December 10, 2001

TEXAS BAPTIST FORUM:
Gift of liberty
___When Gov. Rick Perry arrived at Palestine Middle School, they were in assembly, and a prayer was being offered. The governor bowed his head, and when the prayer ended said, "Amen." His subsequent remarks to the assembly concerned the education program he was promoting--the reason for his trip to East Texas.
___It is quite a stretch on your part to equate this incident with a threat to religious liberty (Oct. 29).
___The governor's remark that "all pray to the same God" was naive from our perspective. The governor's statement in ignorance is less concerning to me than your editorial demonizing him for making it.
___I feel less threatened by an innocuous remark by a well-intentioned official than I do from those who would deny any expression of faith in a school by a student or teacher in the God of the Declaration of Independence, the God in our national motto or the God in our ple

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dge.
___Our founders called on the "Creator" and "Nature's God" to authenticate their proclamation that we as individuals are endowed with the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It is government's role to secure these rights, not enforce an environment of no expression by officialdom of the "God" of our founders.
___Jefferson said: "God who gave us life gave us liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are the gift of God?"
___ J.I. Ginnings
___ Wichita Falls

God's view
___Please start using the word of God when writing about things as controversial as Harry Potter.
___I take offense to you making it seem OK to go see a movie about wizards and spellmakers, etc. (Nov. 19). You made it seem really OK since a preacher's wife approved of it and loved reading it with her class.
___What about how God views witchcraft and spellmakers? "There shall not be found among you anyone who ... practices witchcraft or a soothsayer or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium ... for all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord" (Deuteronomy 18:10-12).
___Maybe some of your writers should find other jobs if they can't find a way to put God's view into a Christian publication.
___ Tonya McCoy
___ Southlake

Bridge builders
___Lately, I have been reading and hearing much about "bridging the cultural gap" by many of the English-speaking Baptists of Texas. I thank God for this genuine interest shown by some churches and leaders.
___However, this bridging is not something new. There have always been Baptist Christians who have bridged the cultural gap and also the racial, economical and educational gaps, because they saw and see through the eyes of Jesus.
___Just a few of these outstanding servants of God are Mrs. Brownie Clapp, James D. Crane, Orvil Reid, Preston A. Taylor, James Williams, John Mc-Laughlin, Milton Leach Sr., Milton Leach Jr., James A. Bowen, Toxie White, Sammy Clark, Robert D. Williams, Mateo O'Neil, Van Gladden, A.C. Mogford and Mark Lozuk.
___All these people have been "bridge builders." For these people or their families, no gaps ever have been too deep or too wide to keep them from reaching the lost for Christ.
___My prayer is that we Hispanic-Americans also learn how to overcome all apparent gaps in order to witness to all lost people, regardless of their race, culture, education and finances.
___ J.R. Aldape
___ Corpus Christi

The Rock
___In his winning sermon (Nov. 12), Brent Beasley states, "Then Jesus told him (Peter) that he was the rock he would build his church on."
___In Ephesians 2:20, the Apostle Paul declares that the church is "built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ as the chief cornerstone."
___When we study this statement, we find that even the early church fathers had a plurality of interpretations of Matthew 16:18. Was the statement directed to Peter the man, Peter the apostle, the faith of Peter or to Jesus himself? Augustine of Hippo said on one occasion the church was founded on Peter as the rock, and on another occasion he said the rock was Christ.
___To claim Peter as the rock Christ would build his church on would make Peter the founder and head of the church rather than Christ. Thus Peter would have been the vice regent of God. His authority would have been transmissible to the Roman bishops. There is no evidence this ever took place. To admit this would be conceding all that the Romans claim.
___To claim Peter as the rock upon which Christ built his church is probably the most natural and logical interpretation. However, this is not the best and most reliable method of interpretation.
___The church is continuing to be built upon confessions of faith in Christ, the son of the living God.
___ Howard O. Wynne
___ Kingwood

Voting age
___The question of the appropriate age for youth and children to vote in church (Nov. 19) has been raised before and will be discussed for years to come. Some thoughts on what the voting age in churches should be:
___First, it has become an unfortunate saying that the youth are "the church of tomorrow." I hope every church would realize youth can and do have a great impact on the people around them, whether those people be old or young. If youth were to be considered a part of the church of today and be allowed to take part in all aspects of the church (church committees, business meetings, etc.), then they would understand more of the business aspect of the church and have a more educated vote.
___Second, instead of worrying about how the youth might push the vote, consider having parents sit down with the youth and children and talk about the issues. Begin to teach the youth to think and make decisions.
___Finally, as youth vote and help in the decision-making process of the church, they have the opportunity to take ownership. Do we expect that at some magical age people will begin tithing and understanding how the church decision-making process works?
___I would hope each church would consider itself a training ground for all church members--youth and adults. Are we not supposed to be about the business of teaching and discipling?
___ Drew Altom
___ Dallas

Three classes
___The typical church has at least three classes of members:
___Full members--men who theoretically are eligible to hold any office in church.
___Second-class members--divorced men, who are legalistically prohibited from ever serving as deacons.
___Third-class members--women, because they not only are prohibited from serving as deacons but also from serving in several other capacities.
___I suppose Galatians 3:26-28 and Romans 7:4-6 don't mean what they seem to say.
___ Dale Person
___ Marshall

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