Prayer Targets: Upcoming Boy Scouts' Council Vote on 'Sexual Orientation'
April 24, 2013 |  | Share with Friends | Permalink
Who, knowing the righteous judgment of God... not only do the same Dear Praying Friends, This is a special prayer appeal. Four weeks from now, on May 23rd, the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) will vote on whether to overturn its policy prohibiting "open and avowed" homosexuals from admission into the Scouts. This push, of course, is being driven by the homosexual activist movement. On May 5, 2013 at 7:00 PM (EDT) FRC will host a nationwide simulcast, "Stand with Scouts Sunday." Tony Perkins and other trusted national leaders will explain how believers can help preserve the moral agenda that the Scouts have historically championed! To host the FREE live simulcast in your church, home or prayer group, click here. The event will also be archived for viewing at your group's best time. I am asking you and your prayer network to pray and to encourage everyone you know who prays, to pray, pray, pray! Ours is a war not with flesh and blood, but with spiritual principalities and powers (Eph 6:10). The powerful BSA Executive Committee has crafted a new resolution that includes an encouraging statement that "any sexual conduct, whether homosexual or heterosexual, by youth of Scouting age is contrary to the virtues of Scouting"-- but then, incongruously, it calls for admission of boys regardless of "sexual orientation." Inviting the homosexual agenda into the Scouts means boys and adolescents who openly proclaim and identify with aberrant sexual desires will share tents, dressing and toilet facilities, campfire talks, etc. Some Scouts are very young. Others are adolescents, just awakening to their sexuality. A character building program, like the Scouts, should be guiding these young men toward moral purity as defined by the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount -- not introducing them to the moral confusion of the modern homosexual movement. In my view, by fostering this "change," Scout Executives have broken their oath to foster moral purity, and are introducing moral impurity into the program. "A little leaven leavens the whole lump" (Gal 5:9). The current Scout policy states, "While the BSA does not proactively inquire about the sexual orientation of employees, volunteers, or members, we do not grant membership to individuals who are open or avowed homosexuals or who engage in behavior that would become a distraction to the mission of the BSA." The proposed new policy resolution states, "No youth may be denied membership in the Boy Scouts of America on the basis of sexual orientation or preference alone..." But this proposed new policy does not comport with the Scout Oath: "On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight." Diluting the Oath and opening this Pandora's Box will produce the same conflict and confusion that now exists in other institutions that are trying to preserve moral values yet embrace homosexuality. They do not mix. Will Scout leaders be coached and prohibited from expressing any hint of disapproval of unnatural "sexual orientations," as have military leaders? Even with the clear policy barring "open and avowed" homosexual youth from admission, the Scouts have faced serious and costly challenges, including lawsuits from parents whose sons have been subjected to unwanted sexual advances and abuse by scoutmasters or other boys. By changing the policy, these challenges will only increase! Such a change by the highly respected Boy Scouts of America would also impact society. The Scouts' action would be one more group implying that homosexuality is an innate characteristic. The policy would also encroach upon Scout families, a majority of whom do not want their sons to be indoctrinated to approve homosexuality. By embracing such "change," the Boy Scouts would become a pawn in an effort to advance an agenda at war with the God of the Bible. We who read Scripture know this radical social experiment will lead only to ruined lives (Rom 1:27) and societal destruction (Jude 7). The advocates of this policy fail to perceive or understand the seriousness of their sin (Mt 18:6; Jn 10:10). Over the years, millions of families have entrusted their sons to the Boy Scouts. Scout families must now demand that the National Councilmen be "good shepherds" over those entrusted to their care. Each member of the National Council must be strong and courageous, holding fast to their Oath -- to be "mentally awake and morally straight," now, when it counts. Aggressive prayer is needed to strengthen the hearts of each of the 1434 National Council members who will vote on this matter May 23rd. The BSA Board originally planned to impose an equally unworkable "local option" policy without a vote by the National Council but an outcry from hundreds of thousands of Americans like you and me changed their mind. Again, the vote is expected on May 23rd in Grapevine, Texas. We have a short time to pray, to enlist others, and to make a difference (see the Stand with the Scouts Webcast; get a Brief Introductory Video suitable for Church, download a BSA Bulletin Insert, a BSA PowerPoint urging viewers to sign the Petition, Online Petition. Please urge others o sign the petition and to watch the simulcast May 5th).
could be as or more important than Congress' disastrous decision to overturn Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Most Boy Scouts are minors, not adults. The Scout organization was chartered to build character in youth, not undermine it. Pray that the Councilmen will read and heed Jesus' warning in Matthew 18:1-6, before casting their ballots on May 23rd. May they reaffirm the sensible and moral policy that s now in place! Thank you for praying! Sincerely,  Rev. Pierre Bynum Chaplain & National Prayer Director Email: pbynum@frc.org Family Research Council 801 G Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 Phone: 202-393-2100 Fax: 202-393-2134 Web: www.frc.org |
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