Despite Silence from Megachurches and Legacy Christian Institutions, a Ragtag Band of Pastors Plans Rally Against Anti-Christian Agenda of Colorado Democrats
We’ve prayed, preached, posted, and planned. And by God’s grace, we’ve seen an incredible response to our call for Colorado churches to step into the arena and speak out against House Bill 25-1312, which strips parents of their authority, enforces blasphemy laws, and effectively criminalizes Christianity.
In just under two weeks, our small band of churches has created a one-stop shop for all things related to this wicked bill—fight1312.com—where people can find all the latest information about it. We have no paid staff, no graphic designers, and no public relations departments.
And we’ve done all of this while preparing for Easter Sunday. Why? Because as SBC Pastor Sean Cole pointedly asked, “Do you believe there is an empty tomb?”
We do. And because we do, we know that “as long as the tomb is empty and Jesus is on his throne, there is hope for Colorado.”
But we recognize that when Christ walked out of the grave, he didn’t call us to sit on our heels but to advance his Lordship. As the Baptist Faith & Message 2000 so powerfully and clearly states, “All Christians are under obligation to seek to make the will of Christ supreme in our own lives and in human society.” That means we must use both our spiritual weapons and the physical actions we can take lawfully (organize, post, plan, and rally) against the principalities and powers of wickedness in the world.
To that end, we are thankful that The Centennial Institute, Colorado Christian University’s think tank, joined the fight by issuing a statement and holding a panel on HB25-1312 (which I was honored to join).
Pastor Jeff Schwarzentraub, recently seen praying with and for Donald Trump, of Brave Church, has joined the cause himself.
Our guys have displayed guts and endurance. We have been on talk shows, podcasts, and other media channels, drawing attention to what the Democrats are doing in our state.
The men working to defend freedom of religion, speech, conscience, and the rights of children to grow up unmutilated by grooming gender activists deserve to be honored. You can find and follow them by clicking on the link below and scrolling down to the second post under the announcement. They are good and goldy brothers who embody Christ’s command to be “salt and light” in this fallen and dark world. They are worthy of your prayers and support!
Despite these efforts, we’ve still heard only crickets from most megachurches in Colorado. For whatever reason, they’re not joining the fight. The same goes for Navigators, Young Life, and Compassion International, which are all based here.
Colorado resident and president of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview, John Stonestreet, recently went on his podcast to discuss this bill, but he provided no way forward other than to lament how blue Colorado has become. Glenn T. Stanton, the director of global family formation studies at Focus on the Family, recently wrote in World Magazine about the draconian nature of the bills in the House.
However, Focus on the Family has not mobilized large numbers to rally Colorado churches, a contrast to the leadership they once regularly provided. We appreciate that voices like John Stonestreet and Glenn Stanton are speaking up, but in this moment, we need more than commentary; we need coordination and courage.
Additionally, as the battle in Colorado received national attention from networks such as Fox News, we saw several legacy national evangelical outlets finally join the fray. The ERLC has released a website with a bulletin insert for Colorado churches in which they say to pray and write to their legislator. The link to email your legislator takes you to a site to find your legislator, after which you’re on your own. Thankfully, Heritage Action has already created a very simple and easy-to-use tool that Christians can use to email everyone who represents them in government all at once with a simple template. You can find that here.
The Gospel Coalition also published an article from Joe Carter this morning about HB25-1312. As with the ERLC, he encourages prayer and writing to legislators (no link provided). Carter calls for discipleship and faithfulness, which are essential but insufficient alone at this moment.
However, both organizations (the ERLC and TGC) fail to mention which party is pushing this radical gender ideology: the Democrats. These legacy evangelical institutions are a day late and a dollar short to the party. Yes, we welcome their coverage of this heinous bill. They may be the last servant hired, but they can still serve. I have seen many squishy friends in Colorado finally say something online by citing The Gospel Coalition. Good on them, I suppose. We need all the help we can get.
But we need to recognize the times. It is one party and one party only that is pushing these blasphemy laws, promoting state-sponsored kidnapping, and the sexualizing of young children. And yes, prayer is one of our chief weapons. But we must also exhort God’s people clearly and courageously from our pulpits. This is no time for weak-kneed application.
Sadly, both legacy institutions also failed to shine light on the way God is moving in the state of Colorado. It’s not like it’s a secret. Tomorrow, our coalition is hosting a rally where we will pray and hear from speakers, pastors, politicians, and non-profit directors about the dangers of this bill and how Christians can stand strong. Hundreds of Colorado pastors will gather tomorrow to pray, speak, and stand firm — not because of legacy evangelical institutions, but in spite of their silence.
Pastors must name the party pushing these destructive ideologies and expose their demonic roots for what they are. We must also get involved politically. We can encourage Christians to talk to their neighbors for the good of their neighbors because we love our neighbors. Start a rally. Come to ours. You can just do things.
We welcome every pastor, every believer, every hesitant heart. If you’re just waking up, the time is now. We welcome you, even if you think the TGC and the ERLC strategy of “winsome witness” (which is currently on life support) is still the way forward.
We are here to show them a better way—a way that will not lead to the dhimmitude of Christianity in Colorado.
We will run to the sound of the gun whenever and wherever God’s truth is assailed and stand in open defiance of wicked and unjust laws. We will stand firm in the hope of the gospel of Jesus Christ, living in obedience to our prayer that his kingdom come and will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
We will heed the warnings of Proverbs 24:10-12: “If you falter in a time of trouble, how small is your strength! Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, ‘But we knew nothing about this,’ does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay everyone according to what they have done?”
By God’s grace, our strength will not falter. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we will speak out to rescue the unborn being led away to a gruesome death in an abortion clinic (on the taxpayer’s dime). We will hold back the children staggering to death as the siren song of the transgender agenda leads them away. And before the risen King Jesus, we will answer that we did everything we could.
We will do this tomorrow at our rally at the Colorado State Capitol. If you are able to join, we would love to see you there.
Lord knows we need as much help as we can get as we fight to send the demons that have possessed our government back to hell where they belong.
