The Thoughts and Adventures of Don Hinkle

Meet Don Hinkle.

Don Hinkle is the Editor of the Missouri Baptist Convention's publication, The Pathway.

In his latest post at Thoughts & Adventures, Hinkle in typical fashion misrepresents both Americans United and the Baptist Joint Committee as radical leftist organizations "committeed to the eradication of Christianity from the public square and the promotion of secular humanism as America's national religion."

Whew.

Here's a snippet...

Junk. I cannot think of a better description for the letter Missouri clergy are getting from Americans United for the Separation of Church and State (AU), a radical leftist organization committed to the eradication of Christianity from the public square and the promotion of secular humanism as America’s national religion.

In recent days, pastors throughout Missouri have received a letter reminding them not to endorse candidates in the Nov. 7 election, lest they become a target of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The letter, filled with ominous language, is nothing but an attempt to intimidate Christians from voting their values, including the rejection of the clone-to-kill initiative called Amendment 2. AU mailed 117,000 pieces of this junk mail in mid-September to clergy in 11 states, including Missouri, in response to evangelicals grassroots efforts to help advance pro-life, pro-family issues and candidates.

And more...

AU’s letter is nothing more than an attempt to intimidate conservative Christian values voters.

“Any activity designed to influence the outcome of a partisan election can be construed as intervention,” Lynn writes in the letter. “If the IRS determines that your house of worship has engaged in unlawful intervention, it can revoke the institution’s tax-exempt status or levy significant fines on the house of worship or its leaders.”

After several paragraphs with menacing language Lynn finally gets around to acknowledging what the law says: “Houses of worship and other non-profit groups may sponsor voter registration drives and candidate forums if they are truly non-partisan, and issue advocacy (like Amendment 2) is broadly protected.”

Why is AU so interested in harassing conservative evangelicals? Because it has its own partisan political agenda and a worldview that is antithetical to Scripture.

Hinkle fails to point out that Americans United sent letters warning against electioneering to EVERY House of Worship in Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and of course Missouri.

Harassment?? Don't make me laugh. You be the judge. Read the AU Letter.

Hinkle's portrayal of the BJC as a "leftist organization" comes as no surprise. Hinkle is no fan of the First Amendment. On numerous occasions, Hinkle has expressed his belief that the "Wall of Separation" is nothing but a mere myth. Like fellow Missouri Baptist Roger Moran, Hinkle is skilled at the game of guilt-by-association. Hinkle also seems to be obssessed with homosexuality and the so-called "homosexual agenda," but we'll leave that to another post....