April 9, 2001

TEXAS BAPTIST FORUM:
Sad decision
___The Southern Baptist Convention's decision to break off dialogue with the Catholics (April 2) is very sad.

E-mail the editor at marvknox@baptiststandard.com

___Years ago, I learned there are two attitudes, either actual or perceived, that will destroy relationships, whether within a family, a business, a denomination, between faith groups or even between nations. The attitudes are: (1) I am good; you are bad, and (2) I am right; you are wrong.
___The action of the SBC is very much akin to the father who boasted to his buddies that he had never lost an argument with his children. But he ended up losing his children.
___ Bill Simpson
___ San Antonio

Jesus' unity
___I read with a great deal of interest your editorial "Christians need to keep talking" (April 2).
___Your main thrust is that Southern Baptists and Roman Catholics need to continue dialogue. What I wish to comment on is the implication all Southern Baptists and Catholics are true believers and therefore dialogue should continue.
___All Southern Baptists have not been saved. All Catholics have not been saved. We make a very serious mistake in assuming that church members are always believers.
___The unity that Jesus spoke about is the unity of true believers, regardless of denominational affiliation, and that unity I will always affirm because the Bible speaks to that issue.
___Unity in the local Baptist church, state conventions and the SBC are very important. Texas and Virginia have two state conventions, and other states may embrace that model. Doctrinal differences at the national level may preclude unity.
___Within the SBC, I believe, all parties need to express their perspectives in a more dignified and Christian way. May the Lord help it to be so.
___ John Harris
___ Richmond, Va.

Triumphant gospel
___For the last umpteen years, Pat Robertson has been calling for prayer in school. Now that a there is a man in the White House to give a glimmer of hope, what does he do? He cries foul!
___Why does he believe the same gospel that he supposedly preaches, when put up against the other religions of the world, will fail?
___He must repent and have some faith for our nation's sake!
___ Monty R. Stanford
___ Rosenberg

Greatest danger
___I read with interest the stories related to the home churches and the comments of Wolfgang Simson (March 26). The effectiveness of these home churches is great news!
___While there are many strains of truth in the points made by Simson, he reaches a flawed conclusion that the home church is the only model for today because it was the biblical model.
___A careful reading of Scripture would indicate that where the early church met was directly linked to the culture, the specifics of the geographic location and to the needs of believers at the time, not a blueprint from God.
___The success of diverse approaches to ministry has been beautifully illustrated over the past few weeks by the wonderful stories in the Baptist Standard detailing how God is at work in small churches, in large churches, in home churches and in many other ways.
___As Christians and Texas Baptists, we need to be encouraging a multiplicity of ways to bring people into relationship with Christ and building up the body of Christ.
___It is just as myopic to take the position that home churches are the only way as it is to claim we must not deviate from traditional ways of church.
___In the diverse society in which we live, our greatest danger is to focus on one idea and think we have found the complete answer to ministry.
___ L. Gene Kornegay
___ Bryan

False freedom
___I hope Baptist General Convention of Texas supporters who are considering leaving the SBC over concerns about freedom and local-church autonomy are paying attention to events in the Atlanta Baptist Association.
___A story about the situation states, "Two Georgia Baptist churches under fire for welcoming and affirming homosexuals survived a second ouster vote from their local association March 12" (March 19).
___The same article later adds, "Defenders of the Jan. 30 vote by Atlanta Association to retain the two churches said it was not meant to be an endorsement of homosexuality but a recognition of the autonomy of the local church."
___God help us!
___If this is the kind of freedom leaders in the BGCT are fighting for, I want no part of it.
___America is arguably the most free nation in the world. We boast about, have fought for and died for our freedom. And we will continue to do so. Yet we are a free nation governed by countless laws, limits and boundaries. Without these, freedom becomes chaos.
___And so it is with religious liberty, denominational liberty and any other kind of liberty. Without laws and limits, we have chaos, and chaos always leads to anarchy and fall.
___I continue to hear that Baptist leaders of former days fought and gave their lives for this freedom, but I will never in 1,000 years believe any one of them stood for the freedom of any local church to affirm homosexuals.
___I pray Texas Baptists will wake up!
___ Jeff Staton
___ Perryton

'Give to Caesar'
___Last month, I sent my final payment of income taxes for the year 2000 to the Internal Revenue Service. This was in addition to having tax withheld from my pay and making an estimated payment.
___I should be upset and whining, as is the custom this time of year. After all, "It is my money, and I deserve to keep more of it."
___When I see the amount of taxes I pay, I am reminded how greatly I have been blessed at the age of 64 to have the good health and ability to work and provide for my family.
___I would like for my tax money to be used wisely and not wasted. But paying tax is a privilege we have for living in this great country and enjoying its blessings.
___Jesus said, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's" (Matthew 22:21). Notice that he didn't say anything about it being "your money, and you deserve to keep more of it."
___Also, notice he put just as much emphasis on giving to Caesar as on giving to God-- and maybe more, since he mentioned Caesar first.
___Have you ever heard a preacher talk about "stewardship" and say, "It is your money, and you deserve to keep more of it"?
___This teaching of Jesus also is the first clear teaching on separation of church and state.
___ Carl L. Hess
___ Dothan, Ala.

Everyone needed
___I started getting your paper over a year ago because I found that it reported a variety of good news stories from a variety of sources. I have been somewhat disappointed at times at the negative reports by opposing groups and some of your own editorials.
___However, I must say that the March 26 issue of the Standard was a most edifying work. All of the news items about Christians at work were positive--the March 10 commissioning service of the International Mission Board at my church, pop-up churches, house churches, students on spring break, to name a few.
___I was especially attracted to the house church article. Could this be a way of nudging backsliders back into a Christian fellowship in one's community?
___This is the kind of service that a paper can and should provide; i.e. insight and inspiration for readers to do more in their corner of the world.
___Further, it takes all groups working together to do the ministry that is needed at home and abroad. Stay on course.
___ Donald Rankin
___ Shreveport, La.

Alcohol cheats
___I can reflect back 29 years ago sitting under the ministry of J.S. "Slim" Sullivan. His message now was his message then.
___His life and ministry have reflected a clear, correct and constant message that alcohol cheats, it is carnal and it is caustic.
___Thank you, Slim, for saying it (April 2) again and again!
___ T.D. Roling
___ Mount Pleasant

Learn more about Catholics, Orthodox
___Over the years, the Standard has seldom had much positive to say about Roman Catholicism. It is good that you now urge Southern Baptists to continue to have dialogue with Catholics.
___However, your emphasis seems more on criticizing the Southern Baptist Convention and those who are a part of it, which appears near habitual by today's leadership of the Baptist General Convention of Texas.
___It was my privilege to have known Catholic Bishop Danglmayr, an outstanding individual. The late Fred Lange, member of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, who excelled as leader of the Dallas Community Chest and Foundation, was given papal recognition for his efforts, which benefited Catholic benevolences, as well as all charitable and educational causes of Dallas and beyond.
___Baptists would also do well to know more of the historic Orthodox Church, where my friend Archbishop Dmitri is archbishop for Dallas and of the South. It will require physical stamina to visit their service, largely composed of prayers and scripture readings, where those in attendance stand with the archbishop for the more than two hours of the service.
___Marshall Surratt
___Dallas



Get printer-friendly version of this story


Send this story to a friend

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist
churches, in the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

---

Contents/ Masthead / Why We're Here / Links / Archive / E-mail us/ SUBSCRIBE!