Promise Keepers Head Stepping Down

[Khephra]

By Associated Press

September 9, 2003, 4:55 PM EDT


DENVER -- Bill McCartney announced Tuesday that he is resigning as president of Promise Keepers, the evangelical Christian men's organization he founded 13 years ago.

McCartney, a former University of Colorado football coach, said he would step down Oct. 1 to care for his ailing wife and to spend more time with his family.

more..................

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-promise-keepers-mccartney,0,2651749.story?coll=sns-ap-nation-headlines

[bleedingheart]

1. its sad to hear that his wife is ailing

but its good to know that he is spending time with her...he is at least living what he preaches..

However that said the promise keepers that i have met personally have really creeped me out..I don't want my husband to put me on a pedestal...I want him to be my partner...my equal.

[SharonAnn]

12. The Promise Keepers "take back" the "head of Household" role

and provide "leadership" for the family.

How nice! Just another patriarchal excuse for wielding power.

[leesa]

15. That pedestal role seems to involve a lot of dishwashing and cleaning!

[oustemnow]

17. his wife (if it's the same one) was seriously ailing

when he started the Promise Keepers too; an eating disorder, I believe. Didn't stop him then, so I seriously doubt his sincerity now. I'm betting that, in a couple of weeks, some embarrassing information about McCartney will surface, revealing his true motivation.

[lulu]

22. Jesse Jackson, Jr wrote an excellent piece

about the Promise Keepers:

PROMISE KEEPERS -- WATCH AS WELL AS PRAY
By Congressman Jesse L. Jackson, Jr.
October 13, 1997
Washington, DC

Recently, hundreds of thousands of religious American males were on display at the Promise Keepers "Stand In The Gap" rally in the nation's capitol. What could possibly be wrong with men bonding, praying and pledging to be better Christians, with the goal of becoming better and more responsible husbands and fathers, and active in their local church? Nothing that I can see.
There is certainly nothing wrong with men exercising their First Amendment rights to peaceably assemble and to enjoy the freedoms of speech and religion. There is absolutely nothing wrong with acknowledging that we have done wrong, we recognize our weaknesses, confess our sins before God and the public and vow, with God's help, to change our ways, to do better and to be better men in the future. The genuineness and validity of the religious experience for any of the participants, and any long-range good that comes from it, must be affirmed and respected.

There is nothing wrong with any of that, if thats all there is to it.
However, there seemed to be more to it than that. For one thing, there seemed to be poor, if not false, religious teaching going on from respected, educated and knowledgeable religious leaders. They engaged in religious teaching that used biblical texts out of their historical and cultural contexts, which may suggest a pretext for something more.

But, theologically and biblically, thats exactly who the Promise Keepers leaders represent. They are the fundamentalist and conservative theologians and biblical interpreters who take texts literally, out of context, with the pretext of preaching and teaching an inerrant, infallible, unadulterated, pure and personal (only) Gospel. They ignore the social Gospel. Historically, thats who these men are!



There's much more. You can find the rest at www.jessejacksonjr.org. Just do a search for "Promise Keepers," and the article pops right up.

[maxanne]

2. I'm sorry his wife is ill

I was hoping there was an unsavory sex scandal forcing his resignation.

[joeybee12]

3. I too, am sorry his wife is ill...

...but Bill McCartney is a huge hypocrite. Perhaps this will teach him some humility. Unlikely.

[Hawkeye-X]

4. About time.

This fundy has been a disgrace to Colorado.

And the Promise Keeper convention is right here in Denver at the Pepsi Center on the 24th and the 25th.

I want the PK schmucks demanding their refunds now.

Hawkeye-X

[demdave]

5. Waiting for the vile hatred to start up.

I didn't take long on the thread of the Senator's son's suicide. I sincerely hope the outside world doesn't get too good of a view of some that lurk in our ranks.

I think this man is honoring the relationship he has for his wife with this move. It sort of confirms what he preaches.

[roughsatori]

6. Reap what you sow: Promise Keepers spread hatred

He is getting back what he has given: hatred. I am not saying I approve of hatred just that I have seen people spread hatred and it is a fact--that is what they get back. I have family members who are Promise Keepers, I have read their pamphlets and articles, vile.

[NWHarkness]

13. That's one way to look at it

Or you could see it as him protecting his property.

[CheshireCat]

7. I wonder

if this man is like the only "promise keeper" I have ever known, the step-father of Susan Smith(the woman who drowned her 2 boys)? If you remember the case, her step-father had been molesting her since she was about 15 years old. He was also head of the local Christian Coalition.

Maybe Bill McCartney is different. I'm sorry about his wife.

[CO Liberal]

8. Maybe Not

Bill McCartney is an adulterous, alcoholic wife-beater. He has admitted this in many interviews over the years....

[oustemnow]

18. His name was Bev Russell, wasn't it?

If I recall, he was a big GOP booster.

[CheshireCat]

21. You got that right!

And he acted as though he was "God's Chosen one".

[Robin Hood]

9. Why do promise keepers need this organization in the first place?

Why do you need to go to a group meeting just to keep your commitments to your responsibilities? I especially thought that the religious people didn't need that.

i'm not a Christian and I don't need to make a promise to love my wife and care for my children, that is just a given reality of love, not some promise you make.

ludicrous.

On Edit: A promise keeper here in Oregon, last year killed his whole family before fleeing to Mexico where he was caught hanging out on the beach picking up chicks. Nice, huh?

[peterh]

10. A lot of people need the crutch just to get through their daily routine…

A lot of people join organizations just to feel a part of something…some because they feel it’s worthwhile, others, because they lack self esteem in the work place and hope to gain it by joining something. Still others, while not truly caring about the purpose, see it as a way to gain power by trying to quickly rise within. And still others……

[koopie57]

14. I have not been able to understand that neither ....

and as busy as everyone is (the promise keepers I know are at a church function sometimes as often as 5 times a week) I think that it would make more sense to take the money they spend on that and do something with the family and kids. It seems like a selfish thing to me....to say you were there and all this while your wife was at home taking care of everything. It doesn't add up for me.

[Robin Hood]

20. At the bar spending money or at the church spending money.

What's the difference? At least the bar gives you a buzz.

[UpInArms]

11. this Moon loving organization should be disbanded and cast

into the winds.

see:

http://www.atheists.org/flash.line/bush8.htm

excerpt:

Rev. Jack Hayford praised the Moon-sponsored banquet as symbolic of a new era of interreligious and interracial cooperation. Hayford is a leading figure in the "Vineyard" evangelical and "Latter Rain" movements which critics say involve cult-like control over religious followers known as "shepherding" and "discipleship." Hayford is considered one of the theological influences within the Promise Keepers movement, and encouraged former university football coach Bill McCartney to form the controversial men's revival group.

[bmbmd]

16. I admire PK's and much of what they have done

for many of my friends. I, however, will not become a member until Coach McCartney admits that his mythical national championship at Colorado was a fake and a fraud and was gained, much like the Bush presidency, due to an error in counting. As you may recall, Colorado was stopped at the two yard line on a fourth and goal by the Missouri Tigers with only seconds left to play. The officials, however, had lost count of the down count and awarded Colorado a fifth down. Quarterback Sol Aunessie (the father of Coach Mac's grandson) led the Buffs to a touchdown on fifth down, sealing the "victory" for CU and propelling them into an undefeated season. Within two years, the young quarterback was stricken with stomach cancer and died. Coach Mac resigned his post and founded Promise Keepers. His celebrity is largely due to his status as coach of a "national champion" football squad. As petty as it may seem, that has always been a stumbling block in the PK mission.

[Hawkeye-X]

19. Exsqueeze me?

I remember the 1990 national championship quite fondly. Sal Aunese is his name, and the 1990 national championship is appropriately dedicated to his memory - he passed away at a very young age of cancer. I don't think that the fifth down exists, because I also remember that game and I've replayed it a thousand of times, and I count only FOUR downs, not fifth, and if the refs made an error, too bad.

I agree that Coach Mac should have quit PK years ago, but he was a fundy himself and should be tossed out. Also, his replacement was also fired this year at Washington for illegal gambling, a grievous violation of NCAA rules, and now we have a very nice coach - Gary Barnett who previously coached Northwestern.

Hawkeye-X

[bmbmd]

23. No less an entity than the Chrisian Science Monitor

http://search.csmonitor.com/durable/1998/11/13/p58s1.htm

would disagree with you. I myself, as I watched the game, was leaping from the chair and shouting about the mix-up. I think that Coach Mac's inability to see the truth is mirrored in the passionate disbelief of the recount results in Florida. To these people, winning is everything and any hiccup in counting, whether downs or votes, is construed as the will of God.

[Bozita]

24. I too remember the 5 downs. I watched it live.

It stayed in the news for some time.

[CO Liberal]

25. There Is Nothing There to Admire

Promise Keepers is a worthless organization, and its members were taken by a world-class con man who was financially backed by one of America's biggest assholes, James Dobson.