NOWMYTHS AND FACTS ABOUT THE PROMISE KEEPERS


 

MYTH: "It is not a political movement, it is a religious movement..." 

 FACT: The goal of the Promise Keepers (PK) is to take their message from the pulpit to the public sphere. PK Leader Raleigh Washington has been quoted as saying "There is no way this group can restrict itself when it comes to public policy. We are producing leaders in this organization. They will enter the political sphere."

Many of the well-financed leaders of the religious right publicly support the PK ministry, such as Jerry Falwell, Bill Bright of the Campus Crusade for Christ, and James Dobson of Focus on the Family. Bright and Dobson speak at PK conferences and contribute articles to the group's books and magazine.

James Dobson, whose Focus on the Family organization is one of the largest religious right entities in the country, bankrolled PK in its early days. He has also lent a substantial number of staff to the Promise Keepers. PK had a 1996 budget of $115 million, which is expected to double by 1998. 

MYTH: "The Promise Keepers are good for women"

 FACT: As feminists, we have long urged men to take responsibility in the home, as the Promise Keepers claim to do. However, when they say "taking responsibility" they mean taking control. Promise Keepers openly call for wives to "submit" to their husbands. 

Promise Keepers do not encourage a relationship of equals in a marriage. Rather, they call for men to "take" their role as the leader in the family. Promise Keeper Tony Evans stated "I am not suggesting that you ask for your role back, I am urging you to take it back. There can be no compromise here."

A young woman at a recent "Chosen Women" Rally, a female counterpart to the all-male Promise Keepers, stated "Our job is to submit to our teachers and our Professors...even if we know they are wrong. It is then in God's hands." PK expects women to submit not only in our homes but also in the secular world of the classroom and workplace.

MYTH: "PK promotes love---not hate"

 FACT: Founder Bill McCartney was instrumental in passing Colorado's anti-lesbian and gay Amendment 2, which was so extreme that it was later ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. He has referred to homosexuality as "an abomination of Almighty God". McCartney has also been a featured speaker at rallies of Operation Rescue.

MYTH: "PK advocates an end to racism"

 FACT: While the Promise Keepers claim to want to end racism, they are only giving lip service. They are not working to end the institutional racism in society today, but are working on programs of "racial reconciliation" through personal relationships. 

Wellington Boone, a frequent PK rally speaker and member of the editorial board for the original PK journal, states that "the black community must stop criticizing Uncle Tom and in fact should hold him up as a role model."

MYTH:"PK is a grassroots movement founded in the community" 

 FACT: The Promise Keepers, Inc. boasts an annual budget in excess of $115 million in 1996 and a permanent staff of more than 400; they expect to double both by 1998. They are growing by leaps and bounds. With the money they have and the momentum they are building, they are positioning themselves to be a powerhouse in the political arena. In the early days of the Promise Keepers, they were loaned staff members from James Dobson's Focus on the Family Organization-- a group that thinks the Republican Party is too moderate.

MYTH: "PK is building our community through volunteer service" 

 FACT: Promise Keepers rally participants are urged to spend a pre-rally day providing service to rebuild communities. While we welcome the service, most of the people they help would not want to pay the high price PK is asking-- submission, racism and homophobia.

MYTH: "PK is creating Men of Integrity" 

 FACT: The PK is modeling some unbelievable double-talk. Honor your wife, but be sure you're the head of the household. Seek racial "reconciliation" with hugs and tears among the biblically correct but ignore racial injustice when it comes to housing, education, jobs. Then march on Washington, but claim it is not a political action.

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