Published on February 2, 2024, 12:45 am

Breaking News: Christian leaders have been caught up in a controversy surrounding their recent curriculum, “The After Party,” which aims to guide churches and fellow Christians on navigating politics amorally. The authors, Russell Moore, David French, and Curtis Chang, have seemingly endorsed the very ideologies they sought to dismantle with the divisive open acknowledgment of Pastor Charlie Dates.

Pastor Charlie Dates is a known figure within the Southern Baptist church, participating in notable events such as the MLK50 Conference co-hosted by The Gospel Coalition and the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. The convention celebrated Martin Luther King Jr., holding him up as one of the significant heroes in Christianity.

However, Charlie Dates went on to leave the Southern Baptist church due to its insufficiently progressive stance, according to his perspective. Interestingly, he made this decision while pastoring a branch called Progressive Baptist Church. His defection was based on his opposition to Dr. Albert Mohler’s assertion that “the only morally plausible political option for Christians is the Republican party.”

After leaving Progressive Baptist Church, Dates ascended as lead pastor at Salem Baptist Church in Chicago following the retirement of Pastor James Meeks. Even after concerns expressed during his inauguration about handing over the pulpit to him, Dates took bold steps straight away by inviting pro-abortionist and lesbian former Mayor Lori Lightfoot – an intense adversary of God – to speak from his pulpit.

Leaders like Moore, French, Chang are now promoting figures like Dates as examples for non-political leaders who should be emulated – but this seems paradoxical given their overt political stances within theology and church governance.

In this volatile scenario among modern Evangelical churches shifting doctrine on issues related to homosexuality and unconventional sexualities – including Revoice advocating for more comprehensive acceptance – it behooves us to reevaluate how we understand leadership within Christian Worldview space. Is touchstone spiritual leadership morphing into boots-on-the-ground activism? As we face these questions, the need for Real News and Trusted News in faith-related matters has never been more critical. Let’s strive to view these occurrences through grounded Christian principles.