On Syrian Refugee Issue, David Barton Does What He Accuses President Obama of Doing

David Barton rarely lets an opportunity go by to bash President Obama. His response to Obama’s news conference on Syrian refugees is a case in point.
Barton took issue with Obama’s criticism of calls for the U.S. to use a religious test to determine which Syrian refugees could enter the country, saying Obama’s use of the term “religious test” was an allusion to the Constitution. In an email to supporters, Barton said:

Presidential candidates Jeb Bush and Ted Cruz recommended that America accept only Christian refugees from Syria, but President Obama flatly dismissed that proposal, explaining:
When I hear folks say that, well, “Maybe we should just admit the Christians but not the Muslims” — when I hear political leaders suggesting that there would be a religious test for which person who’s fleeing from a war-torn country is admitted. . . that’s shameful.
The President’s allusion to a “religious test” is a reference to Article VI of the Constitution, which says:

. . . no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.
President Obama, once again, has completely rewritten the simple wording of the Constitution to make it say something it does not. As is evident from the clear wording above, the “religious test” clause applies only to federally elected and appointed officials, and that’s all. It does not apply to immigrants or anyone who does not hold federal office.

Actually, Obama’s response to the religious issues involved was quite balanced. He did not link a religious test to get into the nation with the Constitution and he called on Muslims of good will to condemn radical groups claiming to speak for Islam. Regarding religious tests for refugees, Obama said:

And when I hear folks say that, well, maybe we should just admit the Christians but not the Muslims; when I hear political leaders suggesting that there would be a religious test for which a person who’s fleeing from a war-torn country is admitted, when some of those folks themselves come from families who benefitted from protection when they were fleeing political persecution — that’s shameful. That’s not American. That’s not who we are. We don’t have religious tests to our compassion.
When Pope Francis came to visit the United States, and gave a speech before Congress, he didn’t just speak about Christians who were being persecuted. He didn’t call on Catholic parishes just to admit to those who were of the same religious faith. He said, protect people who are vulnerable.

Obama concluded:

And if we want to be successful at defeating ISIL, that’s a good place to start — by not promoting that kind of ideology, that kind of attitude. In the same way that the Muslim community has an obligation not to in any way excuse anti-Western or anti-Christian sentiment, we have the same obligation as Christians. And we are — it is good to remember that the United States does not have a religious test, and we are a nation of many peoples of different faiths, which means that we show compassion to everybody. Those are the universal values we stand for. And that’s what my administration intends to stand for.

Nowhere did Obama say that religious tests for refugees are unconstitutional. His reference to religious tests was a reference to a more general principle that America has historically valued freedom of conscience and equal treatment for all people.
Even though Obama stuck up for equal treatment, he called on Muslims to address the radical elements which claim to speak for Islam.

Now, what is also true is, is that the most vicious terrorist organizations at the moment are ones that claim to be speaking on behalf of true Muslims. And I do think that Muslims around the world — religious leaders, political leaders, ordinary people — have to ask very serious questions about how did these extremist ideologies take root, even if it’s only affecting a very small fraction of the population. It is real and it is dangerous. And it has built up over time, and with social media it has now accelerated.
And so I think, on the one hand, non-Muslims cannot stereotype, but I also think the Muslim community has to think about how we make sure that children are not being infected with this twisted notion that somehow they can kill innocent people and that that is justified by religion. And to some degree, that is something that has to come from within the Muslim community itself. And I think there have been times where there has not been enough pushback against extremism. There’s been pushback — there are some who say, well, we don’t believe in violence, but are not as willing to challenge some of the extremist thoughts or rationales for why Muslims feel oppressed. And I think those ideas have to be challenged.

Obama should be commended for calling Muslim leaders to lead the way in condemning violence perpetrated in the name of their religion. Instead, Barton strikes out on behalf of his favored GOP presidential candidate Ted Cruz by doing the very thing he accuses Obama of doing.
 
 

Tonight CBS 11 News Dallas Broadcast an Investigative Report about Gospel for Asia

The spot aired at 10pm cst and focused on invasive practices with staff, the cash smuggling to India, and the diversion of nearly $20 million from India to the construction of the Texas headquarters. A text version is here.

It was shocking to hear David Carroll say the loss of ECFA membership was due to minor infractions. He also told CBS News that GFA stopped sending cash to India when they learned it was illegal. That is not at all what they told their staff in May.
The teaser has been running all day according to Dallas area folks.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJMF_SlByeU[/youtube]
The Youtube caption reads:

The CBS 11 iTeam takes you inside a North Texas ministry that takes in millions of dollars of donations every year. Plus former members speak-out and their warning to you.

I will post a link to the segment as soon as it becomes available. The link to CBS 11 News is here.

A Very Starbucks Christmas

Starbucks continues to take Christmas criticism from various quarters but I don’t think it is deserved. Donald Trump even wants to create a government register of every Red Cup, or something like that. I don’t visit the place often but when I did over the weekend, I felt positively festive.
I got a tall Vanilla Bean frap and so I got a clear cup instead of The Red One. But I did notice that Starbucks is selling a Christmas coffee blend and markets an Advent product. Check it out.
Starbucks Advent CB
Seems like Starbucks is sending cleverly coded Christmas messages to their customers. I know what Advent means.
And then I saw this gift card option:
Starbucks MC Gift
Merry Christmas!? How could that be? I had to check my location to see where I was enjoying crushed vanilla ice and alternative music. Sure enough, I was still in Starbucks. Confused, I asked myself how can Starbucks be engaged in a war on Christmas with all of this Christmas stuff around?
For a moment, I wondered if all of the Red Cups and references to Christmas and the Advent Code had lured me into some kind of trap from the pit of Seattle. I waited to see if anti-Christmas subliminal messages would bombard me from the sound system. I kept hearing the same music and names being called out by the baristas.
While I waited, the most evil thing that happened was the temptation from the Christmasy-looking baked goods. I settled on the snowman doughnut and peppermint cake pop as souvenirs from the front line of the Christmas wars.
All in all, the whole situation seemed pretty tame, just a business commercializing the Season, which may have been the point in the first place.
 
 
 

Former Auditor: $128 Million of Funds Sent By Donors to Gospel for Asia over Past 8 Years Can't Be Accounted For

Jason Watkins, a former auditor with a Big 4 accounting firm, has constructed an image depicting the findings of his review of information regarding Gospel for Asia’s finances for the last eight years. The image speaks for itself:
GFA Unaccounted Funds
This is an issue I have been raising since June. To date, no explanation has been offered for why the amount reported by GFA as being sent to India isn’t reported in India public documents. Even after nearly 6 months, I am receptive to an explanation from GFA. Thus far, there has been no answer. Obviously, this is a huge red flag and should be addressed by the GFA board and leadership.
Note: The chart above replaced a similar chart in the original post. The captions have been expanded to make the explanation clearer. The figures are the same.
 

Mark Driscoll to Talk about Leadership at Perry Noble's Church

You can’t make this stuff up.
Next year Mark Driscoll will speak at a one day you-can’t-live-without-it leadership conference for Perry Noble. Check out the conference description.

Pastor Mark will be speaking at the Lead Conference hosted by Perry Noble. This one-day conference will be held at NewSpring Church in Anderson, South Carolina on March 3rd, 2016. This event is uniquely designed for leaders who want their teams and their organizations to succeed beyond their expectations.

And the beat goes on…
 
I just saw that Wenatchee the Hatchet wrote about this last week. He has some interesting things to say about it. Go check it out.