Rabbi Rising

The Jesuit Catholic University of San Francisco has made headlines. They appointed a rabbi-in-residence to serve the Jewish community on campus. Now you might think that the stir from this story was because it was a Catholic University that hired the rabbi. Well, that was only part of the story – perhaps even the lesser part. The real news was that the rabbi they hired is a lesbian and longtime homosexual activist. (Honestly, I’m not sure why it even made the news. We are talking about San Francisco, after all.)

Yes, in 2019, Rabbi Camille Angel came to serve the university’s Jewish community. She notes, “I was trained and I’m a rabbi to serve Jews, and I do – I led a Shiva two nights ago, so I’m definitely still serving Jews.” But as she also points out, “My teaching is primarily with non-Jews.”

You see, Angel not only works as a religious campus leader, she also teaches a class called “Queering Religion.” She actually had 40 people in her most recent class representing a mix of religious affiliations – and only one of her students was a Jew. She claims that non-Jews gravitate to her class because of the inclusive queer community she has cultivated on campus.

But here’s the deal: While Angel does tout her Jewishness, and was hired to serve the Jewish community on campus, her primary focus is to try to normalize homosexuality within the religious community. The people that seem to be most drawn to her are those who claim to have experienced hurt as they grew up in a religious tradition that didn’t accept their homosexuality. Angel’s obvious take-away from all of this is that homosexuality should be accepted within the faith community, while any moral stance that does not recognize it as legitimate is evil. And her message and behavior is not only being condoned, but is encouraged at this supposedly Roman Catholic university.

This is totally backward! I mean, what is the point of having a Roman Catholic university if it is not going to uphold the beliefs and values of the Roman Catholic church? Of course, this particular problem is not limited to Catholics. Schools started by and associated with Protestant and Evangelical churches have done similarly. In fact, Harvard University (started as a school to educate clergy) has even hired an Atheist chaplain (whatever that means).

What has happened is that the administration of these schools has been taken over by people who are not believers in Christ. They have taken institutions that were built and intended as agents to further the cause of Christ, and turned them into an advocates for an entirely different religion.

YES, the beliefs that are being promoted by these various schools are atheistic – a religious point of view. The schools are, literally, peddling a false religion. The beliefs that support homosexual behavior (and any other sinful behavior such as out of wedlock heterosexual activity, identity politics, recreational drug and alcohol use, ...) are not Christian beliefs. They are beliefs straight out of atheistic Naturalism.

Naturalistic beliefs don’t begin with a belief in a God who has revealed right morality. They begin with a belief that God does not exist, so there is no such thing as objective morality. And if there is no objective morality, right and wrong can only be determined by those who have the power to influence society.

Rabbi Angel’s attempt to “queer religion” is, at its core, based on her personal preferences, not on what is taught in Scripture (or even by her religion, for that matter). Those beliefs are totally contrary to what is taught in the Bible, and certainly contrary to the traditional values of the Roman Catholic church that has hired her to spread her doctrine.

The situation got to be this way because those who believe in naturalistic religion are more active in spreading their faith than Christians are. So what do you think will be necessary to turn it around? Simply put, what will be necessary is for Christians to start sharing their faith as much as those who hold other beliefs.

Freddy Davis is the president of MarketFaith Ministries. He is the author of numerous books and has a background as an international missionary, pastor, radio host, worldview trainer, and entrepreneur. Freddy is a graduate of Florida State University with a BS in Communication, and holds MDiv and DMin degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a popular speaker, particularly on the topic of worldview and its practical implications for the Christian life. He lives in Tallahassee, FL, with his wife Deborah.

You may also contact Freddy at Leadership Speakers Bureau to schedule him for speaking or leadership engagements.

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