restraint_92203

Posted: 9/19/03

95 missionaries urge restraint in preacher talk

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (ABP) --Ninety-five retired Southern Baptist missionaries who served in the Middle East and North Africa recently signed a resolution calling for U.S. Christian leaders to quit making inflammatory statements about the faith of people who live in the region.

They mailed their admonition in a letter to former Southern Baptist Convention President Jerry Vines and Richard Land, executive director of the SBC Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission.

In a sermon Vines preached at the 2002 SBC Pastors' Conference, he called Mohammed, the founder of Islam, "a demon-possessed pedophile." He also implied Allah, the Islamic god, turns people into terrorists.

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Posted: 9/19/03

95 missionaries urge restraint in preacher talk

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (ABP) –Ninety-five retired Southern Baptist missionaries who served in the Middle East and North Africa recently signed a resolution calling for U.S. Christian leaders to quit making inflammatory statements about the faith of people who live in the region.

They mailed their admonition in a letter to former Southern Baptist Convention President Jerry Vines and Richard Land, executive director of the SBC Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission.

In a sermon Vines preached at the 2002 SBC Pastors' Conference, he called Mohammed, the founder of Islam, “a demon-possessed pedophile.” He also implied Allah, the Islamic god, turns people into terrorists.

The missionaries' letter also cited Land's endorsement of President Bush's pro-Israel policies.

Both actions are particularly distressing to missionaries, the resolution said.

“Because of the deep and continued concern for all the peoples of the Middle East and North Africa, we, the retired missionaries of this area, urge Christian leaders in America to respect the faith, values and aspirations of all the peoples of the entire area, and to reflect this respect in their public and private statements,” the resolution said.

The retirees represent more than 1,625 years of combined experience with the SBC International Mission Board. A group of current IMB workers in predominantly Muslim countries issued a similar call for restraint last January.

Vines and Land did not respond to requests for comment. Likewise, the International Mission Board declined comment.

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