March 24, 2003
TEXAS BAPTIST FORUM:
Post office signs
___Bully for the man who donated signs with the motto "In God We Trust" for each of the post offices in his county.
___And a loud hurrah for the lady postmistress who refused to take hers down when the order came from someone higher up.
___Our local post office had one hanging in a very prominent place when I was there recently, so I commented on it to the teller waiting on me and thanked him and told him I appreciate it.
E-mail the editor at marvknox@baptiststandard.com
___Have you noticed this in your local post office? If so, be sure to tell them how much you appreciate it. If not, ask them why not.
___ Norma Lee Mock
___ Enid, Okla.
Baptist principles
___Charles Wade's column on the Texas Baptist Laity Institute (Feb. 24) left me both outraged and encouraged. As a lifelong Baptist, graduate of a Baptist university, a Christian and Sunday School teacher in excess of 60 years, why were we not taught these Baptist principles in Sunday School?
___Why did it take a story such as this and the story of a young Asian woman to really tell me in a few short sentences what Baptists believe?
___If this had been taught in my generation and generations following, perhaps, just perhaps, we would not have had the complete takeover of the Southern Baptist Convention by fundamentalists.
___ Millie Clark
___ Highland Village
Missions offering
___Signers of a recent ad concerning Baptists losing integrity (Feb. 3) indicated their desire to pray for and promote support for missionaries. Was it an oversight that they failed to mention giving?
___If the Baptist General Convention of Texas' new missions network considers ways to finance long-term missionaries, I suggest an annual offering. Set aside a month for Texas Baptists to give a special offering to fund the mission effort. I suggest the name be the Baker James Cauthen Mission Offering. He was among the greatest of our missionaries in the last 50 years.
___I, and others I'm sure, such as the signers of the ad, would be willing to sacrifice of our wealth that the spiritually poor of this world may know the riches of God's grace in Christ Jesus.
___How great it would be if missionaries could be confident that, when their term or stateside duty is complete, their return to the work to which God has called them is assured, relieving psychological pressures on them and their families.
___ Lee Neal
___ Guadalajara, Mexico
Selling price
___The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has found a way to give tax money--government-compelled money--to churches for church buildings!
___Once government begins a project of using and controlling churches, there is no end to its gluttony. In order to exercise more regulation of churches and to use them for political ambitions, it provides increasing "benevolences."
___Churches--willing to conform to such control in order to save themselves the cost of being and doing what Christ expects of them--eagerly grab what government offers.
___Spiritual death to such churches is as inevitable as the rising of the sun! When Christ is sold for "30 pieces of silver," the church already is a cadaver!
___ Joseph B. Underwood
___ Richmond
New psychics
___The ancient Egyptian courts had psychics and others supposedly able to contact the dead and predict the future. In the last century, there were even séances held in the White House.
___A new type of psychic has shown up in the last 20 years or so. Usually, they dress normally. There are no more flowing robes, Merlin caps, crystal balls or darkened rooms with incense. They usually have a pleasant presentation and seem fairly convincing. These new psychics seem to be everywhere. Some have their own television shows.
___What should the modern Christian do about these new psychics?
___Many consider all psychics to be fakes. Others acknowledge that some psychics seem to actually get information that only deceased relatives or prophetic ability would give them. However, in line with both Old Testament and New Testament teachings, most evangelical Christians believe we should avoid them altogether.
___While they may be interesting and harmless to watch on TV, no one can be sure where their information is coming from. We don't want to be contacting demons, thinking they are deceased relatives.
___King Saul contacted the witch of Endor out of desperation. While she did succeed in bringing forth Samuel, her information was not beneficial.
___ Paul A. Jones
___ Killeen
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