Check out the reactions from readers at Christianity Today. Some of the responses from fellow Christians to the 2012 letter include:
"Focus on the Family ---All we have to offer is fear itself!!! Very Christlike of them. What utter insanity."
"This kind of propaganda is ridiculous. No one thinks that any of this is going to happen, let alone all of it. I just can't understand how any Christian can think that this type of false witness is acceptable."
"Disgusting and appalling. The whole thing reeks of desperation and perpetrates fear. Nowhere does it contain any Christian witness or any evidence of any fruits of the spirit."
"I am so disappointed and bewildered that FOTF could consider this a Christ-like way to express their political opinions. Doesn't the Bible say 'perfect love casts out all fear' and 'fear not, for I have overcome the world!' I've supported FOTF for decades but this is the second shot of fear tactics and spreading of lies and gossip by their Action arm of the organization and I can't in good conscience give any of my money or time to them again."
This Open Letter to Focus on the Family Action was sent to us at Matthew 25 from a Christian evangelical who works at a non-profit organization with the request that we post it for him anonymously.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,I am so relieved to see Christians reject this kind of fear-mongering out of hand. This is a hopeful sign, not only for the political conversation in the United States, but also for the witness of the church.
For a generation, you have courageously stood on the front lines in
support of Christian family values. I have long admired your work to
provide common-sense education and encouragement for families. Dr.
Dobson's influential books, such as "The Strong-Willed Child," have given
hope and solace to millions of parents facing the challenges of raising
children.
In John's first epistle, he exhorts Christ followers to love as Christ
first loved us. This love offers hope in the midst of any circumstance.
"There is no fear in love. Perfect love casts out fear."
My brothers and sisters, this is no time for fear. Barack Obama is not
the bogeyman you've made him out to be. To the contrary, Senator Obama is
a thoroughly Christian man who has a personal relationship with Jesus
Christ. He is less interested in reducing abortion through fiat than
reducing abortion through smart interventions that provide education,
support, and hope for expectant mothers.
We have spent hundreds of millions of dollars fighting the same old
zero-sum game - a game that pits Christians against the same Constitution
that guarantees their civil rights and religious liberties. Let me be
clear: overturning Roe v. Wade would decrease freedom and liberty for all
Americans, including Christians. The same justices who supported
overturning Roe have also supported allowing torture, and have turned a
blind eye to abuses of power by state and local governments. These same
justices also support the use of capital punishment - taking the lives of
men and women like Karla Faye Tucker - and in this way they are obviously
opposed to a culture that holds the right to life as sacred.
Being pro-life means respecting all life, not just the unborn.
Being committed to liberty means liberty for all Americans, not just those
with whom we agree.
The issues of gay marriage and abortion are issues that cannot be resolved
through political action. They have not been resolved and they have not
gone away, in spite of a generation of Christian leaders who have
politicized these issues and played on the fears and prejudices of their
fellow believers.
Perfect love casts out fear.
Let us seek to perfect our love for Barack Obama and for all our fellow
Americans. We have real and serious disagreements. But fearmongering and
doomsday projections are not the way to resolve these disagreements.
God's grace and peace be with you.
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To Meghan: It is also a shame that many "Christians" are deceived to think that homosexuality is a worse sin than their own sins like covetousness (the 10th commandment) for example. Or what about the works of the flesh that Galatians 5 lists as the things that will keep people from inheriting the Kingdom (not heaven - but that's a whole other story)? How many "Christians" have spoken evil of our president-elect --- when your Bible clearly tells you that is wrong???
Ezekiel 16:49 says, "Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy." Sodom and Gomorrah weren't destroyed because of homosexuals. How many "Christians" does this verse apply to? How many obese Christians are there? How many American Christians take more pride in being America than anything? How many "Christians" are just as idle as the rest of the world by watching movies, sports, etc. and only help the poor out of their abundance and could do far more?
Please stop shaming Jesus' name by picking on gay people when there could be a log in your own eye.
anonymous source = no credibility = no time or consideration from me.
Fear-mongering among Christians has got to stop. It accomplishes nothing except greed for power and control and the alienation of those we are trying to reach out to. Just because Barack Obama is a Pro-Choice Liberal Democrat, it doesn't mean he will be bad for our country. In my opinion, Mr. Obama is a better choice for the Oval Office than Bush, McCain, or any other Republican I know, mostly because of his common-sense approach to government and his willingness and desire to be both honest and straightforward concerning the issues we face today. And anyway, I kind of like the idea of calling myself Anti-Choice or Pro-Fetus rather than Pro-Life, since most conservative Republicans support the death penalty, which, in fact, does seem to contradict the entire meaning of "Pro-Life."
OK... So I am trying to think WWJD here. I am a 20 yr old African -American preachers kid that is adopted, and a lesbian. I love my family and my faith and I know that God loves me too. Megan... It hurts my heart, quite literally, to read you spew such hatred on homosexuals. Yes I love a women. Yes one day I would love to give some hurt or wounded child, who needs a home the same chance my parents gave me. And yes, me and God talk at least once a day. I think sometimes, people forget that gay people are just that,... PEOPLE. We bleed, laugh, cry, love, hurt, fight, read, smell flowers, pray, read books, write poetry, and everyday we feel the opinions of others, at the very least, in our lives everyday. And I am more then astonished to find out FOTF wrote this... I grew up watching their movies and reading their books! It's like mister Rogers just gave me a swift kick in the gut... It's a shame that something that used to comfort you as a child can publish such... cruel and completely evil literature(if you can call it that). I am saddened and frankly... I will pray for everyone that agrees with this... "LETTER FROM THE FUTURE" I truly thank all of you that fought on people like me's behalf. God Bless you.
A nation that forgets GOD turns into hell. THis is taken from Psalms. How many times did Israel take into it's country the abominations against the LORD. and what was the result. Listen folks, I read that letter and to me it is a wake up call. As the church we need to take a stand on issues that hurt GOD's heart, like abortion, same sex marriage (no I don't hate gay people, but I do not tolerate their lifestyle it is not GOD's natural intention it is a choice and if you were young and felt different remember the sins of the father are pasted down the generations so if it runs in the family ..this is a spiritual principal)and all of the other things going on here. Is GOD not a righteous judge, a loving GOD , yes HE is but HE has set laws and prinicipals and HE can not go against them. Meaning for example , if a parent makes rules and constantly and inconsistently follows them what happens to the child? Any and everything ...But if rules are enforced and the child is disciplined then according to the Bible their days will be long. Now I know we are not under the law and under grace , but that does not give excuse to sin folks. WE AS THE CHURCH need to stand up and speak up over all of those issues in that letter, or just sign over the title deed to this nation to the devil and let him run the country and see how we like living under Pharoah, cause that is what will happen if we don't wake up. Read Kings and Judges and compare to what is happening now if we don't repent and turn and fast and cry out , what happens to this nation will be on our shoulders.
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