January 22, 2001
Texas Baptist Forum
Troubling confusion
___As I read the comments on the opinion page, the confusion is troubling. The question continues to be, "Why cannot we unify and heal the split?"
___The two groups have opposing views concerning how the denomination should bemanaged. The two methods are congregational and ecclesiastical, and the two cannot be merged. To reunite, one or the other must go. The Baptist General Convention of Texas holds to the old Baptist belief that the congregation is the final decision maker and that power flows upward to the management. Southern Baptist Convention management holds that decisions are to be made by the management, and instructions are sent downward to the congregations.
E-mail the editor at marvknox@baptiststandard.com
___Most modern denominations are ecclesiastical. Baptists historically have been congregational, and many of us continue to believe in that form of church government. This is a decision all of us will have to make--to govern our own church congregations or have them governed by those who control the management.
___All of the other differences easily can be worked out, but there is no way to merge the two differing systems of management. May God give each of us the wisdom to reach a decision as to the system we want, and perhaps both groups can return to the work of God.
___ Felton Martin
___ Santa Anna
Anti-Bush bias
___I think I detected an anti-Bush bias in your editorial on testing the political philosophy of Jesus (Jan. 15). I thought I was reading an article written by a partisan political pundit. Hardly appropriate for the Baptist Standard or its editor.
___ Bob Dean
___ Garland
Not funny
___A Comedy Central show, "Family First," set to debut in mid-March, is billed as a "political comedy" sitcom-satire centered on the president's home life. President Bush's 19-year-old twins, Jenna and Barbara Bush, will be portrayed as lesbians.
___A spokesman for the cable channel is quoted as saying they will be "very hot and sexy" and "very provocative and eye-opening."
___A Dallas Morning News editorial on the program notes, "The American people can help protect the Bush daughters from such sharks. Write to Comedy Central, Viewer Services, 1775 Broadway, 10th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10019. Or send e-mail to mail@comedycentral.com and tell the cable channel to respect the privacy of Jenna and Barbara Bush."
___We encourage Baptist Standard readers to make their voices heard.
___ Glen and Virginia Burroughs
___ Dallas
Disturbing letter
___It was disturbing to read about Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary's letter threatening 20 former professors with loss of retirement benefits, accusing them of unethical behavior because they publicly supported shifting funds from SBC seminaries to BGCT schools.
___Since when is it unethical to tell people the truth about misuse of their Cooperative Program money?
___The seminary's letter "raises questions of ethical propriety" on the part of the former professors.
___Ken Hemphill said he hoped the professors' "trust in and support for Southwestern will soon be restored." Fat chance, after a letter like that!
___The message is now clear to current professors hired before the fundamentalist takeover: Sign this new creed or get out. And if you get out, don't tell what you know, or you'll lose your earned benefits.
___Hemphill accuses these former professors of abandoning and having little regard for Southwestern. They did not abandon Southwestern. Southwestern abandoned them. And while I have high regard for the institution Southwestern used to be, it pains me to say I have little regard for the institution now because of the poor leadership of its current administration.
___Borrowing their own words, I wonder if "any moral dilemma surfaced" for doctors Gray, Martin, Klempanuer, Terry, Crutchley, Eldridge and Hardin as they "gave assent" to sending these veiled threats by the president of their institution.
___One must ask how they can abandon and show little regard for their former colleagues when all they did was speak the truth.
___ Mark Johnson
___ Macon, Ga.
Others helped
___I would like to respond to the letter from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary students who expressed their displeasure with the BGCT's decision to redistribute funding away from SBC seminaries (Jan. 8).
___They claimed the funding changes place a burden on seminary students who are simply trying to follow the will of God and train for the ministry. I have no doubt there are a number of good, God-honoring people studying at SBC seminaries who are deserving of financial assistance.
___However, what troubled me about the students' letter was its conspicuous failure to mention those who actually will be helped by the funding changes. Having recently spent several months in Waco, I am privileged to know several of the students studying at Baylor University's Truett Seminary, and I can honestly say they are some of the nicest, godliest people I have ever known. Their faith in Christ, belief in the Bible and passion to serve was quite evident.
___Students at Truett and other BGCT institutions have needs too, and I would respectfully suggest that they are every bit as deserving of financial assistance as students at SBC seminaries. Unfortunately, it is apparent the SBC does not care about these students and is not going to lift a finger to help them.
___The action taken by the BGCT was a necessary and appropriate way to meet the needs of these students and to take care of our own.
___ David H. Rodgers
___ Texarkana
Blind guides
___In regard to the article "U.S. rabbis push for Temple Mount" (Jan. 15), I am disappointed that the Baptist Standard would provide a forum for an article promoting the philosophy that all religions are equal and therefore should be able to equally utilize the Temple Mount.
___These 101 rabbis are "blind guides" operating without the spiritual guidance of the Holy Spirit.
___The use of the Prophet Isaiah's words describing the temple as "a house of prayer for all peoples" conveniently leaves out the First Commandment: "no other gods."
___Throughout the Bible and man's history, God's plan and purpose has been to redeem his people Israel. In the end, all people who trust in Jesus will be saved.
___Not one single Muslim, uncompleted Jew or any other person placing faith in a pagan religion will be saved. God has his plan to redeem his people.
___No politically correct philosophy or New Age combining of religions will change the outcome.
___I am troubled with the increasingly liberal, New Age, politically correct tone to the articles in the Standard. The Baptist Standard should reflect the Spirit of God's word and Baptist doctrine instead of a philosophy of compromise with pagan ideals.
___ Bob Sherrill
___ Garland
Different Morgan
___Sandra Magee Womack (Jan. 8) must have sat under teaching and preaching of a different L.D. Morgan than the one I knew.
___He baptized me and my mother and father at First Baptist Church of Greggton in 1935.
___When pastor of First Baptist Church of Pasadena, he counseled me regarding my call to the ministry and encouraged me to enroll in Baylor University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
___He performed my wedding ceremony and preached my ordination service at Harmony Baptist Church in Caldwell.
___He preached my father's funeral service, and I participated in his funeral service.
___Our long-range building program at Jefferson Baptist Church was patterned after the original Sagemont building plans that he showed me in 1965.
___The L.D. Morgan I knew did not teach me to "think freely" about the Scriptures but instructed me to believe the word of God and to bring my mind, body, soul and spirit into compliance with the Christ of the Bible.
___To invoke the name of L.D. Morgan as a free thinker regarding God's holy word and then suggest that Sagemont Church has "fallen into the hands of those living under creedal authority" is ludicrous.
___ T.C. French Jr.
___ Baton Rouge, La.
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