Southern Baptist Leader Russell Moore: Take Down The Confederate Battle Flag

"The Confederate Battle Flag may mean many things, but with those things it represents a defiance against abolition and against civil rights. The symbol was used to enslave the little brothers and sisters of Jesus, to bomb little girls in church buildings, to terrorize preachers of the gospel and their families with burning crosses on front lawns by night. That sort of symbolism is out of step with the justice of Jesus Christ. The cross and the Confederate flag cannot co-exist without one setting the other on fire. White Christians, let’s listen to our African-American brothers and sisters. Let’s care not just about our own history, but also about our shared history with them. In Christ, we were slaves in Egypt—and as part of the Body of Christ we were all slaves too in Mississippi. Let’s watch our hearts, pray for wisdom, work for justice, love our neighbors. Let’s take down that flag." - Russell Moore, president Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptists Convention.

Todd Starnes is ever so pissed.

RELATED:  The Southern Baptist Convention formed in 1845 expressly to support slavery after Baptists in northern states joined the abolitionist movement. But it wasn't until 1995 that the SBC marked its 150th anniversary by issuing a formal apology. An excerpt:

WHEREAS, Our relationship to African-Americans has been hindered from the beginning by the role that slavery played in the formation of the Southern Baptist Convention; and

WHEREAS, Many of our Southern Baptist forbears defended the right to own slaves, and either participated in, supported, or acquiesced in the particularly inhumane nature of American slavery; and

WHEREAS, In later years Southern Baptists failed, in many cases, to support, and in some cases opposed, legitimate initiatives to secure the civil rights of African-Americans; and

Therefore, be it RESOLVED, That we, the messengers to the Sesquicentennial meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention, assembled in Atlanta, Georgia, June 20-22, 1995, unwaveringly denounce racism, in all its forms, as deplorable sin; and

Be it further RESOLVED, That we apologize to all African-Americans for condoning and/or perpetuating individual and systemic racism in our lifetime; and we genuinely repent of racism of which we have been guilty, whether consciously (Psalm 19:13) or unconsciously (Leviticus 4:27); and

Be it further RESOLVED, That we ask forgiveness from our African-American brothers and sisters, acknowledging that our own healing is at stake.

ALSO RELATED: Several days ago the Southern Baptist Convention issued a formal declaration of civil disobedience against the Supreme Court should it rule in favor of same-sex marriage.

Southern Baptists Leader Russell Moore: Officials Who Won't Comply With Marriage Laws Should Seek Other Employment

Via the Tennessean:

The Southern Baptist Convention's top policy official has a message for Alabama Christians wringing their hands over legal same-sex marriage. It was unavoidable, and accepting it doesn't mean you're conceding defeat. Not accepting it means you need to reexamine your faith. Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, opened the floor to questions Thursday at his group's quarterly luncheon, which draws local evangelical pastors, musicians and a variety of other devout people, mostly men, to downtown Nashville. A luncheon attendee asked Moore if he believed there would come a time when Christians had to practice "civil disobedience" over the issue and cited Alabama Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore, who advised the state's probate judges to refuse to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Russell Moore said Christians shouldn't confuse disobeying laws they don't support with appropriate civil disobedience. If Christians can't follow laws in good conscience, he said, they may have to resign as agents of the state and act in accordance with their beliefs as regular citizens.

(Tipped by JMG reader Str8 Grandmother)

VATICAN: American Anti-Gay Religious Leaders To Attend Meeting On Marriage

Miranda Blue writes at Right Wing Watch:

Next week, American Religious Right leaders including the Southern Baptist Convention’s Russell Moore, pastor Rick Warren, Archbishop of Philadelphia Charles Chaput, and Latter-Day Saints official Henry Eyring will be joining opponents of LGBT equality from around the world at an interfaith conference on the “complementarity of man and woman in marriage” hosted by the Vatican. The conference follows a synod at which Catholic bishops considered, but ultimately rejected, proposals to soften the church’s stances on homosexuality, as well as those who have been divorced. Although he is not listed as a speaker, another prominent American opponent of LGBT equality will also be attending the conference. Family Research Council President Tony Perkins said in an interview on Newsmax TV today that he plans to attend the conference in Rome and expects the Catholic Church to “make a very clear statement that pertains to marriage and what the Church views marriage to be” to provide “clarity” to the confusion coming out of the recent synod.

They must be very worried about something.

"Ex-Gay" Nutter Slams Southern Baptist Leader For Denouncing Torture Therapy

"Homosexual feelings are often the result of underlying sexual trauma or emotional detachment from same-sex peers and parents – when individuals realize the source of their feelings and pursue healing in their lives, change happens. In my work with the International Healing Foundation, so much of our ministry is dedicated to working with church leadership to help them better understand how to minister to those who experience SSA – we're helping them transform their pews from one of judgment and condemnation to hope and healing. This is not a 'utopian idea' of changing people, but rather, loving them where they are at and helping them pursue healing. My desire is for Russell Moore to sit down with me and so many of these men that I know who's lives have been transformed because of Christian therapists who understand how to help those struggling with unwanted SSA so we can better help the church in their ministry towards those struggling with homosexuality." - Christopher Doyle, head of Voice Of The Voiceless, in a letter published by the Christian P.ost.

RELATED: The International Healing Foundation is headed by Richard Cohen, who in 2006 appeared on CNN to demonstrate his gay cure which involves beating a pillow with a tennis racket while screaming, "Mom! Mom! Mom! Why did you do that to me?"

Janet Mefferd Slams Southern Baptist Leader For Denouncing "Ex-Gay" Torture

"Homosexuals can change and have changed through all types of helpful Christian therapy, Dr. Moore. I've met them. I Cor. 6 also clearly tells us that redeemed sinners of all stripes can change, else why the reference, 'such WERE some of you?' What galls me the most is how he's playing right into the hands of Big Gay, which is on a totalitarian course to rub out personal autonomy and liberty to choose whatever you want in the way of therapy for unwanted same-sex attraction. And he's playing right into their hands." - Christian radio host Janet Mefferd, in a Facebook slam against Southern Baptist leader Russell Moore, who earlier this week denounced "ex-gay" torture.

Southern Baptist Leader Russell Moore Denounces "Ex-Gay" Torture Therapy

This morning Russell Moore, the president of the Southern Baptists’ Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, denounced "ex-gay" torture at the group's Nashville convention on sexuality.

“The utopian idea if you come to Christ and if you go through our program, you’re going to be immediately set free from attraction or anything you’re struggling with, I don’t think that’s a Christian idea,” Moore told journalists. “Faithfulness to Christ means obedience to Christ. It does not necessarily mean that someone’s attractions are going to change.” Moore said evangelicals had an “inadequate view” of what same-sex attraction looks like. “The Bible doesn’t promise us freedom from temptation,” Moore said. “The Bible promises us the power of the spirit to walk through temptation.” Moore gave similar remarks to an audience of 1,300 people at the conference. The same morning, the conference featured three speakers who once considered themselves gay or lesbian. Moore joins a chorus of psychologists and religious leaders who have departed from the once-popular therapy.

The theme of the convention seems to be that while it's impossible to "cure" people of being gay, at least they should continue to try to stop people from acting on their natural sexuality.

In his address Monday, traditional marriage advocate Sherif Girgis plugged the website Spiritual Friendship, intended for Catholics and Protestants who identify as gay and celibate. Some Christians are debating whether identifying as gay or having a same-sex orientation is itself unbiblical. Another conference speaker and Moody Bible Institute professor Christopher Yuan teaches a more traditional message of celibacy for those who, like him, are attracted to the same sex. He shuns labels, but he believes more younger Christians are self-identifying as gay and celibate. “I’m kind of label-less,” Yuan said before his address. “I think I’m a dying breed, though.”

Moore: "The idea that one is simply the sum of one’s sexual identity is something that is psychologically harmful ultimately, And I think also we have a situation where gay and lesbian people have been treated really, really badly. The response is not shunning, putting them out on the street. The answer is loving your child."

In June of this year the 50,000-member American Association of Christian Counselors changed its code of ethics to express opposition to "ex-gay" torture and to endorse celibacy for homosexuals. Because it's better to suffer a lifetime of untouched, unloved solitude than disobey Jesus. Or something. It remains to be seen if the full Southern Baptist Convention will adopt Moore's position, which is already being attacked on Twitter by "ex-gay" torture advocates.