UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST RENEWAL LEADER APOLOGIZES TO CITIZENS, CHRISTIANS OF IOWA.

To the citizens, pastors, churches and Christians of Iowa.

Today on behalf of many thousands of Christians who belong to congregations of the United Church of Christ and millions of faithful Christians in the ‘mainline’ churches that helped found our nation, I apologize with a broken heart for our denominational officials and other proponents of faux Christian religion who have publicly advocated and applauded the attempt of your court to redefine marriage. This is an ancient idolatry in new skin. We know that the ordinance of marriage between one man and one woman is imbedded in natural law and the natural moral order by the sovereign word of the creator God. That has not changed.

Marriage for all of us, regardless of belief, is the primary covenant in which all other human covenants, laws, and governments are grounded. When courts, governments, or religious bodies make decrees to change the character and definition of marriage, nothing is changed other than the state of their own legitimacy. To decree some other form of relationship a marriage, does not make it so in the only court before which each of us will ultimately stand. To tell dear folks who yearn to have it so, that it is, is a cruel deception. Natural law, the ordinances of God, and the faith of the church are not subject to change by political action, legal decrees, denominational meetings or cultural consensus especially in our era of sexual and relational confusion, perversion and failure.

For us who are Christians that word is confirmed by our Lord Jesus Christ who said, “at the beginning the Creator made them male and female, and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife and the two will become one flesh? So they are no longer two but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.” (Matthew 19:4,5)

Rev. David Runnion-Bareford
Executive Director of Biblical Witness Fellowship, The Confessing Movement in the United Church of Christ, and President of the Association for Church Renewal, a strategic alliance of renewal ministries in the mainline denominations of North America.

http://www.biblicalwitness.org
http://www.associationforchurchrenewal.com
Email: areformer@aol.com Phone: 603-483-0597

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In a strongly worded letter today, Association for Church Renewal President Rev. David Runnion-Bareford warned President Elect Obama about the destructive impact of his decision to invite Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson to lead prayer at the Sunday celebration of his inauguration:

Rev. Runnion-Bareford wrote, “Your decision, to invite Bishop Gene Robinson to provide public leadership at the Sunday celebration of your inauguration is offensive and disappointing to many of us in Christian leadership who seek to be supportive of your presidency. In contrast to your other choices for religious leadership during this historic occasion, Robinson is a schismatic figure who has intentionally caused deep hurt and division in the Christian church. To many mainline Christians who share your concerns for peace and justice, Robinson symbolizes the moral deviance of denominational leaders who have embraced the agenda of sexual license to the detriment and decline of their churches. The division caused by Robinson and his supporters have cause great harm to the Christian church.

Of equal or greater concern, however, is the public message you are sending to our international partners in the global south. Bishop Robinson has become a symbol of western decadence and moral deviance to African Church leaders and to some degree South American and Asian Church leaders who represent constituencies far larger than the Christian church in the U.S. Putting Robinson forward with the blessing of your presidency communicates that your intention is to embrace the virulent practice of western hedonism. It is abortive to your efforts to provide strong international leadership for unity and peace. African leaders in particular will see this as a direct insult to their efforts to confront the horrendous health issues that face their people and the oppression of Islamics and others who accuse Christianity of reflecting the immorality of western culture.

AssociationForChurchRenewal.com

A Day Of Reckoning Is Upon Us

Will it be “Morning in America”? – or “Mourning in America”?

We face overwhelming international crises [partial list]

* A convulsing, global economic meltdown touches every facet of life
* Global poverty (3 billion) takes an incalculable toll (75 million more added last year)
* Countless additional millions moving into poverty at this moment due to the financial crisis
* Pervasive increase in global hunger (1 billion), with resulting malnutrition and diseases
* Systemic injustice for billions of the poorest, marginalized and oppressed in many nations
* Rampant illiteracy: leads to economic/political disenfranchisement for hundreds of millions
* Increases in natural disasters creates long-term financial, social and psychological impact
* The unrelenting specter of global terrorism; failure to crush Al Quida and Taliban
* The spread of radical, militant, global, Jihadistic, Islamic fundamentalism
* Incalculable toll on lives and treasure of intractable six-year war in Iraq – for many nations
* The expanding war in Afghanistan; generals say it can’t be won militarily
* Nuclear North Korea; potential of nuclear Iran; threat of a destabilized nuclear Pakistan
* Proliferation of nuclear materials; nightmare of nuclear weapons in hands of terrorists
* On-going genocide (millions in Sudan, Congo etc); failure of the world to stop it
* Spiraling Israeli/Palestinian conflict holds threat of major Middle East conflagration
* Political/economic challenges in the rise of China; massive US indebtedness to China
* Energy crisis – made up of economic and environmental crises
* Potentially irreversible, destructive trends in climate changes/global warming
* The global spread of AIDS; emerging epidemics/ pandemics; seen in the decimation of Africa
* Deforestation and desertification of the planet, threatening both climate and human survival
* Population growth magnifying world’s desperate lack of pure water sources for billions
* Burgeoning international markets for all forms of pornography (esp. via internet)
* Global scourge of human trafficking in prostitution (esp. children) and slavery
* Rise in religious persecution, especially against Christians throughout the Majority World
* United Nations and other world bodies prove impotent before many of these global crises
* Diminished respect for and confidence about US leadership in the global geo-political arena
* Gospel crisis: Still nearly 3 billion “unreached people” with no knowledge of Christ

We face additional overwhelming national crises [partial list]

* National financial meltdown, with loss so far of over 2 trillion dollars in Americans’ savings
* A catastrophe due to greed, fraud and arrogance – more of a “crisis of character”; a “moral crisis”
* Unprecedented national deficit (many in both political parties say it is “out of control”)
* Whole states moving into massive debt, some into bankruptcy
* Looming insolvency for social safety nets (such as Medicaid, Social Security)
* Massive personal indebtedness of US citizens – $13,000 average credit card debt
* Beginnings of deep, long-term recession, with falling wages, rise in unemployment
* The sub-prime mortgage crisis with resulting homelessness for millions
* Millions of retirees live in fear of financial freefall and the gutting of retirement resources
* Gradual deflation of the middle class with the significant growth of a genuine “under-class”
* Fifty million Americans live daily in inescapable, disabling poverty
* Over 37 million US citizens go to bed hungry; 11% of households facing daily lack of food
* National health care crisis; over 40 million Americans with no insurance at all
* Growing burden of an aging population, seen in accelerating cases of cancer and dementia
* Neglect and deterioration of infrastructures across the nation (roads, schools, bridges, etc)
* Impact – financial and personal – of increases in disastrous hurricanes, tornados, floods, fires
* Failure of Congress to adequately secure the homeland per 9/11 Commission (ports, borders etc)
* Flood of illegal immigrations, complicating the effort to maintain national security
* Increased threats of paralyzing Internet sabotages, at both government and business levels
* Seemingly unending wars on two fronts – with our military stretched to the “breaking point”
* Major deficiencies and inequalities in American education; falling behind most developed nations
* A divided, ineffective Congress – often under the sway of lobbyists and special interest groups
* Polarization over faith and politics, undermining the social cohesion essential to national survival
* Crisis of leadership throughout society; frequently evidenced in incompetence and corruption
* “Culture wars” – struggles for the existence of absolutes in the face of pluralism and multiculturalism
* An emerging “culture of death” replacing a “culture of life”: abortion, euthanasia, stem cell research
* Moral freefall – seen vividly in the pervasive sexualizing of our culture (esp. pornography)
* Sexual revolution continues, with intercourse experienced at increasingly younger ages
* The rising crusade for gay rights at all levels, demanding a reconstituting of the social contract
* The battle over definition/re-definition and preservation of traditional marriage
* Millions of divorces annually, with its long-term psychological impact on children
* Increase in violence – child abuse; gangs in our streets; gratuitous violence for mass entertainment
* Unrelenting flood of illegal drugs, destroying millions of youth as well as whole communities
* Rapid rise in incarcerations (US has highest rates and the highest numbers in the world)
* Rapid rise nationally of reported cases of depression and suicide
* Growing wide-spread rejection of religion’s right to play a role in the public square
* Vibrant faith undermined by Christians’ own choices to politicize biblical Christianity
* Atheistic scholars and their followers attacking the Christian faith more openly and boldly
* Over 100 million Americans have never darkened a church door; plus influx of world religions

Additional, serious crises inside the church [partial list]

* 80% of US congregations are stagnant or dying in terms of membership
* 80% of youth from evangelical families leave the church after high school
* 80% of pastors are burdened with a spirit of isolation and hopelessness
* 40% of evangelical men wrestle with addiction to pornography
* High profile scandals among leaders discredit us; such as multiple lawsuits for pedophilia
* Millions sitting in our pews on Sunday remain unconverted (50% by one major survey)
* Less that 3% of Christians’ annual incomes are given to the work of Christ
* Some 96% of Christians discovered to be “biblically illiterate” (cf. Barna Research)
* Nearly 67% of evangelicals surveyed believe that Jesus is not the only way to Heaven
* Although 84% believe in absolute standards, 40% mostly rely on their own common sense
* Research indicates most Christians rarely talk to each other about the wonders of Christ
* Significant numbers of believers fear growing in intimacy with Christ (80% by one survey)
* Above all, multitudes of Christians remain captive to the greatest crisis of all. It is a “crisis of Christology”. It is the significant shortfall in how we see, seek, savor, serve, share and speak about God’s Son for ALL that He is. Increasing numbers of spiritual leaders identify this as the seminal crisis for the Church at this hour. But it also comprises the greatest crisis the world is facing whether the world realizes it or not. Every crisis of Christology inside the Church hinders unbelievers outside the Church from discovering their one God-given hope – found in the supremacy of Christ and the blessings of His redeeming Reign.

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APPEAL: Adding up all these crises, clearly a “day of reckoning” is upon us. Therefore, we must pray and prepare for God’s Spirit to use God’s Word to re-convert God’s people back to God’s Son for ALL that He is. We must pray and prepare for a widespread Christ-awakening movement in America, one that mobilizes believers everywhere to serve His glorious reign in the midst of, and for the sake of, all other crises. What other hope do we have? We stand at a crossroads – at a defining moment. Will it be “mourning” for America? … or will there arise a fresh, Christ-exalting “morning” for America? Is it not time for such a nationwide Christ-awakening to become for all of us the ultimate “change we can believe in”?