In a nutshell, many conservative churches are seeking rules "with teeth" that would rid the ABCUSA of congregations that welcome gay and lesbian participants, sometimes ordaining gay pastors and celebrating same-sex unions. Many liberal-to-moderate churches hope to retain organizational havens for disfellowshiped congregations in keeping with Baptist traditions of "soul freedom" and aversion to creeds.
The rules "with teeth" that conservatives within the ABC are seeking may begin by holding a firm line against homosexuality, but it will not end there. Sooner or later conservative Baptists are going to have to decide whether their mission and calling is to be the morals police for the world or whether it is to fulfill the Great Commission.
15 comments:
decide whether their mission and calling is to be the morals police for the world or whether it is to fulfill the Great Commission.
What is the difference?
Anonymous,
We clearly have different understandings of the gospel.
I believe the gospel is "good news" about God's love and grace as revealed in Jesus.
Moral policemen think the gospel is "bad news" about sin and separation as revealed by the law.
Along with being the Good News it is a standard to live by, therefore it identifies behavior that is acceptible and that which is called sin.
Bruce, last night copies of your blog pages were handed out to FBC Deacons. I saw them after the meeting. It is still so interesting to me how the blog world and the real world interact.
Bruce,
great final line, I'm going to have to use it sometime.
Anon,
The difference is that Jesus said, "Judge not, lest thou be judged likewise."
Basically policing morality is the Holy Spirit's role in convicting the lost, our role is to simply share the Word.
In short, being the morals police is not our job.
Greek Shadow,
My sentiments exactly.
Bruce,
As a signatory to the Rochester statement, I can tell you that the real issues aren't homosexuality but, as was true in the takeover of the SBC, a desire by conservatives within the denomination to diminish the autonomy of the local church so that conservative factions like the ABE can tell local churches what to do.
If the conservatives succeed the disfellowshipping of AWAB churches will only be the beginning.
The real issue is Baptist freedom, autonomy, and the priesthood of believers.
Timothy D. Bonney, Senior Pastor
First Baptist Church
Des Moines, Iowa
Tme wrote: desire by conservatives within the denomination to diminish the autonomy of the local church so that conservative..
Give details man opinons don't mean anything, you along with other wants to continue to water down the standards laid out in the Bible by saying science is more authority than God or that the Bible has errors so we can do whatever meet todays political correct version.
No details:diminish the autonomy of the local church
WHAT:you want to champion the freedom of seminary professors paid with denominational funds to teach that Jonathan and David are examples of the glories of homosexual love then
I am a new reader of this blog, and just want to clarify my understanding. Is it your position that the conservatives/fundamentalists did not have a legitimate concern that what happened to the mainline denominations would not happen to the SBC? That is, that the seminaries would employ professors who could not affirm orthodox doctrines like the Trinity and the Hypostatic Union in good conscience, and that the denomination would ultimately become schismatic over issues of defining sexual sin?
Bruce, what is your position on the ordination of homosexual ministers?
There was a real leap of logic on this comment page. I get my hackles up every time the moral mafia starts screaming about liberal professors at the seminaries before the takeover. Then they give some off the wall rediculous example of what they supposedly taught. In both college and Seminary my professors steadfastly and adamantly refused to let us know what they personally believed. They presented the various theories, their strengths and weakness, then left it up to us to figure it out on our own. That is what the Moral Mafia can't abide -- Education. They think the only was to teach is to brain wash their students on the one accepted interpretation, (Orthodoxy) and that is what they have succeeded in doing at all our seminaries. Shame and pity on them and on all those who libel and slander the good names of the professors that were educators not demogogues.
The silence is deafening.
Perhaps my question was overlooked. Bruce, what is your position on the ordination of homosexual ministers?
Brad,
What does that have to do with what one's own position on the ordination of homosexual ministers is?
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