January 7, 2002
TEXAS BAPTIST FORUM:
Pay for sins
___Some of us are old enough to remember when "situation ethics" jumped the fence and became a part of "the American way." Black and white could now become gray, and by a little rationalizing, black could even become white.
___Many are weighing turncoat John Walker by this "situation ethics" mode. He didn't really mean to do anything wrong. He was just misguided. "He's just a boy," his parents lamented. One prominent psychiatrist said on Fox Cable News that Walkershould have to "do some community service" for joining bin Laden's terrorists.
E-mail the editor at marvknox@baptiststandard.com
___No one forced Walker to move to Afghanistan, become Abdul Hamid, learn Arabic, join al-Qaeda and train to kill Americans. He'd grown up in America with loving parents and kindly surroundings while members of the Taliban and al-Qaeda were born cutting their teeth on AK-47s and rocket launchers and being taught to hate and kill. These Afghans were brainwashed into a belief that Allah wants everyone dead except Muslims. And if Walker gets a walk, these poor brainwashed Taliban and al-Qaeda should walk too.
___Our Puritan forefathers believed a man was the master of his own soul and that if he chose the wrong road, he'd split hell wide open.
___All of us will pay for our sins. And regardless of what the United States decides to do with John Walker, he'll pay for his too.
___ Doug Fincher
___ San Augustine
Obey revelation
___Over the years, I have heard people who make no profession of faith in our Lord make statements like, "I know what the Bible says, but ... ." Then they go on to explain what they want, why and how they intend to get it.
___Now we are hearing more and more of those who "profess" say the same thing. "I know what the Bible says about divorce, but ... . I know what the bible says about lying, but ... ." The list goes on and on.
___The doctrine of grace, which I deeply believe in and hold dear, has been perverted by many in the churches. It has been turned into a doctrine of license to do and get whatever we want.
___Romans 8:29-30 says we are to be "conformed in the image" of God's Son (Jesus) because we are "called" to be different from our past.
___How can we with a clear conscience "know" God's word and have a relationship/fellowship with him and have an apparent indifference to obedience/submission to what his word says?
___Matthew 7:22-23 refers to those who profess faith in Christ when Jesus says, "Depart from me, you who work iniquity, for I never knew you."
___May we each (starting with me) put forth more effort to be obedient to what God's word has revealed to us.
___ David Page
___ Sour Lake
Open theism
___Thank you for the article on open theism, the view that God does not know the future (Dec. 3). This flawed view has become a major issue among evangelicals. I am so proud Southern Baptist theologians have chosen to make a stand on this issue.
___If God does not know what tomorrow holds, then all the forward-looking prophecies become meaningless. I thank God that we can have total confidence in his future work.
___The article did not mention the fact the 2000 Baptist Faith & Message speaks against open theism. As a result, those who hold to open theism cannot teach at Southern Baptist seminaries. The 1963 Baptist Faith & Message does not speak directly to this issue. This is why I and many others recommend the Baptist General Convention of Texas approve the 2000 faith statement.
___Perhaps open theism is an issue both sides can stand together on.
___ Tim Overton
___ Pasadena
False teaching
___One of the worst blasphemies is the false teaching that "since God must know everything," he knew who would be saved from before creation.
___This doctrine necessarily means the God of love intentionally, from before the beginning of time, planned to create individuals destined for eternity in hell that was prepared to house Satan and his fallen angels, not mankind (Matthew 25:41).
___This false doctrine impugns the loving, gracious, benevolent, merciful character of God. No one has the right to tell the sovereign, omnipotent God who chooses to forget sin (Hebrews 8:12, 10:17) he must know everything.
___In a much more wonderful and complex scenario than this simplistic, false doctrine, God created all the possibilities for every person who could ever live so that all could actually have a free will to express true love.
___In direct contradiction to this false doctrine, God always did and still does deeply desire that everyone will choose to accept his free gift of eternal salvation (1 Timothy 2:3,4; 2 Peter 3:9). God is not the author of damning sin as this false doctrine implies. No one in hell will have anyone to blame for being in hell except their self.
___ Dale M. Presley
___ Sour Lake
Seeking power
___As a Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary student, I have wondered recently if the trustees of Southwestern are working for the best interests of the students. I chose to study at Southwestern because it has a rich heritage and a reputation for being a strong evangelical seminary. Many respected people who have impacted Southern Baptist life have been trained at Southwestern.
___I began at Southwestern in the fall of 2001 and have begun a friendship and respect for David Crutchley. He is very gifted and respected for both his scholarship and for being an advocate for the faculty and students. So why did the trustees at Southwestern force him to step down as dean of the School of Theology (Dec. 10)? It appears that this so-called "conservative resurgence" has taken a different course in the Southern Baptist Convention. All of the SBC seminaries and agencies now have conservative leanings, so why are the fundamentalists advocating more reform?
___David Crutchley is a theological conservative and the very essence of the type of professor the "conservative resurgence" desires, so why was he asked to step down? I have heard it said that the fundamentalist movement in the SBC is no longer about a "conservative resurgence" but is now about a small faction seeking power and gain for themselves instead of gain for God's kingdom. I hope this is not what the trustees at Southwestern are doing, but it certainly appears that way.
___ Jeff Stehle
___ Fort Worth
Balanced teachings
___I am 46, a computer programmer and attend Southwestern Seminary's San Antonio center. I am a moderate, maybe even liberal. But I find the teachings at seminary very balanced and Christ-centered.
___I cannot think of a better place to be preparing for future service to our Savior.
___ Jim Parr
___ San Antonio
No creed
___I do not wish to be cynical, but when did Southern Baptists adopt a creed?
___When was one required to sign a creed before teaching in our seminaries or be fired if they did not?
___What went with the great old doctrines of the priesthood of the believer, the autonomy of the local church and congregational rule? Where are these grand old beliefs, which Baptist have held and taught so faithfully through the years?
___I have believed and preached these things for many years after having studied under the teaching of the most scholarly and dedicated Christian professors who were not compelled to sign a creed.
___ Tommie B. Allen
___ Lubbock
Sick of bickering
___I am sick of the bickering among our people. We apparently have lost sight of the Great Commission and decided just to fight among ourselves.
___I have worshipped with congregations in many other countries, where sometimes I did not understand the language, but I felt the spirit.
___Since 1990, I have tried to make at least one trip per year to help start congregations in other places. I learned Spanish when my employer sent me to Venezuela in 1959, so I prefer a Latin American destination, but I did make one trip to Korea.
___This year, I took two teenage girls from our church to Venezuela, where they were joined by seven other people, mostly Chinese Americans. We worked only three and a half days in the area we were assigned because of travel requirements. In this short time working with the local church, we started two congregations and three cell groups for Bible study.
___The locals were so impressed that I have received a note saying they are recruiting teams of other established churches to continue in their areas of Venezuela.
___Another group sponsored by Global Missions Fellowship was in Colombia working with the International Mission Board personnel who want to have a church within walking distance of every house on the north coast of Colombia!
___When the Lord gave us the Great Commission, this is what he wanted us to do.
___We should spend our efforts fighting Satan, not each other.
___ Julian Unger
___ Houston
Silliness
___The lengths to which seminary pooh-bahs will go to achieve silliness is seen in the recent establishment of a position labeled "dean of globalization" at Southwestern Seminary. The current dean of theology has been assigned the new position.
___The current theology dean has just been reassigned from teaching God's relation to the world to making something (presumably God) worldwide in scope. That sort of sounds like the same thing.
___Since this makes no sense, perhaps the new globalology dean is supposed to apply the world's beliefs (assuming he can synergize them) to God; however, since evangelical consensus is that no earthly power, tangible or intangible, can enforce any action on God, such a deanship would constitute an exercise in futility, maybe one as impossible as Southwestern's abrogating the 2000 Baptist Faith & Message.
___When I was in grade school, there was a global study called geography, in which I was required to locate countries, capitals, etc. Since the expert consensus is that college graduates (seminary freshpersons) rarely know even U.S. state capitals, Southwestern may be on to something here, a remedial course in geography. How could any preacher possibly lead his congregation without knowing the latitude, longitude and capital of Tajikistan?
___Southwestern's on the cutting edge. Churches will fall over each other hunting pastors with doctorates in globalology. As for writing scholarly articles, men with assorted degrees will be spurned unless they have that priceless globalology degree. Moses would have given 40 years for one.
___Jim Clark
___Danville, Ky.
Digressed to pure politics
___I have just read "A Hill on Which to Die" by Paul Pressler (Dec. 3). It is sad when our leaders have digressed to pure politics. Jesus taught us to love one another and to pray for one another. I find little, if any, love for those who disagree with Pressler.
___Why would he publicly criticize a former pastor of Second Baptist Church and say that he was not a deep Bible preacher (page
___It seems it would have been better to have forgiven them and moved on rather than attempt to hurt them or their families after 41 years.
___The book leaves the impression with me that our leaders meet and plot ways to achieve power rather than to meet and pray for power.
___It has been my privilege to serve as a deacon for almost 50 years in three churches with five pastors. All of them have been very conservative in their theology. Each one is an honorable man with a passion for the unsaved. Each one can preach better than I can live.
___I would never make a public statement that I thought would hurt one of these servants of God
___Henry Gathright
___Victoria
Myriad of viewpoints needed
___As a graduate of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, I want to add a comment or two about the recent happenings there.
___Instead of a thriving institution of higher learning, Southwestern has become a mediocre bastion of indoctrination and narrow thought.
___Throughout the ages, true education has always been an exposure to the myriad of viewpoints on any particular issue, with the aim of understanding and growth. False education has been a fearful retreat into hateful dogmatism against the dangers of heterodoxy, with an attempt to vilify and discredit. Instead of productive and forward thought, false education is only reactionary and backward-looking.
___It appears that Southwestern has chosen to side with the latter, and look where it has taken them. Thank God for institutions like Truett, where a Baptist can go for a real education. If I had to do it all over again, I would have never, ever gone to Southwestern.
___James M. Moore
___Houston
Don't we worship Yahweh?
___In reference to Al Mohler's statement that Jews worship a different God from Christians (Nov. 5), I wonder what Bible he uses.
___I was under the impression that Christians worshipped Yahweh, the God of the Old Testament as revealed there and more
___Have I been deluded my 62 years as a Christian raised and nurtured in Southern Baptist churches and seminary?
___Don't Jews worship the same Yahweh, just not accepting the fuller revelation of him in the Messiah Christ Jesus? Cannot it be logically deduced from Mohler's statements that Jesus is the true God and the Trinity (of the covenant God Yahweh and the Holy Spirit) is therefore a false doctrine? Is this where strict fundamentalism will lead?
___Where does the Bible speak of a Christian God versus a Jewish God? Cannot one reject salvation in the Messiah Jesus and still seek to know Yahweh? When Jesus said no one comes to the Father except through him, was he speaking solely of salvation or of any type of relationship with Yahweh? Why has the name of Yahweh been removed from the "English Christian" Bible? And the questions continue.
___Lee Neal
___Guadalajara, Mexico
Legalistic rules
___Why are you angels crying?
___Remember Acts 15:28, man said it seemed good to the Holy Spirit when legalistic rules were given to Gentiles which
___Yes.
___The Holy Spirit wasn’t pleased then, and he’s not pleased now.
___What happened?
___The minority that rejected anything but God’s gift for salvation 2,000 years have been fooled by their fundamentalist leaders to follow legalistic rules.
___How did they do that?
___They won the majority by naming themselves "conservative" and their opposition "moderate."
___What’s their rules?
___ Board Report 4-9-97 Jerry Rankin, president of the International Mission Board: "...guidance and anointing of God will require a significant shift in attitudes...change will come when...a confidence and willingness to follow the wisdom and guidance of God-appointed leadership whether we necessarily understand or agree."
___Doesn’t that abolish priesthood of the believer?
___ Yes.
___ Has this taken place?
___ The majority’s 2000 Baptist Faith & Message priesthood must conform to the group.
___ Who is the group?
___ Some say the local church, but churches have been removed because they ordained women to preach the gospel, which opposes their legalistic BF&M.
___Oh, no!...persecuted by Christians for obeying the Holy Spirit? The Christian majority accused Paul of preaching against their legalism in Acts 21:21, and had him take vows (sign BF&M) to show he was in line with their thinking.
___Their thinking was a stumbling block then and is today. It’s sad the majority has all the fools on one side again!
___Rex Ray
___Bonham
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 BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.
Contents/ Masthead / Why We're Here / Links / Archive / E-mail us/ SUBSCRIBE!/ Signup for FirstLook
