June 5, 2000
Proceed cautiously
___Although I do not have much objection to many of the proposed changes to the Southern Baptist Convention's Baptist Faith & Message, we should proceed cautiously in making radical alterations to such a defining document.
___Restricting the focus of witnessing to a verbal component is unnecessary and probably erroneous. Peter says wives have the capacity of "winning" their husbands by their behavior, "without words" (1 Peter 3:1).
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___Also, the implication is that Paul and Silas brought the Philippian jailer to the point of salvation without a prior verbal witness by them to him. He was "startled out of his sleep" by the earthquake, thus likely not hearing the earlier singing (Acts 16:27), and quite necessarily he did not already know the "message" or he would not have asked them to tell it to him.
___Children of Jesus witness for him in many ways. Dorcas "was always doing good and helping the poor" (Acts 9:36), making "robes and other clothing."
___While there is a necessary cognitive element in salvation, it is equally true that not every Christian has to supply that element as part of their particular "witness." Let's focus on the pursuit of evangelizing, rather than unduly focusing on one method or means above others.
___ Thomas F. Harkins Jr.
___ Fort Worth
Under the rug
___What a travesty if the SBC deletes soul competency and priesthood of the believer from the Baptist Faith & Message preamble. It then might as well change its name to the Southern Creedal Convention!
___Southern Baptists cooperated with each other in advancing God's kingdom for decades despite doctrinal differences from Dispensationalism to five-point Calvinism, changing social attitudes on race and sexes, and varying church practices on ordination and communion. The glue that has held us together has been love for each other and respect for the right of each of us to interpret Scripture and God's will as the Spirit leads.
___What validates soul competency is that, despite our differences and individual weaknesses, God has been able to use us to reach around the world to spread the gospel. In contrast, other Baptist groups who have insisted on rigid conformity to specific doctrines have become factionalized and ineffective.
___We seem to have forgotten that the SBC and its institutions are there as a vehicle for individuals and churches to advance God's kingdom as they are led and not to dictate doctrine and practice to them. To sweep these two basic principles under the rug is tantamount to denying that we are Baptist.
___ Dolan McKnight
___ Richardson
Mode of baptism
___I've reviewed the proposed 2000 Baptist Faith & Message. The article on baptism and the Lord's Supper in the proposed revision, as well as the 1963 and 1925 confessions, defines baptism as "the immersion of a believer in water" and states that baptism "is prerequisite ... to the Lord's Supper."
___Here is the problem: A growing number of Southern Baptist churches (including the one I pastor) practice "open communion." The practice allows all believers in Jesus to receive the elements of the Lord's Supper without individually questioning the person's mode of baptism (immersion, sprinkling, pouring). For these churches, faith in Christ has become the only prerequisite. However, this practice does not meet the standard of the past confessions nor the proposed one.
___I wonder if the Baptist General Convention of Texas will address this issue at its next convention, since it has reaffirmed the 1963 confession.
___ David H. Rogers
___ Zapata
Spirit of feminism
___I'm amazed at how the Scriptures are "inspired by God," yet when a woman "feels the call" to the office of pastor or deacon, then it becomes "un-inspired by God."
___Women have been a vital part of the church throughout history, yet we are dealing with the absolute teaching of God's word. In 1 Timothy 2:14, we even find the very reasoning why God established the man to obtain the lead role in teaching and authority in the church.
___What's frightening is if a woman holds the office of pastor or deacon while denying the authority of God's word in this specific teaching, then what other doctrine does she ignore or dismiss? If a woman "feels" the call, it cannot possibly be from God. He will never commit any act that directly opposes his own word. How could we trust any Scripture if some is false?
___Men, stand up and man your posts, and we won't be seeing this spirit of feminism in the church.
___ Mike Richardson
___ Vidor
Women not denied
___The SBC is poised to pass a statement declaring, "the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture."
___Scripture never limits the office of pastor to males only. Such a solitary office probably did not even exist in the New Testament. New Testament churches probably were led by groups of elders, also called overseers or bishops. Nothing in the New Testament says women cannot be elders.
___The SBC cites 1 Timothy 2:9-14 among its references. These verses actually are Paul's attempt to stop the spread of false doctrines. Verse 11 employs a Near East idiom asking the women to follow what they were being taught.
___Greek scholar Catherine Kroeger has translated verse 12 as, "I do not allow a woman to teach that she is the author of a man."
___The Ephesian women probably were teaching Gnostic creation stories that Eve was created first, and that Eve created Adam. Now, verses 13 and 14 truly fit into their context: Paul reminds the congregation that Adam was created first and warns about the error of being deceived by false ideas.
___Paul never told women they could not have authority over men. Paul wanted the women to learn sound Christian theology so they could teach truth to others.
___The SBC statement that limits today's pastorate to males is based on English translations and traditional interpretations, not on the Greek or Hebrew text. By voting down the proposed declaration, the SBC will allow congregations to follow Scripture.
___ Heidi Parales
___ Loveland, Ohio
What's not in
___It might interest readers to note what the Baptist Faith & Message revision committee did not include in the proposed BF&M.
___Some worried Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Al Mohler would force hyper-Calvinism on the convention. Though Mohler served on the committee, hyper-Calvinism did not rear its ugly head.
___Do some Texas Baptists owe Mohler an apology?
___ David Mills
___ Phenix City, Ala.
Biggest danger
___The proposed changes in the Baptist Faith & Message statement will probably greatly divide our convention.
___The biggest danger I see is the leaning toward Calvinism, which totally is in opposition to our Southern Baptist faith and dangerous.
___May God help us!
___ Ed Gibson
___ Pacific, Mo.
Limit nominees
___Perhaps it is inevitable there will be inequities in the appointee/nominee/election process for SBC boards and agencies. But we should work to remove these inequities.
___This year's nominees and appointees include five people from one church. Surely five representatives out of one church is excessive and inequitable, especially in view of the limited positions to be filled from among 15 million Southern Baptists.
___It is not unusual to have churches with several members serving on various boards and agencies. Nor is it unusual to have people who have finished serving the constitutional limit of two terms on one board to be immediately nominated to serve on another board. Our convention would be better served if those responsible for selecting nominees and appointees would consider involving more of our churches.
___Perhaps limiting nominees or appointees to one per church would be a good guideline to enhance greater representation of local churches.
___ Ernie Perkins
___ Oklahoma City
Consistency Problem
___I am concerned about the consistency of Southern Baptist practices and interpretation of scripture related to the prohibition of women pastors in the revised Baptist Faith & Message.
___Baptists do not rigorously obey instructions for women to keep silent or not to teach when men are present (1 Corinthians 14:33-35; 1 Timothy 2:11-12), perhaps because we view these instructions as warnings to the church not to unnecessarily offend its culture. The first part of 1 Timothy 2:12 is the only New Testament passage cited in the revised Baptist Faith & Message that specifically prohibits women pastors. Thus, we are advised to rigorously adhere to part of a verse as a universal, permanent command (prohibition of women pastors), while our practice indicates we view part of the same verse and related verses as temporary and specific. This gives the appearance that we pick and choose which Scriptures we will obey, or that we interpret Scripture inconsistently.
___A key argument used to support prohibition of women pastors is that there are no examples of them in the New Testament. There are also no examples of specific prohibition of slavery in the New Testament. Absence of a specific example can be a poor basis for a doctrine, and we should know this better than most denominations.
___This proposed change has alienated many prospects, some of whom will likely miss Christ because of it. Are we so sure of this position that we are willing to pay this price?
___Stephen B. Pruett
___Shreveport, La.
No Judaizing
___I hope the revisioners of the Baptist Faith & Message statement won't take the route of the Judaizers in Acts.
___All the reasons for women being silent in the church are justified by appeals to the law, or examples from the Old Testament. The theme of Romans and Galatians is that we are free from the law. The new creation in Christ wipes out the legalism and slavery to the law.
___Equality in Christ (Galatians3:28) is the benefit of the new beginning. Either we are free from the law and women have every right that a man does, or we return to the Judaizing heresy of Acts.
___Dallas M. Roark
___Emporia, Kan.
Report violates cherished beliefs
___The Baptist Faith & Message revision committee has shared that women should not serve as pastors in Baptist churches.
___The panel's report violates four cherished beliefs of Baptist life: First, every true Baptist embraces soul competency. No human source can ascertain a calling, only the Holy Spirit leading in the mind and soul of the called. Second, each congregation led of the Holy Spirit decides who should serve as pastor, not a panel. Third, the priesthood of every believer affirms that no Baptist allows any human means between himself/herself and the Holy Spirit's call--no priest, pastor, professor or panel. Fourth, God alone is the authority in who is called, not mankind.
___Am I advocating that women should serve as pastors in Baptist churches? No. I am saying it is between the called individual, the church and the Lord to decide. I fully respect persons with different conviction. For me, the tragedy in this report is that it denies one of the things Jesus came to do--give women equal worth, dignity and value as men.
___In my estimation, when you deny the four basic Baptist beliefs discussed above, there will be a lot of folk walking around impersonating a "Baptist." The issues involved are more far-reaching than just the women's issue.
___Bill Sherman
___Nashville
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