a letter of excommunication from the Vatican, the leader of a schismatic group in Colorado Springs told congregants he would ignore it — furthering the divide between the small splinter group and the Catholic Church. Anthony Ward heads the Servants of the Holy Family, a group that labels itself as Catholic in spite of the Diocese of Colorado Springs’ declaration that the group is schismatic. In a 40-minute speech to his congregation in which he called Church authorities “a kangaroo court” of “heretics” and “freemasons,” Ward went public on Nov. 16 about his excommunication and his plans to continue ignoring the Catholic Church’s directives. (Catholic News Agency 12.5.25) READMORE>>>>>>
After receiving a letter of excommunication from the Vatican, the leader of a schismatic group in Colorado Springs told congregants he would ignore it — furthering the divide between the small splinter group and the Catholic Church. Anthony Ward heads the Servants of the Holy Family, a group that labels itself as Catholic in spite of the Diocese of Colorado Springs’ declaration that the group is schismatic. In a 40-minute speech to his congregation in which he called Church authorities “a kangaroo court” of “heretics” and “freemasons,” Ward went public on Nov. 16 about his excommunication and his plans to continue ignoring the Catholic Church’s directives. (Catholic News Agency 12.5.25) READMORE>>>>>>
==morgan ward======
400 Christian leaders urge resistance to Trump administration on Ash Wednesday
Signers include Bishop Vashti McKenzie, president of the National Council of Churches; Bishop Hope Morgan Ward of the United Methodist Church’s Council of Bishops; the Rev. Jihyun Oh, stated clerk of General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA); Bishop Darin Moore, presiding prelate for the Mid-Atlantic Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church; David Emmanuel Goatley, president of Fuller Seminary; Jennifer Herdt, senior associate dean for academic affairs at Yale University Divinity School; the Rev. Corey D. B. Walker, dean of Wake Forest University School of Divinity; UMC Bishop Minerva Carcaño; the Rev. Otis Moss III of Trinity United Church of Christ; David Cortright, professor emeritus at the University of Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies; and the Rev. Randall Balmer, who holds the John Phillips Chair in Religion at Dartmouth College. (Religion News Service 2.13.26) READMORE>>>>>
Signers include Bishop Vashti McKenzie, president of the National Council of Churches; Bishop Hope Morgan Ward of the United Methodist Church’s Council of Bishops; the Rev. Jihyun Oh, stated clerk of General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA); Bishop Darin Moore, presiding prelate for the Mid-Atlantic Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church; David Emmanuel Goatley, president of Fuller Seminary; Jennifer Herdt, senior associate dean for academic affairs at Yale University Divinity School; the Rev. Corey D. B. Walker, dean of Wake Forest University School of Divinity; UMC Bishop Minerva Carcaño; the Rev. Otis Moss III of Trinity United Church of Christ; David Cortright, professor emeritus at the University of Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies; and the Rev. Randall Balmer, who holds the John Phillips Chair in Religion at Dartmouth College. (Religion News Service 2.13.26) READMORE>>>>>
==bashar warda======
Kathryn Jean Lopez
Christianity in Iraq is in a different place, on the other side of the ISIS genocide that drove most of the Christians from Mosul to Erbil, near Kurdistan. When it comes to the persecuted Church, Iraq is a hopeful story, if a work in progress.
“ISIS is defeated, Christ is victorious,” Archbishop Bashar Warda tells me. “The Church is back again. Mass is back again.”
Warda, who established the exchange program with Franciscan University, says it has helped change how young Iraqis see Americans.
At first, many of his people thought the students coming to teach them must have been desperate for jobs. But as the Iraqis got to know the American teachers, they saw real faith, talent and generosity.
The young people are coming because “they want to serve the needs of the Church. They show the beauty and kindness of American Catholics,” Warda says.
During the genocide, Warda was able, with the help of the Knights of Columbus and Aid to the Church in Need, to establish a Catholic university and a hospital, among other things, for the people who wound up on his doorstep as refugees from ISIS.
He was able to help Christians see a future in Iraq — education for children and jobs for their parents. Warda credits good priests like then-Father (now Bishop) Thabet Habib Yousif Al Mekko for doing the difficult work of “accompanying his people through that long, painful road.” (Both Warda and Thabet were in Orlando for the annual Knights of Columbus convention this summer.)
This is no small thing. In 2014, Iraqi Christians understandably were tempted to think “this is the end ... That there is no future for them in Iraq,” Warda remembers. --Kathryn Jean Lopez; Press Republican; Christianity is alive and well in Iraq 9.18.23
“ISIS is defeated, Christ is victorious,” Archbishop Bashar Warda tells me. “The Church is back again. Mass is back again.”
Warda, who established the exchange program with Franciscan University, says it has helped change how young Iraqis see Americans.
At first, many of his people thought the students coming to teach them must have been desperate for jobs. But as the Iraqis got to know the American teachers, they saw real faith, talent and generosity.
The young people are coming because “they want to serve the needs of the Church. They show the beauty and kindness of American Catholics,” Warda says.
During the genocide, Warda was able, with the help of the Knights of Columbus and Aid to the Church in Need, to establish a Catholic university and a hospital, among other things, for the people who wound up on his doorstep as refugees from ISIS.
He was able to help Christians see a future in Iraq — education for children and jobs for their parents. Warda credits good priests like then-Father (now Bishop) Thabet Habib Yousif Al Mekko for doing the difficult work of “accompanying his people through that long, painful road.” (Both Warda and Thabet were in Orlando for the annual Knights of Columbus convention this summer.)
This is no small thing. In 2014, Iraqi Christians understandably were tempted to think “this is the end ... That there is no future for them in Iraq,” Warda remembers. --Kathryn Jean Lopez; Press Republican; Christianity is alive and well in Iraq 9.18.23
==randall waring======
Adventists Confront Christian Nationalism at Religious Liberty Summit
This is not an endorsement of the teachings of Seventh Day Adventism, but just a note on how they are dealing with Christian Nationalism. --ZR
On November 15, 2025, three Adventist scholars made the case that our theology still has something vital to say about religious liberty, but also that the current administration poses real dangers to the separation of church and state. The Religious Liberty Summit—hosted by the Church State Council—was a reminder that our roots and prophetic identity were always meant to prepare us for precisely this moment. The moderated panel featured Steve Allred, Alan Reinach, Laura Wibberding, Devon & Dawn Horning, and Randall Waring, chair of the Paradise Adventist Church board. Reinach and Allred discussed the dangers of promoting material produced within movements whose aims Adventists cannot ethically support. Allred warned that organizations like Turning Point USA have become influential conduits for dominionist theology and that many Christians are being drawn in by nationalistic rhetoric disguised as spiritual revival. “Religion is a fertile ground for exploitation. Churches are,” Allred said. “One of the things I see with Christian nationalism is that they’re using a lot of the words[…]things that Christianity is into, and yet when you look at the underlying substance, when you look at the actual values that we’re promoting, we’re being selective.” “Christian nationalism seeks power, not influence,” Allred said. “We should be influential—but never seek dominance.” Adventists are called not to rule culture, he emphasized, but to witness within it. Reinach: “If you’re going to reject a person because of their political beliefs, then you’re putting your politics ahead of your faith. You know, that’s where you think that[…]Jesus is a Republican or Jesus is a Democrat, and if you don’t believe the way I do, it’s Mark of the Beast, us versus them thinking. So it’s fine to disagree about politics, but do we ostracize and demonize the other because they believe differently?” (Source: Spectrum;“A Counterfeit Kingdom”: Adventists Confront Christian Nationalism at Religious Liberty Summit; 11/25/25
This is not an endorsement of the teachings of Seventh Day Adventism, but just a note on how they are dealing with Christian Nationalism. --ZR
On November 15, 2025, three Adventist scholars made the case that our theology still has something vital to say about religious liberty, but also that the current administration poses real dangers to the separation of church and state. The Religious Liberty Summit—hosted by the Church State Council—was a reminder that our roots and prophetic identity were always meant to prepare us for precisely this moment. The moderated panel featured Steve Allred, Alan Reinach, Laura Wibberding, Devon & Dawn Horning, and Randall Waring, chair of the Paradise Adventist Church board. Reinach and Allred discussed the dangers of promoting material produced within movements whose aims Adventists cannot ethically support. Allred warned that organizations like Turning Point USA have become influential conduits for dominionist theology and that many Christians are being drawn in by nationalistic rhetoric disguised as spiritual revival. “Religion is a fertile ground for exploitation. Churches are,” Allred said. “One of the things I see with Christian nationalism is that they’re using a lot of the words[…]things that Christianity is into, and yet when you look at the underlying substance, when you look at the actual values that we’re promoting, we’re being selective.” “Christian nationalism seeks power, not influence,” Allred said. “We should be influential—but never seek dominance.” Adventists are called not to rule culture, he emphasized, but to witness within it. Reinach: “If you’re going to reject a person because of their political beliefs, then you’re putting your politics ahead of your faith. You know, that’s where you think that[…]Jesus is a Republican or Jesus is a Democrat, and if you don’t believe the way I do, it’s Mark of the Beast, us versus them thinking. So it’s fine to disagree about politics, but do we ostracize and demonize the other because they believe differently?” (Source: Spectrum;“A Counterfeit Kingdom”: Adventists Confront Christian Nationalism at Religious Liberty Summit; 11/25/25
==Raphael Warnock======
December 23, 2025: Anabaptist World reported: Of the five ordained members of Congress now in office, two are Democrats, and both are Black: Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock, lead pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where Martin Luther King Jr. was pastor, and Emanuel Cleaver, a United Methodist minister, a congressman representing Missouri. But this year at least six white clergy and one seminarian — some from evangelical Christian backgrounds and others from mainline Protestant denominations — have declared to run as Democrats in 2026. Another 20 ministers — many of whom are white Democrats — are seriously considering running for various state or local seats, said Doug Pagitt, executive director of Vote Common Good, a nonprofit that seeks to engage religious voters.
Dem Senator Says Trump ‘Policies Bear False Witness Against’ God
Georgia Democrat Senator Raphael Warnock criticized the policies of the Donald Trump administration in a post on X Monday, saying in part, "There are more than 2,000 verses of Scripture that tell us how to treat the poor. And none of those verses say we should take food away from hungry children, slash health care for the vulnerable, and give tax cuts to the rich.""These policies bear false witness against the God I know," he concluded. This is not the first time that Warnock has expressed criticism of the president and his use of religion in politics. Trump often refers to God and the Bible during speeches, signaling the Republican Party's alignment with Christian values. (Christian Post; 12/8/25) READMORE>>>>>
Georgia Democrat Senator Raphael Warnock criticized the policies of the Donald Trump administration in a post on X Monday, saying in part, "There are more than 2,000 verses of Scripture that tell us how to treat the poor. And none of those verses say we should take food away from hungry children, slash health care for the vulnerable, and give tax cuts to the rich.""These policies bear false witness against the God I know," he concluded. This is not the first time that Warnock has expressed criticism of the president and his use of religion in politics. Trump often refers to God and the Bible during speeches, signaling the Republican Party's alignment with Christian values. (Christian Post; 12/8/25) READMORE>>>>>
April 6, 2023:
CBN has an article about the upcoming election. They note that GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley and others are sounding the alarm. "All of this wokeism is trying to change the core of what the family is," Haley tells CBN News. "The family has always been one that prays at home, goes to church, teaches morals, grows their children, and sends them out to do God's work. That's always been the case until now."
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who is expected to run, recently echoed that same concern on The 700 Club. "If we teach our kids garbage, if we do not remind them that this is a Judeo-Christian nation and is the most exceptional nation in the history of civilization, if we can't teach them the basics of reading and writing, and reasoning, if we get those things wrong, no secretary of state can fix that problem. The next generation will grow up thinking, gosh, we were taught America is racist. We were taught America is founded on an illogical idea and there is an oppressor class. You can't get those things back," Pompeo said. CBN also mention Trump and Ron DeSantis. Oh, and they also mention Mike Pence....who they think might has a chance...but I say not a single chance in hell.
CNS News reports that "Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D.-N.Y.) has been visiting Christian churches recently, appearing at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem on Sunday, March 26, and at the Evangelical Crusade Christian Church in Brooklyn on Palm Sunday. “It’s such a joy to join together with @SenatorWarnock at Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem where he once served and where he’s preaching a guest pastor today,” Schumer said in a tweet he sent out on March 26.
CBN has an article about the upcoming election. They note that GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley and others are sounding the alarm. "All of this wokeism is trying to change the core of what the family is," Haley tells CBN News. "The family has always been one that prays at home, goes to church, teaches morals, grows their children, and sends them out to do God's work. That's always been the case until now."
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who is expected to run, recently echoed that same concern on The 700 Club. "If we teach our kids garbage, if we do not remind them that this is a Judeo-Christian nation and is the most exceptional nation in the history of civilization, if we can't teach them the basics of reading and writing, and reasoning, if we get those things wrong, no secretary of state can fix that problem. The next generation will grow up thinking, gosh, we were taught America is racist. We were taught America is founded on an illogical idea and there is an oppressor class. You can't get those things back," Pompeo said. CBN also mention Trump and Ron DeSantis. Oh, and they also mention Mike Pence....who they think might has a chance...but I say not a single chance in hell.
CNS News reports that "Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D.-N.Y.) has been visiting Christian churches recently, appearing at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem on Sunday, March 26, and at the Evangelical Crusade Christian Church in Brooklyn on Palm Sunday. “It’s such a joy to join together with @SenatorWarnock at Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem where he once served and where he’s preaching a guest pastor today,” Schumer said in a tweet he sent out on March 26.
==kay warren======
Dec 18, 2018: Christian Post: Are Christians who commit suicide condemned to Hell?
Saddleback Church co-founder and best-selling author Kay Warren whose son, Matthew, died by suicide at age 27 in 2013, has also emphasized that suicide doesn't condemn a Christian to Hell.
"God's promised us that Matthew's salvation was safe and secure. Matthew gave his life to Jesus when he was a little boy. And so, I'm absolutely 100 percent confident based on the work of Jesus that Matthew is in Heaven," she told The Christian Post in an earlier interview.
Mar 2015: Kay Warren: Christianity Today: No More Needless Deaths
Saddleback Church co-founder and best-selling author Kay Warren whose son, Matthew, died by suicide at age 27 in 2013, has also emphasized that suicide doesn't condemn a Christian to Hell.
"God's promised us that Matthew's salvation was safe and secure. Matthew gave his life to Jesus when he was a little boy. And so, I'm absolutely 100 percent confident based on the work of Jesus that Matthew is in Heaven," she told The Christian Post in an earlier interview.
Mar 2015: Kay Warren: Christianity Today: No More Needless Deaths
==tish warren====== |
For over a decade, Tish has worked in ministry settings as a campus minister with InterVarsity Graduate and Faculty Ministries, as an associate rector, and with addicts and those in poverty through various churches and non-profit organizations. She is a founding member of The Pelican Project and a Senior Fellow with the Trinity Forum. She lives with her husband and three children in the Austin, Texas area.
Jan 3, 2023
==JW Wartick======
J.W. Wartick has an MA in Christian Apologetics from Biola University. His interests include theology, philosophy of religion--particularly the existence of God--astronomy, biology, archaeology, and sci-fi and fantasy novels.
Jan 4, 2016: JW Wartick: Always Have a Reason: “Faithful Elephants”- How a children’s story taught me war is terrible
Dec 18, 2015: JW Wartic: Always Have a Reason: Star Wars: The Force Awakens- a Christian perspective
Sept 1, 2015: JW Wartick: Eclectic Theist: 80s Fantasy Movie Review: “The Last Unicorn”
Mar 15, 2015: JW Wartick: Sunday Quote!- Does Concordism Fail?
Oct 29, 2014: JW Wartick: Always Have a Reason: “The Railway Man”: Forgiveness is more powerful than hate
Sept 24, 2014: JW Wartick: Always Have a Reason: A Brief Musing on the “Prosperity Gospel” – Psalm 4:6-7
Dec 18, 2015: JW Wartic: Always Have a Reason: Star Wars: The Force Awakens- a Christian perspective
Sept 1, 2015: JW Wartick: Eclectic Theist: 80s Fantasy Movie Review: “The Last Unicorn”
Mar 15, 2015: JW Wartick: Sunday Quote!- Does Concordism Fail?
Oct 29, 2014: JW Wartick: Always Have a Reason: “The Railway Man”: Forgiveness is more powerful than hate
Sept 24, 2014: JW Wartick: Always Have a Reason: A Brief Musing on the “Prosperity Gospel” – Psalm 4:6-7
Feb 3, 2014: .JW Wartick (JW Wartick "Always Have a Reason") shared "Sunday Quote! – Secularism as necessary in the Political Sphere?" He writes: The quote this week is from Elizabeth Shakman Hurd, The Politics of Secularism in International Relations, a book which makes me reminisce upon The Myth of Religious Violence by William Cavinaugh. The book is about how secularism comes into play with international relations, and how secularism is often turned into the wielding of power of the secularist over the religious other. Here’s a juicy quote explaining one of the products of secularism:
“[T]he objective of laicism is to create a neutral public space in which religious belief, practices, and institutions have lost their political significance… The mixing of religion and politics is regarded as irrational and dangerous. For modernization to take hold, religion must be separated from politics… Laicism adopts and expresses a pretense of neutrality… This makes it difficult for those who have been shaped by and draw upon this tradition [laicism] to see the limitations of their own conceptions of religion and politics.” -Elizabeth Hurd, “The Politics of Secularism in International Relations”
“[T]he objective of laicism is to create a neutral public space in which religious belief, practices, and institutions have lost their political significance… The mixing of religion and politics is regarded as irrational and dangerous. For modernization to take hold, religion must be separated from politics… Laicism adopts and expresses a pretense of neutrality… This makes it difficult for those who have been shaped by and draw upon this tradition [laicism] to see the limitations of their own conceptions of religion and politics.” -Elizabeth Hurd, “The Politics of Secularism in International Relations”
paul washer
Paul Washer
We should never present Christ to the unbeliever as the cherry on top of an already wonderful life. The unbeliever must see that he has no life, and that all his personal achievements prior to Christ are monuments to his own vanity: made of sand and quickly passing. – Paul Washer
==craig Waters======
Dec 12, 2022: Baptist Press: Wyoming pastor’s Santa cause is pointing to Christ
It’s not uncommon for Craig Waters to experience a case of mistaken identity.
Children routinely walk up to the pastor and tug on his pants, committed to getting an audience with him if only for a minute. To be fair, Waters’ white hair and beard, considerable girth and jolly nature have a lot to do with it. It’s almost like kids can sense that a Santa suit hangs in his closet.
It’s not uncommon for Craig Waters to experience a case of mistaken identity.
Children routinely walk up to the pastor and tug on his pants, committed to getting an audience with him if only for a minute. To be fair, Waters’ white hair and beard, considerable girth and jolly nature have a lot to do with it. It’s almost like kids can sense that a Santa suit hangs in his closet.
==sharon E watkins======
Rev. Dr. Sharon E. Watkins serves as General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada. As General Minister, she is general pastor of the denomination, responsible for representing the wholeness of the church, for reconciling differences, and for helping the church retain its clarity of mission and identity. Her work includes interpreting The Design of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and convening tables for cooperative work.
Mar 28, 2015: Huffington Post: Disciples Of Christ Church Threatens A Boycott Over New Indiana Bill That Allows LGBT Discrimination
“Purportedly a matter of religious freedom, we find RFRA contrary to the values of our faith — as well as to our national and Hoosier values,” stated the letter, which was signed by Sharon E. Watkins, the church’s general minister and president, as well as the leaders of its overseas and domestic missions.
“Purportedly a matter of religious freedom, we find RFRA contrary to the values of our faith — as well as to our national and Hoosier values,” stated the letter, which was signed by Sharon E. Watkins, the church’s general minister and president, as well as the leaders of its overseas and domestic missions.
==daryl washington======
'Keep off our property' | DC area Christian leaders ask ICE to stop parking in church lots
Here are the 19 clergy that signed onto Saturday's letter:
- Rev. Graylan Scott Hagler; Plymouth United Church of Christ; senior advisor Fellowship of Reconciliation Pastor Christopher Zacharias; John Wesley African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, Rev. Rubin Tendai; United Church of Christ , Rev. Patricia Fears; Fellowship Baptist Church , Rev. Jamall Calloway; Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ , Rev. Lewis T. Tait; The Village, Rev. William H. Lamar IV; Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church, Rev. Marcus Leathers; Christian Church, Disciples of Christ, Rev. Wanda Thompson; The Ambassador Baptist Church, Rev. Keith W. Byrd Sr.; Zion Baptist Church, Rev. George C. Gilbert Jr.; Baptist Convention of DC and Vicinity, Rev. Daryl Washington; DM Washington Ministries, Rev. Kenneth King; New Hope Baptist United Church of Christ, Rev. Kendrick Curry; Pennsylvania Avenue Baptist Church, Rev. Clarence Cross, African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. Rev. Howard Finley; at-large, Bill Mefford; The Festival Center, Rev., Abhi Janamanchi; Cedar Lane Unitarian-Universalist Church (Bethesda, Md.), Rev. Darrryl LC Moch; United Church of Christ of Fredericksburg (Fredericksburg, Va.)
(WUSA9 8/23/25) READMORE>>>>>
Here are the 19 clergy that signed onto Saturday's letter:
- Rev. Graylan Scott Hagler; Plymouth United Church of Christ; senior advisor Fellowship of Reconciliation Pastor Christopher Zacharias; John Wesley African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, Rev. Rubin Tendai; United Church of Christ , Rev. Patricia Fears; Fellowship Baptist Church , Rev. Jamall Calloway; Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ , Rev. Lewis T. Tait; The Village, Rev. William H. Lamar IV; Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church, Rev. Marcus Leathers; Christian Church, Disciples of Christ, Rev. Wanda Thompson; The Ambassador Baptist Church, Rev. Keith W. Byrd Sr.; Zion Baptist Church, Rev. George C. Gilbert Jr.; Baptist Convention of DC and Vicinity, Rev. Daryl Washington; DM Washington Ministries, Rev. Kenneth King; New Hope Baptist United Church of Christ, Rev. Kendrick Curry; Pennsylvania Avenue Baptist Church, Rev. Clarence Cross, African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. Rev. Howard Finley; at-large, Bill Mefford; The Festival Center, Rev., Abhi Janamanchi; Cedar Lane Unitarian-Universalist Church (Bethesda, Md.), Rev. Darrryl LC Moch; United Church of Christ of Fredericksburg (Fredericksburg, Va.)
(WUSA9 8/23/25) READMORE>>>>>
==CHARLES WATSON JR======
Charles Watson Jr. is a Baptist-endorsed chaplain. But at 33 he’s found what’s likely to be a lifelong passion — advocating for religious liberty. As education and outreach specialist for the Washington based Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, the Georgia native aims to expand the base of support for religious liberty and engage the next generation of advocates.
Charles Watson Jr Files
"I believe religious liberty is always one generation away from extinction. Protecting it demands our utmost vigilance, including a targeted approach to the education of young people. This means we can never get so comfortable with this liberty that we take either one of the two religion clauses in the First Amendment — preventing an establishment of religion and protecting free exercise of religion — for granted. Fighting against government-sponsored religion and defending each citizen’s right to the free exercise of religion have to be the priorities of everyone who wants continued religious liberty for all in this country. Those two clauses were intended to keep government neutral — neither helping nor hurting religion, but taking a step back and allowing people of faith to practice their religion as they see fit.
If you are of the mindset that one particular religion should be given favorable treatment over others, then you probably are a little concerned to see religions other than your own being treated equally. It has been true for every civil rights or social justice issue in this country: when one group has been privileged or preferred, change can feel like assault or punishment to the previously entitled group. Actually, it is the pendulum swinging back to neutral, and that is where it should be in this country when it comes to religion.
I am inspired when people of different faiths can work together with each other in a collective advocacy effort. The BJC often collaborates with a wide range of religious and nonreligious organizations; of course, since colonial times, Baptists have worked in alliance with others when we find common cause. When people — regardless of faith — start with what they have in common, the BJC’s efforts to increase the number of religious liberty advocates are more successful.
It is disheartening when people advocate for the government to favor one religion over others. Many nations around the world have shown us that violence is the result of governments who fail to protect religious minorities. That is why our educational efforts at the BJC are focused on providing advocates with reliable resources on religious liberty issues. They can trust that our work is based in Baptist principles and centered on religious freedom for all — not just those who share our faith. We remain steadfast in our coalition work with groups of many faith perspectives, and we will make sure our efforts continue to reach younger generations of future advocates. " --Charles Watson Jr; Baptist News Global: Charles Watson is on a mission: to ensure religious freedom for the next generation ; 9.14.14
If you are of the mindset that one particular religion should be given favorable treatment over others, then you probably are a little concerned to see religions other than your own being treated equally. It has been true for every civil rights or social justice issue in this country: when one group has been privileged or preferred, change can feel like assault or punishment to the previously entitled group. Actually, it is the pendulum swinging back to neutral, and that is where it should be in this country when it comes to religion.
I am inspired when people of different faiths can work together with each other in a collective advocacy effort. The BJC often collaborates with a wide range of religious and nonreligious organizations; of course, since colonial times, Baptists have worked in alliance with others when we find common cause. When people — regardless of faith — start with what they have in common, the BJC’s efforts to increase the number of religious liberty advocates are more successful.
It is disheartening when people advocate for the government to favor one religion over others. Many nations around the world have shown us that violence is the result of governments who fail to protect religious minorities. That is why our educational efforts at the BJC are focused on providing advocates with reliable resources on religious liberty issues. They can trust that our work is based in Baptist principles and centered on religious freedom for all — not just those who share our faith. We remain steadfast in our coalition work with groups of many faith perspectives, and we will make sure our efforts continue to reach younger generations of future advocates. " --Charles Watson Jr; Baptist News Global: Charles Watson is on a mission: to ensure religious freedom for the next generation ; 9.14.14
Charles Watson Jr
“In this nation, Christianity has always been used as a sword. When has it not been used as a sword?...We’ve seen what happens with this. We don’t have to talk about slavery or the Holocaust. We can look at Mother Emmanuel AME Church in Charleston, S.C., to see what Christian nationalism does. If you were to look at Dylann Roof’s manifesto, it was filled with Christian nationalism.”
--Charles Watson Jr; Baptist News Global; If you’re upset about the Taliban, you should be upset about Christian nationalists too, panelist says 12.22.21
--Charles Watson Jr; Baptist News Global; If you’re upset about the Taliban, you should be upset about Christian nationalists too, panelist says 12.22.21
==barry waugh======
Barry Waugh (PhD, WTS) is the editor of Presbyterians of the Past. He has written for various periodicals, such as the Westminster Theological Journal and The Confessional Presbyterian. He has also contributed to Gary L. W. Johnson’s, B. B. Warfield: Essays on His Life and Thought (2007) and edited Letters from the Front: J. Gresham Machen’s Correspondence from World War I (2012).
The sins forbidden in the ninth commandment are, all prejudicing the truth, and the good name of our neighbors, as well as our own, especially in public judicature; giving false evidence, suborning false witnesses, wittingly appearing and pleading for an evil cause, outfacing and overbearing the truth; passing unjust sentence, calling evil good, and good evil; rewarding the wicked according to the work of the righteous, and the righteous according to the work of the wicked; forgery, concealing the truth, undue silence in a just cause, and holding our peace when iniquity calleth for either a reproof from ourselves, or complaint to others; speaking the truth unseasonably, or maliciously to a wrong end, or perverting it to a wrong meaning, or in doubtful or equivocal expressions, to the prejudice of the truth or justice; speaking untruth, lying, slandering, backbiting, detracting, talebearing, whispering, scoffing, reviling, rash, harsh, and partial censuring; misconstructing intentions, words, and actions; flattering, vainglorious boasting, thinking or speaking too highly or too meanly of ourselves or others; denying the gifts and graces of God; aggravating smaller faults; hiding, excusing, or extenuating of sins, when called to a free confession; unnecessary discovering of infirmities; raising false rumors, receiving and countenancing evil reports, and stopping our ears against just defense; evil suspicion; envying or grieving at the deserved credit of any; endeavoring or desiring to impair it, rejoicing in their disgrace and infamy; scornful contempt, fond admiration; breach of lawful promises; neglecting such things as are of good report, and practicing, or not avoiding ourselves, or not hindering what we can in others, such things as procure an ill name. --Barry Waugh; Reformation21; The Scope of Commandment Nine; 8.11.23