McEachin Questions God’s “Opinions”
There was a series of events and written content by Virginia State Senator A. Donald McEachin that reveals his dubious motives.
On October 18th, 2012, The Richmond Free Press ran an excellent article titled (right photo) “Handful of area pastors for Romney”, subtitle “Their rationale: Vote Bible, not race or political party”. (
READ ARTICLE HERE 1.09 Mb )
Pastor Stephen Parson’s litmus test is sited and he is quoted in the article: “I’m pro-life, anti-same-sex marriage, pro-prayer in schools, pro-entrepreneurship and pro-business..”
The Richmond Free Press article sites other black conservative pastors, Pastor Joe Ellison and Bishop Gerald Glenn, and Leon Benjamin as having similar litmus tests and support Republican candidates, Romney and Allen.
Senator McEachin read the article and, in response placed a PAID POLITICAL ADVERTISEMENT in the Richmond Free Press as a response, just a few days before the election.
We find it quite curious on how Senator McEachin signs the paid ad (see image below) not as Senator McEachin, but identifying himself as a theologian, with a Masters of Divinity from the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology (2008). Enlarged version of the Paid Political AD HERE
Perhaps he is attempting to compete with the pastors on an intellectual plane when it comes to scripture and the issues of abortion, same-sex marriage, and the poor.
Perhaps he is using religion for political gain as McEachin’s PAID POLITICAL ADVERTISEMENT disputes and challenges Pastor Stephen Parson. The timing—literally hours before press time would not likely allow Pastor Parson to respond. You may click here to read the email sent from his government office to Pastor Parson which is the same copy which was to become the PAID POLITICAL ADVERTISEMENT to run in the Richond Free Press, just days before the election.
Pastor Parson did respond and emailed his response to the Richmond Free Press within hours.
When other Christians read Senator McEachin’s PAID POLITICAL ADVERTISEMENT, letters began showing up at the Richmond Free Press that solidly refuted the Senator’s statements and clearly identify his gross errors in regards to what scripture clearly states. Senator McEachin has been “called out”, yet the Richmond Free Press has decided to muzzle the writers of these letters and their truthful content . Those letters were also sent to Pastor Parson, who has forwarded them to the Virginia Christian Alliance.
We publish these letters, beginning with Pastor Parson’s response letter to Senator McEachin’s PAID POLITICAL ADVERTISEMENT, which the Richmond Free Press refused to publish.
Date: Wed, Oct 31, 2012 at 7:18 PM
From Dr Steve Parson to Senator A. Donald McEachin,
I have received your Open letter to me in response to the excellent unbiased article in the Richmond Free Press. I first would ask is why you felt it necessary to make your letter an open one forwarded to the Newspaper, rather than calling me personally and discussing issues? Was it as you stated–to pose some questions to me–or was it to make a statement in a attempt to further your Democratic career in the political process? I ask this because you ask me questions and then answer them yourself.
The word “abortion” is not mentioned in the Bible but the value of life is throughout. First, please understand the definition of “abortion” is: 1. termination of a pregnancy after, accompanied by, resulting in, or closely followed by the DEATH of the embryo or fetus (baby); 1b. Induced expulsion of a HUMAN fetus (baby). The definition of “FETUS” is a developing HUMAN (baby) from usually two months after Conception to birth. “Conception” means Beginning. Senator, life starts at conception. Psalms 139:13,16, Jer. 1:4-6. I understand that you are a School of Theology graduate, so you should know that God is the author of LIFE not Death. He also says “Thou shall not commit murder.” His word says the “Thief has come to Kill, Steal, and Destroy, but He has come to give us Life.” Deut. 30:19 says that He has set before us life and death, blessings and cursings; therefore to choose LIFE that BOTH you and your SEED (baby/fetus) may LIVE. The baby on the inside of the mother has Rights too! A right to live. If I were you, I wouldn’t as a Lawyer and Senator be so quick to say what’s not in the Holy Writ unless you know what’s in it. I believe in Women’s rights. I don’t however believe that a woman should have the right to kill someone else’s life simply because it’s inside of her womb. As a Lawyer, I’m sure you are familiar with:
The Unborn Victims of Violence Act of 2004 (Public Law 108-212) is a United States law which recognizes a “child in utero” as a legal victim, if he or she is injured or killed during the commission of any of over 60 listed federal crimes of violence. The law defines “child in utero” as “a member of the species Homo sapiens, at any stage of development, who is carried in the womb”.[1]
The law is codified in two sections of the United States Code: Title 18, Chapter 1 (Crimes), §1841 (18 USC 1841) and Title 10, Chapter 22 (Uniform Code of Military Justice) §919a (Article 119a).
Your second Question was “How many times are gay relationships mentioned in the Bible?” You again answer yourself. You said “3.” Well, that should be enough. How many do you need? God’s Word says out of the mouth of two or three let the Word be established. You then list Leviticus 18:20 in error. You meant verse 22 which says homosexually is an ABOMINATION. God hasn’t changed His mind. It still is. Lev 22:13 is misquoted too! It has nothing to do with Gays. You quote Old Testament laws; some of which have nothing to do with us today. However, you must understand the Law came through Moses, but Grace and peace came through Our Lord Jesus Christ. All sin is forgivable when repented and turned from. Jesus said to one caught in the very act of adultery, “neither do I condemn you, GO and SIN NO MORE. He didn’t say it’s OK continue in it, it’s not WRONG! Our Leader says Gays should have a Legal right to Marry and taught his children that it’s OK too. That may be fine with him and others, but not with most Believers in the Word of God.
Your third question was “How many verses talk of Poverty.” You then mention a Democratic politician Bob Edgar and Linda Seger who believes God is not a He but a She??? Her book Jesus rode on a Donkey, for your information, was typical today of Him coming in driving a Mercedes.
For your understanding, God has always had a heart for the poor and so do I. That’s why we the people at Richmond Christian Center help renovate our community by building over 300 houses (not public housing) and then assisting them with education and down payment money to become homeowners. This is why I, my Church and my family have provided over 300 jobs for people here in Richmond over the past 30 years. By the way, we did that. Not the Government. Gal. 2:10 tells us to remember the Poor. Everywhere in the New Testament concerning the offering and the collection it’s concerning the saints or those in need. Jesus tells us as Ministers to Preach the Gospel to the Poor. That Good news is YOU don’t have to be POOR any MORE!! The work of God is first and foremost Spiritual, but it doesn’t stop there. It is also Physical (prayer for the sick) and then Financial. The third part of the Blessing of Abraham is that God has given us the Ability to GET WEALTH. In fact He says that Wealth and Riches ought to be in our house and His righteousness will endure in us forever. God also tells us to Give to the poor, relieve them–not make them dependent on us, which was the way the slave masters kept the slaves working for them. We Conservatives believe it is most important to empower the poor so they can get up and out of difficulty and lack. I believe in a hand up and independence. We believe that “we the people” have the responsibility to provide for our own, not the Government or State.
The Father of African American History from right here in Virginia, Carter G. Woodson also believes the way I and other Black Conservatives do. He quotes “until the Black Man learns to do for himself he will never be any further along in the very society he help build than in the beginning.” Our way (Conservatives) to help the poor and those in lack is different than the way the typical Democratic Platform believes. Other Black conservatives that have my same thoughts on how to help the poor are Thomas Sowell and one of his mentors Milton Friedman. Your thinking probably is to give a man a fish which only feeds him for a day. The conservative view and way is to do things to prevent him from becoming poor is to teach him how to fish and how to be the owner of the Pond (Business). We are those who are not waiting on the President, the Government or anybody to provide for us. The Lord is our Provider. We are learning how to work for ourselves and then build businesses and develop entrepreneurs so that we then can create Jobs for those who need them and bring this Great country called the land of opportunity back to Greatness. In all the world—all the world–our nation is the only nation founded on the principles of the Holy Bible. The word of the Lord may not be considered as “his opinion” as you stated. God’s word is not an opinion.
Dr Steve Parson, Pastor Richmond Christian Center
Senator PAID POLITICAL ADVERTISEMENT triggered more “letters” by Elaine Hanger
I am writing in response to the October 18 article regarding the pastors who were supporting the Romney Ryan ticket. I can’t remember the last time I stood up against 95% of any group. If I disagreed with them, I probably didn’t have the courage to let it be known. For Bishop Bishop Gerald Glenn, Pastor Joe Ellison, and Bishop Parson to have the courage to take public stances which are in opposition to their African American brothers and sisters is bold, courageous and inspiring. But what is most inspiring is that they do it because they are more committed to following Scripture than to following men.
Their positions are those that have been taken by the Church for centuries: Proverbs 6:17 says that God hates the shedding of innocent blood. If that doesn’t describe abortion, I don’t know what does.
Homosexual behavior was never condoned in Scripture but always condemned. Those who look only at Old Testament scriptures and use them to dismiss the condemnation of homosexuality, conveniently ignore Romans 1:18-27 and 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 which says that homosexuals will not inherit the kingdom of God unless they repent.
These are unpopular positions in the age in which we live. But then we are told, “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear…But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.” !! Timothy 3:3,5. Thank you Pastors, Bishop Gerald Glenn, Pastor Joe Ellison and Parson for enduring the hardship and discharging your duties in a way that is faithful to Scripture.
Elaine Hanger, Chesterfield, VA
McEachin, with a Master’s of Divinity Forgets about the First Commandment, by Louantha Kerr
To: letters@richmondfreepress.com
Sent: Mon, 05 Nov 2012 22:35:20 -0000 (UTC)
Subject: Response to Senator McEachin’s PAID POLITICAL ADVERTISEMENT
Since you did not post Pastor Parson’s response to Senator McEachin’s “paid political ad”, I feel it is necessary to respond. First of all, his apparent logic that care for the poor, since it is mentioned more often in the Bible, is of greater importance than abortion makes no sense. Thou shalt not kill is one of the Ten Commandments!
Homosexuality/sodomy is addressed many times in the Bible not three. Doing a quick internet search dispels that claim. To mention a few, Romans 1:26-27: “For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense [sic] of their error which was meet.”
1 Timothy 1:10, for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine.
I would have to say that on moral issues the Democratic Party is antithetical to what Christians believe. People who follow God’s teachings do not believe in neither abortion nor gay marriage. AND remember that ALL mention of God was to be removed from the Democratic Party platform UNTIL A PUBLIC BACKLASH ERUPTED and amidst BOOES from convention attendees, one statement was restored.
Louantha Kerr Portsmouth, Virginia
Senator McEachin: Willfully Negligent of the New Testament, despite his Divinity Master’s degree by Rev Michael Hirsch
Dear Editor, Sen. McEachin,
Recently you ran as a “PAID POLICITAL ADVERSTISMENT” from Virginia Senator McEachin, what appears to actually be a letter of response to Pastor Parsons regarding your October 18 Local News article regarding Pastor Parsons support of Mitt Romney.
Sen. McEachin’s response is not only shallow and self-gratifying, but in it he seems willfully negligent of the New Testament as the whole counsel of God on the subject of homosexuality, something anyone holding a Doctor of Divinity would be aware of. Following is my response to the issue of Homosexuality as publicly posted on the Virginia Regulatory Town Hall website – http://townhall.virginia.gov/L/viewcomments.cfm?commentid=18317
I wrote it in response to the prospect of Christian Adoption agencies in Virginia being faced with having to give orphans for adoption to homosexuals. I am also sending a copy for the Senator to consider, as I am certain that he is aware that it is this clause of our founding State Constitution that makes our beloved Commonwealth so exceptional among all other states. “…the mutual duty of all to practice Christian forbearance, love, and charity towards each other.”
Homosexuality
As a citizen of Virginia I hold with our State Constitution;
VIRGINIA DECLARATION OF RIGHTS–1776
(Written by George Mason and James Madison)
SECTION 16, “That religion, or the duty which we owe to our Creator, and the manner of discharging it, can be directed only by reason and conviction, not by force or violence; and therefore all men are equally entitled to the free exercise of religion, according to the dictates of conscience; and that it is the mutual duty of all to practice Christian forbearance, love, and charity towards each other.”
As a Christian the dictates of my conscience are derived from scripture.
Biblical teaching on the question of homosexuality is found in the following passages (from both the Old Testament we have two and from the New Testament three) :
You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination. (Leviticus 18:22)
If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them. (Leviticus 20:13)
For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature [Greek para physin]; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. (Romans 1:26-27)
Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, no idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)
Understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine. (1 Timothy 1:9-10)
The Bible views homosexual conduct as morally wrong in all cases, something contrary to God’s moral standards. The words of the New Testament do not allow these prohibitions to be limited or narrowly defined to a particular type of homosexual conduct and as can be seen condemns all kinds of homosexual conduct as something “contrary to nature” and morally wrong.
None of these biblical passages allows any distinctions or says anything indicating that it is only talking about certain types of homosexual conduct.
Clearly the words themselves as they are written apply to all kinds of homosexual conduct and show that all homosexual conduct is morally wrong.
So as a matter of conscience I support discriminating against prospective parents based on sexual orientation.
While I continue to, “practice Christian forbearance, love, and charity towards each other”, I find no place in Christian scripture to support with homosexual conduct in any way.
I voted for Romney/Ryan because they stand to protect Life at conception, God ordained marriage, Religious liberty, Limited Federal Government, Less Taxes and more small business incentives, among many other Conservative values that I hold dear.
Rev. MichaEl Hirsch, Senior Pastor Calvary Christian Church
In response to Rev. Michael Hirsch letter to the editor submission, Ray Boone, Editor/Publisher of The Richmond Free Press replied with a very short email, dated Thursday, November 8th 2012, 6:44pm, stating: “Dear Ms. Hirsch, I thank you will be pleased to know that a letter to the editor from a reader expressing your sentitments is prominently featured in this week’s editorial of the Free Press. We have been unable to contact Pastor Parson to offer him a suggestion on how he can run his response in it’s entirety.
Greene Hollowell also wrote the Richmond Free Press, refuting Senator McEachin’s claims, and that was also refused publication by the Richmond Free Press.
Senator McEachin’s Faulty Logic, by Greene Hollowell
I am responding to Senator McEachin’s public PAID POLITICAL ADVERTISEMENT response to Pastor Parson’s concern over the direction of our country, the drift of the Democrat Party and his distortion of what it means to be a Biblical values voter. In an attempt to justify the legalized killing of pre-born babies and being soft on homosexual marriage, Senator McEachin callously disregards the first enumerated right, which ultimately liberated slaves, falsely claims he is a warrior for the poor and misses the message of Jesus Christ.
God made it abundantly clear that “Righteousness exalts a nation and sin is a reproach to every people.” (Proverbs 14:34) In Deuteronomy 28, God tells us what His blessings will be for a nation which is obedient to His standards of righteousness, not man’s standards. We cannot redefine what God has already said.
God must have known how man would try to override God’s definition of righteousness so he gave us a list- the top ten. This is the same list that Virginia Democrats overwhelmingly voted to disallow being posted on school walls as if this list would actually hurt students. Among the Ten Commandments, not suggestions, is do not murder. When our laws support and promote the murder of pre-born children, this is a slap in the face of God and it cheapens the sanctity of every human life. We are telling God we will do things our way. Allowing people to murder innocent people is wrong and it devalues everyone’s life. In fact, when government leaders and laws fail to protect the first enumerated inalienable right – the right to life- this means everyone’s rights are under assault.
McEachin uses the same faulty logic as the racist U.S. Supreme Court justices did who made the Dred Scott decision in 1857. Ruling that Black people were not citizens and that “all men are created equal” was not intended for the Black man, the U.S. Supreme Court made a terrible and costly error. It required a war and Constitutional amendments to correct that unrighteous decision. In addition, his pro-abortion rationale is what funds Planned Parenthood at the federal level. Planned Parenthood was founded by a racist woman named Margaret Sanger who did the bidding of a small, but powerful, group of eugenics- people who want to improve certain races and eliminate others. She organized the 1939 “Negro Project” – a plan to reduce the Black race.
Sadly, it has been immensely successful in two ways. Black women disproportionately abort their babies at the “convenient” abortion facilities in the minority communities, about 25% of the race is missing and it has cheapened the gift of life in general. I submit the black on black crime is a consequence of legalized abortion. If we can kill our babies, then what is wrong with killing someone on the street? Correcting Roe v Wade and stopping the funding of The Negro Project would adhere to God’s standards of righteousness and would help to exalt our nation.
The Senator also claims to be an advocate of the poor and supports the redefinition of marriage- the most important God-given building block to any civilized society. If he really had the interests of the poor in mind, he would be fighting his political party on this issue, not caving on it, or joining the Republican Party on protecting God-ordained marriage. Why? Look at the European countries which have “redefined” marriage such as the Scandinavian countries. Because homosexual marriage cheapens heterosexual marriage, fewer people are getting married. They just live together which requires no commitment. The number of children being born out of wedlock has sky-rocketed. More and more women are left raising children alone which, in turn, creates more poverty. Taxes have drastically increased as a consequence of increased poverty. Homosexual marriage would produce more poverty; thus, we should adhere to God’s standards to receive the blessings of obedience. Apparently, McEachin does not understand consequences.
Lastly, it is important for Virginians to understand how these two aggressive agendas- the highly profitable abortion industry and the homosexual initiative- always try to drive legislative wedges between parents and children, but these wedges are life threatening. Whether it be passing laws that allow minor children to have abortions without parental consent (though parents would be left footing a medical bill for complications) or changing the educational curriculum so that children are taught homosexual acts, legislators, like McEachin, fail to see the consequences or do they? Is protecting a political party worth turning ones back on what God declares as righteousness?
Senator McEachin’s faulty logic and his failure to understand how righteousness exalts a nation undermine why Christ Jesus came to earth: to have life and have it abundantly. Our nation will not receive blessings of obedience (Deuteronomy 28) if we do not first seek righteousness. The political answer for poverty is to first seek His righteousness. Having Senator McEachin dehumanize people and calling their murder “choice” and going soft on defending God-ordained marriage makes Biblical values voters cry out for Godly leaders and His mercy on America.
Greene Hollowell, Richmond, VA
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If immorality prevails in the land, the fault is ours in a great degree. If there is a decay of conscience, the pulpit is responsible for it. If the public press lacks moral discrimination, the pulpit is responsible for it. If the world loses its interest in religion, the pulpit is responsible for it. If our politics become so corrupt that the very foundations of our government are ready to fall away, the pulpit is responsible for it.”
Reverend Finney was considered a leader in the second Great Awakening.
