May 26, 1999

Texas Baptist Forum
Calvin & '-isms'
___The Calvinism debate we are seeing in letters to the editor and among our some of our Baptist leaders reminds me of 1 Corinthians 1. The church was dividing itself over loyalty to men who could not bring redemption. How is Calvinism or any other "-ism" any different? The Apostle Paul said, "I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified." Jesus said that if he is lifted up, he draws all men unto him.
___It is dangerous to come to the Scriptures with any preconceived system for

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interpretation, because the preconception can prejudice our reading of the Scripture. Calvin, as well as other great preachers and theologians who have followed him, gives us significant insights into understanding God's word. But if we start with a mindset that is more dedicated to a system of interpretation than it is to letting God reveal himself through Scripture, we will be vulnerable to proof-text.
___Perhaps we are too lazy to study the Bible like Calvin did. Or maybe we are too dedicated to men to be still and let God speak. Instead of championing an "-ism," let us use the word like every truly great scholar who would "stand alone on the word of God--the B-I-B-L-E."
___ Larry L. Maddox
___ Itasca

Enough of Calvin
___I don't mean to rain on the parades of all of the armchair theologians out there, but the debate on Calvinism needs to stop immediately.
___The single most meaningful tenet of the Southern Baptist Church and, really, the core of all Christianity is the absolute simplicity of the gospel as Christ himself proclaimed it--anyone who believes in Christ shall not die but have eternal life (John 11:25). God's only Son died that we might have eternal salvation and redemption from sin if we make that leap of faith and invite him into our hearts.
___Despite Christ's straightforward teachings, theologians still tend to become preoccupied with the things that matter the least--even arguing in times past about ludicrous issues such as how many angels can fit onto the head of a pin. At Island Baptist Church, where I am now a member, there is no spin put on what Christ said by church leaders, and that is, of course, how it should be.
___To be perfectly honest, I know about as little of Calvinism as I do Shintoism, and while its adherents proclaim that the doctrines put forth by John Calvin enrich our faith, the negative attitudes displayed by these adherents in their letters to the Texas Baptist Forum of the Baptist Standard seem to indicate otherwise.
___ Ben Christensen
___ Port Isabel

Work together
___What is going on with the spirit of cooperation in Texas?
___Why can'tBaptists work together? I am afraid our few small differences in biblical interpretation are driving us apart. If we don't change our attitude about what is best for the kingdom of God, we will end up with a convention for every possible theological difference.
___Our theological differences should not get in the way of our spirit of cooperation. Baptists will always have differences of interpretations. We will, if we still believe in the priesthood of the believer. The biblical idea of the priesthood of the believer is a foundational concept among Baptists. We should be mature enough to agree to disagree about interpretations but still love one another as brothers and sisters in Christ.
___Are we becoming a people who will not work together if we don't absolutely agree on everything? When we choose not to work together and befriend our Christian brethren, we show everyone our spiritual immaturity. The world sees this. Jesus said the world would know that we are his disciples by our love for one another--not for our theological unity.
___Does the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention have this concept? I don't see it. They state on their website, "Whether a church ever affiliates with the SBTC, if they share a theological agreement and missiological activity, they are our friends!" Can the SBTC be "friends" with those who don't share their theological agreement?
___Our differences shouldn't divide us, but they do.
___ Kenneth Van Horn
___ Daingerfield

Baptist roots
___George Sassano complained about the church that ordained women deacons (May 12). I wonder if he has been a Baptist very long. You know--priesthood of the believer, autonomy of the local church, etc. Other denominations allow the higher ups to determine and enforce policy, but we don't. Baptists are not all identical, and neither are their churches. One almost universal trait, however, is they don't like being told by outsiders how to run their church.
___As to the role of women, there have been monumental improvements since Old Testament times. Many of the Old Testament heroes had wives and concubines. I wonder if Sassano is ready to tell the Mrs. that after a close reading of the Bible he is ready to take a concubine?
___Seriously now, when the Bible said a deacon should be a man, the husband of one wife, blameless, etc., women had no legal standing, and "man" was used to refer to all mankind. After all, Jesus, who had a mother and no earthly father, called himself "the Son of Man." We need to read the Bible with an open mind, looking for the spirit, not the letter, of the law.
___As for the need to be mended back together--we were only separated when one faction chose to replace church autonomy with tight control and "litmus tests." If we get back to our Baptist roots and look not for the mote in the other man's eye, we will have harmony.
___ Carroll Johnson
___ Douglassville

School vouchers
___I would like to respond to the letter on school vouchers by Chris Riley (May 12). The letter is taking a stand against school vouchers, since the witness of the Christian students, who would no longer attend public schools, would make the public schools a worse environment than at present.
___This is missing what could actually happen under the voucher system. Not only will Christian parents put their children in private schools, but also any parent wishing a good education for their children will move them to a private school. This is a wonderful opportunity for Christians, and particularly for Baptists. We need to immediately respond by starting hundreds of private schools where children can be given a good Christian education. By doing this, we not only provide the opportunity for our Christian students to get a good education, but the ability to witness can be greatly expanded, without the governmental restrictions imposed in the public schools.
___If we as Baptists take a strong stand for the voucher system and establish the schools so we are ready for the students to come, our opportunity to witness will be much greater, and we will see many non-Christians accepting Christ and attending our churches as a direct result of the schools.
___ Walt Rowe
___ Duncanville

Don't help Muslims
___In full consideration of God's love for all humans and our obligation to exercise his love in this world, it seems the front-page writeup relative to churches sponsoring transfer of Kosovars to this country (May 12) is unwise and perhaps contrary to the Baptist mission to spread the Christian gospel.
___Those Kosovars are all Muslims, and upon their arrival in this country would immediately join a Muslim congregation and in unison with all other Muslims work to stamp out Christianity.
___The Muslim population around the world is growing faster than any other religion. That tells me that eventually, if the trend is not reversed, they will replace Christianity as the leader in shaping our cultural thought in the future.
___That is contrary to God's will and certainly should not be presented to the Baptist people as a Christian thing to do.
___ Lloyd Mabry
___ Waco

Worship music
___The editorial on worship music (May 12) is neither sharp nor flat, but right on pitch.
___Setting aside our personal preferences for a higher good is often what church and kingdom work is all about. Unfortunately, your call to come together to find a win-win solution regarding worship music is too reasonable and requires too much maturity to work in many of our churches.
___Each of us should pray for a more selfless attitude so that Christ can be lifted up.
___ Jack Chelf Jr.
___ Orange

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