October 16, 2000
Texas Baptist Forum
Theological now
___Until now, the divisiveness in our convention seemed to concern who was not being allowed to serve on boards. With the statement regarding Christ as the criterion for interpreting Scripture being deleted from the Baptist Faith & Message, the issue is now theological.
___Regardless of what the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee claims, it doesn't matter if none of the Baptist confessions previous to the 1963 BF&M fails to specify Jesus as being the sole criterion in interpreting the Bible. Whatever else Baptists believe, we believe that Scripture, and not confessions, dictates our faith. Scripture specifies Jesus as that criterion (John 1:1, 18; Hebrews 1:3).
E-mail the editor at marvknox@baptiststandard.com
___How Al Mohler can dispense with this principle when Jesus himself said, "He who has seen me has seen the Father" is perplexing. He minimizes the significance of Christ and the way the New Testament operates. To discard this principle because of the way some have misused it would be like rejecting the Bible itself because Mormons have misused the Bible.
___Mohler knows he cannot succeed in leading the convention into Calvinism if we continue to use this principle. Mohler's God might send people to hell before they even had a chance to hear the gospel; however, no one who knows the Father in light of his Son Jesus would ever believe such a thing. As Christians, we must believe that God has acted definitively and finally in Jesus without negating other forms of revelation God has used.
___ Carey Ford
___ Corsicana
Gratitude for trust
___As a transplanted "Louisiana Cajun" who gratefully received financial help for my education through the Cooperative Program from Baptists both inside and outside of Texas, I write this letter with keen interest in the upcoming state convention.
___I came from a non-Christian home where an unbelieving father did not desire to invest in the training of a minister-son. Baptists in Texas made it possible for me to attend Baylor University. They, along with non-Texas Baptists, made it possible for me to attend Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
___Texas Baptists had no way of knowing if their investment in me was wise or unwise, but they made it. I have just completed 45 years of teaching in the state--10 at Baylor and 35 at Southwestern. I have served about 45 Texas Baptist churches as interim pastor. I sincerely hope Texas Baptists know of my love for the Lord and my profound gratitude to them.
___Since 1908, Southwestern has trained church leaders in worship, discipleship and witnessing. Like our founder, B.H. Carroll, we are committed to the Lord, the Bible and to cooperation in kingdom work. I truly believe I speak as a typical faculty member when I say we continue to cherish our relationship with Texas Baptist churches and want to express our gratitude for the trust we have shared. We prayerfully hope Texas Baptists will continue their financial support of God-called students, both Texans and non-Texans, who feel led to attend Southwestern Seminary.
___ Bill Tolar
___ Fort Worth
Big disappointment
___I have been disappointed several times in the past two decades concerning action of the SBC Executive Committee. But one of the largest disappointments was the open letter by Morris Chapman titled "The Truth About the SBC & Texas."
___It upset me to see Cooperative Program funds used this way. There is no excuse for such a letter being sent by the SBC Executive Committee.
___This letter follows a meeting with Texas directors of missions, who asked SBC leaders to find a way to cooperate with the Baptist General Convention of Texas. It is evident that in this situation "cooperation" is spelled "C-O-E-R-C-E."
___Baptist relationships always should be voluntary. We voluntarily work with our associations and state and national conventions. And contributions to the Cooperative Program are to be the same.
___It also is alarming that the presidents of the six SBC seminaries say we do not have the right to change CP giving. Utter nonsense!
___To think that messengers to any state convention cannot direct how and where their funds go is a denial of Baptist polity.
___And this open letter by Morris Chapman and the Executive Committee is unethical, to say the least.
___ Bill Wehmeyer
___ Waco
Precious resources
___Isn't it ironic that the Baptist Standard prints an article critical of the SBC's distribution of "The Truth About the SBC & Texas" (Oct. 9)? In the article, John Wilkerson says, "It's time for us to quit spending precious resources countering bickering, finger-pointing, distortions and misinformation." How true!
___It appears the Baptist Standard has spent "precious resources countering bickering, finger-pointing, distortions and misinformation" for years.
___Yes, it is time for this "Texas Baptist to move on." I will be moving on in the direction of the current SBC leadership and not with the drastic changes proposed by the BGCT.
___Thanks for the encouragement to spur me on in that direction.
___ Byron Williamson
___ Groom
Poor stewardship
___The Lord is good to provide us with funding for his work.
___The amount he trusts me with, I understand it as stewardship. If I am faithful, he continues to trust me with his funds. When I transfer his funds to the local church, I expect them to give the same care of stewardship as I gave to get the funds there. When we send his funds in for the Cooperative Program, we expect the same care of stewardship.
___The Lord expects stewards to be found faithful. Some of the changes being proposed for changing the distribution of Cooperative Program funds are not good stewardship.
___ C.D. Christian
___ Old Ocean
What secretary?
___I laughed and cried as I read the Baptist Press story by Todd Starnes (Sept. 22) intended to discredit the BGCT Seminary Study Committee on which I served.
___The last paragraph stated I pastor "a congregation that is Methodist on one Sunday and Baptist the next. When asked whether Trull was a Methodist minister or Baptist minister, the church secretary replied, 'I'm not sure.'"
___Here is the truth:
___I pastor Driftwood Baptist Church, a rural congregation, which since 1911 has met in the Methodist Church building.
___The two congregations have two pastors, who preach to both groups every-other week.
___Every Sunday I teach the Baptists in our Bible study.
___The Baptists have our own budget, including 10 percent to the Cooperative Program and 5 percent to the association.
___The church has no telephone and no secretary!
___No one contacted me about any of this.
___In a "correction" Oct. 5, Baptist Press explained the quotes came from the secretary "serving the FBC Wimberley." I've talked to the secretaries at Wimberley. They remember the "anonymous caller" but deny making that last statement.
___Where is the secretary Baptist Press talked to? I need her help immediately.
___Why? Thanks to Texas Baptist assistance for churches, the Baptist church at Driftwood will soon have our own property, a first building, services every Sunday and a growing ministry in the exploding area just south of Austin.
___Who knows, maybe soon we will have a telephone and a secretary!
___ Joe E. Trull
___ Driftwood
Prayer time
___The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that prayer at school functions or activities is not allowed by school employees or students over the public-address system.
___However, this does not mean parents, community leaders and ministers are not allowed to stand at an appointed time, hold hands and offer the Lord's Prayer in unison.
___If you believe we have a right to pray to the Lord our God, pray audibly in unison the Lord's prayer 10 minutes before the start of any school event or recreational activity.
___"... If the Lord be God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him" (1 Kings 18:21).
___America must decide whom we will follow.
___ Terry M. Turner
___ Mesquite
More on Oklahoma meeting
___ Bob Stephenson of Norman , Okla., responsed to my response to Paul Kenley. I would like to tell it like it really happened.
___To begin with, I received a letter in August from the Mainstream office in Norman, not Ardmore, that they had planned a meeting in Enon Association Sept. 11. They said they would like for "me or a representive" from my association to be present. They gave five different subjects that they wanted me to speak on and also gave me 10 to 15 minutes. I was then to set on a panel with the Mainstreamers having four on the panel and field questions.
___The Friday before the meeting on Monday, they ran an ad in our town paper telling where the meeting was to be held. They never sent me any other piece of information. Their ad left the impression that I would be on their panel. I was never called nor asked in any other way if I could or would attend.
___ As I shared before, anytime the SBC or the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma plan a meeting in our association, they always contact my office first to clear the date. The ad that I ran simply said that I would not be attending the meeting and if the people had questions on where I stood on the Baptist Faith & Message, they could call me. By the way, my pastors backed me 100 percent.
___John Allen
___Ardmore, Okla.
Shoe on the other foot
___Apparently SBC leaders have not included, nor does it appear they intend to include, moderate Texas Baptists in decision-making positions in the operation of the SBC, yet they insist the BGCT has an obligation to continue paying the bills.
___ Since when has the SBC been able to tell the state conventions how to spend their money? The whole idea of the Cooperative Program has been "cooperation" not obligation. Each identity, from the local church to the SBC, is autonomous, or has that changed since I was taught Baptist polity?
___ Texas Baptists should be commended for taking a stand that is this historic. If Texas Baptists do not fund the Texas seminaries and your great Hispanic mission work, who will? It certainly will not be coming from the SBC.
___ Don Baxter
___ Oklahoma City
Funding proposals overdue
___ T.E.Carter
___ Waco
Irreconcilable differences?
___ Ruth Graham writes: "Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees. But Satan laughs without restraints when saints go clobbering other saints."
___ Everyone involved in this SBC and BGCT issue could learn something from Graham's
___ We run to divorce too quickly rather than resolve our difficulties on our knees. In this civil war, must we decide to support state separation or national aggression? How can any pastor counsel marriage partners to work through their issues when we seek to break our age-old marriage to run to more compatible lovers. Are our differences reconcilable?
___ A family that prays together stays together. True?
___ Civil war clobbers saints and Satan laughs and laughs and laughs.
___Pray, saints, pray.
___ Mike Corzine
___ Farmersville
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