Statement of Religious Leaders on Boy Scout Policy this Week

on May 21, 2013
(Photo Credit: Fox News)
(Photo Credit: Fox News)

The following letter was released earlier today and signed by IRD President Mark Tooley, which reads:

We strongly support the Boy Scouts of America current prohibition on open homosexuality and retaining it without revision. Nearly 70 percent of BSA troops are hosted by churches and religious institutions. Upholding traditional morality is vital for sustaining this partnership, for protecting Scout members, and for ensuring BSA has a strong future. A proposal from the BSA board to prohibit “discrimination” based on “sexual orientation or preference” for BSA members potentially would open the Scouts to a wide range of open sexual expressions. In our current culture, it is more important than ever for our churches to protect and provide moral nurture for young people and for the Scouts. We implore members of the upcoming BSA Council to affirm the BSA’s present policy, which the U.S. Supreme Court has affirmed, and which has served BSA well.

(Titles are for identification only.)

Randy Alcorn

Director of Eternal Perspective Ministries

Bishop David C. Anderson, Sr.

President, American Anglican Council

Sara L. Anderson

Executive Vice President

Bristol House, Ltd. (United Methodist)

The Rev. Canon Phil Ashey

Chief Operating & Development Officer

American Anglican Council

Doug Beacham

Presiding Bishop, Int’l Pentecostal Holiness Church

Dr. Robert D. Benne (Lutheran)

Jordan Trexler Professor Emeritus

and Research Associate

Religion and Philosophy, Roanoke College

David K. Bernard

General Superintendent

United Pentecostal Church International

Dr. Robert H. Blackburn

Past Chairman, National Association of Covenanting Congregations

The Rev. John Bradosky, Bishop

The North American Lutheran Church

Rev. Dr. Gemechis Desta Buba

Assistant to the Bishop for Missions,

North American Lutheran Church

Pastor Mark C. Chavez

General Secretary, North American Lutheran Church

Nancy Clark

Director of Mutual Faith Ministries

The Rev. Sue Cyre

Executive Director of Presbyterians for Faith, Family and Ministry (PFFM)

The Most Reverend Robert Duncan

Archbishop, The Anglican Church in North America

Dr. Anthony Esolen

Professor, Providence College

Dr. Jim Garlow

Senior Pastor; Chairman, Renewing American Leadership

Dr. Daniel N. Harmelink

Chair of the Board of Trustees

The Lutheran Bible Institute in California

Pastor Matthew Harrison

President, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

Doug Harvey

Executive Director, Disciple Heritage Fellowship

Rev. Charles Huckaby

Dean, Western Classis of the Calvin Synod Conference United Church of Christ Term 2010 – 2013

Clyde M. Hughes

Bishop/General Overseer, International Pentecostal Church of Christ

Bishop Harry R. Jackson

Presiding of the International Communion of Evangelical Churches.

Dr. Jeffrey Jeremiah

Stated Clerk, Evangelical Presbyterian Church

Bishop David Kendall, Bishop Matthew Thomas, Bishop David Roller

The Board of Bishops, The Free Methodist Church – USA

James M. Kushiner

Executive Director, The Fellowship of St. James

Dr. Richard Land

President

Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission

John Lomperis

Director, United Methodist Action

Alex McFarland

Director for Christian Worldview and Apologetics

Senator Patricia Miller

Executive Director, Confessing Movement (United Methodist)

R. Albert Mohler, Jr.

President, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Bob Morrison

Secretary, REVIVE! (Iowa United Methodist renewal)

Rev. Dr. Mary Holder Naegeli

Minister-at-Large, San Francisco Presbytery; Moderator of the Presbyterian Coalition

Thomas C. Oden

United Methodist theologian

Director, Center for Early African Christianity at Eastern University

Rev. William Owens Sr.

President, Coalition of African American Pastors

Dr. Eric Patterson

Dean, Robertson School of Government

Regent University

Dr. Bob Phillips

Senior Pastor, Encourager Church, Houston

Co-Founder, Kairos Journal

Leon J. Podles

President, Crossland Foundation

Dr. Steve Riggle

Senior Pastor; Grace Church, Houston

President, Grace International

Dr. Mark E. Roberts

Publisher, Word & Spirit Press (Pentecostal/Charismatic)

Rev. Kevin C. Rudolph

National Covenant Association of Churches

Windwood Presbyterian Church

Dr. Rick Scarborough

Founder and President, Vision America Action

The Rev. Dr. Frederick J. Schumacher

Executive Director, American Lutheran Publicity Bureau

Charles G. Scot

General Bishop of the Pentecostal Church of God

The Rev. W. Stevens Shipman

Director, Lutheran Coalition for Renewal

The Rev. Paul Stallsworth

President, Taskforce of United Methodists on Abortion and Sexuality

David M. Stanley

Director, Institute on Religion and Democracy

Chairman, United Methodist Action Steering Committee

Co-Chair, REVIVE! (Iowa United Methodist renewal)

John Stonestreet

Speaker and Author for Breakpoint and Summit Ministries

Bishop Ray Sutton

Ecumenical Officer, Anglican Church in North America

Eric Teetsel

Executive Director, Manhattan Declaration

Mark Tooley

President, Institute on Religion & Democracy

The Rev. Dr. David Wendel

Assistant to the Bishop for Ministry and Ecumenism

The North American Lutheran Church

Dr. Luder Whitlock

Interim President of Knox Theological Seminary.

Mark Williams

General Overseer, Church of God, Cleveland, Tennessee

Bishop Ronald Wilson

General Superintendent, Congregational Holiness Church

Dr. George O. Wood

General Superintendent, General Council of the Assemblies of God

[Update 5/22 at 2:21 pm]: Bishops David Kendall, Bishop Matthew Thomas, and Bishop David Roller have joined the above and Dr. Daniel N. Harmelink in affirming the above Boy Scouts of America’s current leadership policy.

[Update 5/23 at 3:44 pm]: Presiding Bishop Doug Beacham has added his name to the Boy Scouts statement.

  1. Comment by Troop113 on May 21, 2013 at 3:23 pm

    Reblogged this on Troop 113's Blog and commented:
    Second Timothy, Chapter 3, verses 1 thru 5 say “But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.” We are seeing more evidence of this type of behavior and thinking all the time. Consider the case of the Florida 18 Year Old who is charged with statutory rape of a 14 Year Old. More than 56,000 people have signed a petition to halt the prosecution of the young adult. Why? Because the couple involved were same-sex, and the prosecution is accused of bigotry. Hmmm.

    Regardless, I was impressed to see the statement by a wide range of religious leaders about Boy Scouts and the membership issue to be voted on this Thursday. I’m glad that they’re willing to make a stand and be counted. They have every right to be heard — no amount of “shout downs” should silence any American. Still, this is a spiritual battle and we need to petition God to intervene.

    “Lord, there is no one besides You to help in the battle between the powerful and those who have no strength; so help us, O Lord our God, for we trust in You, and in Your name have come against this multitude. O Lord, You are our God; let not man prevail against You.” (2 Chron 12:11NASB)

  2. Comment by Melissa Windom on May 21, 2013 at 3:39 pm

    As a Christian, and as someone who had brothers, sons, and nephews in the Scouts, I hope and pray the BSA does the right thing. There is no “right” for any man to be a Scoutmaster, and this push for “inclusiveness” shows a callous disregard for the kids, whose lives in this culture are sexualized enough already. We don’t let gay men work with Boy Scouts for same reason we don’t send straight men on campouts with Girl Scouts. Can we please let common sense and concern for our kids override this out-of-control Political Correctness?

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