Bless the Sheep, Damn the Wolves

by La Shawn on July 11, 2008

in Child Killing, Faith

wolfBeware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are savage wolves. – Matthew 7:15

Wow! I did not intend to focus on child killing the past couple weeks. Opportunities to blog about it kept popping, and I went in that direction. I’m listening, God! If my blog plays a part in stopping just one woman from slaughtering her child, my work here is good.

I have yet another opportunity to tell you about more so-called Christians who believe women have a right to kill their babies. When last I blogged about so-called Reverend Carlton W. Veazey, president and CEO of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (which used to be called the Coalition for Abortion Rights), I named him among others who profess Christ and a woman’s right to kill her baby, in the same breath. See Irreverent Reverends, Part II.

I was sickened by an article I read yesterday about Veazey, and I wanted to bring it to your attention. Every year for the past 12 years, black church members and leaders have gathered at a conference called the National Black Church Summit on Sexuality. At this summit, black ministers speechify on how black churches can be more “inclusive” of homosexuals and how to counsel teenage girls and women about “parenthood, adoption and pregnancy termination.”

That’s not a typo! Pregnancy termination. Churches. Pastors. Ministers.

Carlton VeazeyReverend Carlton Veazey strikes again.
In a CNSNews article, “In Black Churches Gather to Promote ‘Reproductive Choice,’” Veazy said: “We can teach our young people, ‘Yes, I believe in abstinence only,’ but I also believe I have to be realistic enough to tell my young people how to protect themselves and to keep from becoming pregnant. Now the critics say you’re encouraging them to have sex, and I say no such thing. I’m trying to save their life, number one, and I’m trying to break this cycle of teen pregnancy, number two. It’s a matter of education.”

Veazey says so many terrible things in the article, namely his equating abortion with “lack of health care” and such. For purposes of this post, however, I want to narrow the focus.

First of all, this minister’s job, calling, purpose, whatever — is to declare the word of God, teach from the Bible, provide spiritual care for his congregants, etc., not to counsel the flock on how to have “safe” sex or to kill their babies if they become pregnant. The only educating Veazey should be doing in the area of sexuality is telling the people what is required of them as CHRISTIANS.

Second, yes, even Christians fornicate and commit adultery. Yes, societal pressure on young people to conform to the world is very strong. I remember. And let’s be as “realistic” as Veazey. Sex is fun. It is pleasurable. It is purposeful. I remember. But it is God’s gift to the man and woman united in marriage.

I contend that if Veazey and other ministers and pastors focused more on the proper biblical teaching of sexuality, marriage, the supremacy of Christ, making Christ the center of our lives, the concept of growing in grace, contemplating the incredible sacrifice Christ made on the cross to wash away our sins and to empower us — empower us — with his convicting, guiding, and awesome Spirit, and less on the assumption that people are going to screw around anyway, they would see a profound spiritual change in their churches, their neighborhoods, and the entire country.

These young people struggling with the flesh or crying out for attention and love and affection need strong godly men and women to teach them, to help them understand that they have a higher purpose in their lives. It is a call to obedience. The Gospel of Jesus Christ will not only save their lives, it will reveal to them the meaning of life, the application of it to their lives, why they sin, how to overcome that sin, the great expanse of God’s mercy, and so much more!

Reverend Veazey, a godly man does not aid and abet the people in their sin!

What Carlton Veazey is doing is shameful, and he will be called to account for it. Bless the sheep, oh Lord, and damn the wolves.

{ 2 trackbacks }

F3 Coalition
07.13.08 at 1:48 am
Loose Lips Sink the Economy
07.13.08 at 10:01 pm

{ 23 comments }

Mark La Roi 07.11.08 at 12:24 pm

You hit the nail on the head LaShawn. If More pastors would simply believe and teach what is already clear through the Word instead of taking the world’s way out, these issues would have their best antidote and would shrink volume.

La Shawn 07.11.08 at 12:27 pm

It makes me so ANGRY that “men of God” are abdicating their duty and aiding and abetting sin! But I must temper my anger, because anger alone will accomplish nothing. :(

SkyePuppy 07.11.08 at 12:54 pm

The pastor who started the singles group I attend (for the over-20’s crowd) said it point-blank when he was talking about sex and the single life. He said that if you can’t obey Christ in the core area of your sexuality, what good is all the rest of your obedience?

I haven’t forgotten that point. Obviously, Veazey has.

Michele 07.11.08 at 1:00 pm

How sad that this pastor has gotten offtrack and conformed to the world instead of teaching people how NOT to, and instead live BETTER.

THEBIGDODDY 07.11.08 at 1:03 pm

On this, I feel you LaShawn.

Lawlessness abounds.

Trish 07.11.08 at 1:18 pm

Many pastors, no matter what their race, care more about building up their congregation than about preaching the Word. They forget that the Master they serve is not the church organization.

Libby 07.11.08 at 1:23 pm

Preach it, sister!!!! Keep posting away about this.

Thank you,
Libby

Mark La Roi 07.11.08 at 1:31 pm

SUPERB point Trish @ #6. The “Social Gospel” which aims to heal all the physical ills of the world has crept into a large portion of the churches today leading to tolerance of sin for the sake of “compassion”.

You should hear how some of these pastors yell at me (and the language some use) when I tell them that by coddling sin and/or focusing on physical comfort all they are doing is providing people with at best a Heaven devoid of the rewards they should’ve received and at worst just a more comfortable trip to hell.

THEBIGDODDY 07.11.08 at 1:33 pm

“It makes me so ANGRY that “men of God” are abdicating their duty and aiding and abetting sin! But I must temper my anger, because anger alone will accomplish nothing.”

LaShawn though we (non-whites) are frowned upon for being angry under nearly any circumstance, I guarantee you that the Holy Spirit has your back in this case. :)

Ryan 07.11.08 at 2:21 pm

I agree completely, LaShawn. That’s one of the things which makes me absolutely sick of today’s breed of “Christian” in general and the leadership of my own church (I’m a Methodist) in particular.

What part of “You will not murder” do these people not understand?

#8: I know how you feel. It seems like political correctness has BECOME God, and Matthew 7:1 (sans context) has become the only part of the Bible people care about.

dianne 07.11.08 at 2:46 pm

I don’t even feel like going to church anymore. I guess I’m selfish, but I resent some liberal preacher and/or church finance committee using contributions to further sinful and sometimes illegal activities and choices. One of the last churches I attended had I swear one of the best teaching pastors I have ever heard. He was found out to have an affair with the church admin assistant FOR YEARS while thousands of us sat in the pews lapping up every word he said. But, any “preacher” who condones abortion is about as low as they come in my book. I sometimes wonder how God keeps from striking them down on the spot.

THEBIGDODDY 07.11.08 at 3:29 pm

Dianne says:

“I don’t even feel like going to church anymore.”

And that’s understandable, I’ve been there. I’m sure you have fellowship with some REAL down to earth believers. All you need is one or two of them to fellowship and walk with you, and He will still be up in the mix.

I’m developing a biblical Feast Day curriculum for a Church whose Pastor was caught up in that very same thing several years ago, except the woman also had his child. He repented, his wife forgave him, their marriage was restored and their fellowship is moving forward. Hopefully this is the case with your Pastor and His wife.

THEBIGDODDY 07.11.08 at 4:02 pm

My bad.. the repentance, forgiveness, and restoration, that is. Not the baby. :)

heliotrope 07.11.08 at 4:03 pm

This is a prime example of a preacher who has strayed into moral relevancy. It is a predictable outcome when one focuses more on social work than on addressing the truth.

Mwalimu Daudi 07.11.08 at 8:06 pm

The reason that I left the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) was its subordination of fidelity to the Gospel in favor of whatever the political hot-button issues of the day were. The Iraq war, taxes, immigration, campaign finance “reform”, social welfare spending, gay/lesbian “marriage” – that is what got the hearts of the bishops and leaders a-thumpin’.

johnMark 07.11.08 at 10:33 pm

LaShawn,

Great post! I certainly hope these “ministers” don’t live like this in all they do in life. I bet they don’t. I also bet they don’t teach this manner of morality to teens/kids when dealing with other issues.

For example, would they teach that it’s not okay to lie, cheat, steal, murder, etc., but if you are going to do these things do them like “this” so you don’t get in trouble. Nothing like breaking a cycle of sin by actually teaching people how to sin more efficiently, that is, in the temporal sense.

Hey, it’s just being realistic and it may save their lives, right?

Mark

Trish 07.11.08 at 11:16 pm

johnMark–
Too true, too true.
Isn’t it like saying, “Okay, I don’t want you to drink and drive. But since I know you’re going to do it anyway, here are the keys to my car. You’ll be safer because it has side airbags.”

Rachel 07.12.08 at 9:33 am

OK, I can’t agree with you more on this! Why would the man focus on how to get rid of the consequences of sin instead of getting rid of the sin? He isn’t helping these young women, he’s sending them down a dark, terrible road that will haunt them the rest of their lives…I know this to be true!
Makes me wonder where he is at sexually. Where is his sexual morality?
I think his name begs to be changed…Rev. Sleazey!

Rachel 07.14.08 at 11:31 am

I couldn’t agree more, especially in regards to preachers who are more concerned with societal issues and sex ed than with preaching the GOSPEL, which is their true responsibility. Coincidentally, I was reading a website the other day about the abortion statistics for blacks in America (blackgenocide dot org) and they ask why the black “leaders” in America will not speak out on the issue. It seems that instead they are encouraging it.
P.S. Thanks for returning to political blogging, La Shawn, I love to read your insight! :-)

La Shawn 07.14.08 at 11:35 am

Thanks, Rachel. I’m trying not to burn out this time around. ;)

Lucy L. 07.14.08 at 1:47 pm

Wow. I find this quite shocking. I hadn’t heard of this person before; it’s good to be aware.

TBinSTL (just typical) 07.16.08 at 2:51 am

Bless the Sheep, Damn the Wolves indeed.
Thank you for choosing to be a “Sheepdog” on this and so many other topics. We know each other when we meet….

John 07.17.08 at 2:43 pm

This is one of the reasons I converted to
Catholicism . . . the Church’s unflinching
teaching of the sanctity of life, from
conception to natural death.

I got tired of social workers masquerading
as religious leaders. ‘Course, liberation
theology hit all the Christian churches,
but the current Pope has been correcting
the body on this silliness.

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