November 17, 1999
Texas Baptist Forum
What name?
___Overlooked in the Baptist General Convention of Texas' counter reaction to the 1998 Baptist Faith & Message amendment on the family is the proposed constitutionalamendment that would allow the BGCT to become a new Baptist national denomination.
E-mail the editor at marvknox@baptiststandard.com
___Disgruntled moderate churches from conservative states will be able to affiliate with the BGCT. Can't call the new convention "Southern Baptists," for that name's already taken. What shall it be called?
___ Steve Williams
___ Blossom
Right words
___The BGCT motion to reaffirm the 1963 Baptist Faith & Message is the right affirmation at the right time.
___The Southern Baptist Convention amended the original statement with an additional statement on the family last year. That addition is a narrow-minded statement that perpetuates the traditional power imbalance of men over women using the Bible to justify its end. It twists the tail of the Scriptures in its description of married life and demeans both men and women. We who pride ourselves on being "people of the book" have been embarrassed by the inherently unbiblical interpretation that the statement represents.
___It is hard to imagine the soul struggle of seminary professors who are forced to sign their allegiance to the new statement on the family even when they know it is not a true representation of the Bible's teachings. It is even more difficult to imagine the changes being considered for other areas of belief through a revision of the original document.
___The Baptist Faith & Message wasn't broke before, and it certainly doesn't need the clarification of meaning that the current leaders in the SBC are suggesting.
___Texas Baptists should be proud to reaffirm the 1963 Baptist Faith & Message in order to send a message of freedom to all sisters and brothers in other states who have no other voice.
___ Keith Herron
___ San Antonio
No big deal
___What's the big deal about wives submitting to their husbands? I cannot understand why any woman who professes to be a Christian should have any trouble with this. Since it is commanded by God, the discussion should end right there.
___No marriage can flourish with two "bosses"--both husband and wife.
___There have been times in our marriage when I made more than my husband, yet both paychecks went into one bank account and all bills were paid out of that account, yet all decisions worthy of discussion regarding purchases, vacations or whatever were ultimately decided on by my husband. Do I feel cheated? No! Do I feel I am an equal partner in our marriage? Yes! Do I feel blessed? Yes!
___Women who have trouble accepting this edict from God should bury their noses in their Bibles and their faces in their hands in prayer. If they feel their husbands abuse their (his) positions, then they should redouble their efforts in prayer.
___That old saying, "Prayer changes things," has not and will not go out of style.
___ P.A. Almquist
___ Marshall
Rejection illustrated
___The responses of Al Mohler and Richard Land to the BGCT action affirming the 1963 Baptist Faith & Message typify why Texas Baptists reject SBC leadership.
___They stated Texas Baptists have no argument with them, but with the Apostle Paul. Mohler stated it "is an intentional rejection of a clear teaching of the Bible."
___Not so! It is a rejection of "their interpretation" of Paul and the Bible. Mohler and Land elevate the Baptist Faith & Message to the authority level of the Bible. Clearly, Texas Baptists believe the Bible is our sole guide in all matters of faith and practice--not someone's man-made, allegedly non-binding interpretation of what they think Scripture says.
___Article 18 is a flawed interpretation of Paul's teachings. The emphasis is on a woman's gracious submission to her husband under any and all circumstances. When Mrs. Paige Patterson was asked if she would submit to her husband even when he was clearly wrong, she responded yes and then she said he would answer to Jesus. This is a flawed interpretation of Scripture.
___I am waiting for SBC leaders to take Paul literally concerning women covering their heads and remaining silent in worship, refraining from wearing jewelry, not having authority over men, wearing expensive clothes and cutting their hair. Until then, I reject Article 18 as a man-made, non-binding amendment. I also reject the 1925 and 1963 confessions if anyone thinks I must adhere to every sentence and word.
___ Bob Campbell
___ Houston
Wages of sin
___Now that the messengers to the BGCT in El Paso have revised the portion of the Bible that relates to the woman's responsibilities in a marriage, would you now please also consider revising the part about the wages of sin?
___Most messengers would consider death to be an excessive punishment for such small sins as lying, covetous thoughts and alternative lifestyles. This small revision could be very helpful in showing the world a denomination that was really loving and less intolerant than most of the others.
___ Bill Shipman
___ Hamilton
Wife's protection
___Referring to recent action taken by the Texas Baptist convention, my experience after living, working and raising five children with a fine Christian man for almost 50 years is that God's rules about a wife submitting to her husband are for her protection rather than her domination.
___ Mrs. George S. Lozuk
___ Corpus Christi
Family structure
___The difference between the dictates of the SBC and the actions of Texas Baptists is family structure. The SBC promotes a hierarchical structure. Texas Baptists promote a partnership structure, side-by-side.
___The SBC corporate family structure has the husband, and God, at the top. When the husband speaks, God also speaks. Wife and children must obey the husband/father. In doing so, they are also obeying God.
___This structure is ideally designed for an insecure male who cannot be challenged. This structure goes hand-in-hand with the SBC's condemnation of females being senior pastors of churches that have exercised their historical autonomy.
___Texas Baptists say family decisions are made out of a partnership, based on Ephesians 5:21, "And be subject to one another in the fear of Christ," and Galatians 3:28, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."
___ Bill Simpson
___ San Antonio
Whole text
___It seems the "moderates" believe more of the Bible than the "fundamentalists." While the fundamentalists were proof-texting to formulate the family amendment to the Baptist Faith & Message, the moderates have taken the whole text into consideration.
___The reference is to Ephesians 5:21 and following. In 5:21, the Apostle Paul calls for mutual submission of husband to wife and wife to husband. Then in the following verses, he explains what it means: The wife is subject to the husband as the church is to Christ, and the husband gives sacrificial love to the wife. It does not mention anything about "servant leadership." It sounds like the new amendment may need some help from people like Herschel Hobbs!
___ Ed Spivey
___ Allen
Love one another
___What is the second-greatest commandment in the Bible? To love one another.
___There is some type of power struggle between the BGCT and the SBC. When both organizations make their friction and disagreements known to the world, it causes all Baptists and the Christian faith damage.
___As a Christian, I work in the world and hear the smart remarks and verbal abuse due to someone's lack of wisdom.
___You can be right as rain and still be wrong. If you're right about a fundamental belief and cause a thousand to stumble, do you think it would be worth it?
___I know we are not all going to agree on everything, and this is fine. But please do not publicly argue with one another and attempt to discredit one another. This destroys God's kingdom.
___Just for the record, I have got a copy of the revised Baptist Faith & Message. Neither myself nor my wife has a problem with the submission statement. It appears someone is taking this one statement out of context. The entire section needs to be read.
___ Greg Holloway
___ Belton
Right direction
___I am a retired Southern Baptist minister living in Florida. I read about theBaptist General Convention of Texas annual session on the Internet and agree with the actions taken by the convention.
___The BGCT is moving in the right direction. Keep it up.
___Thomas E. Forte
___Seffner, Fla.
Love one another
___I have thoroughly enjoyed your (online) coverage of the annual meeting of the Baptist
___I totally agree with Clyde Glazener's position that the time has come for conservatives, moderates and fundamentalists to stop the in-fighting and concentrate on preparing the world for Christ's return.
___Pattie Parker-MacGregor
___Phoenix, Ariz.
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