Dispatches from TPUSA’s Pastor’s Conference
In this week’s episode, Brad has a conversation with, a returning guest and friend of the show, Tim Whitaker of the New Evangelicals, about what he witnessed as an attendee of Turning Point USA’s (TPUSA) Turning Point Faith pastor’s conference in Nashville. Let’s not forget that TPUSA is the brainchild of Charlie Kirk. Tim and Brad discuss Tim’s biggest takeaways from the conference which drew 1100 pastors from around the country. These include COVID denial and how it assisted in the development of an anti-government, anti-woke church movement, LGBTQ+ disdain, and hatred, along with othering and dehumanizing rhetoric promoted by TPUSA which is encouraged to be used in pulpits by the pastors in attendance, and of course, Christian nationalism and the various factions and debates found within the conference and why need to be fearful of them all.
Highlighting the conference’s focus on LGBTQ hatred, Tim recounts several conversations that he had with both guest speakers and conference attendees. He notes a reoccurring theme present in these discussions as he summarizes many of the discussions,
Okay. These are not my words because I see so much gay stuff, like in the media, you know, like I have to watch out. Like I have to watch what my kids are watching now and there's pride month and everything's all about the gay people and Target. And I'm like, oh. So, recognition of another people group in public life.
Is an infringement for you on your right to not see that even though you don't have to shop at Target, you don't have to watch those TV shows. There's a whole Christian empire of media that you can consume. So, so it's for them. For people I talked to, I should say, I don't want to be overly generic, but the people I spoke to, even the reality of other people groups, especially queer people being recognized, or God forbid, celebrated.
Right in the public square is seen as an infringement on their right to control the public square, which really is evidence for me of their Christian privilege. They're just used to everything revolving around them that the second they're even asked to give up some of that privilege for equity, it's now seen as an attack on their rights.