August 18, 1999
Texas Baptist Forum
Pity the nations
___Yasser Aarafat has declared his intentions to establish his Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital on or before May 4, 2000.
___So, will the battle for Jerusalem start next summer? Who will win?
Email the editor at marvknox@flash.net
___Zechariah 14 tells us: "I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle and the city will be taken. ... Then shall the Lord go forth and fight against those nations. ... His feet shall stand, in that day, upon the Mount of Olives. ... And the Lord shall be King of all the earth. ... The Lord shall smite all the people that fought against Jerusalem; their flesh shall consume away while they yet stand upon their feet. ... Their eyes and tongues shall also consume away."
___We should pity the nations that turn their backs on Israel.
___ Elsie Graham
___ Olmito
No propaganda
___I'm writing this letter to tell you, for whatever you think it's worth, if you don't get out of politics, I'm going to have to get out of the Baptist church.
___You are on the wrong side.
___Don't send this Republican propaganda to my home.
___ Roy Lynch
___ Port Neches
Enough is enough
___I'm in favor of the Baptist General Convention of Texas' "slander" committee and Executive Board member Dan Curry saying, "Enough is enough."
___On the other hand, how do we fulfill Christ's words ("... Love one another; as I have loved you.") by moderates telling conservatives, "I'm sorry my nose got blood on your fist" when they're really thinking, "Enough is enough"?
___ Rex Ray
___ Grand Prairie
Flawed rationale
___"Guidelines spell help for schools" (July 28) has good advice but is based on a flaw.
___The first paragraph says, "While the Constitution requires separation of church and state ..." The U.S. Constitution does not require separation of church and state. Get a copy of the Constitution and read it. The words "separation of church and state" do not occur.
___It was not until the middle of this century that the Supreme Court decided (contrary to former Supreme Court decisions, and contrary to the writings of the Founding Fathers) that their responsibility was to separate Christianity from public life.
___Never has religion been banned from public schools. Christianity was replaced with humanism.
___Jesus said, "No man can serve two masters." What is this paragraph, "The guidelines state ... 'wholly secular'" if it isn't an affirmation of what Jesus said? How can we be Christian and secular at the same time? What are we teaching our youth with this rhetoric? Looks like a double standard to me.
___Christianity has been banned because the truth of the Father's message in Christ is threatening to the lies of the humanists. Hence the need to say, "The stipulation is ... clergy may not otherwise be given routine access to students during the school day."
___But there is a bright side. God is opening the door. Let's not pass it up.
___ Jerry Hutchings
___ Texarkana
Vouchers needed
___An article stated the new voucher law in Michigan allows Muslim students to study the Muslim religion (July 14).
___I am against teaching any type of religion. To teach religion is very dangerous. But to not teach the gospel, the Ten Commandments, God's statutes and his condemnation also is dangerous.
___It appears the Baptist Standard is against a voucher system. With the so-called public funds--your and my money-- we have no control at all. Your home will be confiscated if you don't pay into that system.
___But if we could just receive half our tax money, our private and parochial schools would do a very good job of educating our children.
___As long as the Christian community sits on its padded pews and does nothing, your kids will be bused off to a huge facility out of touch, not being taught the Bible, God's instruction to mankind.
___Wake up, Christian community, or it will soon be too late to turn this generation around.
___ C.B. Pickle
___ Greenville
Preaching hate
___Ray Moore claims he is supported by pastor James Kennedy and columnist Cal Thomas in his efforts to remove "Christian" children from public schools (July 28). They really are saying they would remove children of parents who subscribe to the religion of these self-appointed spokespersons.
___Many of the folks who do religion for money and political gain have been trying to destroy the public schools in America.
___The late Grady Nutt said something about preachers on the radio "broadcasting late at night from Del Rio, Texas, with 50 zillion watts of power doing as little good as possible." Today, they have moved to daytime TV as well as radio. Instead of doing "little good," they are actually harming our children and our nation by teaching rebellion and hate under the guise of Christianity.
___The same people who want an amendment to "protect the flag" preach hate against this country. Folks who have a campaign of hate against McDonald's and Disney promote the killers in the firearms industry. They are supposedly sorry for the way they treated blacks for all those years but are against "hate crime" legislation because they are afraid it would put a crimp in their "hate for profits" operations.
___ Carl Hess
___ Ozark, Ala.
Dual alignment
___It's interesting the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention says its member churches may remain in good standing with the Baptist General Convention of Texas, thus allowing them to be dually aligned.
___What is their policy regarding churches wishing to be aligned also with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship? Pardon me. I forgot that is a horse of a different color, although none-theless true and faithful Baptists.
___Why is the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention so prejudiced against this group of Baptist Christians?
___ Earl Mercer
___ Monroe, La.
Youth 'ICE'
___Thanks to Ed Etheridge for his letter (July 21) related to youth groups beginning in "Jerusalem" to conduct mission work. I couldn't have asked for better timing, as we have had hundreds of youth involved in similar projects across the state.
___As a means of accomplishing the Texas 2000 vision of "sharing Jesus with every person in Texas by Year 2000," Texas Baptists are challenging hundreds of youth groups and thousands of older teenagers and their sponsors to "stay home" in Texas in the summers of 1999 and 2000 to share the gospel through direct-evangelism projects in the inner cities of the major metropolitan areas. The six target cities are Austin, Dallas, El Paso, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio.
___Many of these inner-city areas are without the witness of a Baptist church. If we are to share the gospel with everyone, then witnessing in these inner cities will require special commitment and involvement. Texas Baptist youth are encouraged to provide that commitment. With support from the Cooperative Program and the Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas Missions, local coordinators are in place to assist groups interested in taking an "evangelistic" mission trip to one of these cities.
___For more information about how your youth can be involved in the 2000 Youth Inner-City Evangelism Project, please call Bob Fuston, Texas 2000 Process Coordinator, (214) 828-5236; e-mail fuston@bgct.org.
___ Bob Fuston
___ Dallas
Make way
___After reading letters concerning women as deacons and pastors, let me say what a wise woman in my church told me:
___The Lord's work will get done one way or another. If men refuse to take upon themselves the roles God has prepared for them, then perhaps he will use women to accomplish his will.
___Need an example, men? Look at our Sunday schools and vacation Bible schools.
___If Southern Baptist men do not want women pastors, perhaps we should respond to the call God places on our lives, thereby fulfilling the role God has created for us. Otherwise, be quiet and get out of the way.
___In fact, an old bumper sticker sums it up: "Lead, follow or get out of the way!"
___Amen.
___ Jon Thompson
___ Dripping Springs
Let God call
___Can Texas Baptists get any help with their attempt to read the Bible for today?
___The Apostle Paul's correspondence with the church at Rome is radically different from that found in the pseudo-Pauline "pastoral" epistles. The politics of the latter age had well tainted the living Spirit of God as presented by Paul.
___Politics and serving the Lord's churches are inseparable. But politics, these ways of relating, were understood differently by Paul and the early institutional church(es). It seems apparent that very few Baptists can discern between the two. Paul and those who came soon after him were discerning and motivated by different political climates. Furthermore, they had different goals. The latter was building an institution, while the former was building the body of the living Christ. There is a significant difference. Did someone say ordination? Oh yeah, that goes with the latter.
___Don't confuse our petty arguments of who shall sit at the head of the table, I mean on the platform, with lives of radical service. Let God call and let the servant answer.
___David D. Dinkins
___Fort Worth
___To James Moore's letter (August 11), I say amen! Let us not be selective in choosing the verses we will obey and disregard others.
___If we want to apply the Apostle Paul's teaching let us go all the way. 1 Corinthians 11:14-15 specifes the length of hair for both men and women. Also 1 Timothy 2:9 and 1 Peter 3:3 give instructions for women's attire. I have never heard any discussion on this subject in the church.
___J. B. Sitton
___Cisco
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