Tim Clinton (aka The American Association of Christian Counselors) is holding a conference for counselors in early October of this year. It is a huge undertaking and generally draws over 5,000 counselors. Clinton has taken heat in past years for politicizing the conference by inviting non-counselors to speak. This year he has outdone himself by scheduling Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
The Trump administration has been widely criticized for the way it has handled support for Saudi Arabia’s involvement in the war in Yemen and the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. Arguably, the Trump administration has a mixed record when it comes to the issues Clinton raised in his praise for Pompeo.
I will raise just one illustration on religious persecution: North Korea. No president has coddled the North Korean dictator like Donald Trump. There is religious persecution in North Korea and the U.S. has done nothing to make that an issue there.
In any case, Clinton owns the AACC and can bring in anyone he wants to. It is beyond belief that psychology or counseling CEUs could be offered for listening to a political speech but that is how Clinton runs his show. I want to remind counselors that you also have a choice.
Gee, if Mike Pompeo knows as much about Christian counseling as he does about being Secretary of State, the conference-goers will learn absolutely nothing. I hope there are also speakers who have actual knowledge to share, or why bother going?
What happens when people turn from the God of Abraham to worship the Golden Idol they have made for themselves.
Given this guy’s credentials, I’d trust Bill Clinton before I would Tom Clinton.
Another example of the lost faith and new idolatry of conservative and other fundamentalist Christians. Political goals have become doctrine.
I feel blessed. There is no AACC member within 50 miles of me.
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Why?
“There is religious persecution in North Korea and the U.S. has done nothing to make that an issue there.”
‘Nothing” Really?
Human rights: Trump’s trump card against China and North Korea –
“Four of the 27 participants were from China: a Uighur Muslim, a Falun Gong practitioner, a Tibetan Buddhist and a Christian. Others were from North Korea and other countries with close China relations. A couple were from Western nations.”
“The meeting was held in connection with the administration’s religious freedom conference that featured addresses by Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.”
https://thehill.com/opinion/civil-rights/453877-human-rights-trumps-trump-card-against-china-and-north-korea
Trump meets with North Korean defectors in Oval Office in bid to raise pressure on Kim Jong Un
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2018/02/01/trump-to-meet-with-north-korean-defectors-in-oval-office-in-bid-to-raise-pressure-on-kim-jong-un/?noredirect=on
QUESTION: Thank you. On the North Korea freedom of religious – recently a North Korean defector’s confession about the situation in the human rights in North Korea, there is the 100,000 people in – North Koreans in the – in prisoner camp. What is the U.S. final designation of human rights and religious freedoms?
AMBASSADOR BROWNBACK: Well, North Korea’s horrible on human rights and religious freedom. They’ve been a Country of Particular Concern… We’re going to continue to exert strong pressure with these factors that I’ve noted to you or noted in our report. Unless they change radically, they’ll continue to be a Country of Particular Concern for us. These carry sanctions with them as well, and we’ll use those in North Korea and other places that are particular egregious cases of religious freedom violations.
https://www.state.gov/ambassador-at-large-for-international-religious-freedom-sam-brownback/
Did Brownback frown while he said it? Did he look stern?
Ask the parents of Otto Warmbier how much any of that matters. We can’t ask Otto.
One of the issues with the current administration is parsing out any truth in what is said. How can Brownback’s words be taken seriously when our president acts like the dictator in question is his best buddy? One could argue (though I wouldn’t in this case) that meeting to discuss real changes is a first step. However, when it is obvious that you are being played by the guy, the charade should end. Continuing with it not only does not help those oppressed, but it shatters their remaining dignity.
PS – You should up date your reading. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/he-helped-trump-confront-north-korea-now-ji-seong-ho-wonders-whether-human-rights-will-be-left-behind/2019/02/03/b5bdbee2-257b-11e9-81fd-b7b05d5bed90_story.html
This needs a protest in the worst possible way.
On the other hand, given Trump’s luck with cabinet officials, Pompeo may have been kicked out by then.
This outfit still needs a protest.
One thing about having such turnover in the cabinet, he doesn’t need to get “acting” this or that confirmed. It is also easier to get rid of them. This fits his “I’m the boss and my word is not to be challenged” mentality. The same thing goes for EOs. Trump has exceeded the rate per year of any president since Reagan (Obama and GW Bush were almost the same). He seems to have been quite frustrated with how democracy works upon taking office.
One wonders where all the right-wing voices are that crucified Obama for “acting like a Monarch” with his EOs.
Singing “Every Knee Shall Bow, Every Tongue Confess, Donald Trump is LORD”, what else?
Though they really should be singing Glenn Frey:
“I Got Mine,
I Got Mine,
I DON’T WANT A THING TO CHANGE
NOW THAT I GOT MINE!!!!!”
Why?