Operation Save America - Wichita

“Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength, because of Your enemies, that You may silence the enemy and the avenger.”   -Psalm 8:2 (NKJV)

Brief History of OSA’S Dealings With Troy Newman

In February 2001, Troy Newman was invited to attend Operation Rescue’s national leadership meeting at Pastor Keith Tucci’s home in Ligonier, Pennsylvania.  It was his first meeting with all the national leaders.  Troy made it known at that time that he wanted to start a relationship with Operation Rescue and begin to work with us in the cause of Christ in the Pro-life ministry.  We were hopeful!

Our first official serving together was the Summer of Mercy Renewal in Wichita, Kansas, July 2001.

Troy served well and proved a faithful laborer in the work.

It appeared that the Lord had healed the breach between Operation Rescue California and Operation Rescue and was knitting our hearts together to strengthen the movement in America.

During the national event in Wichita this past summer, some local pastors requested that that we bring a national leader to help continue the work in their city.

This very thing we were happy to do.  Bob and Bonnie Behn, Mike Warren, Jerry Crawford, Rusty Thomas, and Flip Benham all came at different times to strengthen the movement in Wichita.  We were all very graciously received by the saints in Wichita.

By fall of 2001, the movement in Wichita was up and running, the local leadership established, the pastoral team was in place, and the request for a national leader ceased. 

Shortly after this, Troy Newman and Ken Reed flew into Dallas to meet with Rusty and Flip.  He believed that he and Ken were being called to Wichita and asked permission to go with Operation Rescue’s blessing.  At this juncture, Rusty asked Troy if he would submit to Flip’s leadership. Troy took some time, contemplating the implications, and finally answered in the affirmative.

It is important to note that, at no time, did Troy mention to the leadership of Operation Rescue that his submission to OR would be dependent upon what his board and a “multitude of other counselors” would say. 

Flip had several checks in his spirit about Troy’s coming to Wichita and often asked if he would be willing to come to Dallas instead.

In January 2002, Troy and his family moved from California to Wichita with Operation Rescue’s covering and blessing.  Upon his arrival, it became apparent that Troy did not feel that he was received in a manner he thought proper.

Troy perceived that Operation Rescue and OSA Wichita had theological differences concerning the doctrine of bloodguilt.  We asked him to be patient with the local group.  It had taken us six years to come to an understanding of bloodguilt.  Another area of concern for Troy was that he perceived the direction of the local group in Wichita differed from that of  Operation Rescue’s vision and mission.  It is important to note that there is great autonomy given to all local cities that look to Operation Rescue as a covering.  We are not a dictatorial Gestapo, demanding that everyone march in lock step with us.  Forcing the local group to act was not Troy’s charge!

With this in mind, it didn’t take long for Troy to feel slighted and offended.  The locals weren’t doing what he wanted them to do.

Both Flip and Rusty encouraged Troy to be patient with the local group, serve where he could, and trust that a man’s gift will eventually make room for him.

It was during this time that a few of the disgruntled saints in Wichita began to take up Troy’s offense.  It is important to note that there had been some undercurrent of opposition and resistance to the local leadership of OSA in Wichita long before Troy arrived.  Rusty and Flip had to deal with it months before the summer event began.  Consequently, the disgruntled saints began to articulate what Troy was thinking. 

Instead of silencing the complaints and murmurings and bringing the offended parties back into proper submission with the local leadership, Troy gave a willing ear.  This brought about a very volatile situation.  He chose to be silent himself and allow the rumor mill and the gossip machine to grind out its evil fruit.

Within two months of Troy’s arrival, the work was divided, the lambs were tearing at each other, and the murderous spirit of abortion was now manifesting itself amongst confessing Christians. 

Upon hearing of this grievous turn of events, Flip went to Wichita to request that Troy, in light of this terrible debacle, should leave.  Flip, Rusty, Keith Tucci, and Operation Rescue were prepared to help Troy in any way possible to facilitate the move.  Troy was invited to come to Dallas, TX to help Flip prepare for the national event.  He was invited to Waco, TX to spend time with Rusty Thomas.  He was invited to Ligonier, PA to spend time with Pastor Keith Tucci.

Troy refused all of the requests and then told the folks that Flip was kicking him out of Wichita.  This response helped fuel the flames that spread through the lambs in Wichita and to other cities in our nation.

It is important to note that if this was any other leader on Operation Rescue’s leadership team, and they were made fully aware of the devastation wrought by their coming to Wichita, they would have left.  Not so with Troy.

When asked about his supposed submission to the leadership of Operation Rescue, he then introduced his submission to “his board,” to Heartland Community Church, and to a multitude of counselors.

It became painfully obvious that Troy’s understanding of Biblical submission is expedience.  When it suits his purpose he will offer his submission.  When it doesn’t, he will find a replacement authority such as, a board, a church, or a multitude of counselors.  

He offered his submission to Operation Rescue to get to Wichita.  That accomplished, when asked to leave because of the terrible fruit that was produced at his coming, he conveniently switched coverings.  Yes, in order to get what he wanted (to stay in Wichita), no matter the cost to the lambs or God’s work in the city, he simply switched the entity to which he was submitted.  How convenient!

We at OSA believe Troy Newman to be in open rebellion to the leadership that he submitted himself to and that no self-transfer of submission can alleviate that sin.

We at Operation Rescue want to publicly state that we love our brother Troy and that “the wounds of a friend bring healing.”  There was never a plan to set him up, or to ruin his life by allowing him to come to Wichita.  Much of what has happened Troy, he has brought upon himself.  Troy does well at depicting how he has been done wrong, without the least thought of the lambs and the work that has been trashed in his wake.

The lambs in Wichita were being devoured and devouring one another.  The spirit of murder was alive and well, even among the saints.  The work itself was being devastated.  We had a responsibility before God to intervene and, as far as it was up to us, end this nightmare in Wichita.  We pray that Troy will reject the temptation to worldly sorrow that is concerned only with “me” and would embrace godly sorrow that leads to genuine repentance.

Flip’s recommendations to Pastor George and the Elders at Heartland Community Church.

Pastor George,

We recommend that Troy pull back from all pro-life ministry (local and national) for a period of one year.  That he focus on his relationship with his Lord, his wife, his children, his church, and his seminary studies.  Troy is a very adept and self-serving young man who needs to learn the rigors of bearing the yoke while he is young.  Someone needs to love him enough to keep him under the reigns of discipline.  Otherwise he will be a kite without a string – full of great potential for flight, but never achieving that potential because of an unwillingness to be attached to the string.  There are a lot of kites out there that think, if they could just cut the string, how high they could fly!  Never realizing that it is the string, the very thing they believe is holding them back from even greater heights, that makes flight possible!

Troy must learn to serve with a Genesis 50:20 type vision:  “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”  Often times we feel that those over us are using us spitefully, often times they are, but we can trust that God will take what men mean for our evil and work it for the good, to bring the salvation of many.