JEFFERSON CITY—John Yeats, executive director of the Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC), was placed into the lineup for the March 27 Rally for Religious Liberty at the State Capitol as the leadoff speaker.
His 14-minute message was more than enough to get the crowd energized. In fact, it was interrupted 17 times by applause. He also got several rounds of applause March 29 and a standing ovation when the fiery address was shown on the big screen to a fired-up crowd of Worldview Conference attendees at Memorial Baptist Church. (See a video of Yeats’ address here.)
At the seat of state government, Yeats set the stage for the rest of the speakers—from three Christian denominations, Assemblies of God, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, and Catholic—by saying up front that the president’s administration had declared war on religion and freedom of conscience. As such, he said, this is now a defining moment in our history.
Secularism in 2012 is requiring conformity, Yeats said. Conformity to the state as it pertains to health care is being demanded. The secularist wants abortion, and Christian citizens are being told they must participate in providing pills being dispensed through hospitals and schools. This cannot be, Yeats said.
Our Founding Fathers, Baptist men like John Leland and Roger Williams, fought the same battle with England. As “Nonconformists,” they looked to practice their faith in a new land rather than conform to what they believed were the ungodly dictates of the state. This is our present challenge with Obamacare, Yeats said, even as it is being set up to take over one-sixth of the United States economy and micro-regulate both body and conscience. Like the English Parliament passing various “Acts of Uniformity,” our lawmakers are now seeking to control the current “Nonconformists” by strengthening the state’s position of authority.
“Let it be known today that there are still a few of us ‘Nonconformists’ around here,” Yeats said.
The issue of the healthcare reform law, which is before the United States Supreme Court right now, strikes at the very heart of Christian practice in our nation. Apparently, Yeats reasoned, the secularist government prefers that our faith be expressed inside the church building for an hour on Sunday morning or at a funeral service. The rest of the time is apparently supposed to resemble secularism.
“Friends, that doesn’t work!” Yeats thundered.
Southern Baptists rely on GuideStone for its private insurance ministry. It serves more than 200,000 participants in 36,000 churches, missions organizations, schools, hospitals, and other ministries all over the world. GuideStone will be in the forefront of those calling for a full repeal of Obamacare, Yeats said, due to its adverse effects on church plans.
“Missouri Baptists affirm Guidestone’s leadership and we pray that people of conviction will prevail over the secularist ideologues who are propagating their views on our nation,” he said.
Before the rally, as part of the larger group of rally speakers, Yeats, his wife, Sharon, Pathway Editor Don Hinkle and Missouri Baptist Lobbyist Kerry Messer were brought to the floor of the Senate and introduced by Sen. Mike Kehoe, R-Jefferson City, before a packed gallery.