Ethics Daily ran a story yesterday about our blog on the SBC's school resolution.
We will monitor news reports of gay bashing that are associated with the SBC's encouragment of increased activism opposing the tolerance of homosexuals in public schools.
Southern Baptists need to develop a conscience on this issue before another Matthew Shepherd gets beaten and left hanging on a fence post to die.
Bob Allen's story at Ethics Daily is a good place to start. The best way to develop a conscience in this area is for Baptists to look at themselves through the eyes of Matthew Shepherd. Combining sympathetic imagination with reflexive self-consciousness is something that every Christian concerned to fulfill the Great Commission needs to develop.
17 comments:
Bruce, what is your position (or your organization's position, if applicable) on the homosexuality issue as it pertains to ministry and ordination within an autonomous church in which you might hold sway? I've asked before and I assume you are opposed to homosexual ordination, given your silence on the matter in a progressive, center-left forum such as this.
However, homosexuality is issue that all dominations will have to confront in a number of ways in the coming years, and I hope they will do so with openness and clarity to all, no matter which position they choose to take.
RK,
That is not the issue covered in this blog.
Changing the subject avoids the issues I am discussing.
Bruce, why should you be so concerned with the SBC position if you are unwilling to state your own position?
Brad, All this implying that Southern Baptist are for beating homosexuals is just propaganda, pure and simple. Site some REAL examples if this is going to be put out as factual. I know of no Southern Baptist Church that preaches or teaches anything but love for all mankind. It is sin that we are concerned with and wish for all to come to the knowledge of the Truth.
Anonymous,
The letter from the head of PFLAG did cite an example. Here's the link, again:
That is not the only example from Oklahoma last year.
If there is love of mankind, there would be no opposition to tolerance education. The resolution is against tolerance, therefore by implication it supports intolerance. This opens the door to the acceptance of violence either by commission or omission. Simple geometric proof, if a = b and b = c, then a = c.
Here are my a, b, c's.
a. Do you love enough to want to keep someone from eternal punishment?
b. Do you pray for them to know Christ and to repent of sin?
c. When tolerance means allowing someone to commit an error that will destroy them (physically or spiritually), is that real love?
Anon,
God so loves mankind that he gave us free will. A parent's hardest job is to sometimes stand back and let your toddler fall down, so that they can learn to walk. Teenagers make horrible decisions, but you can't make it for them or they never grow up. The prodigal son's father knew what would happen when his son left home, but he loved him enough to let him fail and then come back after being educated in the school of hard knocks. It is a Christians job to share our faith and our concept of right and wrong, not to judge or coerce those positions on others. Laws should protect us from the actions of others. Laws become tyranical when they protect us from ourselves. Who does homosexuality harm? I worked under an administrator who was gay, it did nothing to diminish my capacity as a teacher or an individual, he did no harm to the students of the shcool as they were unaware of his life choice. I only found out about it at a faculty party, the rest of us teachers raised our eyebrows and said, "OK" and went on. It caused the others around him no harm. In fact he was an excellent administrator and they are few and far between. If you contend that it causes him harm and he will die and go to hell, that is his choice and the Holy Spirit's job to convict him of his so called sin.
greek shadow, I think all this talk here about the Southern Baptists being coercive is just "hogwash". It appears that the main objective here is negativity and playing blame games toward a denomination that some here have hard feelings toward and cannot forgive. I think that is a miserable way to live and I am not unwilling to love you folks here, but you sure are an exasperating group. Never the less, God bless you and may you love Him and even the Southern Baptists.
Bruce,
It's clear that the reason you constantly duck my question is because you're just as anti-gay as the SBC when it comes to ministry and ordination. I don't believe people can credibly discuss the "issue covered in the this blog" without clarifying a position on the other matter I raised. It doesn't take a genious to figure that one out!
Wow! I just found this blog site today and its great fun watching you all act like Pharisees. You would all freak out if you knew how many SBC (liberals and conservative) pastors are gay. And to think, you worship with them and don't even know it.
Anonymous, I'd say you are 100%. Homophobes such as the blog writer here that hides his true views would probably flip out if they knew the truth.
To the anonymous poster talking about all the gay pastors, how do you know? Do you have some kind of inside information, if not, just more propaganda.
Trust me, I know. I've talked to at least 3 in the Baptist Building in Dallas, 5 or so in Texas Baptist churches, 2 in Oklahoma, and 2 in Missouri. I'm sure there are plenty more. And its not propaganda, its fact.
Anonymous,
I have a fairly hard and fast rule. I never trust anyone who says, "Trust me!" particularly when they speak anonymously.
Sorry Bruce, didn't mean to offend you. My name is Will.
Oh, I forgot to tell you that I don't trust anyone who says "trust me" either. They might be a Baptist deacon who is selling used cars.
Will
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