CAN THE CHURCH BUY INTO “THE GLOBAL GOALS?” by Thomas Littleton

GLOBAL GENEROSITY VS. CHRISTIAN MISSION:

CAN THE CHURCH BUY INTO “THE GLOBAL GOALS?”

  
THE WORLD GLOBALIST CHRISTIANS WANT:

ADVENTURES IN SEPARATING CHRISTIANS FROM THEIR MONEY
 

Rev Thomas Littleton                                                                                                         

12/5/2018
 
It should come as no surprise that today Globalist dreams run headlong into the fulfillment of Psalm 2 on the front lines of secular politics and culture. The Psalmist tells us, speaking by the Spirit of God, that this will be the case for a rebellious world.


“Why do the nations rage,
And the people plot a vain thing?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves,
And the rulers take counsel together,
Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, 3 “Let us break Their bonds in pieces
And cast away Their cords from us.”


The real shock for some will be seeing the promotion of “Global Goals” of  The World (They) Want by the Evangelical Church leadership. This includes, in many cases, the horrific and failed efforts to address global health, global poverty, global human rights – especially in the area of harnessing philanthropy to address these issues with the questionable wisdom of the elitists who have driven them.
THE EVANGELICAL CHURCH: DANCE PARTNER WITH GLOBALISM
No one has played a more vital role setting the Evangelical Church on this trajectory than a Texas millionaire named Bob Buford. His Leadership Network training and resourcing of carefully selected innovative pastors has worked for over three decades on the down low helping to build the Megachurch movement, Emergent church movement and fuel the church planting craze. Some of Leadership Network’s key leaders in the Church include Tim Keller and Rick Warren, both of whom are helping to further the global focus with organizations like Keller’s Redeemer City to City and Warren’s PEACE Plan.
Half-Time is Buford’s brainchild to package the Great Society visions of its architect, John Gardner, (who served in the LBJ administration launching the largest progressive expansion of government and the welfare state in history at the time). The idea is taken from Gardner’s concept of “Repotting” oneself at mid-life and finding purpose, not in gaining, but in giving back, i.e. philanthropic social responsibility for individuals who have achieved success. The goal is to consider the greater good and disperse one’s wealth for the benefit of society and the “Common Good.” This mantra is now everywhere in the Church thanks to people like Buford (who was a great admirer of Soviet leader Lenin as “one of the two greatest thinkers of the last century”) and to pastors like Keller and Warren who have helped sell his ideology to the Church.
SHOCKING ADMISSIONS OF GLOBALIST PETER KAROFF: THE WORLD WE WANT  ON BOB BUFORD AND HALFTIME

In Peter Karoff’s book, The World We Want, New Dimensions in Philanthropy and Social Change, Karoff talks about the work of Buford and Half-Time in the chapter “Generosity and Sacred Search: Motivation.” On page 215 Karoff says, “I listened to Bob Buford and I am not alone. Half a million people bought his book Half-Time. Bob defies the stereotype of the evangelical Christian when he preaches about the centrality of community and citizenship. The strategy of singling out the latent energy in American Christianity comes straight out of his success as a cable television entrepreneur. (Buford says) ‘It’s because we have the biggest market share. Among Americans, 85 percent identify themselves as Christians. It just makes sense to go where the Market is.’”
So Karoff tells us of the work of Buford and Half-Time (page 215) and its motivation being to target the latent energy, i. e. the wealth of Christians for the “World We (the Globalists) Want.” He then makes the most revealing statement of all about the time Buford invited the Jewish Karoff to come to attend his evening “Vespers service” at a high end financial planning meeting where Buford was plying his trade among well-endowed Christians. “Peter,” he (Buford) tapped me after my speech, “if I could deliver you legions of very wealthy Christians primed to become big time philanthropists, would you consider converting? Why don’t you come to my service?”
Karoff tells us that Buford, the guy who has discipled and resourced many of Evangelicals’ biggest name leaders and promoted them through media he controlled, like Christianity Today, has openly admitted his work has been to “prime Wealthy believers” to fund the Globalist dreams of those who boast about “The World We Want.”  This would appear to plainly assert that the greater goal of Rick Warren, whose work even included a Pastor of Generosity” on his Saddleback Church staff, and Keller, who is now the lead prophet proclaiming the “Gospel of Generosity” or “Theology of Generosity,” are in fact seducing the Church into funding Global goals in the name of “redeeming culture” and “gospel mission.” Perhaps those big name evangelicals like Keller and Warren and others like them (there are hundreds from the LeadNet stable) can come forward and clarify their means and motivations – before we GIVE.

LOOKING BRIEFLY AT THE WORLD WE WANT MOVEMENT: IN THEIR OWN WORDS
About the Author
“Peter Karoff founded the Philanthropic Initiative (TPI) to help donors increase the impact of their philanthropy and at the same time make ‘giving’ more meaningful in their own lives. President of TPI from 1989 to 2002, he is a senior fellow at the College of Citizenship and Public Service at Tufts University. Jane Maddox is an editor and writer at TPI who has worked with public agencies, companies, and nonprofits in communicating their missions, programs, and ideas.
“These were the questions my eclectic group of heroes were asked to consider: What is your vision of a better world? What are the obstacles that need to be overcome to realize it? What parts of the vision are realistic, and what ideas, strategies, and plans, can make it so? How much fun it would be to hear your answers to these tricky questions. It would be a great conversation, and without a doubt there would be material for another chapter or two in another book, perhaps one you will someday write or are even writing right now. The end results are stories from an extraordinary group of practical visionaries. Some are dreamers, others realists, entrepreneurs, activists, spiritualists, secularists, ethicists, critics, cynics, and reluctant seers.
“At the other end of the spectrum is a world where silos are broken down – where all the sectors, Civil Society, government, and the market economy, work together to harness and integrate their resources.
“Of special interest is how to integrate the unlimited capacity of the market economy. What Steve Case, co-founder of AOL calls creating a “new paradigm that bridges business and the social sector.” ix Bill Gates’ speech on Creative Capitalism three weeks ago in Davos builds on that theme.

“They will, for all intents and purposes, fulfill many of the functions of regional associations of grant makers – and community foundations, but few would become one or join one. In fact, many would not even know such entities existed. They may reside in organizations like financial institutions, YPO, Chambers of Commerce, Rotary Clubs, churches and temples or come roaring out of the Blog-blue. These hybrids of for-profit and nonprofit endeavors will increasingly look and feel like social movements.”
KELLER FRIEND AND INFLUENCER, JAMES DAVISON HUNTER, SURFACES AGAIN
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Tim Keller and Rick Warren have worked closely with some groups influenced by the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture. The work has included many from the Evangelical circles including the leader of the Lausanne Movement, Doug Birdsall, and the heads of several Christian universities along with the sociology departments of Yale and Princeton on developing a “Theory of Social Change.” This movement also includes the Global Generosity focus.

In previous writings we have looked at the description of Hunter’s organization which is partnering throughout these circles as the key thought leader and coordinator, especially and specifically focused on the Evangelical Church. Until recently, the website for IASC website included mention that its inspiration comes from the origins of Cultural Marxism, The Frankfurt School.
“Our institutional inspiration comes from the close-knit intellectual fellowships of the past (such as the Frankfurt School and the Vienna Circle); our philosophical inspiration comes from a thoughtful re-appropriation of the theologies and classical philosophies which characteristically champion the dignity of the person, the pursuit of the just life, and the flourishing of the human community.”

Very recently, however, the “About IASC” page has been changed and there is no mention of the Frankfurt School.
HUNTER’S IDEOLOGICAL WORK WITH “THE WORLD WE WANT”
The influential work of IASC is included as a resource in “The World We Want” project “Catechism of Philanthropy.” His book, discussed below, echoes the message for world societal change and the use of the social sciences to bring this change about within the Church.

The influential work of IASC is included as a resource in the “World We Want “  project “Catechism of Philanthropy “. His book discussed below echoes the message for world societal change and the use of the social sciences to bring this change about within the church.

“The World We Want xii See Randall Collins’ “Global Theory of Intellectual Change” and James Hunter’s work “To Change the World xiii See the 1974 essay by Stephen Jay Gould: “This View of life:Size and Shape. Nat Hist 1974:83:20-26 xiv Reference to the concept of Appreciative Inquiry that asks unconditional questions with the aim of discovery of what gives life to a living system.
The call to make the world a better place is inherent in the Christian belief and practice. But why have efforts to change the world by Christians so often failed or gone tragically awry? And how might Christians in the 21st century live in ways that have integrity with their traditions and are more truly transformative? In To Change the World, James Davison Hunter offers persuasive–and provocative–answers to these questions.

Hunter begins with a penetrating appraisal of the most popular models of world-changing among Christians today, highlighting the ways they are inherently flawed and therefore incapable of generating the change to which they aspire. Because change implies power, all Christians eventually embrace strategies of political engagement. Hunter offers a trenchant critique of the political theologies of the Christian Right and Left and the Neo-Anabaptists, taking on many respected leaders, from Charles W. Colson to Jim Wallis and Stanley Hauerwas. Hunter argues that all too often these political theologies worsen the very problems they are designed to solve. What is really needed is a different paradigm of Christian engagement with the world, one that Hunter calls “faithful presence”–an ideal of Christian practice that is not only individual but institutional; a model that plays out not only in all relationships but in our work and all spheres of social life. He offers real life examples, large and small, of what can be accomplished through the practice of “faithful presence.” Such practices will be more fruitful, Hunter argues, more exemplary, and more deeply transfiguring than any more overtly ambitious attempts can ever be.
Q: Why did you write To Change the World?
Hunter: I wrote this book because I saw a disjunction between how Christians talk about changing the world, how they try to change the world, and how worlds –that is culture–change. These disparities needed to be clarified.
Q: How does this build on your previous work?
Hunter: One way it builds on my earlier work is that it provides a bigger picture of the nature of cultural conflict, why Christians seem to be neck deep in it, and why the approaches that they take in cultural conflict are so counterproductive. This is a response to some of the earlier work that I have done on the nature of culture wars and alternatives to them.
Q: Who do you hope reads this book?
Hunter: The audience I had in mind was the diverse communities that make up American Christians and their institutional leaders–those who think about the world we live in today and how best to engage it. Those who think about these matters will find here a useful guide.
Q: What three things do you want readers to take away from reading this book?
Hunter: The primary ways of thinking about the world and how it changes in our society are mainly incorrect. There is an answer to the question of how to change the world, but how it actually changes is different from how most people think.
Most people believe that politics is a large part of the answer to the problems that we face in the world, and so a second insight would be the limitations of politics. Political strategies are not only counter-productive to the ends that faith communities have in mind, but are antithetical to the ends that they seek to achieve.
A third thing that I would like for readers to take away is that there are alternative ways of thinking about the world we live in, and engaging it, that are constructive and draw upon resources within the Christian tradition. In the end, these strategies are not first and foremost about changing the world, but living toward the flourishing of others.

Hunter’s book and work are part of Karoff and the World Changers “Catechism For a Great Foundation”
On February 14, 2008, Peter Karoff gave a presentation for staff of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation entitled “Catechism for a Great Foundation,” drawing on themes from his book, The World We Want: New Dimensions in Philanthropy and Social Change.  In the presentation, Peter discussed the increasing intersection between the social and private sectors as a promising philanthropic model.  He also addressed some of the challenges facing a great foundation, as well as its remarkable potential to transform philanthropy and effect societal change.

The language of the Catechism is totally about the social sector and private sector partnerships to “transform philanthropy and effect societal change.” With the furtherance of Government sign on both national and international levels, the Three-Legged Stool is complete.

THE CATECHISM
The Philanthropic Initiative or TPI is Karoff’s organization which has overseen Billions in global philanthropy over the years. TPI, since at least 2008 has been working with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as outlined in the Catechism.
“The World We Want book is about three big things. The first is a vision for better world. The second is doing the work. And the third is what this means – for you, for me, and for the people we love. The book itself is an extension of the TPI experience, and my own 35-year journey into the heart, soul and process of philanthropy, that by the way began at a memorable evening in the early 60’s when the president of the Boston NAAC was so upset at my hubris, he literally threw a chair at me!
Put simply, philanthropy – whether the issue it presumes to address is homelessness, global health, or poverty – cannot do it alone, and in fact that realization has been the guiding principle behind any successful public policy work. While philanthropy’s limited financial resources are a challenge, even more it is the sheer complexity of solving social issues – complex problems can never be solved by any one, single, actor. And that is one message the Gates Foundation has understood from inception.

These were the questions my eclectic group of heroes were asked to consider: What is your vision of a better world? What are the obstacles that need to be overcome to realize it? What parts of the vision are realistic, and what ideas, strategies, and plans, can make it so?
The end results are stories from an extraordinary group of practical visionaries. Some are dreamers, others realists, entrepreneurs, activists, spiritualists, secularists, ethicists, critics, cynics, and reluctant seers
At the other end of the spectrum is a world where silos are broken down – where all the sectors, Civil Society, government, and the market economy, work together to harness and integrate their resources. Perhaps the biggest take-away from the book is the growing impact of what is called the Open Source phenomenon which resonates so totally with the concept of an ‘open society.’
Of special interest is how to integrate the unlimited capacity of the market economy. What Steve Case, co-founder of AOL calls creating a “new paradigm that bridges business and the social sector.” Bill Gates’ speech on Creative Capitalism three weeks ago in Davos builds on that theme.”

A DISTURBING NEW MAINSTREAM SOURCE OF FUNDING FOR THE CHURCH

Since at least 2007 Southern Baptist Rick Warren has been working with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation on programs like the World Health Organizations Global Health Initiative, Now we see indications of the Gates Foundation and influence spreading among evangelical ministries though organizations like The Gathering which is a clearing house for Christian Philanthropy and which connects donors who give over $200,000 per year to ministries in need of funds.
The 2018 meetings of the Gathering reveal the growing ties between The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Christian Philanthropy and ministries. This is despite huge difference in moral issues like Abortion and human sterilization which are far from Christian conviction of mission. The Gates Foundation and other global partners focus intensely on their shared concerns of population growth and limiting it as they “address global issues.”
Fred Smith, long time president of the Gathering has also served as co-founder and for many years as a board member for Bob Buford’s Leadership Network driving the Evangelical church toward “The World We Want.”
“Fred Smith is a graduate of Denver University and Harvard Divinity School. Fred spent several years as teacher and administrator at Charlotte Christian School in North Carolina and The Stony Brook School in New York before moving to Tyler and joining Bob Buford in founding Leadership Network, where he served as President for 12 years.
Additionally, Fred is the Founder and President of The Gathering, connecting an international community of givers focused on the support of Christian Ministries.”

THE GATHERING STAFF AT GATES FOUNDATION HEADQUARTERS IN OCTOBER 2018
Great morning with @johnkeithsage at the @gatesfoundation. #gathseattle
ANOTHER SOUTHERN BAPTIST, RUSSELL MOORE OF ERLC, TIES INTO THE GATES FOUNDATION AND THE GATHERING.

The Gathering's 2018 event included Southern Baptist ERLC President and lead progressive mouthpiece Russell Moore.
Russell Moore is president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, the moral and public policy agency of the nation’s largest Protestant denomination.

Later on Facebook, Fred Smith of The Gathering Fred Smith, voiced high praise of Russell Moore.
“He is iraenic and a peacemaker because he is at peace himself.” Fred Smith Dr. Russell Moore #gathkeybiscayne
THE FORGOTTEN TRUTH OF GLOBALIST CHRISTIANITY
We find in the Word of God – in plain view – the glorious truth that the “Globalist” Christians who think that their partnership with the world and global goals are the work of the Gospel, or have any lasting value, is pure modern myth. How foolhardy of evangelical ministers to think these efforts to ally with a system hostile to God can constitute the establishment of His Kingdom, or that working for the betterment of a world under Divine judgment is in keeping with the commandment not to love the world and, for those who use its systems, not to be caught up in them.

Psalm 33

4 For the word of the Lord is right,
And all His work is done in truth. 5 He loves righteousness and justice;
The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.

6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. 7 He gathers the waters of the sea together [b]as a heap;
He lays up the deep in storehouses.
8 Let all the earth fear the Lord;
Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. 9 For He spoke, and it was done;
He commanded, and it stood fast.
10 The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect. 11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever,
The plans of His heart to all generations. 12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
The people He has chosen as His own inheritance.
13 The Lord looks from heaven;
He sees all the sons of men. 14 From the place of His dwelling He looks
On all the inhabitants of the earth; 15 He fashions their hearts individually;
He considers all their works.
16 No king is saved by the multitude of an army;
A mighty man is not delivered by great strength. 17 A horse is a vain hope for safety;
Neither shall it deliver any by its great strength.

Psalm 2 continues and presents to us in no uncertain terms the outlook of God on mankind’s rebellious efforts to save himself and his world – and it directly points out who is the King and how His Kingdom is established.


“He who sits in the heavens shall laugh;
The Lord shall hold them in derision.
5 Then He shall speak to them in His wrath,
And distress them in His deep displeasure: 6 “Yet I have set My King
On My holy hill of Zion.”

The best we hope we have for our herd of globalist Evangelicals and pastors is that the inevitable failure of their plans and seduction of the Church will dawn on them before the house of cards they are helping to build collapses on their heads. Let us pray to that end.
Have Mercy, O Lord, and awaken the sleeping giant of the real global church.


 
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