October 29, 2001
TEXAS BAPTIST FORUM:
Attacking 'home'
___Regarding the attack on Buckner Baptist Benevolences by Baptist Press and the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention (Oct. 8), maybe the writer, Tammi Ledbetter, needs to do more research on Buckner.
___Buckner is correct in helping girls who have made a mistake to try to get their lives back together. I grew up at Buckner Orphans Home in Dallas from 1936 to 1949. I can tell you about the good things Buckner does for boys, girls and widows.
E-mail the editor at marvknox@baptiststandard.com
___Buckner gave my husband and me a home when we needed one. We had a roof over our head, with a warm bed at night, clean clothes each day and three meals a day. We were given an opportunity to receive an education, religious training and, most of all, a chance at life we would not have had if it were not for Buckner and the Texas Baptist churches that supported it.
___When you attack Buckner, you attack our home--a home given by God-fearing people who taught the Bible and lived by it.
___President Kenneth Hall is doing a great job of continuing what R.C. Buckner started over 122 years ago. We thank God for him and all his staff.
___ Dessie Hardin Hamrick
___ Lone Oak
Matter of time
___From the moment earlier this year Buckner declined to partner with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, it was only a matter of time until Buckner became a target of the guilt-by-association innuendo that has been the most often-used arrow in the quiver of the Baptist General Convention of Texas' detractors.
___To imply Buckner's co-sponsorship with Planned Parenthood (as well as numerous other sponsors) of an abstinence education program in Amarillo is an endorsement of Planned Parenthood's pro-abortion stance is the equivalent of saying that the Southern Baptist Convention's honoring of "Dr. Laura" Schlessinger at their last annual meeting is an endorsement of her rejection of Jesus Christ. (Schlessinger is Jewish).
___Perhaps I am naive, but it was both Christlike and strategically advantageous to have a pro-life Baptist voice present at the program in Amarillo.
___By their negative reporting of the event in question, BP and the SBTC imply that it would be better for Buckner to say nothing at all about abstinence than to talk about it while standing in a room where a Planned Parenthood member is talking about the same thing.
___In this scenario, if a girl attends such an event and yet chooses not to remain sexually abstinent and becomes pregnant as a result of her poor choice, the only word she will have heard on the subject of "What should I do now?" will have been from Planned Parenthood.
___Is that really what BP and the SBTC want?
___ Louis Johnson
___ Abilene
Wrong team
___Buckner should be ashamed of being associated with Planned Parenthood, and I urge the board to take steps to ensure that it never happens again.
___As a Baptist charity, they should avoid the appearance of evil. They need to issue a statement apologizing for teaming up with Planned Parenthood.
___I have sent copies of the article to all the elders and pastors in my Baptist church. I feel it would be horrible to fund a group that will team up with Planned Parenthood! If the board of Buckner thinks Planned Parenthood is a group they want to associate with, they need a new board!
___I agree that Buckner is a great group. Sadly, they made a big mistake teaming up with Planned Parenthood! It is wrong for the church of Jesus Christ to team up with the biggest abortion provider in America.
___ Carole LaFreniere
___ Fort Worth
Tangible response
___The blatantly false allegations made against Buckner were an all-new low, even for the SBTC.
___Until this episode, I honestly would have thought even they would have been above such a petty and baseless attack on an organization dedicated to helping poor children and seniors in the name of Jesus.
___Gary Ledbetter's tap dance act notwithstanding, no one with an ounce of integrity can deny that there is no more evidence linking Buckner to abortion than there is linking Richard Land to Bahaism.
___Furthermore, to suggest an imaginary connection to Planned Parenthood is somehow more sinister than a similar connection to a false religion is the height of convenient absurdity. This is nothing more than a clear-cut case of fundamentalist leaders putting their theological McCarthyism ahead of the welfare of needy children and seniors.
___Maybe one of these days SBC and SBTC leaders will stop telling us how much they believe the Bible and start actually living by a few of its teachings.
___I, for one, am going to respond to this sad display of childishness and mean-spiritedness the way it should be responded to. I'm getting out my checkbook and sending a donation to Buckner today.
___ David H. Rodgers
___ Texarkana
Eternity matters
___I am not a member of the Southern Baptist Convention or the Baptist General Convention of Texas. The fighting and feuding that continues within your ranks is hurting the cause of Christ. There are lost souls who need Christ and salvation.
___We will have to answer as Christians if we allow petty arguments to cause one soul to go to hell. Yes, guys, there is a real hell, and real souls dying and going to it.
___We need to forget our opinions and get back to the Bible and put our eyes upon Jesus. Satan is the victor every time a church splits and every time a soul-winning church fails to be united. A house divided cannot stand, and neither will Baptists as long as the fight continues.
___Listen to the voice of God and return to the book. Time is running short, and anyone who is listening knows it. The rapture is just days away, and all this will seem petty in that final moment.
___My father on his deathbed told me this, and I have never forgot it: "Those things I thought were so important do not matter so much now; only eternity matters now."
___ John Wesley Sanders
___ Shallowater
Pair reconciled
___A small fire can destroy a forest. Baptist Standard articles of Oct. 1 and Oct. 8 set off such a fire within the Baptist community. I sought to help douse these flames with the water of reconciliation.
___On Oct. 17, Marv Knox, Baptist Standard editor, and Dwight McKissic, pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington, sought reconciliation. Wounds were healed and understandings achieved, as these brothers stated:
___McKissic: "I make a distinction between the question being racist and the questioners being racist. I acknowledge and apologize to Marv Knox and the Baptist Standard for the anger I have had toward them as a result of what I consider to be articles regarding the inerrancy proposal that misrepresented the facts and me. I love and have great respect for the BGCT and my good friend, Charles Wade. I shall be eternally grateful for 18 years of wholesome reciprocal relationship we enjoyed."
___Knox: "I'm grateful to God for the spirit of reconciliation that descended upon us. We laid aside anger and distrust. I wish Dwight and Cornerstone Baptist God's richest blessings. I now understand he did not go fishing with three SBT leaders. Also, I have come to see that, while he holds strong opinions, he does not wish to destroy the BGCT."
___No doubt, this is the outcome God would have to be shared with all who will read this newspaper.
___"A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient" (2 Timothy 2:24).
___ Phillip D. Williams
___ Grand Prairie
Stop nonsense
___I don't often enter my dog in another man's fight, but the article about the executive director of the Georgia Baptist Convention threatening to "shut down" the women's meeting (Oct. 15) troubled me, especially since I was one of the people who recommended him for the position.
___Monitoring meetings and punishing critics is the way totalitarian regimes operate (i.e., Cuba, China, etc.) Such leaders are so paranoid and insecure they can tolerate no opposition.
___I wonder if they would shut down the meeting if the ladies promoted Campus Crusade or Liberty University.
___I wonder how long Baptists will put up with this nonsense. The executive director is a good man and a good friend, but this is not good. It's time for good Baptists to put a stop to it.
___ Paul W. Powell, Dean
___ Truett Seminary
___ Waco
Touch of merit
___Jerry Falwell's remarks as to the cause of the recent terrorist attacks have taken a lot of flak. However, I find them to have a touch of merit.
___How many times in the past has God brought judgment on a nation that has departed from his laws? Certainly Israel and Judah many times.
___But this is not limited to "Christian" nations. "For three transgressions of Damascus, and four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof" (Amos 1:3). And Gaza, Tyre, Edom and Moab as well.
___What about America? Why should we be exempt from these rules? And what is this about an innocent person not being harmed because of the sin of another? Space limits me. Israel at Ai after Achan at Jericho? Saul's descendants because of Saul's breach of Israel's covenant with the Gibeonites? The heart of any mother or father whose child goes astray?
___No, we should not simply dismiss Falwell's remarks.
___Perhaps inartful and partially flawed, but the truth is that God does punish nations for the sins of those nations, and in our case it appears that God has been rather lenient.
___ Thomas F. Harkins Jr.
___ Fort Worth
High integrity
___In Randy McDonald's letter (Oct. 22), he stated: "I was president of the (Southern Baptists of Texas Convention) board of directors for two years and a board member for five years."
___He has never served as president of the SBTC. I served a two-year term as the first president, and Rudy Hernandez is our current president. Since our convention is only three years old, how could McDonald have served on its board for five years? And how could McDonald know "the SBTC tries everything it can do to get churches to leave the BGCT and join its ranks" since he is not our board?
___He refers to a meeting that took place between the BGCT and the SBTC. I am not aware any such meeting has occurred.
___The organization that existed prior to the constituting of the SBTC is irrelevant and is in no way similar to the present SBTC under the leadership of Jim Richards. From the beginning, he has insisted that the highest level of integrity be maintained and that there be no criticism of the BGCT or its leadership.
___ Stan Coffey
___ Amarillo
No to extremism
___It seems C.G. Grigg's contention (Oct. 22) that you should not print Edgar Jeffrey's letter referring to the SBC fundamentalists as the "Baptist Taliban" is as extreme as Jeffery's position. The one thing I admire most about the Baptist Standard is its openness to air all sides of vital issues and crucial positions. Thank you for letting me read Jeffrey's position, even though it is extreme and inflammatory.
___One of the few wise statements I have heard in this regard is that "someone other than Baptists are plagued with fundamentalist problems." I thank God Baptist fundamentalists have not taken their fundamentalist practices to the extreme of the Muslims. I pray such extremism will never come upon us.
___May our local Baptist congregations ever be free to determine their own course. May our women be free of the veil and able to live and serve God in dignity. May godly, intellectually stimulating professors be able to teach in our universities and seminaries until our Lord returns. May the love of Christ dominate all denominational relationships. May we cherish the freedom our Hebrew fathers sought on their long journey from Egyptian bondage to independence, and may we cherish forever the freedom that Jesus Christ desires for every believer.
___ Fred Teague
___ Fort Worth
How they feel
___While listening to President Bush speak about how the Taliban had "hijacked Islam" and how their fundamentalist diatribe and narrow-minded views have no relation to the historical views of Islam, it struck me, "I know just how our Muslim friends feel."
___My denomination was hijacked by fundamentalists starting in the 1970s. A well-planned attack pitted believer against believer, the consequences of which we are still feeling to this day. Since that time, the landscape has been littered with the broken hearts and spirits of those who have had to fight an internal battle, constantly defending their beliefs as "good enough, right enough, far-right enough."
___I'm thankful the BGCT has continued to resist the onslaught of fundamentalism.
___ Larry Collins
___ Dallas
Some corrections
______Some corrections need to be made regarding the letter from Randy McDonald (Oct. 22): On Nov. 10, 1998, the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention held its constitutional convention. At that convention, Jim Richards was elected as our firstexecutive director, and Stan Coffey was elected president of the convention. Coffey served our convention for two terms, and Rudy Hernandez was elected his successor. Under the direction of these capable leaders. our practice has been to inform churches of the ministries of the SBTC.
___While I cannot speak for everyone who is a part of the SBTC, I know that our present leadership practice is to share our ministries and goals with Southern Baptist churches in Texas. In that effort, our convention has partnered in starting 91 missions and 40 churches. We saw 40 new starts in 2001, and our goal is to exceed that in 2002.
___I agree that there is no excuse for ungodliness by any Christian. I pray that all such attacks cease and the work of God go on.
___Rocky Weatherford
___Tool
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