SBC leaders saw a new Moon rising at luncheon
___WASHINGTON--Three Texas Baptists were among a group of Southern Baptist Convention leaders attending an Inaugural Prayer Luncheon for Unity and Renewal Jan. 19 that turned out to be sponsored by Sun Myung Moon, founder of the Unification Church.
___Baptist Press issued a story Jan. 23 explaining that the SBC leaders--including SBC President James Merritt, SBC Executive Committee President Morris Chapman and SBC Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission President Richard Land--did not know Moon was behind the interfaith event and were shocked when he rose to speak.
___Technically, the event was sponsored by the Washington Times Foundation. The Washington Times is a conservative-oriented newspaper favored by many conservative evangelical Christians. The paper was founded by and is owned by Moon.
___About 1,400 religious leaders attended the luncheon at the Hyatt Regency Hotel on Capitol Hill the day after President George W. Bush's inauguration.
___Texans among those attending were Paul Pressler and Ed Young of Houston and Jack Graham of Plano. They joined the likes of Jerry Falwell, Franklin Graham, Tony Evans and John Ashcroft.
___"I was shocked to see that Sun Myung Moon was on the program and in essence the host," Chapman said. "I was even more surprised on the way out of the banquet hall to be given a propaganda book on the Unification Church."
___"We knew that it was going to be an interdenominational event, but we had no idea that the luncheon was hosted by the Moonies," said Merritt, who delivered a tribute to evangelist Billy Graham.
___"This was completely unanticipated," Pressler added. "I was not pleasantly surprised by the focus of the luncheon."
___Pressler praised Merritt, however, for using his time on the program to honor Graham and speak about the Christian gospel. "Dr. Merritt was superb," he said.
___Chapman said the experience "will serve to remind evangelical Christians that the world increasingly is filled with wolves in sheep's clothing."
___Pressler and his wife, Nancy, who live near President Bush's parents in Houston, received invitations to two inaugural balls as well as a private prayer service with the first family at St. John Church.
The Baptist Standard
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