Jim Kouri
African-Americans, Latinos more socially conservative than their leadership
By Jim Kouri
If this nation collapses in the 2010-2012 time frame, historians will have to report, if they are honest, that America fell because of silent pastors and inactive pews." — Jim Garlow, Pastor of Skyline Wesleyan Church in San Diego, Founding Director of the Pastor's Rapid Response Team and key leader in the California battle for traditional marriage, better known as Proposition 8.
During the controversy and heated debate over same-sex marriage, many in the news media failed to report that clear majorities of African-Americans and Latinos voted to preserve traditional marriage between a man and a woman. Sadly, except for the Church of Latter Day Saints — a/k/a Mormons — evangelical Christians were MIA — missing in action — in the fight for passage of Prop 8, says David Crowe, president and CEO of Restore America, an evangelical ministry with the goal of awakening and mobilizing the Christian VOTE,
Crowe points out that with only 2% of the California population, the Church of Latter Day Saints contributed "at least 40% of the funds to defend marriage" and the "lion's share of the workers." While blacks voted 70% in favor of Proposition 8, and Hispanics 53%, only 49% of whites voted in favor, hence, "marriage was saved in California by Hispanics and African Americans."
While the leadership of these two groups are beholden to the liberal-left Democrat Party, the people themselves espouse conservative values such as being pro-life, pro-American, pro-family, and anti-gay marriage.
According to Crowe, Pastor Garlow's mission was to "activate 25,000 persons to knock on doors immediately and to organize 100,000 ... 'boots on the ground' by Election Day." On the first weekend of knocking on doors throughout California, 25,000 people turned out. 24,000 were Mormons, members of a group not known historically for their loyalty to traditional marriage between a man and a woman only.
"Where were the bible believing, fundamental, born again, charismatic, Evangelicals when it came to defending the institution their Bible clearly teaches is the foundation of a Christian and civilized society?" asks Crowe rhetorically.
After watching Evangelicals by the millions stay away from the voting booth and out of the public square over the last 30 years it is no surprise that others carried the water for them. No matter how important the issue, Evangelicals again stayed in the safety of their pews under the misguided tutelage of their frightened, disengaged pastors.
"With 52 million eligible to VOTE Evangelicals in America, we are the largest voting block in the nation, yet only 33 million voted in the 2008 elections. Worse, it was 21 million in 2006!" states Crowe.
So why don't they? Why are they not like the patriot pastors at the time of the revolution, who expounded from their pulpits the rights and citizenship duties of their members — the moral and ethical underpinnings of our Declaration, Constitution and laws?
Two reasons:
The fear of man. They fear they will lose members, and financial support — if not their jobs — if they speak out on abortion, homosexuality, pornography, child and sexual slavery, and every other evil that has come to plague America. They fear Barry Lynn and Americans United for the Separation of Church and State more than they fear the God they say they serve. Their own scriptures teach that the fear of man brings a snare.
Second, they fear they will lose their tax exempt status. Instead of fearing the day they stand before God and answer for what they have done on earth, they fear man and what man can do to them if they 'get involved' in the difficult issues of the day. Instead of teaching their congregations what the Bible teaches about civil government and our citizenship responsibility, they drop back ten and punt, unwilling to pay a price to put the ball in the end zone.
Matt Staver, President of Liberty Counsel, and Dean of the School of Law at Liberty University said, "God is going to hold us accountable for our silence, especially pastors."
So what can be done to engage Evangelicals in time for the November Elections?
"Get the people involved!" urges David Crowe.
Restore America an evangelical ministry with the goal of awakening and mobilizing the Christian VOTE, has created a web site campaign dedicated solely to Christian Voter Registration and Turnout. The Value Your Vote Campaign site www.restoreamerica.net has everything Christians need to get their friends and peers registered and involved right from their own computer and is capable of mobilizing hundreds of thousands of Christians whose simple efforts could mobilize millions of Evangelicals to Vote come November 2nd.
© Jim Kouri
September 15, 2010
If this nation collapses in the 2010-2012 time frame, historians will have to report, if they are honest, that America fell because of silent pastors and inactive pews." — Jim Garlow, Pastor of Skyline Wesleyan Church in San Diego, Founding Director of the Pastor's Rapid Response Team and key leader in the California battle for traditional marriage, better known as Proposition 8.
During the controversy and heated debate over same-sex marriage, many in the news media failed to report that clear majorities of African-Americans and Latinos voted to preserve traditional marriage between a man and a woman. Sadly, except for the Church of Latter Day Saints — a/k/a Mormons — evangelical Christians were MIA — missing in action — in the fight for passage of Prop 8, says David Crowe, president and CEO of Restore America, an evangelical ministry with the goal of awakening and mobilizing the Christian VOTE,
Crowe points out that with only 2% of the California population, the Church of Latter Day Saints contributed "at least 40% of the funds to defend marriage" and the "lion's share of the workers." While blacks voted 70% in favor of Proposition 8, and Hispanics 53%, only 49% of whites voted in favor, hence, "marriage was saved in California by Hispanics and African Americans."
While the leadership of these two groups are beholden to the liberal-left Democrat Party, the people themselves espouse conservative values such as being pro-life, pro-American, pro-family, and anti-gay marriage.
According to Crowe, Pastor Garlow's mission was to "activate 25,000 persons to knock on doors immediately and to organize 100,000 ... 'boots on the ground' by Election Day." On the first weekend of knocking on doors throughout California, 25,000 people turned out. 24,000 were Mormons, members of a group not known historically for their loyalty to traditional marriage between a man and a woman only.
"Where were the bible believing, fundamental, born again, charismatic, Evangelicals when it came to defending the institution their Bible clearly teaches is the foundation of a Christian and civilized society?" asks Crowe rhetorically.
After watching Evangelicals by the millions stay away from the voting booth and out of the public square over the last 30 years it is no surprise that others carried the water for them. No matter how important the issue, Evangelicals again stayed in the safety of their pews under the misguided tutelage of their frightened, disengaged pastors.
"With 52 million eligible to VOTE Evangelicals in America, we are the largest voting block in the nation, yet only 33 million voted in the 2008 elections. Worse, it was 21 million in 2006!" states Crowe.
So why don't they? Why are they not like the patriot pastors at the time of the revolution, who expounded from their pulpits the rights and citizenship duties of their members — the moral and ethical underpinnings of our Declaration, Constitution and laws?
Two reasons:
The fear of man. They fear they will lose members, and financial support — if not their jobs — if they speak out on abortion, homosexuality, pornography, child and sexual slavery, and every other evil that has come to plague America. They fear Barry Lynn and Americans United for the Separation of Church and State more than they fear the God they say they serve. Their own scriptures teach that the fear of man brings a snare.
Second, they fear they will lose their tax exempt status. Instead of fearing the day they stand before God and answer for what they have done on earth, they fear man and what man can do to them if they 'get involved' in the difficult issues of the day. Instead of teaching their congregations what the Bible teaches about civil government and our citizenship responsibility, they drop back ten and punt, unwilling to pay a price to put the ball in the end zone.
Matt Staver, President of Liberty Counsel, and Dean of the School of Law at Liberty University said, "God is going to hold us accountable for our silence, especially pastors."
So what can be done to engage Evangelicals in time for the November Elections?
"Get the people involved!" urges David Crowe.
Restore America an evangelical ministry with the goal of awakening and mobilizing the Christian VOTE, has created a web site campaign dedicated solely to Christian Voter Registration and Turnout. The Value Your Vote Campaign site www.restoreamerica.net has everything Christians need to get their friends and peers registered and involved right from their own computer and is capable of mobilizing hundreds of thousands of Christians whose simple efforts could mobilize millions of Evangelicals to Vote come November 2nd.
© Jim Kouri
The views expressed by RenewAmerica columnists are their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of RenewAmerica or its affiliates.
(See RenewAmerica's publishing standards.)
