A news item from CNN came across my desk this morning. Guess what it said? Extremely liberal churches are waiting with open arms to welcome Scout units that Baptist churches are considering giving the boot. Consider that for a moment as you stand back contemplating the moral rectitude of whether or not to continue your Scouting ministry. We are talking here about putting boys on the outside of the church, beyond our reach and influence, during their formative years while many of our churches tolerate infidelity in the membership and refuse to exercise even the minimum level of loving church discipline on those who are actually members. These kids, many of them, are prospects for our churches. What kind of message are we sending them? Our public image is more important than their souls? That's what it's starting to sound like. Pardon me while I take off my "presidential" hat and put on my "preacher" hat. Now, hide your toes.
Who did Jesus get in trouble for hanging out with? Whores, drunkards, and traitors. Why did he associate with them? To call them from sin to righteousness. Guess what. You can't call sinners to righteousness with a bull-horn shouting "You don't belong here!"
Whose idea was it to crucify Jesus? Wasn't it the priests and religious leaders? And yet where did the early disciples meet for worship in the book of Acts? The Temple, which was controlled by the very priests who put Jesus to death. Where did Paul go first in every city? The local synagogue. And he would preach there until they literally forced him to leave. Why? Because it was a ready-made audience for hearing the gospel.
Now, what do you have when a Scout unit is chartered through your church? You have 50--60% of those kids with no church affiliation coming to your church facility for a Scout meeting. If you put some of your key men in key positions in that unit, guess what you've got? A ready made audience and a way to share with them the gospel and shape their values in a Christ-like manner. If you offer the P.R.A.Y. courses for them for their rank advancements you have a more direct way to share the gospel with them and their parents. Now, add BSA's emphasis on sexual abstinence under the new policy and throw in a True Love Waits class every couple of years, and lo and behold, you're reshaping the minds of the youth in your community with positive, biblical morals.
Proverbs 14:12 (NIV, © 2011) 2 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.
Proverbs 22:6 (NIV, © 2011) 6 Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.
Ecclesiastes 1:9-11 (NIV, © 2011) 9 What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. 10 Is there anything of which one can say, “Look! This is something new”? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time. 11 No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them.
Isaiah 3:9 (NIV, © 2011) 9 The look on their faces testifies against them;they parade their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to them! They have brought disaster upon themselves.
Isaiah 5:20 (NIV, © 2011) 20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.
Ezekiel 33:7-9 (NIV, 2011) 7 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. 8 When I say to the wicked, ‘You wicked person, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak out to dissuade them from their ways, that wicked person will die for[a] their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. 9 But if you do warn the wicked person to turn from their ways and they do not do so, they will die for their sin, though you yourself will be saved.
Matthew 7:15-23 (NIV, © 2011) 15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
Matthew 18:15–17 (NIV, © 2011) 15 “If your brother or sister[a] sins,[b] go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’[c] 17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
Matthew 24:9-14 (NIV © 2011): 9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
Mark 6:11 (NIV, © 2011) 11 And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”
Mark 9:42-47 (NIV, © 2011) 42 “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea. 43 If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. [44] [a] 45 And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. [46] [b] 47 And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell,
John 15:19 (NIV © 2011): 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.
John 17:15 (NIV © 2011): 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.
Acts 20:28-31 (NIV © 2011): 28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God,[a] which he bought with his own blood.[b] 29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.
1 Corinthians 5:11-13 (NIV, © 2011) 11 But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister[a] but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people. 12 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13 God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.”
1 Timothy 6:10 (NIV, © 2011) 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
2 Timothy: 4:2-4 (NIV, © 2011) 2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage — with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
Churches may be making a strategic mistake leaving the Boy Scouts at this time. Instead they should be uniting with like minded people and take over the governing board of this private organization. The Boy Scouts have over one hundred years of tradition and billions of assets. The should not be conceded to the decadent Left.
> Extremely liberal churches are waiting with open arms to
> welcome Scout units that Baptist churches are considering
> giving the boot.
That’s funny.
“Extremely Liberal” churches are witches’ covens using Jesus as a beard.
They have no youth to speak of, since they are the least fecund of the church groups, due to wanton use of contraceptives and abortion in that demographic.
The few children they have are more likely to be interested in TV reality shows and their smart phones than they would be in scouting.
Not much WiFi or cellular reception out in the woods.
A divided against itself will fall. The best solution is for Bible-believing churches to sponsor a youth program with true biblical values. Also believing in a ‘higher power’ IS NOT Jesus Christ.
Wondering about this Pisky preacher. Does he perform the new homosexual sacrament?
I offer hospitality to only those I choose and not for hospitality sake. I'm not interested in bringing in what comes to seek and devour.
from Wikipedia: about 95% of Alabama is Christian, with Baptists as the biggest denomination, and Episcopalians as 2% of the population.
I don’t expect that 2% is growing, and I wouldn’t be surprised if that 2% has fewer kids than other denominations. Nor would I expect scouting to be a major interest among those Episcopalians who still hang on.
So good luck with your strategy, Bishop - one doesn’t just wave one’s hand and conjure up Boy Scout troops - it takes real interest and commitment from the adults involved.
Just setting up those same-sex “marriages” that the Episcopalians love to do. They should just change their name to the Homo-Feminist Social Society.
He’s asking the church to host “homophobe” Scout troops?
This will backfire on him.
If a Church allows a gay Ministry of course they would sponsor a gay Boy Scout.
More targets.
Why not use Episcopal churches for boy scouts and meetings? According to attendance figures, they aren’t using them for anything else...
The only thing holding many of these churches together are endowments and inheritances from many years ago, when people left the church money because they actually STOOD for Christianity. They have been bleeding members ever since.
Great recruiting tool for both pedophiles and church members! No wonder a homosexual church like TEC is going for it.
Episcopagan. I’m not surprised in the least.