Promise Keepers

Promise Keepers Basics:

Promise Keepers is a right-wing fundamentalist organization of Christian men, known for its rallies held in stadiums which have attracted thousands of men over the last few years. Most people seem to view PK as an innocuous "fluff group." They may feel differently when its leaders begin to seek public office, which is their plan.

The organization gets its name from an initiation of an oath of seven promises:

A PK is committed to honoring Jesus Christ through worship, prayer, and obedience to God's Word in the power of the Holy Spirit.
A PK is committed to pursuing vital relationships with a few other men, understanding that he needs brothers to help him keep his promises.
A PK is committed to practicing spiritual, moral, ethical, and sexual purity.
A PK is committed to building strong marriages and families through love, protection, and Biblical values.
A PK is committed to supporting the mission of his church by honoring and praying for his pastor, and by actively giving of his time and resources.
A PK is committed to reaching beyond any racial or denominational barriers to demonstrate the power of Biblical unity.
A PK is committed to influencing his world, being obedient to the Great Commandment (Mark 12:30-31) and the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20).

"And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these."
(Mark 12:30-31)
"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen"
(Matthew 28:19-20).

Promise Keepers and the Right Wing:

According to their official website, (The main purpose of which appears to be the sale of merchandise, rather than clarifying PK beliefs.) Promise Keepers does not have a political agenda:

"Promise Keepers is politically neutral and is not politically motivated. PK has no candidates to endorse, no legislation to advance, and no partisan political agenda. The entire message of PK remains centered around the Seven Promises of a Promise Keeper."

Yet it is a fact that Promise Keepers are part of the Religious Right's movement. Promise Keepers founder McCartney, 57, as head football coach for the University of Colorado, had mandatory pre-game prayer, for which he was attacked by the ACLU.
In 1989 he caused a stink at the university when he addressed a pro-life rally. The college was pissed again in 1992 when McCartney supported Amendment 2, which barred gay-rights laws in Colorado.
At one P.K. conference, McCartney declared "What you are about to hear is God's word to the men of this nation. We are going to war as of tonight. We have divine power -- that is our weapon. We will not compromise. Wherever truth is at risk, in the schools or legislature, we are going to contend for it. We will win."

Promise Keepers does not attempt to hide its ties to the religious right.

Gary Bauer, head of the anti-abortion and anti-lesbian/gay Family Research Council, is a strong supporter.
Mark DeMoss is the Promise Keeper's National Spokesperson. The DeMoss family's foundation pours millions of dollars into religious right causes including anti-abortion advertisements.
Pat Buchanan endorsed PK because it was patriarchal.
Randall Terry, prominent figure in the extremist Operation Rescue.
Alan Keyes, republican wacko, attended the recent D.C. rally to applaud PK’s theocratic fanaticism.
James Dobson, a psychologist and Christian activist who produces a Christian daily radio program and is allied with the right-wing Family Research Council lobby in Washington. Dobson has given Promise Keepers enormous sums of money and publicity on his radio show, has spoken at a Promise Keepers rally in Boulder, Colo., and has written a chapter in the group's guidebook. Dobson's organization has also published Promise Keepers' books and materials.
Pat Robertson, head of the Christian Coalition, is a Promise Keepers supporter.

The group claims no official position on abortion, yet McCartney states "Abortion is a violation of the heart of God," "That's a human life. It's precious to God, created in his image, and potentially that life will carry the very Spirit of God." He has been a featured speaker at Operation Rescue events.

The official Promise Keeper News describes this as a time of "crisis" for the nation:
"The legal undermining of the sanctity of human life, from the preborn to the old and infirm, represents a rejection of America's two-century-old tenet that mankind is made in God's image and is a repudiation of morality as a factor in court decisions."

Promise Keepers and Women:

Promise Keepers seek to move beyond fundamentalist sexism to national fundamentalist control.
At a PK rally at Liberty University, Jerry Falwell said: "It appears that America's anti-Biblical feminist movement is at last dying, thank God, and it is possibly being replaced by a Christ-centered men's movement."

The group believes that secular humanism, and the popularity of "Goddess worship" has weakened the model of divine fatherhood. They are out to retake male responsibility-and leadership- the loss of which they claim to be the cause of poverty, illegitimacy, drug abuse, juvenile delinquency and disease.
McCartney says:
"Man must stand before God and give an account. Did you take spiritual leadership in your home?
You know what a woman is told [in the Bible]? Respect your husband. O.K.? The way she would do that is that she would come alongside him and let him take the lead..."

In a section of "Seven Promises," Tony Evans, a pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, says:
"Sit down with your wife and say something like this: 'Honey, I've made a terrible mistake. I've given you my role. I gave up leading this family, and I forced you to take my place. Now, I must reclaim that role' ...
I'm not suggesting you ask for your role back, I'm urging you take it back
... there can be no compromise here. If you're going to lead, you must lead."

According to PK, men are the natural leaders of women. They insist that men are better able to handle responsibility, and better at decision making, yet are not doing so.

Steve Chavice, founder of the "men's Christian movement" claimed that women around America actually agreed with male-domination. Of course, oppressed women would naturally agree, or say nothing, rather than risk getting beaten.

"You've seen the downward spiral of morality in this nation," said McCartney, "It can all be traced to an absence of Almighty God. Men of integrity -- promise keepers -- are what's going to turn this thing around." ( McCartney, admits that after founding the Promise Keepers, he was an alcoholic, cheated on his wife, and neglected his family until Mrs. McCartney was suicidal.)

The Promise Keepers view of women's rights is similar to that of Reverend Jerry Falwell, who said:
"I listen to the feminists and all these radical gals -- most of them are failures.... These women just need a man in the house. That's all they need... a man to tell them what time of day it is and to lead the home."

It would seem that the Promise Keepers have little patience for women who decide not to serve them. Several single women living in university housing complained that they were afraid to go outside during last year's conference in Boulder, while those who did were greeted with jeers, catcalls, and other drunken frat-boy behavior.
A female biker was surrounded by Promise Keepers, who prevented her from leaving the bike path while they harassed and insulted her.
Promise Keepers' leaders evidently understand that they can never reach their goal of male supremacist theocracy, unless they reverse the legal and social gains made by women.

Promise Keepers and Gays:

When Cincinnati pastor Lee Crossfield spoke of a plan to bring a million white male Christians to Washington to repent the sin of racism, he was asked if they planned to bring a million men to San Francisco next year to repent the sin of gay bashing. Crossfield's reply?
"Homosexuality is a sin."

In a poll conducted by The Washington Post, 94% of Promise Keepers opposed ever allowing same-sex couples to marry.
McCartney promotes Colorado for Family Values' Amendment 2:
"Homosexuality is an abomination of almighty God. Homosexuals, are a group of people that don't reproduce. Yet they want to be compared to groups that do reproduce."

(Personal note: I am not homosexual, yet I am a member of a group which does not reproduce. A group which feels that global issues threatening the planet and humanity are caused by over-population.)

"Them" Versus "Us" :

Promise Keepers backer Bill Bright (Campus Crusade for Christ) believes the United States must be restored as a "Christian nation." In his book The Coming Revival Bright insists that Christians must "become actively involved in restoring every facet of society, including government, to the biblical values of our Founding Fathers."
Bright would turn the nation over "to God from the top down, where our laws are made."

But wait- it gets weirder. Apparently, Bright and other Promise Keepers think they are key players in a bizarre apocalyptic scenario.
The Rev. James Ryle -- McCartney's personal pastor and a P.K. board member-- believes the group is the fulfillment of a biblical prophecy;
an army destined to destroy sinners and unbelievers in the times prior to the end of the world.

Promise Keepers leaders believe that the failure of fundamentalist men to take charge in the home, in the church and in society has led to abortion, homosexuality, crime, drugs and (get this-)natural disasters -- which they take to be warning signs of God’s displeasure!

Be sure to read:
Patricia Ireland's excellent article.