July 21, 1999
TEXAS BAPTIST FORUMBWA in Australia
___I wish to extend to our many friends in Texas a personal and sincere invitation to join us in Melbourne, Australia, for the 18th Baptist World Congress, Jan. 5-9, 2000.
___While many will come from the United States, it will disappoint us if the largest group does not come from our friends in Texas. On six occasions, my wife and I have visited Texas and have made many friends and benefited greatly from the exchange of ideas.
E-mail the editor at marvknox@flash.net
___Melbourne has outstanding facilities to cope with 10,000 delegates to the Congress. We are advised that Australia is well prepared for the year 2000.
___Please come and join us for times of great preaching, teaching, inspiration and fellowship. What a marvelous theme: "Jesus Christ Forever, Yes!"
___Come, celebrate the new millennium in Australia.
___ John Edmondstone
___ National President
___ Baptist Union of Australia
___ Sydney
Backyard missions
___My letter is in regard to the many trips and the thousands of dollars we spend as we fly and drive our youth across this nation--and often, the world--all in the name of missions.
___Is the motive of the leadership pure, desiring the "kids" to get involved, grow in grace and really sell out to Jesus? I believe so!
___However, if we go back to Scripture (Acts 1:8), where do we begin? Jerusalem! We must ask the question: Are our youth and youth leaders really given to doing missions in their own backyard?
___The inner cities of Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Corpus Christi, Fort Worth, Austin, El Paso and many others need a touch of the Master's love. I am not sure what Hugh Latimer, William Carey, David Brainard, William Borden, Jim Elliott or Gloria Sloan would think about some of our mission endeavors.
___If we are not doing missions in our own Jerusalem, how effective can we be in Samaria?
___ Ed Ethridge
___ Carrollton
Biblical amusement
___I have read with both concern and amusement about the new Bible translation planned by Broadman & Holman.
___Concern, because our convention has no business producing its own translation. When one denomination produces its own translation, it always indicates a hidden agenda, trying to control something and not having to pay royalties on the copyright for the use of another translation.
___Amusement, because everything this new translation pretends to do accurately describes the New International Version, now in common use. Especially amusing was the statement relating to the tradeoff between accuracy and readability, "We've eliminated the tradeoff."
___All modern translations have attempted to do this with varying degrees of success. The NIV has by far been the most successful. However, no translation can completely eliminate the problem.
___The article failed to mention the International Bible Society, translator of the NIV, is now working on a new translation, making an excellent translation even better. Let's leave Bible translations to the experts!?
___ Siegfried Enge
___ El Paso
Brother's keeper
___I take issue with Susan Pigott's Family Bible Series commentary, "Q: Am I my brother's keeper? A: Yes" (June 16).
___She has missed the whole point. She assumed God's answer to Cain's question was yes, even though God made no reply. If God had replied, he would have said something like: "No, that is precisely the problem. I never intended for you to be his keeper. All I expected was for you to be his brother."
___Perhaps this is the world's problem. We are so intent on being each others' keepers--individually and collectively, ethnically and nationally, even denominationally--that it gets us in trouble as brothers.
___ Bruce Coltharp
___ Brownwood
Women deacons
___I am writing in response to Latitia Blackwell's letter (June 2) regarding women as deacons. This is the decision of local churches, but do not our churches know the true word of God? "Women are not to teach or usurp authority over men" (1 Timothy 2:12). In order for a woman to be a bishop (pastor) or a deacon, she is to be a man of one wife (1 Timothy 3:12). It does not say, "or woman of one husband."
___If God intended for women to be pastors or deacons, he would have written it in there.
___A woman can be used greatly for the kingdom of God. But from what I have read and studied in God's word, women are not to be pastors or deacons.
___ Dottie Dunn
___ Vigo Park
Changed beliefs
___When I read "SBC to review Faith & Message" (June 23), I had a surge of hope that we would have the Baptist Faith & Message language updated so people could read it with comprehension. When I try to lead youth through the current BF&M, I find myself having to translate it into language they can understand. I first dared hope this would be changed.
___But then I read the article and am disturbed.
___The Baptist Faith & Message, according to T.C. Pinckney, needs to be "made consistent with the current stand of the Southern Baptist Convention." Excuse me? The "conservative" controlled Southern Baptist Convention no longer believes what is in the Baptist Faith & Message?
___Their justifications for their behavior, and for the need to take control of the SBC, seem to be to hold on to those things Southern Baptists have always believed. If memory serves, it was the BF&M that has been cited in numerous claims that certain individuals were not holding to Baptist beliefs. And now they no longer believe these things themselves?
___Maybe we are seeing the hypocrisy unmasked. It may be that what we are seeing is creeping creedalism. It is certain that the "conservatives" are not conservative. It will be interesting to see just what they want to change.
___ John Wm. Unger
___ Huntsville
Modern Barnabas
___We recently studied the book of Acts and examined the difference between Barnabas, Ananias and Sapphira. This got me to thinking: Who do I know who is a modern-day Barnabas?
___It is refreshing to know people whose lives resemble Barnabas, an encourager.
___One such person is Lindsay Cofield, consultant for the Texas Baptist church ministries department. He is a member of Blue Jean Baptist Church in Lancaster.
___We have been friends for 10 years. He is a great encouragement to me and to all to whom he has ministered. His encouragement has been like a breath of fresh air, lifting people up so their outlook on life is more optimistic. His life is an exhibition of the New Testament version of Barnabas the encourager.
___I thank God our state convention has individuals like Lindsay Cofield working and ministering to churches.
___ Walter Norris
___ Lancaster
Practice integrity
___As moderator of Dallas Baptist Association, I must respond to the article on the proposed non-geographic association (July 14).
___George Mason of Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas claimed our association's support for CityChurch in Dallas is being discontinued because the church called a woman pastor.
___This misrepresents our association's action. The major issue is the integrity of our mission sponsorship system.
___The state, church and association approved and signed a "new church development covenant" with the form-printed word "pastor" marked out and the term "planter" substituted by Wilshire.
___This procedure was in keeping with North American Mission Board and Texas policy. A "planter" might begin the work under sponsorship and guidance of the mother church, and later a "pastor" would be called. The Executive Board allocated modest support for one year.
___Later, the church's web page and other local publicity indicated that the person presented to us as "planter" was presented to others as "pastor."
___The association's missions committee reviewed the issue and recommended support continue through Aug. 31. The Executive Board approved that recommendation without discussion or dissenting vote.
___No reference was made to the gender of the planter/pastor.
___I have heard no negative comments regarding a Baptist church's freedom to call whomever they choose as pastor. But when we cooperate in God's work, we must be careful to maintain the highest integrity.
___ J.R. Chaney
___ Grand Prairie
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