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A journalist who covers faith and religion is describing how she stumbled into an eye-opening story: Some big names among Trump-hating evangelicals used left-wing sources to fund their Bible study intended to put the Church to sleep.
Megan Basham, a Daily Wire reporter, recently had her curiosity piqued when reading a new Tim Alberta book about religion. Flipping through the pages, she discovered a Bible study entitled “The After Party – Toward Better Christian Politics,” which is praised in the evangelical-bashing book.
Be informed, not misled.
New York Times columnist David French, Russell Moore of Christianity Today, and Duke Divinity professor Curtis Chang created that forthcoming Bible study.
“Secular news outlets from NPR to The New York Times are hailing Tim Alberta’s new book, The Kingdom, The Power, and the Glory, for furthering the popular thesis that evangelicals have abandoned themselves to political idolatry," Basham wrote recently.
Another attempt to mislead biblical Christianity
In "First Things," she writes, "By 'political idolatry,' they mean 'political conservatism,' as neither Alberta’s book nor the many prestige outlets enthusing over it have a word of criticism for Christians who advance left-wing causes. However, a curious passage in the book suggests that those leveling this charge may be most guilty of infecting the church with partisanship."
Alberta reports The After Party is a program that offers pastors and small groups a curriculum “reframing Christian political identity from today’s divisive partisan options.”
Note that as a pro-life Democrat, Chang blamed the “American Church” for the January 6 riot, saying we “own what happened at the Capitol.” He urged California voters to oppose the recall of Gov. Gavin Newsom. And he leveraged his Christian platform to argue against religious exemptions from vaccine mandates, running the website "Christians and the Vaccine" and distributing videos that described the jab as a “redemption” of aborted cell lines—all while acting as a paid consultant for federal health agencies. French and Moore have been no less outspoken on political matters.
Basham continues, "According to Alberta, during its germination phase, the project hit a roadblock. Evangelical donors had little interest in funding an explicitly political Bible study. Thus, to get The After Party off the ground, the trio (all frequent critics of evangelicals who voted for Donald Trump) turned to 'predominantly progressive' 'unbelievers.' In fact, they turned to secular left-wing foundations."
So where did the "Christian Leftists" turn?
Basham says, "Alberta’s book offers no details about the funding of the project, but a bit of internet sleuthing reveals that in May 2022, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors announced that The After Party would be one of the thirty-two beneficiaries of their New Pluralists project, which is investing $10 million to “address divisive forces.” If that money were divided evenly, it would more than cover the entire $250,000 budget of Chang’s umbrella organization, Redeeming Babel, which is behind The After Party. While Chang and company claim their program isn’t focused on parties or policies, the Rockefeller announcement noted it would launch in the “battleground” of Ohio, though none of The After Party founders call that state home."
Rockefeller’s interest in bankrolling Bible studies is a red flag. In the same grant round, they funded a group seeking to promote the “leadership of rural LGBTQ+ people.” Another is committed to “keeping the remaining fossil fuel resources in the ground” in the name of “climate justice.” In 2019, The After Party’s benefactor gave $100 million to the Collaborative for Gender and Reproductive Equity. This initiative funds efforts to safeguard abortion and ensure “youth” have access to “gender-affirming care.” A full accounting of all Rockefeller grantees committed to furthering hard-left causes would require a book long enough to rival Alberta’s.
The sleeping church
Revelation 3:1-6 identifies the Church in Sardis.
Sardis was once a powerful city established around 1200 B.C. It was wealthy and strong. It was situated on a cliff, making it a strongly defensible city. Because of the city’s great military position, the Greeks had a saying, “capturing Sardis,” as a way to communicate doing the impossible. Although it appeared impregnable due to its superior military position, it was captured several times because the watchman neglected to guard the gate. It was once a prominent, powerful city, but at the time Jesus spoke to the church, it was a shadow of its former self. It was living off the prosperity of prior years.
As the church goes, so goes the culture.
Jesus begins his rebuke to Sardis, “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.” The seven stars are representative of the seven churches. In the vision of Revelation 1, Jesus is seen holding the seven stars in his right hand. He is one who has control and authority over all the churches. Jesus reminds the church of his sovereignty over the affairs of the church of Sardis.
In these verses, Jesus is speaking to this sleeping, almost completely dead church, reminding them that it is only the Holy Spirit who can wake them up from their spiritual slumber.
Jesus says to the Church, I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead.
The church of Sardis was like the city of Sardis. It once was powerful, but now it is living off the fruitfulness of ages past. They have the reputation of being “Christians,” but their Christianity was in name only. They were nominal believers because their church was indistinguishable from the world.
I believe this reflects the condition of too many churches in America. And it parallels the condition of our nation---a nation founded upon biblical Judeo-Christian principles and truth, that has now become cold and indifferent toward godly issues like the sanctity of life, marriage, and family. And the Great Commission. And salvation only through Jesus Christ.
When the church seeks relevancy by identifying with the world, the more irrelevant it becomes to the world.
May the Church awaken and rise. The gates of hell are knocking on the door of the Church and at the hearts and minds of the parishioners.
The gates of hell will not prevail. But it is time that every Christian and every Christian Church took a stand for righteousness, awakening to the times in which we live.
Eph. 5: 14,15,16 says, "Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil."
Be Informed. Be Discerning. Be Prepared. Be Vigilant. Be Engaged. Be Not Afraid. Be Prayerful.