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Censoring the Gospel Update: Letter from the Publisher

When a Christian repents his repentance should be as notorious as his sin. When an organization does something wrong or foolish and then takes measures to correct their actions I believe that the decision to change should be as made known as widely as was the mistake.

Reggie Joyner, Founder of ReThink, the publisher of the curriculum that decided to eliminate the story of Christ’s death and resurrection from their preschool curriculum this year, has issued a letter to the churches that use their material. In it he reaffirms his and his staff’s commitment to the gospel message and its need to be clearly taught in their materials. He also acknowledges that the explanation that was posted on their website defending their decision “does not accurately reflect” their oganization’s position. While he is not posting the letter on their website, he has sent it out very widely and has granted permission for it to be forwarded to interested parties. A friend sent me a copy this morning.

In the letter, Joyner pledges two things to those who use their materials: they will “teach the cross to every age group” and every Easter “the death and resurrection of Jesus will be included” in their preschool curriculum.

While there are certainly questions that remain about how the original course of action ever came about–questions that must be addressed internally within the organization–we should be grateful for this quick response and promise not to excise the Gospel from future lessons on Easter.

Tom Ascol has served as a Pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Cape Coral, FL since 1986. Prior to moving to Florida he served as pastor and associate pastor of churches in Texas. He has a BS degree in sociology from Texas A&M University (1979) and has also earned the MDiv and PhD degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth, Texas. He has served as an adjunct professor of theology for various colleges and seminaries, including Reformed Theological Seminary, the Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary, African Christian University, Copperbelt Ministerial College, and Reformed Baptist Seminary. He has also served as Visiting Professor at the Nicole Institute for Baptist Studies at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florida. Tom serves as the President of Founders Ministries and The Institute of Public Theology. He has edited the Founders Journal, a quarterly theological publication of Founders Ministries, and has written hundreds of articles for various journals and magazines. He has been a regular contributor to TableTalk, the monthly magazine of Ligonier Ministries. He has also edited and contributed to several books, including Dear Timothy: Letters on Pastoral Ministry, The Truth and Grace Memory Books for children and  Recovering the Gospel and Reformation of Churches. He is also the author of From the Protestant Reformation to the Southern Baptist Convention, Traditional Theology and the SBC and Strong and Courageous. Tom regularly preaches and lectures at various conferences throughout the United States and other countries. In addition he regularly contributes articles to the Founders website and hosts a weekly podcast called The Sword & The Trowel. He and his wife Donna have six children along with four sons-in-law and a daughter-in-law. They have sixteen grandchildren.
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