American Renewal Project Makes Impact on NC

This past Thursday and Friday pastors and para-church organizations and leaders gathered in Charlotte, from across NC and the country to hear an “all-star” line up of Pastor’s who are engaging the culture through the political process. That process began through the American Renewal Project founded by David Lane.

Here is a brief rundown of some of the speakers and their topics over the two day conference.

Pastor Ken Graves of Calvary Chapel in Bangor, Maine, served as the emcee of the event. He spoke of the statistical decline of morality in America and gave several mini sermons to the gathering of preachers.

Rev. Bishop E. W. Jackson from Virginia addressed the pastoral audience on correcting the problems within their own communities. He spoke to the fact that it up to community members including pastors, not government, to take political action to do something about it.

N.C. Lt. Governor Dan Forest joined the assembly on Thursday afternoon reminding the pastors how much America has changed in recent history and contrasted the change with the church in the past. Forest, who is seeking the Office of Governor for NC in the 2020 election, cited the prophets Nehemiah and Daniel and how they both involved themselves in government to make positive changes in the political scene and the morality of the people. He said it is important for pastors to teach the history of the church, and the state, for the church to do its job properly.

Also in attendance was former Virginia Congressman and Liberty University professor Dave Brat. Readers may remember Brat’s primary victory over Republican Majority Leader Eric Cantor in 2014. That victory made him the first primary challenger to oust a sitting House Majority Leader since the position’s creation in 1899. Brat emphasized the importance of where political candidates spend their time and energy. He said political candidates must understand the economics in the political world and that the Republican National Committee gives money to those who are “on the team” in pushing forward a specific agenda. Brat said that as a Christian conservative he never received any support from the RNC.

The Mayor of Thousand Oaks, California, Pastor Rob McCoy, was also on the speakers dais telling how he had won the office of Mayor as a conservative pastor in the stronghold of many secular leftists. McCoy cited historical accounts of church involvement in the political affairs of the nation. He asked the pastoral congregation “Where is the power of the gospel if we don’t engage the culture? Politics determines morals and ideology!”

“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” Revelation 12:11

McCoy reminded his listeners that in “1959 [Soviet Premier] Khrushchev said your children will live under communism.” He said “Modern Christianity has an obsession with feelings,” which is errant according to the scriptures. “Time is not a healer!” he noted, but rather “Time is a rotter, a destroyer.” He intoned that now is the time to get politically involved.

Historian Bill Federer was also a speaker for the NC event. Federer gave a powerful presentation on the history of Christian and pastoral involvement in governmental and political affairs. He had a rousing speech and video presentation that was overwhelmingly well received by the audience. Federer is a noted conference speaker, book author, television series host and provider of the regular Christian history lesson named AmericanMinute.

There was an energy in the conference air that one may sense at a motivational rally or perhaps a revival meeting. Most folk wanted to stay around and engage the people in and around the room. Many did, and there were many who met in the lobby to pray and talk. Some prayed at the end of the conference and shared testimonies of how God had worked miracles or saved them.

 

Michael Reed is Editor of The Standard, a pastor, businessman and conference speaker.