Texas Baptist Forum

Texas Baptist Forum

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Church & state

Due to the recent government bail-outs—with taxpayer money—the government is now telling companies how much they can pay their top executives and employees. What greater example do we as Baptists need to never accept government money?

F.A. Taylor

Kempner

 

Christians & rumors

I enjoyed and appreciated your piece about rumor-mongering among Christians (Oct. 19). You should consider another contributing factor to the picture you have drawn, however.

That is the role that some large evangelical groups are playing in fabricating a revisionist Christianity in which opponents are depicted as the anti-Christ and conspiracies abound.

Further, the isolated nature of these communities makes them vulnerable to manipulation because they are cut off from the rest of the world and from multiple sources of information.


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Having just finished reading Jeff Sharlet’s The Family, I am sure that it plays a huge role in the phenomenon.

Ann Donaldson

Boston, Mass.

 

Your package of articles on rumor-mongering brings up a very good point that I have been thinking about for several years regarding Internet rumors, political beliefs and opinions based on inaccurate information.

But the most important thing about Christians spreading false rumors is this: If I can’t trust my Christian friends to realize Saddam Hussein and Iraq didn’t have anything to do with 9/11—something that happened in the last 10 years—how do they ever expect me to believe what they tell me about something that may have happened 2,000 years ago? If they are gullible about things that can be disproved in one decade, why would I expect them to do any serious study about something 20 centuries ago?

I have a friend who is a youth minister in Knoxville, Tenn. I am friends with his family. So, when his right-wing parents sent some falsehood to everyone on their e-mail list, I was pleased that he did a “reply-all” and told everybody: “The truth is good enough. You don’t need to spread false stories.”

I wish more Christian ministers and congregants had that attitude—that the truth is good enough.

Bob Reynolds

Phoenix, Ariz.

 

Need for NAMB

I was shocked when I read the letter regarding our North American Mission Board from Mick Tahaney (Oct. 19).

Who indeed needs NAMB? How many people living in Texas and our country have not heard of the love and forgiveness of our Lord and Savior? The number is mind-boggling. We are to take the gospel to all the world, beginning in our own neighborhoods and state and country. The Great Commission in Matthew 28:19 tells us that without any doubts.

It is our obligation to give everyone the opportunity to hear the gospel. Church planters start new churches to spread the gospel. The reason to offer meals to students is to give them the opportunity to learn about Jesus. Many students who come to those luncheons do not know the good news, and some are from foreign nations. We are not bribing them or forcing our beliefs on them, just giving them a chance to make Christian friends and learn about Jesus’ love and forgiveness.

I agree that once we share the gospel, we have done what Christ asked us to do, and the outcome is up to God and the person who received the witness.

My prayer is Baptists will understand the need of our NAMB. As director of our Women on Mission chapter, we see each month the many needs of people to hear the gospel and how we need to support all these efforts to reach these lost people in all areas of our world.

Melva Anderson

Tyler

 

Jesus told us to go make disciples of all nations, and that includes the United States. He does not desire that any should perish, but that all come to a saving knowledge of his love and grace.

Missions and missionaries are indeed supposed to share the gospel with those who have not heard. But living in America does not make anyone a Christian, nor does it mean they have heard about the love and grace of Jesus.

Vermont is the least-churched state in the nation. Less than 3 percent of its 650,000 residents know Jesus as Savior and Lord. We know this because we have served in Vermont for nine years as North American Mission Board Mission Service Corps missionaries. It is our joy and privilege to work alongside fellow believers in the Green Mountain Baptist Association and to share Jesus’ love with all and to help plant churches in communities where there is no evangelical witness.

People from every nation are coming to America and are joining those who have lived here all their lives but still have not heard the gospel. Who will tell them? NAMB missionaries are working under the leadership of the Holy Spirit to feed—both physically and spiritually—college students, the homeless, the fatherless and the elderly.

We cannot force anyone to believe in Jesus, but by sharing his love, many will want to know him. We praise God for being a part of NAMB.

Johnnie & Lahoma Loar

Montpelier, Vt.

 

All equal

With the terrorist event that occurred at Fort Hood, we are reminded the world is a dangerous place and there is much work to be done. Christians have been commanded by God to make disciples and thus make a difference.

When I opened the Nov. 9 Baptist Standard, headlines caught my attention: “Religious freedom requires Baptists to …” “… behind walls of Huntsville prison,” “musician’s crusade against human trafficking …” (the musician is a female), “Iranians celebrate Holy Spirit … .” I went back to page 13 and read past the headline, “Southwestern Seminary adopts statement asserting male headship.”

It seems to me some Christians get it. Meanwhile, seminary trustees have the time to meet and affirm the Danvers Statement on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, essentially declaring women are second-class.

When these young ministers—males—go out into the mission field, they would be wise to follow the teachings of Jesus, that all are equal in the kingdom’s business.

Betty Westbrook

Allen

 

Monks & sympathy

I read with amusement about the Vietnamese Buddhist monks who are suffering civil rights violations at the hands of the communist government (Nov. 2). Would these be the same Buddhist monks who set themselves on fire in protest of the U.S. armed forces in South Vietnam fighting the North Vietnam communists’ attempt to take over South Vietnam?

Amusement is so unChristian of me, but I feel pain every day of my life from wounds of that war, as do many of my fellow comrades. We have to work real hard on sympathy.

Fred Rosenbaum

Gainesville

 

 


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