The News and Record, showing its true stripes, published a major puff piece celebrating the political activities of a local “pastor”, the Rev. Julie Peeples of the Congregational United Church of Christ in Greensboro.
Among the items with which she is credited are the following:
- Getting arrested at the state legislative building to support a “living wage” for fast food workers;
- Advocating for couples wanting same-sex marriage and a gay men’s chorus;
- Making her “church” a sanctuary for illegal immigrants;
- Advocating for Muslims after 9/11;
- Advocating for increased funding for schools and school construction;
- Advocating for “social justice”;
- Advocating for mental health; and
- Advocating against the “racial divide”.
There is no mention in the article of her preaching the gospel or winning converts.
The United Church of Christ is the most liberal of the liberal mainline Protestant denominations. It was the first to jump on the same-sex marriage bandwagon, long before the Obergefell Supreme Court decision. This is the denomination within which Barack Obama was a member under his “pastor”, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, in Chicago. In our area, Elon University is affiliated with this denomination.
Within the News and Record article, Peeples is deemed so faithful to the progressive/ socialist cause that she is called “righteous” by a retired Reform Jewish rabbi.
The phenomenon of the religious left is not new. Indeed, Rev. Peeples and others like her have been culture warriors for many years.
But interestingly, we have no high-profile conservative pastors in Greensboro who provide a counterbalance to the lefty pastors like Peeples. There are none who have taken a high profile position to advocate the biblical worldview in the public square.
Fortunately, there is one in Winston-Salem who has done so. It is Dr. Ron Baity who has pastored Berean Baptist Church for more than 40 years. He founded an organization called Return America that advocates a biblical worldview. In fact, he was one of the Independent Baptist pastors who sued to reopen the churches during the 2020 Covid lockdowns imposed by Mandy Cohen and Roy Cooper. This small group of Independent Baptist pastors took action while all the other conservative churches and denominations sat on their hands.
Of course, Dr. Baity does not get puff pieces in the corrupt local media. But we need more like him.
Yes indeed, yes she is the N&R’s favorite socialist. There have been other puff pieces in the past regarding Peeples.
It never ends, Fred. She is the only type of clergy they would promote. It’s pretty amazing, though, because many of us would argue she ought not even have been a pastor in the first place– given the fact that the Bible clearly restricts the office of pastor to men only.