Texas Baptist Forum

Texas Baotist Forum

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Baptists & sexuality

Thanks for the report on the Baptist Conference on Sexuality (April 30).

Coleman Fannin's insights were extremely helpful, rightly based on a Christian understanding of human sexuality and the corrective of "universal church traditions." His warning to moderate Baptists should be heeded.

Melissa Browning's approach seemed lacking: Her diatribe against false Christian attitudes toward the body and sexuality was both dated—a common topic in the 1970s—and an inadequate justification for her conclusions. Her rejection of Pauline theology and especially his views on the body and sexuality as opposed to Jesus was a hot topic a century ago. It still is not convincing! The real debate is elsewhere.

A postscript that is my own magnificent obsession: Is it not sad that both of these Truett Seminary grads—and all others since its founding in 1994—received no graduate-level training in Christian ethics at Truett, while almost all Baptist seminaries include this discipline, most with more than one professor?

Joe E. Trull

Denton

Stated simply, basic sexual morality in the New Testament teaches purity before marriage and fidelity after marriage.

What Christian educator is brazen enough to challenge this statement by countering: "Not so! The New Testament does not teach purity before marriage nor fidelity afterward"?


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When I read the comments of Melissa Browning, I could not always follow her reasoning, but I sensed what she was doing, She was attempting to baptize a whole litany of sexual aberrations into the community of faith.

Imagine the absurdity of appealing to the incarnation of Jesus Christ, our Lord, as the basis for formulating an "embodied theology" in which "our gay and lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer sisters and brothers may be teaching us to finally accept sex as grace and gift!"

The prophet Isaiah warned: "Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; who substitute bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" (Isaiah 5:20)

Jack MacGorman

Fort Worth

Is Glorieta savable?

I read with great interest the offer to sell Glorieta to the New Mexico Baptist Convention for $1 (May 14). Having served in New Mexico 28 years, including pastoring Glorieta Baptist Church, I am well aware of the great ministry of Glorieta through the years, and I would like to see that ministry continue.

Unless there has been drastic change in New Mexico over the past 25 years, running Glorieta will bankrupt the New Mexico Baptist Convention.

On the other hand, if Glorieta lovers everywhere will lead their churches to include Glorieta in their budgets and inform the committee of their decision during this study time, it just might work.

I think the idea is worth prayerful consideration.

Darrell Tapley

Valera

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