THE CHURCH MILITANT
Ephesians 5:11-"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them". This Christian News Blog maintains a one stop resource of current news and reports of its own related to church, moral, spiritual, and related political issues, plus articles, and postings from other online discernment ministries, and media which share the aims to obey the biblical commands to shed light on and refute error, heresy, apostasy, cults, and spiritual abuse.
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Friday, September 6, 2019
LIBERTY UNIVERSITY'S JERRY FALWELL JR. BACKS CONGRESSMAN WHO OFFICIATED SAME SEX "WEDDING"
JERRY FALWELL JR. BELIEVES GAY "MARRIAGE" IS A SOCIAL (CIVIL) ISSUE, NOT A BIBLICAL OR MORAL ISSUE
REP. DENVER RIGGLEMAN: "LOVE IS LOVE" (NO MATTER WHAT GOD'S PLAN FOR ONE MAN & ONE WOMAN IS)
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research purposes:
LYNCHBURG, Va. —Jerry Falwell Jr., the president of Liberty University, which touts itself as the world’s largest Christian university, wrote a letter on Tuesday to a Republican congressman who recently received a no confidence vote from a local GOP committee after he “happily” officiated a same-sex “wedding.” Falwell, also seeing that some leaders of the Republican Party within the district were backing away from Rep. Denver Riggleman, asserted that it is wrong for the congressman to be excluded over “social issues.” He advised that he plans to endorse Riggleman for reelection as he believes the party needs to be a “big tent” and unite.
“It is my understanding that certain leaders of the Republican Party in the 5th District are attempting to exclude you and others because of social issues,” Falwell wrote. “I was told that they are assuming that because you officiated at a gay marriage recently, that you are not socially conservative.”
“I believe that excluding other conservatives over issues that have already been decided by the U.S. Supreme Court does nothing but help the liberals gain more power,” he opined. “There is nothing that anyone in the House of Delegates or the Virginia Senate can do to change the law on gay marriage or abortion until the U.S. Supreme Court reverses its previous positions.”
Falwell asserted that his logic is “common sense,” and that if Republicans do not unite and think pragmatically, the liberals will win. He said that he wants to see Republicans retain control of the House of Delegates and the state Senate in November.
“I hope that the less pragmatic members of the party will wake up and realize that, in the words of Ben Franklin, ‘We must all hang together or most assuredly we will all hang separately,'” Falwell wrote. “I intend to endorse you in your bid for reelection in 2020 in light of your liberty-minded conservatism and our shared values.”
He also expressed the hope that he would see Riggleman at an upcoming fundraiser, which will also be attended by Robert Hurt, the executive director of Liberty University’s Center for Law and Government. Riggleman had been invited to Liberty University in March by student groups such as Young Americans for Liberty, College Republicans and Students at Liberty for Gun Rights.
Reports outline that on July 14, Riggleman officiated the “wedding” of campaign volunteers Alex Pisciarino and Anthony LeCounte, and expressed that he was “proud” to do so.
“My real belief is that government shouldn’t be involved in marriage at all, but if it is, everybody has to be treated equally before the law,” the congressman told the Washington Post. “And that is part of our Republican creed. And it also comes down to love is love. I’m happy to join two people together who obviously love each other.”
However, Riggleman also opposes the proposed Equality Act because of concerns about infringing parental rights, and he believes that the matter of transgenders serving the military needs additional study.
Because of his participation the ceremony, Wendell Johnson of the Fifth Congressional District Republican Committee presented a motion to formally rebuke Riggleman.
“I move that the committee censure Denver Riggleman for failing to uphold the Republican Party platform, [which] states ‘marriage is between one man and one woman,'” he said, according to Newsweek.
While his initial effort was not successful, member Diana Shore put forward a vote of no confidence with the Cumberland County Republican Committee, which she chairs. It passed unanimously.
“I make this motion of no confidence in Congressman Denver Riggleman for his recent act in officiating a homosexual marriage and his lack of support for stronger border security and immigration policies,” it read.
Riggleman’s campaign responded to the vote by stating that the congressman was happy to officiate “and he is proud of these two young people who found their life partner.”
As previously reported, Falwell has been an ardent supporter of President Trump, repeatedly asserting throughout Trump’s presidential campaign that the then-candidate bears the fruit of one being born again because of his characteristic good deeds.
“I’ve seen his generosity to strangers, to his employees, his warm relationship with his children,” he said on CNN’s “Legal View With Ashleigh Banfield” in February 2016. “I’m convinced he’s a Christian. I believe he has faith in Jesus Christ.”
Falwell asserted that those who expressed concerns about Trump’s behavior were violating the “judge not” clause in Matthew 7:1.
“Jesus said, ‘Judge not, lest ye be judged. Let’s stop trying to choose the political leaders who we believe are the most godly because, in reality, only God knows people’s hearts. You and I don’t, and we are all sinners,” he said in an interview with the Liberty University newspaper that same year.
He also told the Washington Post earlier this year that he doesn’t believe that the teachings of Christ were meant to be used for public policy, but that the government should rather be “free of religious association.”
“Jesus never told Caesar how to run Rome,” Falwell told the Washington Post. “He went out of His way to say that’s the earthly kingdom, I’m about the heavenly kingdom. And I’m here to teach you how to treat others, how to help others, but when it comes to serving your country, you render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s.”
“You almost have to believe that this is a theocracy to think that way — to think that public policy should be dictated by the teachings of Jesus.”
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research purposes:
Rep. Denver Riggleman is a Republican congressman in Virginia who recently presided over a same-sex wedding. Arguing that he is a congressman who “represents everyone,” he insists that he is still a conservative despite his defense of gay marriage. Of course, no conservative in his right mind would support gay marriage — let alone, officiate one.
Southern Baptist Jerry Falwell, president of Liberty University, recently penned a letter calling on Republicans to unite under the altar of the “big tent.” While the congressman received a vote of “no confidence” recently by the local GOP in Virginia, Falwell says he’s going to support him.
Rep. Denver Riggleman (R-Va.), center in dark suit, presides over the wedding of Alex Pisciarino, left, and Anthony LeCounte at King Family Vineyards in Crozet, Va., on Sunday. (Christine Riggleman)
Citing gay marriage laws, Falwell argues that there is nothing we can do to “change the law” unless the Supreme Court overturns it, therefore, we must accept Riggleman’s decision to officiate a gay wedding. Of course, Falwell is correct that we cannot change the law, but the law does not force anyone to officiate gay weddings — at least not yet.
Falwell insists that despite Riggleman officiating a gay wedding, Riggleman is still socially conservative. Nah-dah. Officiating a gay wedding, by very definition, makes you NOT a social conservative by any discernible standard. Definitely not by biblical standards.
While I’ve appreciated a lot of what Falwell has stood for in his fight against the social justice progressive movement sweeping Evangelicalism, I cannot appreciate the far religious right movement from men like Falwell who, by their actions and endorsements, have made a religion out of right-wing politics while The Gospel Coalition, the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, and the Southern Baptist Convention have largely made a religion out of leftist politics. They are simply two sides of the idolatry coin.
