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Title: Strategizing a Christian Coup d'Etat (Christian FSP, in SC)
Source:
The Los Angeles Times
URL Source: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationw ... .story?track=hpmostemailedlink
Published: Aug 29, 2005
Author: Jenny Jarvie, Times Staff Writer
Post Date: 2005-08-29 00:58:58 by robin
Keywords: Strategizing, (Christian, Christian
Views: 182
Comments: 13
Strategizing a Christian Coup d'Etat A group of believers wants to establish Scriptures-based government one city and county at a time. By Jenny Jarvie Times Staff Writer August 28, 2005 GREENVILLE, S.C. — It began, as many road trips do, with a stop at Wal-Mart to buy a portable DVD player. But Mario DiMartino was planning more than a weekend getaway. He, his wife and three children were embarking on a pilgrimage to South Carolina. "I want to migrate and claim the gold of the Lord," said the 38-year-old oil company executive from Pennsylvania. "I want to replicate the statutes and the mores and the scriptures that the God of the Old Testament espoused to the world." DiMartino, who drove here recently to look for a new home, is a member of Christian Exodus, a movement of politically active believers who hope to establish a government based upon Christian principles. At a time when evangelicals are exerting influence on the national political stage — having helped secure President Bush's reelection — Christian Exodus believes that people of faith have failed to assert their moral agenda: Abortion is legal. School prayer is banned. There are limits on public displays of the Ten Commandments. Gays and lesbians can marry in Massachusetts. Christian Exodus activists plan to take control of sheriff's offices, city councils and school boards. Eventually, they say, they will control South Carolina. They will pass godly legislation, defying Supreme Court rulings on the separation of church and state. "We're going to force a constitutional crisis," said Cory Burnell, 29, an investment advisor who founded the group in November 2003. "If necessary," he said, "we will secede from the union." Burnell has not moved to South Carolina himself — he promised his wife that they would stay in Valley Springs, Calif., until the end of next year — but believes that his 950 supporters will rally to the cause. Five families have moved so far. Burnell said his inspiration came from the Free State Project, which in October 2003 appealed to libertarians to move to New Hampshire for limited government intervention, lower taxes and greater individual rights. By 2006, organizers had hoped to have 20,000 people committed to relocating to New Hampshire; so far, 6,600 have said they intended to make the move, and only 100 have done so. Christian Exodus, Burnell predicted, will be more successful. "There are more Christians than libertarians," he said. After scrutinizing electoral records, demographic trends and property prices, Christian Exodus members identified two upstate South Carolina counties — they will not officially say which ones — as prime for a conservative takeover. By September 2006, Burnell hopes to have 2,000 activists in one county and 500 in the other. Frank and Tammy Janoski have settled into a five-bedroom house with white vinyl siding in a new subdivision in rural Spartanburg County. "This is where God wants us to be," he said. Janoski, 38, a self-employed computer engineer, had been contemplating moving from his deadline-oriented lifestyle in Bethlehem, Pa., to a more conservative region with cheaper housing and lower taxes when a church friend handed him a Christian Exodus flier. "What attracted me to the movement was the idea of calling back the country to a righteous standard," he said. His first six months in South Carolina have been idyllic, Janoski said. Not only do his neighbors wave as they pass by, but they also share most of his conservative Christian beliefs. "If you're going to secede, this is the place to do it," he said. "A lot of the locals have that spirit." Although Christian Exodus members are confident that they can capitalize on evangelical disillusionment with the Republican Party, local observers are skeptical. James Guth, a professor at Furman University in Greenville who studies the influence of religion on politics, does not think that Christian Exodus will be successful beyond a county level. "South Carolina is a state that is dominated by Republicans," he said. "Although there are people on the far right edge of the Republican Party … in general, the population is a big fan of Bush." Nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, upstate South Carolina is the most conservative region of a conservative state: Bush won 58% of the South Carolina vote in 2004, and Greenville is home to Bob Jones University, a fundamentalist Christian college that until recently had banned interracial dating. Cleatus Blackmon, treasurer and director of missions at the Greer Baptist Assn., which oversees 39 Baptist churches in Janoski's town, doubts that Christian Exodus' focus on taking over government bodies will appeal to the majority of the region's Christians. "You don't find the word 'control' in the scriptures," he said. "The basic mission of the church is to proclaim God's redeeming love through the example of Jesus Christ." But Christian Exodus activists insist that they will forge ahead, even if they end up polarizing the Christian community. "We want to separate the wheat from the chaff," DiMartino said. "There's a lot of deception in the church. If the Republican Party says something, a lot of churches say it's gospel." Despite its cynicism about the Republican Party, Christian Exodus plans to use the party's popularity to its advantage. Rather than running for office themselves, Christian Exodus activists hope to influence which Republican candidates win local primaries. "All we have to do is put our guy on the ballot with an 'R' sign," Burnell said. "It could be a corpse and they'll vote for him." Local Republicans, however, point out that they would never sit idly by while Christian Exodus took over. "He talks about 2,000 activists, but I can easily get 4,000 activists," said Bob Taylor, a Republican Greenville County councilman and a dean at Bob Jones University. "There's incredible dedication to the [Republican] cause." While many South Carolinians may oppose abortion and gay marriage, Taylor said, few would support secession. But DiMartino is not worried about the naysayers. When he explained Christian Exodus to the man who sold him his home in Pickens County, he said, the salesman gave him a high-five. DiMartino looks forward to living alongside Christians who want to put local government back in the hands of what, he believes, America was really founded for. "Whether it flies or not," he said, "is really in the Lord's hands."
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#1. To: Eoghan (#0)
ping!
"Wars have ever been but another aristocratic mode of plundering and oppressing commerce." - Richard Cobden -
Torah following Christians always crack me up. Peace.
ping!
"Wars have ever been but another aristocratic mode of plundering and oppressing commerce." - Richard Cobden -
On this I can agree with this group .. " "All we have to do is put our guy on the ballot with an 'R' sign," Burnell said. "It could be a corpse and they'll vote for him." <--LOL.. I think we've got a Congress and Senate to prove this one.
We need to learn more about this group. Something tells me they will be overrun with Pat Robertson types if they are not already.
"Wars have ever been but another aristocratic mode of plundering and oppressing commerce." - Richard Cobden -
I was saying this nearly 15 years ago, when I first worked for Buchanan, before he said "I haven't left the Republican party, the Republican party has left me." It was shortly thereafter that I said, "You could put a rat wearing a bow tie on the ballot as a Republican and he would still get 40% of the vote." ;0)
"But what is Hope? Nothing but the paint on the face of Existence; the least touch of truth rubs it off, and then we see what a hollow-cheeked harlot we have got hold of." Lord Byron
let me see what I can dig up.
Here's their site: http://www.christianexodus.org and some links: Christian Exodus banned from Google ads A WHois search came up with this: Domain ID:D101535602-LROR Domain Name:CHRISTIANEXODUS.ORG Thanks Zip!!! If Google's agin 'em maybe they aint so bad.
"Wars have ever been but another aristocratic mode of plundering and oppressing commerce." - Richard Cobden -
I didnt find anything on the site that showed who ran it or a board of directors etc. unless I overlooked it. Troy Leaver's blog: Seems he must only be the tech for Christian Exodus and the same for Church Quest. which is for christian web hosting.
I did over look it, here's the info on the leadership : About Us Mr. Jim Taylor and Mr. Cory Burnell founded http://ChristianExodus.org in November 2003 as a response to the moral degeneration of our nation and the lack of any determination by the Republican Party to return our nation to its Constitutional moors. http://ChristianExodus.org seeks a return to constitutionally limited government founded upon Christian principles, and has decided that the best strategy for achieving this goal is to reform the local and state governments. To accomplish this reform, we will relocate thousands of Christian constitutionalists to one particular sovereign State (South Carolina) so that our numbers will make an effective difference in electoral politics. ChristianExodus.org>http:// ChristianExodus.org We have a dedicated staff of some twenty talented volunteer officers, and four Board members. The Lord continues to bless us with wonderful folks all the time. Cory Burnell, MBA Chairman & President Mr. Burnell is currently a financial advisor, and previously a self-employed business owner. He co-founded http://ChristianExodus.org with Mr. Taylor in November of 2003. He holds a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Texas at Tyler, and a bachelor’s degree in economics/mathematics from the University of California at Santa Barbara. He is married with a two-year old son and a daughter due in November. The Burnells currently reside in California. Photo Not Available Jimmie Taylor, CPA Board Member & Treasurer Mr. Taylor is a certified public accountant in East Texas who works in the world of corporate finance. He co-founded http://ChristianExodus.org with Mr. Burnell in November of 2003, and now serves as our Treasurer. He is married, and his family currently resides in East Texas. Dr. Edward DeVries Board Member Dr. DeVries is a Baptist pastor who travels all over the country speaking at various events. He has authored several books and video presentations including a best-selling biography called The Christian Testimony of General Robert E. Lee. He was ordained by Calvary Baptist Church in September of 1996 and earned his doctor of theology degree from Landmark Baptist University in 1999. Additional degrees include: D.Min., Th.M., Th.B., A.B.S. Dr. DeVries is married and currently resides in East Texas. Photo Not Available Rev. Dick Crockett Board Member Bio forthcoming. Christian 'exodus' to S.C. planned Texan envisions state free of liberal meddling The Atlanta Journal and Constitution; 6/21/2004; LYN RIDDLE, For the Journal-Constitution Greenville, S.C. --- Cory Burnell may be fighting a cause as lost as the Civil War. But the 28-year-old Tyler, Texas, math teacher and businessman is serious about moving to South Carolina with 12,000 other Christians. Though he has never been there, he plans to reshape the South Carolina General Assembly to make the state a Christian domain. And if the federal government does not stop imposing what he considers its liberal will, he wants South Carolina to secede. "We're not talking about a takeover," Burnell said. "We're talking about reinforcements." Few in the religious right would disagree with Burnell's so-called ChristianExodus beliefs, which include outlawing abortion and homosexual marriage and allowing prayer in school and religious displays in public. Burnell's Civil War-era sentiments have caught the attention of the WorldNetDaily, a conservative Internet news service based in Oregon, and Fox News Channel's "Hannity & Colmes" show. But in South Carolina, his idea was panned by the conservative speaker of the state House of Representatives and by Bob Jones University, the Greenville-based standard-bearer for Christian fundamentalism. David Wilkins, the Republican House speaker, said Burnell will find South Carolina is already a conservative state with strong values, but secession "will not happen." No welcome mat Legislatively, however, South Carolina has sent its conservative citizens a mixed message. It was one of the first states to outlaw gay marriage and to authorize a moment of silence in schools. But this year's proposal to refuse to recognize gay marriages performed in other states failed in the Senate after passing the House. Likewise, recent bills on school prayer and religious displays have not passed. John Piper, president of the Piedmont chapter of the South Carolina American Civil Liberties Union, said the state has grown increasingly conservative over the years. "We have Bob Jones University here that puts a thousand people into the local community each year," he said. "A lot of us think all you have to do is wait" for evangelical Christians to take over. Jonathan Pait, a spokesman for the university, which once banned interracial dating and marriage, said Bob Jones would not associate with any such effort. "As Christians, it's not our job to start a new country," he said. "It's our job to spread the kingdom and the kingdom is not of this world. It's of the heart." 'Common sense' But Burnell, who grew up in San Diego and became a Christian when he was 5, is not deterred. He met his wife, Nicole, who is three months pregnant with their second child, in college in California, where they both grew up. He played baseball at the University of California at Santa Barbara, but felt out of step with his more liberal friends throughout his college years. "You're alone in the world and move around the city. You don't work with believers and only meet believers on Sunday and Wednesday," said Burnell, who now owns a Nextel dealership and a drive-through coffee shop in Tyler with his father. He just finished his first --- and only --- year teaching calculus and geometry in a private high school there. But Tyler, a city of 85,000 in northeast Texas, showed him what life could be like when your neighbors are like-minded conservative Christians. "We were awestruck," he said. "People had this common sense about them." He said he got the idea for ChristianExodus after the decision to allow homosexual marriage in Massachusetts convinced him that Christians had failed to change the direction of the U.S. government. He believes the strength of the religious right, while formidable, is diluted. Three Republican presidents and the seven U.S. Supreme Court justices they appointed have not prevented laws and rulings that Burnell considers contrary to the teachings of Christianity. "We cannot affect it on a national level," he said. "I thought things were going to change after [President] Bush was elected, but two years into office nothing changed. In fact, it's getting worse." Majority rules Burnell chose South Carolina because of its coastal location and large evangelical Christian population. One survey says 40 percent of South Carolinians identify themselves as evangelical Christians. And the South Carolina League of the South, which seeks to preserve Southern heritage but is considered a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, believes secession is an option. Burnell wants people to understand that he is not trying to set up a theocracy and would work to protect the rights of all people who live in the state, whether they are Christians or not. "I don't anticipate much change," he said. "But the religious rights of the minority should never infringe on the will of the majority." He said people who disagree can relocate or change the minds of others so they become the majority. That idea is worrisome to the ACLU's Piper, who said he has worked many years to ensure that minority rights remain protected. So far, ChristianExodus has 600 members. The goal is to have 12,000 move to South Carolina by the 2008 election. A professional political consultant whom Burnell did not name is working for free to identify 12 legislative districts where Christians would have a chance of electing their own candidates. Burnell plans to move to South Carolina in 2006, after taking his family to Northern California so his wife can be close to her mother when their baby is born. He says he does not intend to run for office in South Carolina any time soon. "Having that aspiration would appear unethical," he said. But he doesn't rule out that option in the future. He was called a kook on a talk radio show and believes he'll be persecuted for his stance. But he bristles just a bit that people think he is "wacko." "I'm just the guy next door, just thinking about how we can glorify the Lord," he said.
They've got quite a ways to go before they reach 12,000. I remember about 10 or 15 years ago a group of people had a similiar idea re Arkansas. I dont recall the name of the group though.
#2. To: robin (#0)
"I want to replicate the statutes and the mores and the scriptures that the God of the Old Testament espoused to the world."
#3. To: Zipporah, christine, tom007, BTP Holdings, Dakmar, Jethro Tull, lodwick, Lady X, Grumble Jones, randge, rowdee, Bayonne (#0)
#4. To: robin (#0)
"We want to separate the wheat from the chaff," DiMartino said. "There's a lot of deception in the church. If the Republican Party says something, a lot of churches say it's gospel."
#5. To: Zipporah (#4)
#6. To: Zipporah (#4)
"All we have to do is put our guy on the ballot with an 'R' sign," Burnell said. "It could be a corpse and they'll vote for him."
#7. To: robin (#5)
We need to learn more about this group. Something tells me they will be overrun with Pat Robertson types if they are not already.
#8. To: robin (#0)
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=45381
Created On:03-Oct-2003 20:34:54 UTC
Last Updated On:19-Oct-2004 06:35:58 UTC
Expiration Date:03-Oct-2005 20:34:54 UTC
Sponsoring Registrar:eNom, Inc. (R39-LROR)
Status:OK
Registrant ID:A1F2F53BC1A13CCF
Registrant Name:Troy Leaver
Registrant http://Organization:ChurchQuest.com Registrant Street1:1138 N. Germantown Pkwy
Registrant Street2:Suite 101-224
Registrant Street3:
Registrant City:Cordova
Registrant State/Province:TN
Registrant Postal Code:38016
Registrant Country:US
Registrant Phone:+1.8775761009
Registrant Phone Ext.:
Registrant FAX:
Registrant FAX Ext.:
Registrant Email:admin@churchquest.com
Admin ID:A1F2F53BC1A13CCF
Admin Name:Troy Leaver
Admin http://Organization:ChurchQuest.com Admin Street1:1138 N. Germantown Pkwy
Admin Street2:Suite 101-224
Admin Street3:
Admin City:Cordova
Admin State/Province:TN
Admin Postal Code:38016
Admin Country:US
Admin Phone:+1.8775761009
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Admin FAX:
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Admin Email:admin@churchquest.com
Tech ID:A1F2F53BC1A13CCF
Tech Name:Troy Leaver
Tech http://Organization:ChurchQuest.com Tech Street1:1138 N. Germantown Pkwy
Tech Street2:Suite 101-224
Tech Street3:
Tech City:Cordova
Tech State/Province:TN
Tech Postal Code:38016
Tech Country:US
Tech Phone:+1.8775761009
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Name Server:DNS1.CHURCHQUEST.COM
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#9. To: Zipporah, Eoghan, lodwick, All (#8)
#10. To: robin (#8)
#11. To: robin (#9)
height="169" width="100"> 
height="143" width="110">
#12. To: robin, Zipporah (#4)
Some more info...
#13. To: Jethro Tull (#12)
So far, ChristianExodus has 600 members.
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