Texas Baptist Forum: Islamic cousins?

Islamic cousins?

I take issue with the statement that we’re “all descendants of Abraham,” which I doubt both genetically and spiritually (Aug. 16).

I’ll not get into a debate on whether Allah and God are the same, whatever pious pretenses we may presume, or whether all Muslims are mandated to kill infidels—let fruits tell. However, I will point out that while we may all come from Ham, Shem and Japheth, Abraham was neither Adam nor Noah. There were corrupt influences in his day, and God told him to leave (Genesis 12). Those out to get him then may be the same ones out to destroy God’s people now, in no way related by blood or theology. I am not challenging the call to caring, only the rationale of identification.

Few of us really know who we are or whence we descended. Genealogist Lloyd Bockstruck tells how name changes for political prudence or cultural camouflage distort pedigrees and lineages.

Few can trace ancestry, either biblically or biologically, and by no stretch of my imagination can I envision Islam has a common heritage with Judaism and Christianity. Some Muslims may indeed be descended from Ishmael and Esau, but my heart and head tell me the main enemies of our God today are heirs of Abraham’s enemies, not of his sons.

Some may be believers, some deceived, and, yes, we should pray for them as souls—but not justify our concern by an unfounded claim to kinship.

Harriet Kelley

Dallas

Most-famous Mormon

Baptists teach that Mormons are a cult. If this is true, then why are our pastors and leaders—Texas Baptist and Southern Baptist—not speaking out against the mass following of Glenn Beck, a Mormon, who is tricking Christians into following his lead?

Beck portrays himself as following Christian principles. But if the messenger is false, then no matter what he says, his message is false.

Jesus’ message is true because he is true. He taught the word and principles of God in a true way. The religious people of his day also taught God’s standards, but their message was not true because they were not true. No fault of the message, but a fault of those messengers.

Beck and his co-leader, Sarah Palin, speak a message of error because they are in error. If our belief and teaching are that Mormonism is a cult, then we need to be warning Christians to stay away from those who try to sway them from remaining true to Jesus. Or will the Baptist stance be to look the other way because it is “just politics”?

I say this has moved beyond politics. The duty of pastors includes warning the members. I don’t want to see another Waco.

Cliff Davis

Granbury

No, no ‘Nanny’

A whack of the magic cane of Nanny McPhee on the Baptist Standard!

When the Standard caved in to the desire to raise advertising revenue over maintaining a commitment to virtues and values held dear by many Baptist families, I was sorely disappointed. The Standard ran a full-blown advertisement for the movie Nanny McPhee Returns (Aug. 16), complete with a header crowing, “Who’s Your Nanny?” (the grandma shout-out of “Who’s your Daddy”?), with Nanny and the kids yukking it up, no doubt over that “rude humor” that earned the movie a PG rating.

I think I am going to take the “parental guidance” of mine that was suggested and see if I can’t find that Southern Baptist favorite, the Disney movie, and amuse the kids at home with a G-rated film.

Meanwhile, I admonish the Standard to introduce more tasteful Christian entertainment, like good books and Passion Plays.

Susan Wills

San Angelo