Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Birmingham area parents and pastors speak out on Boy Scouts (Largest PCA church against gay scouts)
al.com ^ | 5/24/2013 | Kent Faulk

Posted on 05/24/2013 10:33:13 PM PDT by darrellmaurina

...Churches have been perhaps the biggest supporters of scouting groups. But today a few pastors in the Birmingham area predicted that the new policy will cause some churches to drop their sponsorship of scouting programs.

The Rev. Harry Reeder, senior pastor of the 4,100-member Briarwood Presbyterian Church and outspoken critic of efforts to change Boy Scout policy on homosexuality, said evangelical churches are a bedrock of support for the Boy Scout tradition in Alabama. But that's now in danger, he said.

"When a church holds to a biblical social ethic of sex only between a man and a woman in monogamous marriage, it cannot support an organization that opposes that," Reeder said. "That would introduce sexual anarchy into the teaching of the church. There will be a significant response from evangelical churches."...

(Excerpt) Read more at blog.al.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; News/Current Events; US: Alabama
KEYWORDS: boyscouts; bsa; homosexualagenda; scouts
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-51 next last

1 posted on 05/24/2013 10:33:13 PM PDT by darrellmaurina
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: darrellmaurina
The scouts rely on funding from corporations, particularly through United Way contributions, he said.

The love of money....... evil.

It's all about the money.

2 posted on 05/24/2013 10:38:38 PM PDT by P-Marlowe (There can be no Victory without a fight and no battle without wounds.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: darrellmaurina

Cue the sobfest news stories about the poor, discriminated-against, gay Boy Scouts and the evil evangelical tyrants.

This is a set-up.


3 posted on 05/24/2013 10:39:37 PM PDT by PetroniusMaximus
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: darrellmaurina

In the military sexual assaults by males on other males is increasing, and so it will be in the Boy Scouts, stop giving any money to any group that supports the Gay Scouts of America.


4 posted on 05/24/2013 10:50:22 PM PDT by stockpirate (F. Douglass, "A man's rights rest in three boxes: ballot box, jury box, and ammo box)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: drstevej; OrthodoxPresbyterian; CCWoody; Wrigley; Gamecock; Jean Chauvin; jboot; AZhardliner; ...
Pinging the Great Reformed Ping List, and some other “social conservative” Freepers who may be able to use this in their own Christian conservative denominational contexts.

This is a big deal for the Presbyterian Church in America, which is by far the largest of the conservative Presbyterian denominations in the United States. It could also be a very big deal for fixing what is wrong with Scouting.

Dr. Reeder pastors the largest congregation in the PCA, Briarwood Presbyterian Church of Birmingham, Alabama, and now that Dr. D. James Kennedy has died, Dr. Reeder is probably the most prominent politically active conservative among the pastors of large PCA congregations.

I am not unaware of issues at Briarwood Presbyterian Church. There are reasons why I am not PCA. However, Dr. Reeder is on the right side of this issue with Scouting and he deserves to get support, not only from conservative Calvinists but also from others who want to promote a Christian alternative to the homosexual agenda in Scouting.

My personal recommendation for Calvinists — contact the Calvinist Cadet Corps, which is an independent organization that began long ago as a Christian Reformed alternative to Scouting but now has quite a few United Reformed, Orthodox Presbyterian, and other more conservative Reformed and Presbyterian congregations participating. A large influx of PCA churches could make a major difference and provide an already existing alternative to Scouting that was created specifically because Scouting has always, since the days of Baden-Powell, had a generic nondenominational approach to religion.

More information on the Calvinist Cadet Corps can be found at this Free Republic link:

http://freerepublic.com/focus/news/3023193/posts?page=399#399

Similar faith-based organizations also exist for the Southern Baptist Convention, Assemblies of God, and Seventh Day Adventists. Any of them would likely be willing to accept former Scouting organizations and leaders in churches affiliated with their denominations.

5 posted on 05/24/2013 10:51:01 PM PDT by darrellmaurina
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: darrellmaurina
Gavin Slay, 17, who will be a senior this fall at Hewitt-Trussville High School, is an Eagle Scout in Troop 915, based in Trussville. He has been scouting since the first grade. He supports yesterday's decision. "For me, scouting is about openness and inclusiveness," he said. "Part of the scout law is about being courteous, kind, cheerful. We're encouraged to include everyone. I think this decision is an extension of that."

This is exactly what we are up against! This scout is so stupid he doesn't even know the Scout motto about MORALITY! He drank the LGBT Fool-Aid! The Scouts are not encouraged to include "EVERYONE!" They are only encouraged to join ranks with those who can recite the Scout OATH with truthfulness and honor!

6 posted on 05/24/2013 10:51:33 PM PDT by missnry (The truth will set you free ... and drive liberals crazy!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: darrellmaurina
The Boy Scouts have been under target by homosexual activists for a long time. It started when gays demanded the "right" to become scout leaders, and were rightfully refused. By the way, why do you suppose a gay man would want to be a Boy Scout leader? I just can't figure it out... Anyway, if those who organize the Boy Scout are now yielding to their pressure, it's time to abandon them or call them the Trans-gender Scouts. Not of America, but from Hell.
7 posted on 05/24/2013 10:54:14 PM PDT by Telepathic Intruder (The only thing the Left has learned from the failures of socialism is not to call it that)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: P-Marlowe

If one does not love money, if one is not too proud to wear pants with holes in them as I am now, if one is unfraid of the IRS for daring to earn money to support a family two years ago at a much higher income than one has now, if one has lost his family, his car, his job, his children, his dignity, his everything... then one has little fear of what little else man might take from him, including his freedom or his life.


8 posted on 05/24/2013 10:57:24 PM PDT by Lexinom
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: darrellmaurina

Need to find out who voted in support of the Gay scouts. Identify them by name and then target them. (This is what Liberals would do)


9 posted on 05/24/2013 10:58:36 PM PDT by Cowboy Bob (Democrats: Robbing Peter to buy Paul's vote.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: stockpirate

Amen!


10 posted on 05/24/2013 11:00:12 PM PDT by doc1019 (There is absolutely no difference between pro-choice and pro-abortion.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: darrellmaurina

I was a Cub Scout, Boy Scout, Explorer, and a Sea Scout..
Never once did it become GROINAL..

Groin Scouts are an aberration.. by Chicken Hawks..
NO.. Chicken Hawks are not in it for the betterment of Scouting..
They are in this for the betterment of Chicken Hawks..

What do chicken hawks DO!?.... YOU DO NOT WANT TO KNOW!..
But its GROINAL...


11 posted on 05/24/2013 11:13:19 PM PDT by hosepipe (This propaganda has been edited to include some fully orbed hyperbole..)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: darrellmaurina

I am only counting regular Boy Scouts, not Cubs or Explorers, etc.:

There are about 40,000 troops nationwide - 60% of them are Church-affiliated. Thats 24,000 troops. If 50% decide to drop out - thats 12,000 out.

According to the BSA, the average troop is 20 Scouts. This means that 240,000 could drop out at the 50% rate.

According to the BSA, there are about 800,000 regular Boy Scouts. The loss of 240,000 would mean a 30% loss of membership ...


12 posted on 05/24/2013 11:15:10 PM PDT by Lmo56 (If ya wanna run with the big dawgs - ya gotta learn to piss in the tall grass ...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: darrellmaurina
5 ... This is a big deal for the Presbyterian Church in America, which is by far the largest of the conservative Presbyterian denominations in the United States. It could also be a very big deal for fixing what is wrong with Scouting.

Selected U.S. churches membership (2010) reported in the 2012 Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches.

Catholic 68,202,492
Southern Baptist 16,136,044
United Methodist 7,679,850
Mormon-LDS 6,157,238
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America 4,274,855
Assemblies of God 3,030,944
Presbyterian (U.S.A.) 2,675,873
Lutheran - Missouri Synod 2,278,586
Episcopal 1,951,907
Presbyterian Church in America 346,814

The PCA is a tiny player on the national stage in terms of numbers.

Dr. Reeder pastors the largest congregation in the PCA, Briarwood Presbyterian Church of Birmingham, Alabama, and now that Dr. D. James Kennedy has died, Dr. Reeder is probably the most prominent politically active conservative among the pastors of large PCA congregations.

Briarwood was where the PCA was founded in the early 1970s when a schism took place in the Presbyterian Church. Briarwood PCA is 1 of several BIG fish Boy Scout troops in the tiny pond of the Vulcan District (southeast quadrant of Jefferson County/Birmingham) of the Greater Alabama Council. Briarwood is a mega-church. Its troop, at least 10 years ago, had 100+ youth members.

I am not unaware of issues at Briarwood Presbyterian Church. There are reasons why I am not PCA. However, Dr. Reeder is on the right side of this issue with Scouting and he deserves to get support, not only from conservative Calvinists but also from others who want to promote a Christian alternative to the homosexual agenda in Scouting.

Briarwood probably has an equal number of admirers and detractors in the local community. It will be very interesting to watch what decision the PCA reaches.

13 posted on 05/24/2013 11:42:29 PM PDT by MacNaughton
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: MacNaughton
No disagreement on the PCA being small in terms of the church world, but it's far and away the largest of the conservative Presbyterian denominations. The PCA also has an influence in the evangelical world which goes far beyond its numbers.

While I am much more conservative than Briarwood Presbyterian Church, or the PCA in general, a movement to promote a Reformed alternative to Scouting needs to be led by a “big steeple” church in a major Reformed denomination. Dr. Reeder and the leaders of Briarwood PCA may be exactly the right people to do that.

My guess is that a lot of similar people are going to be standing up in the Southern Baptist Convention and the Assemblies of God to promote Royal Rangers and Royal Ambassadors as a place where disaffected Scouts and church-sponsored Scout troops can join.

14 posted on 05/24/2013 11:55:01 PM PDT by darrellmaurina
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: missnry
6 ... This is exactly what we are up against! This scout is so stupid he doesn't even know the Scout motto about MORALITY! He drank the LGBT Fool-Aid! ...

Instead of blaming this 17 year-old scout, I place the blame on the public education system. Even here in AL, which was rated just below OK in terms of being the most politically conservative state in the union, we have to contend with diversity/political correctness. The public schools are poisoned to the gills by these teachers.

Ten years ago I was a member of an Episcopal Church in the Birmingham suburbs and active in Scouting (I left ECUSA a short while later). We had a young scout in our congregation who was a delight to know. He got his Eagle and was recognized with the Vigil Honor. He went on to graduate from Furman University and went through the ROTC program there. He went into the Army upon graduation and pulled a 6-month tour in Afghanistan as an LT with the MPs. He was wounded and decorated with the Purple Heart. After many years we crossed paths when he was 27. He told me he was giving serious consideration to going to an Episcopal seminary to become a minister. I prepared a long white paper for him in an attempt to disuade him. Don't know if he read it. I saw him a few months ago and he has taken a position with the U.S. Marshall Service. So, maybe something I wrote gave him second thoughts. The point of this lengthy story is that this young man was a great kid, but he was filled with political correctness in public school.

Our local newspaper, The Birmingham News, is an absolute sewer of diversity propaganda. It truly has become a "5th column." I weep for my nation when I read the ignorance splattered on the editorial page and letters to the editor.

15 posted on 05/25/2013 12:00:03 AM PDT by MacNaughton
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: P-Marlowe
The scouts rely on funding from corporations, particularly through United Way contributions, he said.

The love of money....... evil.
It's all about the money.

I have been involved in scouting for most of my life. I have never been part of a troop that has received the slightest bit of funding from a corporation. But we've supported many corporation through 'fundraising' drives where we sell over-priced merchandise and keep a tiny portion of the proceeds. I've seen trust funds set up for troops that had survived for 40-50 years swallowed up by councils which drained it in months.

I've seen councils claim poverty from supposed large payouts for victims - who only got hit with those large suits because they grabbed all the monies set aside for camps, activities and troops and made a healthy target for lawyers to drain.

I've attended a retirement dinner for the head of one council, and drew a few boos and quite a lot of clapping when I urged him to do what he should have done when he lead the council and turn over the retirement money back to the troops, and set an example to end all retirements and benefits for volunteers.

And I've fought tooth and nail to end professional scouting, AKA 'we will do anything for money' whoring to corporations, service groups and anyone else who might write a check.

Scouting only works if it is what it was designed to be; a volunteer organization run by community minded people, in a reverent and thoughtful manner. Instead it is run by a professional cadre which has managed to lose billions in lawsuits, billions more in heavy benefits payouts, and watched hundreds of camps close across the nation.

All that said, scouting is asexual. No scout is supposed to be classified as being heterosexual or homosexual; sexual conduct is contrary to the scouting way. But now the door is open for the next generation of pedophiles to fill the ranks, and set up the next round of lawsuits.

Homosexuals have been part of scouting in the past, leaving a massive trail of abused children in its wake. And once again, they are back. All to feed the professional organization, and with zero funds actually reaching the troops. End professional scouting, do not support financially in any shape or manner any council which has any professional staff. Only support volunteer led groups. Get the sickness out of scouting, and there's a chance that this new policy might not lead to thousands more victims.

16 posted on 05/25/2013 12:02:59 AM PDT by kingu (Everything starts with slashing the size and scope of the federal government.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: darrellmaurina
14 ... My guess is that a lot of similar people are going to be standing up in the Southern Baptist Convention and the Assemblies of God to promote Royal Rangers and Royal Ambassadors as a place where disaffected Scouts and church-sponsored Scout troops can join.

Agreed. The next 7 months will be mighty interesting to watch.

17 posted on 05/25/2013 12:03:39 AM PDT by MacNaughton
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: PetroniusMaximus

That kind of emotional scenario leads to criminalizing traditional religious beliefs as “hate crime.”


18 posted on 05/25/2013 12:08:43 AM PDT by Nextrush (A BALANCED BUDGET NOW AND PRESIDENT SARAH PALIN ARE AT THE TOP OF MY LIST)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: darrellmaurina

BSA now stands for... Bend over Say, Awwww...


19 posted on 05/25/2013 12:12:13 AM PDT by BigCinBigD (...Was that okay?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Lmo56
12 am only counting regular Boy Scouts, not Cubs or Explorers, etc.: There are about 40,000 troops nationwide - 60% of them are Church-affiliated. Thats 24,000 troops. If 50% decide to drop out - thats 12,000 out. According to the BSA, the average troop is 20 Scouts. This means that 240,000 could drop out at the 50% rate. According to the BSA, there are about 800,000 regular Boy Scouts. The loss of 240,000 would mean a 30% loss of membership ...

On 4/19/2013, the BSA National Executive Committee released its summary of the results of 8 different study groups conducted in MAR/APR 2013. ...

The summary of findings said a policy change would cost the Scouts a minimum of 100,000 to 350,000 members (across all programs, i.e., Tiger-Cubs, Cubs, Webelos, Boy Scouts, Varsity Scouts, and Venturers). “It is believed any gain in membership because of a change to the membership policy related to youth and adults would be in the range of 10,000 to 20,000 youth.”

The total BSA membership at the end of 2012 was 2.6 million. So their worst projection was a loss of 13%. It would appear that the BSA National Executive Committee found that level of collateral damage to be acceptable.

20 posted on 05/25/2013 12:13:17 AM PDT by MacNaughton
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-51 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson