Donald Trump and Ben Carson met with as many as 900 Christian conservative leaders on Tuesday June 20 in a closed-to-the-media “conversation.” It will be “the largest, most representative gathering of national, Christian leaders I’ve seen in my lifetime,” said Johnny Moore, spokesperson for My Faith Votes (one of the meetings organizers) before the meeting. The invitees include James Dobson, Ralph Reed, Penny Nance of Concerned Women for America, Tim Wildmon of the American Family Association, Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council, American Values President Gary Bauer and many megachurch pastors. The media blackout will be accompanied by tight security sealing off the Marriott Marquis in New York.
The daylong program, titled “A Conversation About America’s Future with Donald Trump and Ben Carson,” appears to some like the first glimpse of a possible 2016 GOP presidential ticket.
“Many evangelicals did not support [Trump],” said Tony Perkins. “There are many out there that I think would like to, but there is some uncertainty… Look, as evangelicals, Christians, conservatives in this process, we not only want to have influence but we also have to be a witness to the truth. And, so part of that is, ‘Alright, let’s have a conversation about these issues. Maybe you didn’t think through them.’ And I give him the benefit of the doubt that as a businessman who’s been doing other things, he’s not thought through these policies, and that’s why you’ll see him from time to time change his positions once it’s been explained to him.”
The leaders behind organizing the meeting solicited some 50,000 questions from grass-roots activists in preparation for the event. “This meeting would be even more representative of Christians in America than the 900 people in attendance,” explained Moore. It is neither an “inquisition” nor a “coronation,” but a “conversation,” said Moore. “The Trump campaign has been unbelievably cooperative to commit such time with these leaders.”
“This is an incredibly diverse group, and it is mainly made of pastors and other church leaders,” he added. “It is not a meeting of political activists. A lion share of the most influential Christians in America will be in attendance.”
Carson will convene the meeting and deliver an address to those in attendance.
When Christian leaders get more power and influence, when they stand united on key issues that concern them, where does it lead? It leads to demands for a Sunday law and a loss of religious liberty for God’s people. One could hardly imagine a Seventh-day Adventist giving the key note address in a meeting like this.
“When the leading churches of the United States, uniting upon such points of doctrine as are held by them in common, shall influence the state to enforce their decrees and to sustain their institutions, then Protestant America will have formed an image of the Roman hierarchy, and the infliction of civil penalties upon dissenters will inevitably result.” Great Controversy, page 445
Comments
Dennis Hollingsead
Wednesday June 22nd, 2016 at 09:50 AMQuoted – ” One could hardly imagine a Seventh-day Adventist giving the key note address in a meeting like this.”
I would be careful to wait and see what Dr. Carson says. Wouldn’t we want a “Joseph” or a “Daniel” to be present and speak a warning in love? On the other hand, if he doesn’t give a clear message about the history of religious freedom and the devil’s kingdom of force, coercion, and subterfuge; then we can speak to that issue at that time.
admin
Thursday June 23rd, 2016 at 05:34 AMDaniel and Joseph were entirely different situations. They were appointed to government. Carson is campaigning. Very different and quite forbidden in the SOP.
Marcos
Thursday June 23rd, 2016 at 04:56 PMYet God is using him nonetheless, in spite of himself.
admin
Thursday June 23rd, 2016 at 07:53 PMGod uses many things that are quite unideal. He even used apostate Israel in Babylon to bring light to the Babylonians. But what of the outcome.
Scott
Wednesday June 22nd, 2016 at 12:30 PMBen needs to inform Gods people what went on in that meeting and if he stayed true to God in warning those people about what happens when you mix church and state and cozzy up with the antichrist !!
Lori Gulley
Thursday June 23rd, 2016 at 10:38 PM“God uses many things that are quite unideal. He even used apostate Israel in Babylon to bring light to the Babylonians.” Hold on just a minute….It was NOT “apostate Israel” bringing light to the Babylonians. It was the very FEW, FAITHFUL ones among apostate Israel that accomplished that.
Geoffrey Mbayiwa
Wednesday June 22nd, 2016 at 03:36 PMComment no one can stop the prophet to happen or take place in its time.once its written it as to take place in its time.
Courtney Edwards
Wednesday June 22nd, 2016 at 10:21 PMThe irony isn’t Ben Carson’s support of these false Christian Churches. The irony is that official Adventism supports, like Ben Carson, the Republican party. And the greater irony is that the support of the party that will likely be the catalyst to enforce religious laws, is being aggressively pursued to the non support of the Democratic party; the party against religious hegemony.
This is brought on by the belief that the founding of the Democratic party was on the support of Roman Catholicism; while the founding of the Republican party was on the support of Protestantism.
It is this belief that with the strong Roman Catholic underpinning of the Democratic party that the Adventist pioneers and today’s official Adventism believe that Sunday worship will have its strongest support towards becoming law. This could n’t be any further from the truth. And as fallacies go, Adventism will support Republicanism as long as the spectre of a Sunday law is believed to be in the works by the Roman Catholic Church.
The Adventist pioneers got it wrong; and because of the religious hegemony that caused the pilgrims to flee religious Catholic persecution. But they ignored the as egregious Protestant persecution of Roman Catholics; and the extreme persecution of other protestant pioneers by the very pilgrims who fled European religious persecution.and religious hegemony(and today’s evangelicalism)
In short it won’t be the Democratic party or the Republican party that will seek to enforce religious laws as was done by Roman Catholicism in past centutues. These religious laws will be triggered by events that are beyond the ability of any one political party to control.
admin
Thursday June 23rd, 2016 at 03:48 PMCan you show documentation where official Adventism supports the Republican party? That is quite contrary to the official statements of the church concerning modern politics, including those of Ben Carson. While you are right that most adventists blindly support Republicanism, that is a different thing from official Adventism. Incidentally, persecution will come, in the end from both or all parties.
Fernando Narcisso
Thursday June 23rd, 2016 at 12:10 AMDr. Ben Carson is a joke….He as sold his soul out.
Ernie Ralph Bennett
Thursday June 23rd, 2016 at 12:35 AMFundamentals of Christian Education Page 482 PDF version The Lord desires all who bear the message for these last days to understand that there is a great difference between professors of religion who are not doers of the word, and the children of God, who are sanctified through the truth, who have that faith that works by love and purifies the soul. The Lord speaks of those who claim to believe the truth for this time, yet see nothing inconsistent in their taking part in politics, mingling with the contending elements of these last days, as the circumcised who
mingle with the uncircumcised, and He declares that He will destroy both classes together without distinction. They are doing a work that God has not set them to do. They dishonor God by their party spirit and contention, and He will condemn both alike.
admin
Thursday June 23rd, 2016 at 03:49 PMThat’s about as clear as it gets.
Dorothy J Ackles
Thursday June 23rd, 2016 at 11:03 AMThe Lord sets them up and take them down. Dan 2:21 The national Sunday law could come from either party. Whether it be from the conservative right legislating morality, for the liberal-left breaking into a state of Sodom and Gomorrah. On the right you have an apostate religious system represented by the King of the North in Daniel chapter 11. On the left you have an atheistic, humanistic system that denies God in his laws represented by the King of the South in the same chapter. Both serve evil in their intentions while disguising their fellowship with lies.
We can be sure of this, with signs of the end in all sectors of human life, we can know whoever God sets up in this office next Nov, He is working out his plan to wrap things up. I believe as His servants we are too stay close to Him so we can hear His clear voice as to know whether to go to the right or the left, vote with our conscience, is fasten your seatbelts in His Word. The last great events will be rapid ones. “Even so come Lord Jesus”.
John Wallace
Friday June 24th, 2016 at 02:35 AMThe final movements will come via any and every party in power. We are being simplistic if we simply rule out politics as a career. The patriarchs quoted were high in the political machinery so they must have had huge influence on kings and community leaders. Perhaps our allergy of politics, based on a few quotes from the prophet, has weakened the Church’s influence to a point where the average person never heard of us!
Donna
Monday June 27th, 2016 at 11:31 AMA question that seems to be overlooked or absent in this discussion is: Do we already have a Sunday law? If the Papal Climate Change Encyclical was adopted by our leaders last September which includes a day of rest (Sunday) for preservation of the climate by lowering carbon emissions by 1/7th, then all it would require is enforcement which is what the second beast of Rev.13 (USA) is prophesied to do. Any thoughts, just asking.
Patti Werner
Monday June 27th, 2016 at 07:56 PMThe foundation for the end time events have been carefully laid by the enemy. The Climate Change Encyclical is definitely one of the final acts of rebellion against God, but it has be skillfully covered in the cloak of “need” to preserve the earth. BUT God is stilling holding the four winds of strife until His people are ready to take their POSITION. Read Rev. 7:1-4 and Rev. 14:1-5. Blessings!