Marxists, Muslims, Mormons, Globalists, and Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention
By Brannon Howse
www.worldviewweekend.com
For many years, including in my most recent book, Grave Influence, I have been warning about the rise of ecumenicalism and globalism and my concern that evangelicals would be used to give credibility to these movements.
Sadly, I believe the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission headed by Richard Land is being used to push radically unbiblical, politically correct, and anti-American agendas. As a member of a solid, Bible teaching SBC church, I am very concerned about Land's activities. However, I think even those that are not a member of an SBC church should be concerned since Land is speaking as an evangelical.
The Southern Baptist Convention is the nation's largest protestant denomination. I believe Mr. Land's office, which is funded to the tune of over $3.2 million dollars, is largely working against the Biblical worldview convictions of not only most of the SBC church members but most conservative, Bible-believing Christians.
Land Endorsed the U.S. Muslim Engagement Project and is helping to build Mosques:
In September of 2010, the Anti-Defamation League formed an "interfaith coalition" to help Muslims build mosques in America. Of course Land did not pass up the opportunity to be involved in one more pluralistic, politically correct project. Why would any Christian, much less a Christian leader, be working to help build Islamic Mosques? Islam is an antichrist, demonic, religion. This is a clear violation of the Biblical mandate not be involved in spiritual enterprises with non believers as revealed in 2 Corinthians 6:14. SBC members are not paying Mr. Land to help build Islamic Mosques.
The name and mission statement of many of the organizations that make up this coalition clearly reveal their ultimate goal is not just building mosques but pushing ecumenicalism. The website says, that member include, the "Vicar for Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Affairs". The keyword is ecumenical. Then there is Dr. Eboo Patel whose organization is "Interfaith Youth Core" and his website declares that their goal is "to introduce a new relationship, one that is about mutual respect and religious pluralism. Instead of focusing a dialogue on political or theological differences…"
Religious pluralism is the belief that all religions are equal in their truth claims. All religions can be wrong but they cannot all be true. Notice the "Interfaith Youth Core" wants to set aside "theological difference." Should Christians set aside their Biblical theology in order to obtain group consensus? The answer is no. In fact the Bible tells us in 2 John 9-11 that if someone comes bringing another doctrine other than the essential Christian doctrines of Jesus Christ then we are not to greet them or invite them into our home, much less seek to find common ground with them or to seek to support their spiritual goals and objectives.
Richard Land declared in an August 3, 2010 article published in USA Today that "mosque opponents are misguided." Land goes on to pontificate that by limiting mosques we are setting up for the government to limit other religions. The federal government should never be involved in the approval of building churches or mosques. Local governments regulate the building of church buildings as a matter of local zoning laws all the time. The only reason the federal government should shut down a mosque is when it is a national security threat.
As Bryan Fisher of the American Family Association points out:
80% of the mosques in America are funded by Saudi Arabia, which sends them literature to distribute to their attendees which call for the blood of infidel Christians and Jews. Thus 80% of the mosques in America are almost certainly teaching and preaching violent jihad against America. They are teaching violence against their host country. That's not religion, that's treason.
When, and if, the FBI learns that a mosque is a training and education center for Wahhabi Islamic Jihadists with money from Saudi Arabia (the country from which most of the 9-11 hijackers came), then the mosque should be closed down. Islam is fighting for a religious theocracy based on Islamic law, also known as Sharia law. We are facing a national security issue of the highest order and the Muslims are seeking to use our religious liberty as a weapon against us. In addition, let us not forget that Wahhabi Islam is more of a terrorist organization and less a religion. By the way, when was the last time you saw a group of Baptists, Lutherans, or Presbyterians fly planes into skyscrapers here in America?
Land thinks that I and others that live in the Memphis, Tennessee area are misguided because we are not in favor of the Islamic Center, with its terrorist ties, being built in Memphis? What is so misguided about not wanting an Islamic training center in our town that has hired Sheikh Yasir Qadhi? Foxnews.com reports on the background of this Sheikh and one of his former students:
The Memphis Islamic Center is gearing up to create "a multipurpose Islamic Center to serve the needs of Muslims in the Memphis area and beyond," according to its website. But critics wonder exactly what that means, especially given the center's newest hire: Sheikh Yasir Qadhi. Qadhi, the dean of academic affairs at the AlMaghrib Institute, a weekend seminary where instructors travel to teach advanced Islamic studies, made headlines in 2001 with a speech in which he referred to the Holocaust as "false propaganda" and pointed to Jewish people's "crooked nose and blond hair" as evidence that they "are not a Semitic people." In 2006, Qadhi admitted to being on a terror watch list, saying he had no idea why. His name has since been removed. Three years later, Qadhi was again thrust into the spotlight when it was discovered that his institute's list of alumni included accused "underwear bomber" Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab and reportedly includes convicted terrorist Daniel Maldonado, also known as Daniel Aljughaifi.
Land has been part of an organization called "U.S. Muslim Engagement Project" and endorsed a report released by the project. The goal of this group is for Americans and Muslims to find common ground. Common ground is impossible when several of the Muslims associated with this organization have, according to credible news sources, ties to known terrorist organizations.
At least one of the Muslims involved in this report has defended Sharia Law. Dalia Mogahed, Barack Obama's adviser on Muslim affairs, appeared on British television and declared, "Sharia is not well understood and Islam as a faith is not well understood." As Robert Spencer writes in the magazine Human Events, Mogahed, "made her defense of Sharia on a TV show hosted by a member of Hizb-ut-Tahrir. This is an organization that is banned as a terrorist group in many nations, and which is openly dedicated to the worldwide imposition of Sharia and the destruction of all governments that are constituted according to any other political philosophy-including Constitutional republics that do not establish a state religion." Mogahed appeared on this TV program with two Hizb-ut-Tahrir members that attacked the "lethal cocktail of liberty and capitalism…Mogahed, for her part offered no contradiction to any of this."
Also serving with Land on this project was none other than Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf who has been pushing for building a Mosque yards from Ground Zero.
Another member of the U.S.-Muslim Engagement Project that Land worked with was Ingrid Mattson "whose group was founded in 1981 by the Saudi-funded Muslim Students' Association."
In 2010, an MSA member bragged of their "Hitler Youth" week on UC San Diego campus. What common ground does Land possibly think American Christians can find with such radicals? Yet, Land endorses the U.S.-Muslim Engagement report by writing:
"This initiative is a serious, comprehensive, bipartisan effort that seeks to address a critical and dangerous problem: The world Muslim community misunderstands Americans and Americans misunderstand them. This initiative lays out a detailed and comprehensive plan to vastly decrease that misunderstanding through a multi-faceted approach that will build constructive bridges of mutual understanding between Americans and the Muslim world."
The critical and dangerous problem is the radical Muslims and non-discerning "evangelicals" like Richard Land. No matter how much we seek to "understand" Islam, radical Muslims (the Wahhbi sect, for example) are not going to stop being radicals for this is the very essence of the Islamic religion.
America was doing nothing to Muslims when on September 11, 2001, when Islamic terrorists murdered nearly 3,000 innocent American. The problem is not with America or American Christians but with Muslims that view America as the "great Satan" and Israel as the "little Satan". Attempting to brainwash Americans into being more "understanding" of Muslims is not going to stop the extremists. President Reagan was right when he declared that we cannot negotiate with terrorists.
Land endorses a book by Radical Jim Walls:
In 2008, Neo-Marxist Jim Wallis released a book entitled; The Great Awakening and you will find these words of endorsement on the book by Richard Land: "Despite our significant public-policy differences, I commend Jim Wallis for advocating religious belief as an invaluable resource in addressing the urgent moral and social crisis of our time."
So Land is more concerned about the public-policy beliefs of Wallis than he is his religious beliefs? Does Land even know of the religious beliefs that Wallis proclaims? David Noebel of Summit Ministries wrote an article for Worldview Weekend.com that details the radical and anti-Biblical worldview of Jim Wallis. That fact that Wallis is President Obama's spiritual adviser should tell you all you need to know about the worldview of Jim Wallis. However, Dr. Noebel in his article, Barack Obama's "Red" Spiritual Advisor, lays out even more reasons why it is offensive that Richard Land would "commend Jim Wallis for advocating religious belief":
First, Jim Wallis has had relationships with the communist Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES).
Second, his "Witness for Peace" was an attempt to defend the Nicaraguan Sandinistas! Wallis, together with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright (Obama's former pastor of 20 years) "rallied support for the communist Nicaraguan regime and protested actions by the United States which supported the anti-communist Contra rebels" (Family World News, February 2009, p. 7).
Third, Wallis and his Sojourners community of fellow-travelers believe Fidel Castro's Cuba, Hugo Chavez's Venezuela, Daniel Ortega's Nicaragua, and the other revolutionary forces "restructuring socialist societies" are the Communist paradises the United States needs to emulate in order to establish "social justice." Writing in the November 1983 issue of Sojourners, Jacob Laksin notes, "Jim Wallis and Jim Rice drafted what would become the charter of leftist activists committed to the proliferation of Communist revolutions in Central America" (Laksin, "Sojourners: History, Activities and Agendas" in Discoverthenetworks.org., 2005).
The ugly truth is Wallis wishes to see the destruction of the United States as a nation and in its place "a radical nonconformist community" patterned after the progressive, socialist commune he established in Washington, D.C., in 1971 (Laksin, Ibid.).
And yes, Wallis portrays the evangelical right that happens to be pro-American and anti-Communist "as members of the forces of darkness" (Nash, p. 66, 71). For Wallis, a good Christian is someone who is pro-Communist and socialist, while a bad Christian is someone who is anti-Communist and pro-capitalist. The cry of the Sojourners crowd is "social justice" for the poor and downtrodden-social justice being code for socialism/communism.
Land gives credibility to Mormonism:
Land enthusiastically endorsed Mormon Glenn Beck's 8-28 rally that was held on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in which all religions united to look to the "one God". Land literally locked arms with leaders of multiple religions including Muslim Imams. This was another clear violation of 2 Corinthians 6:14 as I document in an article that I wrote a week before the 8-28 rally.
Land added to the pluralistic propaganda and confusion when he declared Mormonism was the Fourth Abrahamic faith. Mormonism does not believe in one god but millions of gods making them a polytheistic religion. The other three religions are monotheistic; meaning they only believe in one god. So how does that make Mormonism a fourth Abrahamic religion?
Land promotes Obama's amnesty agenda:
An article in the New York Times quotes Land enthusiastically supporting Obama's amnesty agenda. The New York Times article refers to Land and other pro-amnesty "evangelicals" as "a secret weapon".
Land has declared, "I've had some older conservative leaders say: 'Richard, stop this. You're going to split the conservative coalition,' " Dr. Land continued. "I say it might split the old conservative coalition, but it won't split the new one." Just what kind of "new coalition" is Land speaking of? Is Land speaking of new, kinder, gentler, social justice, republican Christians?
In his support of Obama's amnesty agenda, Land has taken the Scripture out of context. Land and others have used Leviticus 19:34 to claim that their pro-amnesty position is Biblical. However, Leviticus 19:34 has nothing to do with the public policy issue of immigration law. Leviticus 19:34 is in the Old Testament and is part of the ceremonial and civic laws of Israel. This verse does not speak of giving a pass to law breaking, illegal immigrants but has to do with Jews being gracious and fair with non-Jews that are traveling with them or through their land. Further study of this verse reveals that it is also speaking to the issue of church practices. Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary describes the meaning of the text this way:
"Strangers shall be welcome to God's grace; we should do what we can to recommend religion to them."
Does Mr. Land think it is Biblical and moral to have millions of illegal immigrants here in America as our unemployment rate sits at 22%? Most illegal immigrants that are in America painting houses, cutting grass, siding and roofing homes do not pay federal taxes, state income tax or workers compensation insurance. The majority of illegal aliens do not buy liability insurance nor do they spend countless hours and thousands of dollars each year complying with government red tape. Illegal aliens can drastically underbid American small business owners that do comply with all the laws of our land and thus American small business owners cannot complete with the illegal actives of the illegal aliens.
We have first hand reports of Americans going out of business and losing their livelihood because of illegal immigrants that underbid them because they work for cash under the table and without the overhead of American business owners that are complying with the law. Now is that just and Biblical? Perhaps part of the issue is that many of the Christian leaders pushing Obama's plan have never actually run a business. Romans 13 declares the purpose of government is to reward the righteous and punish the wicked. Unenforced immigration law is rewarding those that break the law while they steal from law abiding Americans.
Something is clearly wrong when Richard Land and the Communist Party USA are both pushing for amnesty. The CPUSA wants to turn millions of illegal residents into legal voters for the Communist agenda. As Worldview Weekend columnist Trevor Loudon writes:
From a paper entitled "Special Convention Discussion: Mexican American Equality" submitted by Rosalio Munoz, for discussion before the May 21-23, Communist Party USA National Convention in New York. The pre-convention call for our 29th convention gives the right lead for our party, class and people and the Mexican American people and their struggles for equality and justice. It stresses:
"Mexican Americans are strong supporters of the Obama administration's efforts to move away from the right wing policies of the past and to move for progressive reform… Mexican Americans are a necessary force in the struggle to breakthrough the right wing obstructionism and counteroffensive and win progressive changes in health care, jobs and income, immigration, civil rights, labor rights and a more reasonable foreign policy in on going electoral struggles and the coming elections.
Where are the leaders of the SBC? Why are they not stopping Land from using the credibility of the SBC to send out press releases, give interviews and testify before the U.S. Congress in support of Obama's amnesty agenda?
Land gives credibility to global governance:
A few years ago Land joined the anti-Christian, anti-American, globalist organization known as the Council on Foreign Relations. Land tries to defend his membership by saying he wants to be salt and light and they invited him to join because they want the input of evangelicals. What they want is to use the credibility of Christians, as well as the name of the Southern Baptist Convention, so they can make people believe they are not anti-Christian while they promote their anti-Christian, anti-American, globalist agenda. Land is acting as a "useful idiot".
Right now the U.S. Department of Education is considering a policy that could bring even our private, Christian colleges and universities under political control. Instead of alerting our SBC pastors and churches of this threat, which is why Land's ERLC receives $3.2 million dollar each year from the convention, he is out pushing the building of mosques, ecumenicalism, and global governance.
Conclusion:
While there may be a few liberal "Christians" that applaud Land as he gives credibility to globalism, ecumenicalism, Mormonism, Neo-Marxism, amnesty and Islam; I know many conservative, Bible-believing Christians are eagerly waiting for a swift and Biblical response by SBC leaders to Mr. Land's unbiblical and unequally yoked spiritual endeavors. I have had several SBC pastors express their concern to me about Mr. Land's activities. In fact, many SBC pastors and members have requested this article so they might distribute it to other SBC pastors and members in hopes Land can be stopped from using his position, the SBC name, and SBC funds to give credibility to these radical causes.
How you can respond:
SBC members that are concerned about the activities of Mr. Land should contact the President of the Southern Baptist Convention and the trustees to whom Mr. Land must answer. It is very important to contact the trustees.
Eunie Smith is president of Eagle Forum of Alabama and is chairman of ERLC's trustees and her office number is: 205-879-7096.
Stephen Faith is the associate pastor of Charlestown Road Baptist Church in New Albany, Indiana and is vice chairman of the ERLC trustees and his office number is: 812-944-2780.
Charles Lord is pastor of Royal Palms Baptist Church in Phoenix, Arizona and is the secretary of the ERLC trustees and his number office number is: 602-944-3306.
The president of the SBC is Pastor Bryant Wright and his office number is: 770-973-6561.
Click here to listen to Brannon's radio program in which he and his guests discuss this issue.
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