I hear a lot of Christians out there now disagreeing with Jesus on sexual issues, on marriage, on Heaven and Hell. Really? You call yourself a Christian and you disagree with Jesus? Why don’t you just stop calling yourself a Christian if you’re not following Him? That’s what Christianity means; to follow Jesus.
—Christian apologist, author, and speaker Frank Turek—
Key point: As the leftist media continue to lie about and misrepresent President Trump with regard to the issue of race, evangelical leaders J. D. Greear and Ed Stetzer are doing the same.
Sometimes I wonder what planet people are living on, and what prompts them to conclude what they conclude about events that irrefutably counter their claims. Journalists in the mainstream media have nefarious motives. What other conclusion can we reach after they’ve written and said that President Trump refused to condemn white supremacy in the first presidential debate with Joe Biden, which was held on Monday, September 29?
One of the few journalists who doesn’t live on a planet other than the one I inhabit is Emily Jashinsky, who writes for The Federalist. Ms. Jashinsky wrote a post-debate article in which she refutes the left’s claim that during the debate, Trump declined to condemn extremist right-wing groups. She lists seven headlines with hyperlinks to the corresponding articles. The headlines declare that President Trump “refuses to denounce” and that he “sidesteps call to condemn” white supremacists and white supremacy. Yet we need only play the video to see that this is an outright lie. Debate moderator Chris Wallace was blatantly biased against Trump.
Here is a transcript, taken from this article at Breitbart (emphases appear in the original).
Wallace: You have repeatedly criticized the vice president for not specifically calling out Antifa —
Trump: That’s right.
Wallace: — and other left-wing extremist groups. But are you willing, tonight to condemn white supremacists and militia groups —
Trump: Sure.
Wallace: — and to say that they need to stand down and not add to the violence in a number of these cities as we saw in Kenosha, and as we’ve seen in Portland.
Trump: Sure, I’m willing to do that.
Wallace: Are you prepared specifically to do it.
Trump: I would say —
Wallace: Go ahead, sir.
Trump: I would say almost everything I see is from the left wing not, not from the right wing.
Wallace: So what are you — what are you saying?
Trump: I’m willing to do anything. I want to see peace.
Wallace: Well, then, do it, sir.
Trump: I am —
Biden: Say it. Do it. Say it.
Trump: Do you call them — What do you want to call them? Give me a name. Give me a name.
Wallace: White supremacist — and right-wing militia.
Trump: Go ahead. Who would you like me to condemn?
Biden: White supremacists. The Proud Boys.
Trump: Who.
Wallace: White supremacists and right-wing militia.
Trump: Proud Boys, stand back and stand by. But I’ll tell you what, I’ll tell you what. Somebody’s got to do something about Antifa and the left. Because this is not a right-wing problem —
Biden: His own — his own FBI director said —
Trump: –this is a left-wing problem. This is a left-wing problem.
Biden: — the threat comes from white supremacists. Antifa is an idea, not an organization.
Trump: Oh, you gotta be kidding.
Biden: Not militia. That’s what his FBI —
Trump: Oh, really, FBI, OK.
Biden: His FBI director said.
Wallace: Gentlemen, we’re gonna —
Trump: Well, then he’s wrong.
Wallace: No, no. We’re done, sir.
Joel B. Pollak, writer of the Breitbart piece (and thankfully, one more journalist who who reports what actually happened rather than a warped version of it), emphasizes that Wallace’s question, because of its very premise, was “absurd.” As we soon will see, President Trump has condemned white supremacy explicitly many times and on many occasions. Pollack lists the following pertinent facts.
-
-
- Wallace refused to accept “sure” for an answer and demanded Trump (and only Trump) condemn extremists onstage.
- Wallace is the one who introduced the “stand down” language — not Trump, who was doing what he was asked.
- Biden is the one who demanded Trump condemn the “Proud Boys” — a right-wing group — and Trump complied.
- Biden refused to condemn Antifa, saying it was “an idea, not an organization.” Wallace then tried to end the argument.
-
To this list we can add a fifth item: 5. President Trump pointed out that “almost everything I see is from the left wing not, not from the right wing.” He’s right. Black Lives Matter, Antifa, and other left-wing groups are responsible for the violence, destruction, and loss of life that have occurred in city after city.
Many reporters have pointed to Trump’s use of the phrase “stand by” to essentially convey the idea that the president was not really condemning the Proud Boys at all; yet they ignore 1) Wallace’s initial use of a similar phrase — stand down — and 2) Trump’s use of “stand back,” a phrase that was stronger than another phrase the president used — “stand by.”
Mr. Pollack concluded his article this way: “It is simply untrue to claim that Trump refused to condemn white supremacists, or that he tried to encourage them by telling them to ‘stand by.’ Claims to the contrary rely on deceptive edits that omit what Trump, Wallace, and Biden actually said.” President Trump addressed the issue again on Wednesday. He made clear that he condemns extremists on the right, but he also challenged Joe Biden to disavow the ongoing activities of the militant left. Joe Biden has yet to do this.
It is simply untrue to claim that Trump refused to condemn white supremacists, or that he tried to encourage them by telling them to ‘stand by.’ Claims to the contrary rely on deceptive edits that omit what Trump, Wallace, and Biden actually said.
—Joel B. Pollack—
Already, on numerous occasions, the president has condemned white supremacy, groups promoting it, and other extremist right-wing organizations. This video showcases some clear examples. This article cites even more instances.
Who’s Really Racist?
On an important side note, be aware also that Richard Spencer, the white supremacist who organized the race riots in Charlottesville in 2017, has endorsed Joe Biden for president. In August, a Twitter user asked him about his choice for president, and he tweeted,
“I plan to vote for Biden and a straight democratic ticket. It’s not based on ‘accelerationism’ or anything like that; the liberals are clearly more competent people.”
Reporter Evita Duffy explains,
Although Spencer claims that his endorsement is about competence and not ideology, his comments from the 2017 Charlottesville riots say otherwise. During his keynote speech in Charlottesville, Spencer explained how abortion advances white nationalist goals, stating, “The people who are having abortions are generally very often black or Hispanic or from very poor circumstances.”
Remarkably, even Newsweek covered Spencer’s support for Biden. Mark Levin highlighted the Newsweek piece in a tweet; here is the article he cited.
We should not be surprised that a white supremacist has endorsed Biden. The former vice-president has made a great many racist comments over the years, including this one in May — “[I]f you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t black.”
Evangelical Leaders Push the Lie
Let’s return to the debate and the false narrative that that it provided evidence that Trump embraces white supremacy. It’s frustrating enough that reporters would flat out lie about what Trump said during the debate, but even more frustrating to me is the fact that evangelical leaders J. D. Greear and Ed Stetzer are actively promoting that lie. Conversations That Matter podcaster Jon Harris called them both out for lying on Twitter. Here is his response to Greear.
You can access Greear’s original tweet here. He didn’t mention President Trump by name, but he didn’t have to. We know what occasion prompted his tweet. Furthermore, as we have indicated, Greear wasn’t alone, and Ed Stetzer did mention the president specifically.
Here is Stetzer’s original tweet.
This is more than disgusting. The Ninth Commandment is clear: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Ex. 20:16). These additional passages of Scripture echo and reinforce God’s command against spreading lies, especially as it applies to this situation. And of all people, pastors and church leaders should obey these biblical teachings.
I would never lightly accuse anyone of lying, but the evidence is here is strong. In Greear’s case, I believe what he wrote and when he wrote it effectively amount to lying, although in a roundabout way. Certainly his meaning was and is clear.
Please do not tell me Greear and Stetzer may have been misled regarding Trump’s response in the debate. They can watch what actually happened, and they can understand it. They can read. They can hear. They have no excuses, especially before taking to Twitter to make false public statements against the president.
Why?
Here’s my question: Why? Why would Greear and Stetzer do this? Has the social justice movement overtaken their thinking so thoroughly they are willing to lie? Apparently this is the case, and it says a great deal about the social justice movement. Whatever their motivation, their approach is entirely consistent with their social justice take on politics as a whole. It’s the same approach Pastor David Platt and Tim Keller also are taking — and it is wrong.
Evangelicals, and Southern Baptists in particular, need to repudiate this, and not just because it involves leaders’ telling outright lies about the President of the United States. Core biblical beliefs and their influence in society hang in the balance in this election, especially beliefs about life, marriage, and religious liberty.
If you’re a Christian, you must realize that no biblical justification for voting for Democrats exists.
None.
Copyright © 2020 by B. Nathaniel Sullivan. All rights reserved.
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture has been taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Be First to Comment