A Christian Alternative To The Boy Scouts

This is family policy matter programs produced by the North Carolina family policy Council of profamily research unification organization dedicated to strengthening and preserving the family and up from the studio here is John Rustin, Pres. North Carolina family policy Council, thank you for joining us this week.

Family policy matters. It is our pleasure to have John hamburger with us on the show. John is president of the Florida family policy Council, the North Carolina family policy Council's counterpart in the sunshine state. John is also the founder and chair of trauma like USA K-12 Christian adventure character and leadership program for young men.

John was instrumental in establishing pro-life USA a number of years ago to provide an alternative to the Boy Scouts of America. God is an Eagle Scout vigil honor member of the order of the arrow of former scoutmaster and a lifetime member of the National Eagle Scout Association so he speaks with a lot of credibility on this issue. The last time John was with us in 2013. We talked about the Boy Scouts controversial policy change that granted membership to youth who identify as homosexual same time, the BSA said it would maintain its long-standing prohibition on openly gay scout leaders just recently. As our listeners may have heard BSA president Robert Gates indicated that a policy change for adult Scout leaders is under consideration will be talking with John today about that announcement about pro-life USA what's happening here in North Carolina with respect to that program. John will conduct a family policy matters Johnsbury to be with you again. Well, it's always great to have you with us John and we appreciate so much the great work that you do in Florida, both with the Florida family policy Council and with pro-life USA. We talk about the potential changes to the Boy Scout adult leadership policy.

I do want to talk for a few minutes about what's happened since the BSA changed the chief membership policy back in 2013 at the time the BSA leadership hoped that changing policy would put an end to the pressure, the Boy Scouts had been under from the LGBT activist over the years and that would help boost membership for the Boy Scouts of America did either of these things happen. John, in your opinion now unfortunately didn't the pressure continued amount. These folks with the gay lesbian activist, meaning that they want nothing before compliant full acceptance of full celebration. It's not even a matter that you are okay with just allowing the do they want to do. They want full celebration. Now you affirming everything of their view of human sexuality that strand been transforming America. Otherwise they're going to attack you and they continue to attack the Boy Scouts of America and that also show that they were going to change again. We predicted that I was on CNN live and I and I stated that it was in two years that they would also allow openly gay adults leaders in the program and sure enough that happened. Robert Gates just this past month announced that that was the direction he was going to take in October when they met for the formal vote on that. John one of the things that we discussed last time that you are on this program was how difficult it would be for the Boy Scouts of America to change the chief membership policies while attempting to maintain a different policy for adults and as we have discussed already. Robert Gates recently admitted that the scouts are now facing a number of challenges he did not anticipate including open defiance of the national policy own adult leaders for many local councils across the country. How much of this should have been expected by the Boy Scouts.

Do you think it was generally expected or that this comes as a surprise for supporters and many followers of the Boy Scouts. Well, it shouldn't come as a surprise because you know when when you abandon your standard there's really no end to how much are going abandon it right you have a standard and you hold to it that then you hold the standard but you gonna compromise on one part why should you compromise on all of it and so that that's the sad part about this and so what folks can expect to see in the future. In addition to openly gay adults is what about the transgendered young men whereby young men that want to cross-dress are they going to be allowed to come to the meeting and cross-dress because hate. That's the way they were made, and that's orientation we have to respect them on and on and on. No end to this and so it's that it's going to do masculine and and destroy the Boy Scouts of America as we know it there membership has decreased incrementally each year. The reduction in the number of members five, six, seven, and I believe it's an 8% a year and so I think this change. Here is going to really be a very significant one, especially the understand Mormons make up the LDS church makes up a significant percentage.

I believe it's about 40% of all the Boy Scouts of America but some point you know, the Mormon church itself has been quoted involving on this issue and so the question the real big question for them is, what will the Mormon church say the second big question is what will the Catholic Church say because the Catholics are very significant part of the Boy Scouts of America. Our partner organization American Heritage girls has been fully embraced by the Catholic Church and so we are eager to see what's going to happen with both of those groups now.

The, the LDS church.

Since we are Trinitarian organization would not find pro-life compatible with their doctrine. However, the certainly the Catholic Church out with would be within the pale of orthodoxy and would we would we would pray would look to try life for an alternate program that will be safe and secure for their parishes to embrace will absolutely now the Boy Scouts of America could I assume without the shoulders of local counsel that are challenging the adult leadership policy. Do you think this is a step that they'll take or do you think that it's just immanent that they are possibly in the very short time going to allow for adult leaders who are openly about homosexuals, yet they will absolutely not disavow or revoke the charters of the local regional councils.

And that's because they lack the courage to do it. In fact, they said they were gonna do it in 2013 in Grapevine at the national convention. They said that they were going to force their policies and as we can see now they're not doing anything about the such and so it the whole thing is layered in duplicity and deception in an unfortunate spiral downward spiral and not you, John.

The thing that is so unfortunate about this whole thing is that nobody talks about the mission of the Boy Scouts of America.

The mission what cuts America you know it is ready for this, is to teach young people ethics and morals and and and and and that is not to build character that they have all these buzzwords. Our mission is to teach character, knowledge to teach ethics and morals.

The young people and what kind of first principle, are we teaching young people when your values come under attack.

When you feel the pressure from society UK change or value them is unbelievable what's happening and even a Robert Gates recent announcement he could've made an argument a moral argument and I would disagree with it, but he could've fairly made moral argument. Please make the argument. He said this unsustainable. He said, is making a pragmatic argument about an organization that teaches young people how to make moral and ethical choices. It's unbelievable. It's incredibly sad and were seeing it happen right before our eyes will and is in its own what you lose that moral high ground and where did you go you just you cancel the damages to the progression is worsening. Now Mr. Jakes at the national business meeting took place suggested that he supports a policy change that and I quote allows religious organizations to establish their own standards for adult leaders on quote John for the chances of this becoming the new policy that the Boy Scouts adopted. Do you think such a policy could work or is it just going to lead to more legal problems for churches potentially and just of an unraveling of the Boy Scouts of America. You know it's funny because the original idea back in 2012 was local option that is that each unit it's true based upon her chartering partner would have the local option as to whether or not to allow openly gay boys and they quickly rejected that say no. We need a unified membership.

We cannot membership standards that are different.

No hundred thousand membership standards for each troop you have one membership standard. And here they are again the duplicity of going back and look that said they were going to do. I know it's not sustainable from their standpoint and also creates a risk for the churches church you don't have an organization that allows openly gay men and and boys if there ever a lawsuit filed for equal protection clause or some employment discrimination suit that's gonna be exhibit a in the chink in their armor. As to protecting the organization from further attack when they can say were really an organization that has these values and we should be below police values. So it's both damaging the Boy Scouts of America. It's also damaging to the local churches in the units that sponsor PSA troops and packs in the sponsoring organizations work we do need to pay attention to this issue because as you say it is something that could come back and have a very detrimental impact on them, switch gears and talk about something a little bit more positive and matched pro-life USA which is the Christian scouting program that you found it several years ago tell us about her life USA and what led you to found well during the time of the change of the Boy Scouts of America and the membership policy by realizing that he was a scouting of an Eagle Scout.

I understand fundraising campaigns and the homosexual issuance.

I really felt the Lord leaving me to start a movement called on my honor, which was a national movement to try to resist the change of the Boy Scouts were making so after we had failed on that we thought a lot this 30,000 people that are following assuming we had people writing and calling just overwhelming say look were done. It's over for us will scouting your what's the next thing John and so I quickly got together with several other groups.

American Heritage girls, which was the official girl partner for the Boy Scouts of America until this decision was made 2013 with the rise being openly gay, and now they are going to become artificial growth partner so that one church in one week. You can have try life in American Heritage girls on the same night from 5 to 18 years old were very excited about that but dumb to try life as a Christ centered scouting program. We now have troops in 48 states over 550 troops 48 states over 23,000 members and were just really amazed at what God is done in a short period time wave a full-time staff labor seal Mark Hancock a very competent executive and we have staff now all over the country that is making this program.

The real thing will that is great job for the benefit of our listeners tell us more about her life. USA's membership standards and values. Is it a purely Christian scouting program or commute from other sites participate.

That's a great question.

While the program itself and its leaders must be Christian.

We accept the young people of any any faith or no faith at all and that something was very different than even the Boy Scouts if the young man cannot profess belief in God or is a skeptic or an atheist or something like that. You know what we want that boy we want to influence them America say you can't come in. All adults have to sign a Christian statement of faith approximates the Nicene Creed and mirrors the marketers girl statement of faith in most parts but any young make any young person of any faith orcan be a member of pro-life USA, they would still have to agree to behave themselves.

Obviously, in a way that's consistent with Christian morals and ethics, but in terms of their profession. They could profess any faith and still be members of boy for the benefit of the list is John tell us a little bit about the presence of pro-life USA in North Carolina about some of the troops in our state. North Carolina is doing gangbusters for try life USA other than Texas which is our number one state North Carolina as our second most populated state of troops and it is just amazing to see what happened. There's scouting organizations all over the state that a switch to now try life and it's just really exciting to see what's happened North Carolina is very very strong and we couldn't be more excited about that for a program that's wonderful. Now before we today John and unfortunately nearly about out of time for this week. I do want to give you an opportunity to let our listeners know where they can go to find out more information about your life USA and for those in which a lot of how they can find a troop near them, or if they're interested in starting one.

How might they establish warmth themselves well to life USA.com trail life USA.com is our website and there is a troop locator there and you click on that and see every single troop in the entire country.

You don't see one there and you want to start a troop you can do that you need about 3 to 5 men.

So try life USA.com is were supposed to get more information will deftly want to encourage your listeners to avail themselves of that information that your life USA.com John Stenberg are great friend and a great leader in our country and also in the state of Florida were so appreciative of you and all that you do. Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk to us about her life USA and we just wish you the best with continued success with all of your efforts. Thank you so much Don. Take care. Before we close out like to invite you to follow the nuclear family policy Council on Facebook. Just login and find us@ncfamily.org again@ncfamily.org.

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