December 1, 1999
Texas Baptist Forum
Then get out
___Wow! What a shock! I just read through the Nov. 17 Baptist Standard, and I've never seen such a blatant piece of propaganda!
___Anti-Southern Baptist Convention, pro-Baptist General Convention of Texas? What is this? If the BGCT is no longer SBC, then get out!
___From a full-page editorial lambasting the SBC president for telling the truth, to a picture of Russell Dilday referring to those who disagree with him as "Satan," I was absolutely flabbergasted.
E-mail the editor at marvknox@baptiststandard.com
___I predict those who hold the Scripture inerrant and its principles binding (such as the husband being head of the wife as Christ is head of the church), will eventually side with their SBC national leaders, and the BGCT will fade into the landscape as the faithful abandon it!
___These are momentous days we are living in; there is little room left on the theological fence.
___ Miller McClure
___ Farmersville
Behold hypocrisy
___Again, I stand amazed!
___The great First Baptist Church of Dallas receives a report from a deacon committee taken from a questionable report circulated around Texas, which itself is in part a questionable report from Missouri. Being the good Christians they are, FBC does not ask any leaders named in the report to respond but instead libels and slanders the Baptist General Convention of Texas fellowship of churches and their pastors, elected BGCT leadership and some Executive Board staff.
___Apparently, the recent actions and affiliations of the BGCT are so heinous, grievous and despicable to God-fearing believers that the good people of First Baptist Church rise up and put the BGCT on retainer with $24,000 (which is a generous increase from last year, when we were not heinous, grievous and despicable) and righteously rush out to affiliate with Southern Baptists of Texas. The Southern Baptists of Texas--the only Baptist group in Texas that really believes all the Bible but has no problem in bearing false witness against its neighbors or when together in convention finds it difficult to pray for their enemies, which are enemies of their own creation.
___Let the headlines say, "Today, the great First Baptist Church of Dallas has one foot in the contaminated, liberal, heretical BGCT and one foot with those who have all the truth and all the light."
___Behold the hypocrisy of fundamentalism!
___ Michael R. Chancellor
___ Abilene
Spinning wheels
___It is a mystery why the Religious Right fell in with Ronald Reagan. A man that was far from being a born-again Christian, he seldom if ever attended church services and by his own children's admissions had what could best be described as a dysfunctional family. Instead of consulting his Bible daily, he consulted Nancy's astrologer.
___With Reagan, the Religious Right also allied with the wrong party in power in Washington. While chastising President Clinton for his sinful ways, it was revealed that the flag bearers of the Religious Right, Henry Hyde, Newt Gingrich and Bob Livingston, had been carrying on the same types of affairs, not for months but for years. The movement simply got smeared with the same mud covering those they supported.
___While Jimmy Carter had some problems, his Christian beliefs are still being supported by his actions. He is still teaching Sunday School and has done more to foster world peace since leaving office than any modern-day ex-president. His work supporting international voting rights and Habitat for Humanity continues to demonstrate his Christian beliefs.
___The voting public will elect few people into office on "single agenda" platforms. Therein lies the problem of those in power in organizations such as the Christian Coalition. They seem to zero in on a couple of their main interests and spin their wheels right down into the mud while losing their supporters along the way.
___ Charles Floyd
___ Boxelder
Provable faith
___Yes, we need thinking Christians, as Tom Edwards suggests (Nov. 10). But to say that our faith in Jesus is "provable" is misleading, I believe.
___I have studied theology, philosophy, logic, history and religious literature, and so I am one who believes that reason plays a vital role in the Christian life. But we call our faith "faith" because it is just that. It is not provable, and we can never hope to win anyone to Christ through logic and reasoning.
___Let us use logic and apologetics to defend our faith against those who attack it, and then concentrate instead on Paul's "big three"--faith, hope and love. Those are the virtues that will make a difference in today's world.
___Also, the disgusting schism that exists in Southern Baptistdom will only be healed by love. If anything, it is our literalist, rationalist over-analyzation of Scripture that has caused this pointless rift.
___The truly wise women and men of history have consistently shown us that love is the only real solution to the world's ills.
___So let us not argue; let us love.
___ James Moore
___ Houston
Look after others
___A letter writer refers to Morris Dees as "liberal, left-leaning" and says Dees "is so controversial that he must employ a large number of armed guards for protection at all times" (Nov. 3).
___The writer doesn't state why he thinks Dees is "liberal" and "left-leaning." To the best of my knowledge, Dees has done more to bring down the KKK than any other individual. He has been in the news many times taking sides with minorities.
___Wouldn't it be great if we had some Baptists who were "controversial" enough in the matter of looking out for other people that we would be afraid for our lives? Instead, some Baptists are aligned with those who have done the persecuting.
___We hear a lot about "Christians" being persecuted today. Most of the persecution is coming from folks who proclaim their "Christianity" the loudest.
___ Carl L. Hess
___ Ozark, Ala.
Fearless preaching
___As proclaimers of truth, pastors need to fearlessly preach the word. Men who are called of God need to be world changers!
___World changers do not preach what is popular or proper; they preach with power and passion. They preach justification and judgment, faith and fear, love and loyalty, heaven and hell!
___The Apostle Paul wrote that the gospel he preached was not according to man; he did not receive it from man nor was he taught by man, but he received it from God (Galatians 1:11-12).
___We need preachers with conviction. We need men who will look the devil in the eye while they preach and look men in the eye after they preach.
___We do not need any more mama-called, daddy-sent preachers, nor their ear-tickling, back-scratching, soft-soaking, namby-pamby, weak-kneed or snap-crackle-and-pop sermons.
___We need preachers who will preach with passion, power and purpose. If proclamation is not the preacher's priority, is inerrancy really that important? Preacher, preach--and as you do, preach the whole counsel of God (Acts 20). We must preach and teach what the Scripture says regarding sexual sin, the tongue, the family, stewardship, Spirit-filled living, ordination of women, pastor's responsibility, body responsibility, worship and prayer. We need world changers!
___We do not need story-telling, nursery-rhyme preaching. We need bold proclamation. Where are the Elijahs of today?
___If you are called to preach, be a world changer. If not, try used cars or insurance. You will have greater success.
___ Ed Ethridge
___ Carrollton
Ashamed Texan
___After spending the last 18 years in California, I recently moved my family back to Texas to begin attending Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. My wife and I were both born and raised in Texas, and we were married here not quite 20 years ago.
___I was absolutely overwhelmed to find out what has happened to Southern Baptists in Texas. I was not prepared for the liberalism that greeted me, and now, after the Baptist General Convention of Texas vote in El Paso, for the first time in my life I am ashamed to be a Texan.
___I cannot believe California is more conservative than Texas.
___ David Peugh
___ Fort Worth
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