Don Wildmon

AFA/AFR founder

September 2000 – He would not be welcomed in the majority of our churches today. In fact, he would be explicitly told he would have to leave.

He would be welcomed even less in society. The media would have a field day with him. They would rip him to shreds.

You see, he brought trouble wherever he went. From time to time he was welcomed, but once the authorities learned who he was, efforts began to either take his life or run him out of town.

He was educated in the best schools of his day. He learned the law well.

He certainly had some negative comments about homosexuality and those who practiced it. And he presented his message in a manner considered most unacceptable by the religious leaders.

Much of what he said would today be classified as “hate speech.”

He was very narrow-minded and exclusive. He gave his teaching on what was and was not acceptable in matters of theology, and those who disagreed were told they were wrong. He was very uncompromising.

He changed from being a fiery liberal to being what many today would call a rightwing fundamentalist. He was a preacher, and his preaching usually ended in a riot or a revival. As long as he embraced the liberal perspective, he was a leader in the liberal ranks. But once he “saw the light,” he was treated as a traitor by the liberals.

He wasn’t much on diversity, but he did try to adjust to different special interest groups in order to win them to his way.

He even mixed religion and politics. When the religious leaders attempted to convict him on some theological points, he appealed to the secular courts.

He let his religious convictions determine everything about his life – what he ate, what he wore, with whom he associated, where he traveled.

Many of the liberal elite considered him a fanatic and thought the world would be better off without him. Some of them even went so far as to attempt to take his life. A few times they were almost successful.

No doubt about it. We wouldn’t want him in our church. He would cause too much trouble.

His name was Saul. But his faith meant so much to him that he changed it to Paul.

He was an apostle.