Editor’s note: The following letter was submitted to the Watchman in response to a Jan. 12 statement by 12 Anchorage pastors which condemned the Jan. 6 violence in at the U.S. Capitol building and also blamed President Trump for inciting the crimes. The pastor’s orginal statement can be read here. A follow up clarification from one of the pastors (Tim Davis) can be read here .
OPEN LETTER
Dear Pastors,
I read your letter to the community. One of my pastors is on the list of signatories. Before I begin, I want to say that he and I have spoken about his reasons for signing the letter and even though we disagree about one portion of it, we still love and respect each other. I believe in free speech and his right to express his opinion in this way. Free speech is important and needs to be protected no matter the content. Without that we lose a vital part of what makes America great and that is under attack in many ways right now.
I am still quite saddened and disturbed about the portion of the letter calling out the “Commander-in-Chief’ and his responsibility in his use of words and actions. As faith leaders, you are also responsible for your words and you signed a letter with the names of your church effectively signing it for everyone associated with those places of worship. Did they agree and consent? I did not. I do not.
As I pondered the reason for my unrest and pondered the conversation I had with my pastor, I came to realize that the reason I, and others, are so upset is because the portion of the country they chose to chastise is largely disenfranchised right now. The letter is unbalanced. My pastor stated their intention was to address the one event however that leaves us readers asking, “Why THIS event?” People died. Yes, they did. Death is always tragic. People have been dying all summer.
We have watched as violent protests have raged on, and National Democratic leaders have told us that it was deserved, it was a response to pain, they shouldn’t let up, that there should be unrest in the streets. Where were you then pastors?
ALASKA WATCHMAN DIRECT TO YOUR INBOX
Yes, you spoke out against racism and that was beautiful and wonderfully done. But where were you condemning the nightly violence and the attacks on police officers just because of their occupation? Billions of dollars in damage were done in this country in the name of protest, and you sat silent. Kids were killed in the crossfire of increased violence relating to the defunding of police but that did not spur you into action. Why? I am so very sad and confused.
I have a feeling that a balanced letter of reproach would have been more well received and the message you truly hoped to share.
Anchorage has been squashed, ignored, condescended to on a local level from the Assembly. Anchorage has been placed under an iron-thumb of economic control time and time again. Medical freedom is being stripped away. The open meetings act is being manipulated. CARES Act funds are being spent in areas that hasn’t benefited the community. Businesses are closing. Where are you condemning the actions of the iron fist of the Assembly?
I propose to you that perhaps instead of choosing the events of Jan. 6, 2021, your letter could have addressed the responsibility of ALL speech happening in our nation. I propose that when you choose to call out one area of hypocrisy that you need to balance it with all hypocrisy within that subject matter. Hypocrisy does not land on one side. It does not affect one person. This incident at the Capitol building was not a product of simply one person irresponsibly using their power of speech.
Teaching and preaching the whole Bible means you call all sin sin and call out all sin, not just one you deem is the most offensive at the time. I have a feeling that a balanced letter of reproach would have been more well received and the message you truly hoped to share – repenting of sin and moving to love – would have been heard.
Please continue to use your convictions and free speech. I thank you for that. As a congregant, lover of Jesus, and a disenfranchised American I implore you to take a final look at your statements and ask if it is fairly representing the whole of the subject.
Be blessed,
Sara Jokela, Anchorage
19 Comments
This is also the way I feel. I am pretty sure GOD looks at sin as SIN not how small or how big that sin is.
AMEN!!!!!
It just shows these pastors are of govt and not of GOD, They ran with the mob and its false narrative. What we see in real time is the church of Laodicea in these 12 charlatans of lies….. They cannot even bother to look at the time line before their base minds go into serving their 501c3 god in accusation against our President…. If you were of GOD you would not have taken the easy road with the liars and demons that have stolen this election and you sure have simply seen that the violence at the Capitol started at 12:40 pm The Presidents speech did not get over until well after 1pm and then this crowd of good Christians and others took the 45 minute walk to the Capitol,,, Do you understand your deception now as your lies are brought into the light???? The Folks that you accused of being fomented int violent rage so your self righteous asses could be bowed to like the pharisees. These folks were walking to the capitol as your vile BLM and antifa were raising hell in our Capitol,,,,,, I demand an apology for the people of this Nation and our President for your what I call intentional agenda based harm to our Republic…. You all disgust me…. Religious leaders of GOD and of truth you are not!!!!!
Liberal pastors who run fun centers and community clubs and don’t preach against the sodomites or really any sin for that matter. What more do you expect from them?
501(c)(3) Communist Agents and not Pastors at all.
So well stated Sara! Thank you.
With respect from Fairbanks: RE: Anchorage pastors ganging up against our Great President with no information, these pastors can investigate just like the rest of us by printing out a transcript of President Trump’s speech.
Investigate it for yourselves instead of listening or watching the mainstream corrupt news services. You can find the transcript on Lifesitenews network. After that go to a truthful news sources such as thepochtimes.com or Victory Channel and see for yourself. You will notice in the the president’s trancript that he said to go peacefully but the corrupt media removed those words deliberately. You will learn by checking some truthful sources with the mainstream that the mainstream had already written the report on the event earlier in the morning. Our president was one mile away when the terrorists attacked the capitol. With the arrests if was discovered that the smear was planned by Black Lives Matter and
ANTIFA with Democrats. You may find this information thenationalpulse.com, another reliable and truthful source that Gary Bauer used. There you will find the facts concerning this attack and be prepared for more over the next few weeks again with an effort to blame our honorable president in some way. The mainstream news even if on Christian radio comes automatically from mainstream sources which have been corrupted by the enemies of America.
Well done. With leaders like this no wonder America’s going down the tubes. My heart is breaking because America is now finished.
From Fairbanks: as a pastor, i completely agree with you Sara. You articulated very well what a balanced, Biblical position would be.
I don’t find “beautiful or wonderfully done” the use of anti-Christian Leftist/Marxist phraseology – the sin of “racism and white supremacy,” to silence, shame and accuse fellow Christians who support our president and election integrity. If anything, it demonstrates clearly to whom and what these wolves follow, and it’s not our Creator or His Word.
The BLM protests were about people being murdered on tape sometimes with their hands up
The riots in DC were a bunch conspiracy nuts who bashed a cops head in a fire extinguisher while chanting “hang mike pence”, they had guns and bombs.
What a nonsense straw man argument buts that’s 99% of “alaska watchman”
Keep making them angry
They stay angry
They keep reading
I’m sure that’s a Christian thing to do
Joel Davidson and his fake Christian followers are merely white nationalists/QAnon conspiracy theorists masquerading as Christian Patriots. Hitler liked Christian Patriots too, they were the backbone of his support. Birds of a feather…..
The blm/antifa riots were organized by team Clinton/Obama to sow unrest for the purpose of influencing the election. BLM/antifa members are paid deadheads
I wonder how many pastors are in Anchorage, how many were shown the pastors’ statement and refused to sign it. Twelve pastors, phft!
Thankyou
very well written!
Apparently ,these so called pastors back Biden . How can they be a man of god and back a baby killer, which Biden most certainly is. Pro abortion pastors that hate thier country.
Excellent letter, Sara Jokela!
The 12 Anchorage pastors are of the false religious system, when in fact GOD put President Trump into office in the answer to the prayers of a Nation in 2016 led by Franklin Graham in a call according to his word II Chronicles 7:14 to turn and repent and as so he showed the United States using President Trump what he said in his word about healing the land. President Trump did exactly as he said he would expose the crimes and sins of the Washington politicians. But America fell right back into it’s sinful ways and these religious leaders stood silent in the pulpit about the sins the government pushed continually at President Trump with sodomy and abortion and all the evil these child traffickers and pedophiles were hiding that he was exposing where was your distain over GOD’s innocent you vipers? And now America has another pedophile in the nations capitol who has sold us out to the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah
Act 20:29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
Act 20:30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
Act 20:31 Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.
Another Prophecy fulfilled.