This objection makes three glaring mistakes.
1) Authority
It is nothing less than a solid step back toward Rome to cast this or any question in terms of authority, when in fact all should be weighed in terms of truth.
No authority exists except that which is given and delegated by God Himself. Someone in gov’tal authority may tell you that freedom is slavery and war is peace. Your pastor may tell you that you can be justified in the sight of God partly by works. John the Baptist rebuked the king of Judea for his immorality, though the king was in authority. The apostle Paul rebuked the apostle Peter for flirting with the Judaising heresy in Galatians 2, going even so far as to say “I opposed him to his face, for he was clearly in the wrong.”
The Lord Jesus, in Matthew 23, instructed His disciples to listen to the Pharisees and observe what they taught because they taught the truth, from the Old Testament. Yet He rebuked the Pharisees and corrected them, and told them they were headed for Hell if they did not repent.
Let those who wish to be regarded as above criticism demonstrate from the Scripture which people should not be appealed to or even rebuked if they are in sin, and how we can know who they are.
The humblest saint, though he stand alone with none but God in expressing divine truth, is in the right, no matter how many well-known, well-thought-of, well-heeled, well-dressed, and well-paid pastors should reprimand, wag their finger at, or even excommunicate him. Pastors have authority insofar as they teach the Word of God correctly. If they do not teach it, they have no authority, whereas the saint who does know and express the teachings of the Word of God, when he speaks, is actually the one with authority, since he is repeating what God said.
2) Threaten
Even if the Church Repent project consisted of issuing an ultimatum to a given church to get on board with abolition, and in case of refusal, arriving unannounced on Sunday morning with baby carnage signs (which, by the way, is the prevailing idea that many seem to be working with, though we have repeatedly denied it), how would this be a “threat”?
This criticism trades in hyperbole, and is not to be taken seriously. We bring exhortation, admonition, and a warning. Our warning is this: The Lord has recorded for us many times in history when His covenant people have ignored gross sin going on in their midst, and He has brought judgment upon them. He has removed lampstands. He has sent whole peoples into exile.
We don’t want Jesus to judge these churches. We want them to wake up and be the church. This criticism forgets Hebrews 12:11 and the benefits of the Lord’s discipline. It is a good thing to be awakened from slumber unto righteous deeds.
If we are accused of “threatening” to bless a church body, we plead guilty.
3) Pro-life work
We are not asking churches to become quote-unquote “more involved” in quote-unquote “pro-life work”. We are calling Christians to act Christian, and to be abolitionists. Whether they take the name abolitionist, use the symbol, etc, we don’t care. Christians should realise that the evil of our age is growing and proceeding, and we’re busy arguing about alcohol, preaching sermon series about summer blockbuster movies, and paying for helicopters to drop 50,000 candy eggs on Easter Sunday.
See, it’s not just that these things are silly, or that we disagree with them and we have this anger or superiority complex that makes us feel the need to lash out at people who are doing good, just different good. No, in far too many cases and ways to count, the professed church is wasting time and money and ignoring their neighbors for the sake of worthless and self-indulgent programs. Check out alittleleaven.com if you have not seen plenty of that with your own eyes.