SBC=>ENCOUNTERS

SOME ARE RIGHTLY DISGUSTED WITH RACISM IN SBC CHURCH

My stomach churned with disgust as I read my friend, Johnathan Pritchett's outrage and disgust (read here/link), regarding a Mississippi pastor, who refused to allow the marriage of a black couple in their church (/link).  This is more than an outrage; it's incredulous in this day and age.  This pastor and a minority of church members barred a couple from joining hearts and hands in marriage under God, simply because of the color of their skin?  They deserve a blistering and immediate response from the SBC.

Often racism goes unseen, unreported; it flies under the radar of the public at large. Sometimes it is subtle--a handshake and smiling face, but rarely an invitation to home-cooked dinners.  Secret ballot votes for deacons, or the seeking of white pastors in predominately white churches. In these cases, racism fails the kindred spirit examination, the bless-be-the-tie-that-binds trial. It fails miserably.

Friends, this Mississippi church's action will not go unnoticed.  There is no way to fly beneath the radar. I am glad some (here, here, and here), in our convention are calling attention to it.  Yet, I am deeply saddened that reality of this shameful attitude necessitates exposure.  It should not be.  Not among Christians.

I do believe God is cleaning house and opening wide the doors of the sin and unholy attitudes of our convention.  We need to open our hearts, our minds and remove the blinders over our eyes.  Racism is not going to go away with the election of the first black SBC President.  This is clearly seen in the action taken by this church and it will be a monumental test upon us as a convention of churches which seek to uplift Christ and bring glory to God.

This action did neither.  It spits in the face of our Savior as sure as they were standing at Calvary over 2,000 years ago.  It erases any glory God could have received by hearts joining together to reject the racism living in the hearts of members.  Sadly, it addresses a weakness of character in the leadership of this church.

May those who were unaware be the force of change.  May they have the courage to do what is right and just in the eyes of God over this duplicity in spirit and mindset of their calling as ambassadors for Christ.

Make no mistake, my Southern Baptist brothers and sisters: God is cleaning house.

If we will not repent, then God will expose our hypocrisy in the courts of public opinion.  Our sins will not go unnoticed.  At the same time this church will face a reckoning, it behooves us to pray for God to use this incident to pierce the heart of that Mississippi church membership and convict them of their sin.

May their cancerous hate be cut out from their midst as they beg forgiveness of this couple.  May God be glorified in this church's humble apologies in days to come and their resolve to change what needs to be changed in order to line up with the love of God and reconciling power of His Holy Spirit.  May our outrage over this situation not equal the unrighteous attitude of this racist incident.  May we admonish with the Spirit of God as our guide.  May we act in accordance with His will and Word.  selahV

Flawed Answers and Problematic CALVINISTIC Information

I find it all very confusing.

Every time I post an article--be it pre-scheduled, published or draft, (as I've said before), my copy disappears. My Typepad service techs tell me it is not really happening... that my empty screen is a figment of my imagination so-to-speak... that the copy which I do not see is actually not invisible... it's visible on their end.  Thus they've concluded it is not a worm or virus, but a glitch in my browser (which is Firefox Mozilla). Now, whether or not Typepad techs are correct or not, does not solve my problem.  I no more have my copy before me to edit and restore than a person has the ability to write or rewrite their name in the Lamb's Book of Life.

This aggravating situation has created such havoc with writing, I've all but stopped completely.  Right now, I have several things I'd like to post about which I've encountered on blogs and other places, but gee...it's such a hassle.  That said, I am going to post a piece of info a friend of mine pulled off the internet regarding Presbyterians.

Why Presbyterian thoughts on a Baptist Blog?

Well, that denomination is most decidedly reformed and followers of Calvinism.  And since there has been so much discussion regarding the Traditionalist Baptist view on an infant's relationship with God (inability and ability to enter heaven should they die), I thought this was an interesting piece of information on how a reformed Presbyterian church viewed the depravity (or lack of depravity) in infants.

From the website of Faith Presbyterian Church in Tacoma, WA; a member of the Presbyterian Church in America.

Subject: The Presbyterian Doctrines of Covenant Children

"According to Calvin the infants of believing parents belong to the church before they are engrafted into its visible membership by baptism. The child of a Christian parent is presumptively a Christian and an heir of eternal life.

The offspring of believers are born holy, because their children, while yet in the womb, before they breathe the vital air, have been adopted into the covenant of eternal life. Nor are they brought into the church by baptism on any other ground than because they belonged to the body of the Church before they were born. He who admits aliens to baptism profanes it.... For how can it be lawful to confer the badge of Christ on aliens from Christ. Baptism must, therefore, be preceded by the gift of adoption, which is not the cause of half salvation merely, but gives salvation entire; and this salvation is afterwards ratified by Baptism."

[Interim Adultero­­germanum: cui adiecta est vera Christianae Pacificationis et Ecclesiae Reformandae Ratio. Per Joann. Calvinum. Corpus Reformatorum, vol. 35, 619, cited by Schenck, p. 13. Similarly Calvin says, '...the children of believers are baptized not in order that they who were previously strangers to the church may then for the first time become children of God, but rather that, because by the blessing of the promise they already belonged to the body of Christ, they are received into the church with this solemn sign.' Institutes, IV, xv, 22. ]" (emphasis added)

My friend asks a very pointed and purposeful question:

"Where is the doctrine of orginal sin and Adamic guilt in this statement above ... "The offspring of believers are born holy,"?"

Folks have been bantering back and forth about the state of infants in relation to Adam's imputed guilt upon each and every person born (or unborn for that matter).  This statement above does seem to say that an adult parent's faith is vicariously transferred to the unborn infant.  Perhaps I am reading this wrong.  I do not know.  However...

if this is, indeed, what Calvinists believe (which is hard to grasp), then how can anyone who is born into a Christian family ever be "totally depraved"?  How can holy be made unholy?  How can an adopted be un-adopted?  Why is it required that someone born holy needs faith to "believe" in order to become what he already is?  How does holy become filthy?  Is "holy" just another of the growing list of words that need to be redefined for folks like me?  Does anyone else find this information problematic of what Presbyterian Calvinists believe?

Is this what Baptist Calvinists believe?

The Traditional Baptist Statement addresses human depravity in a way that does not negate the consequences we endure due to a corrupted world. The nature of man gives him the appetite and desire for sin.  Yet, sin is born only as a person gives into the desires of sin's temptation...which we are certain to do because according to scripture, "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."  We cannot fix that.  Only God can give us a new heart and impress upon us the desire for Jesus, and empower us with the faith follow Him.  When we act upon that desire, we exhibit the faith we've been given and are changed, reborn, and made into a new creature, holy and acceptable unto God through the shedding of blood at Calvary.

Any thoughts?  selahV

Coupons Offered for Abortions on Sunday

Much is wrong with our country.  Much is messed up with the conscience of man.  Moral values continue to loosen and rules are no longer rules but flexible guidelines.  But coupons for Abortions?  and ONLY good for Sundays?

Yep, according to Baptist Press (full story). Clinics must be really desperate.

May God's people ramp up their prayers each Sunday morning for women to choose life instead of death for the babies trusting the haven of their wombs.  May God move in a mighty way in the hearts of these mothers who find themselves victims of society's acceptance of godlessness.  May the lives of those affected by their choices, who live with wounds too deep to heal be comforted in the forgiveness of a Savior who loves them in spite of their culture-pressured decisions to end a life created in heaven.  May the free-will of women yield to faith in Christ...and may we who are called by God's name be more faithful to pray for the mothers of the unborn, and befriend those mothers who choose life.

"Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 19:14 NIV

May we each take the responsibility of loving the little children within our influence, by praying for their spiritual growth and closeness to the Father as they grow up in our churches.  May we each see that child with or without a parent in church as one God has given us to watch over and love as His.  selahV

Not For the Weak of Heart, Nor Thin Skinned

Blogging can be a remarkable hobby.  It can be tremendously challenging, informative and mind-changing.  It can give clarity to a situation or issue, or pollute the comment streams with vitriolic diatribe.  It can bring light to issues or cover topics with clouds of doubt.  It can test your patience, increase your reading comprehension, decrease ignorance, and dispel rumors and stereotypes.  It can calm your fears, lift your spirit and enrich your mind.

It creates for me a new stream of thinking.  It has introduced me to Seminary presidents, professors, missionaries, ministers, DoM's, and layfolk within my denomination.  It's connected me to authors, diverse writers, and faithful readers.  It has linked me to people in China, India, Australia, Peru, Alaska, and more.  I sit here absolutely amazed sometimes on the expanse of it all.  The instant ability to contact someone and share a prayer request, ask a question, or receive information is mindboggling.  However,

for the weak hearted and thin skinned, blogging can be lethal.  It can be addictive.  It can be heartbreaking, dream-stealing, spirit-crushing.  It can make you so angry and irritable that your blood pressure rises, your sleep is disturbed and you find yourself wondering what the world is coming to. Having said this, I was reminded of the scripture passage below by a fellow blogger:

"If you have raced with men on foot, and they have wearied you, how will you compete with horses? And if in a safe land you are so trusting, what will you do in the thicket of the Jordan?" Jeremiah 12:5

Some people are easily discouraged.  I am one of those people.  However, as quick as I am discouraged, when I confess it, the Lord strengthens me by His Spirit.  He also uses the many wonderful bloggers I have encountered in the past six years.  As I grow in grace and patience and self-control, I've noticed a deeper desire to listen, and try to grasp the views of others.  Some people do not do this.  They are so embittered that any grievance they've had in the past, colors their view of the present and future.  It's hard to travel in thickets when you've never been strengthened in the easier walks in life.  It's hard to trust someone's testimony when you've been burned by falsehoods and then, base every word of folks you encounter upon every negative experience you've had in your past.

Such is the way of many who try to read blogs, who never see beyond the tit-for-tat sparring in the comment streams.  I've often walked away from blogs because of the senseless arguments and insults.  I do not have enough time in life to keep reading them.  However, I've learned to leap-frog over many conversations and comments to get to ones which have a reasoned and rational dialogue going on.  On various occasions, I found myself wondering where I fit in the SBC blog world given all I was seeing.  Yet, here I am.  Still pecking.  Still reading.  Still praying that through it all, God will use this venue to grow His people, to bind them, to strengthen them and use them as ambassadors of Christ.

I don't know what it is, exactly, that seemingly takes some folks beyond their normal characteristics of communicating when on the internet.  Some things they say to one another on here, cannot possibly be how they talk in a face-to-face, across-the-table, coffee-sharing chat.  Perhaps it is the anonymity of the screen rather than a person.  I know that, at times, I am reading words, rather than a voice, and it is the words I interact with.  I sometimes forget there is a person beyond those black and white letters--a person with facial expressions, tone, and mannerisms.  I'm not sure what it is for others.

Do you ever wonder how folks get along in everyday life, in difficult situations, with disagreeable people when you read some of the conversations on the internet?  I do.  I wonder if it is just me.  I wonder how some folks interact with colleagues, committees, husbands, wives, children and fellow Believers in a Sunday-School class.

Sometimes I think we each forget that our Savior is among us.  We forget our speech is being viewed from Heaven.  We forget we are accountable for our words, accusations, and insults.  I've heard from a few folks who are quite disturbed over the current conversations, the heat, the ire.  They think there is no possible way to bridge the divide.  In some cases, I agree.  In others, I think there is hope.  There is peace to be found and agreement to be made.  Where we end up in the scheme of things is up to us.  How willing are we to yield to the Spirit of God?  How obedient to His Word will we be?  How much can we love one another if we hate one another's words and distrust every sentence they write?

The blogging world is not for the weak of heart or the thin-skinned.  If we find ourselves unable to deal with the wisecracks, the innuendo, and rebuke from across the waves of space upon a virtually neutral piece of metal, wires, and plastic, how can we possibly interact and communicate with the flesh and blood, emotions of tender hearts without severing arteries and piercing veins?  How will we ever be able to weather the major storms we each face beyond our monitors?  selahV

Pastor Jailed for Meeting In Home For Bible Study

Well, folks, it's happening.  If you meet on a regular basis in your home for Bible Study and invite a few folks to join you, the legal precedent has been set.  You go to jail, directly to jail. Do not pass go. Do not collect your paycheck.  An Arizona pastor sentenced to 60 days in jail and 3 YEARs probation, and a $12,180 dollar fine.

WHOA!!! How could this happen in the state that isn't even allowed to arrest immigrants who are in America illegally?  What can you say?  Maybe it is passive aggressiveness?  Whatever it is....

this could cramp the style of Americans across the nation with church planting.  Looks like you'll have to rent a bonafide hall with multiple exits with flashing lights in case there is a fire.

Don't believe me?  Check out what happened to this pastor in Arizona HERE.  What is our world coming to in America with all our laws and check lists?

The Majority of Southern Baptist Education NOT Historically Calvinist

MY ORIGINAL POST ON THE ABOVE TITLE WAS EATEN, SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE. It took me 5 hours to prepare this post so I don't think I will bother rewriting it in its entirety.  Though I had more links for you to peruse, I have but one that is most necessary in understanding its origin and claim.

I encountered an interesting post by Trey Medley, a Phd. Student in England.  He challenges a few critics, as well as the Gospel Coalition's assertions, of the Traditional Statement recently published at SBC Today.  I do hope you take time to read Trey's well-written, easily understood, article entitled My Take On the Statement of the Traditional Southern Baptist Understanding of God's Plan of Salvation.

[Trey Medley is a PhD student in Philosophical Theology at King’s College London and an ordained minister of the Southern Baptist Church (USA). He has a wife and two kids and a passion for theology and the teaching ministry of the Church. You can follow Trey on twitter at @MedleyTrey.]

Sometimes We Encounter Attacks

Slander.  Ridicule. Gossip.  No one is really ever exempt: Politicians.  Celebrities.  Groups.  Individuals.  We each are targets....of someone.  At some point in our lives.  Christians. Rich. Poor. Corporations.  Laborers.  I don't know of anyone who has ever truly been thrilled to receive onslaughts of derogatory comments.  Few people like to be criticized and demeaned.  It's hard to live with, and quite often, the verbal arrows and darts penetrate far more than the outer skin of a recipient.  I've grown accustomed to insults and condescending attitudes in the blog-world.  It seems common-place on any blog, secular or faith-oriented.  Seems we cannot quench the desire to toss zingers, play tit-for-tat, or in my case get sabatoged.  Yeah.  As a matter of fact, I've been under attack for several days now.  Someone doesn't like me writing what I write, I suppose.

For some odd reason, as soon as I publish this post or any other in my blogs, the Typepad composer will eat the copy I see before my eyes right now.  It has nothing to do with Typepad as far as we can tell.  It's a localized problem--to my blogs alone.  I can only imagine a cyber-worm was released upon my opening someone's link and pasting it to my composer here.

It began this week.  Whenever I type a post into my drafts and try to go back in later and edit it, it is gone.  Eaten.  Gobbled up.  Poof!!!  Now, the very same post, if I've already published it, remains online.  It's the original copy I write that is gone.  So if I go into my blog-composer to read it or even add a line of credit somewhere, I can't.  The copy on my composer disappears as soon as I publish it.  It's a pretty stealthy attack worm.  Wouldn't you say?  And no, I have no idea who released this little worm from its can of evil and viciousness.  It really doesn't matter.  God knows, even if I don't.  Even if Typepad is unable to pinpoint where it came from or who sent it, the damage is done.  Over 6 years of writing (mostly devotional in nature), is vulnerable, including my nearly finished devotional book.  Photos and the spaces in which they were located on my computer, GONE.  Oddly, I am not nearly as upset over this attack on my blogs as I am the attack on a friend of mine.

I have a dear sweet friend who was verbally attacked this week and it broke my heart.  I love this lady.  When someone insulted her after litany of flowery compliments, I wanted to crawl through my monitor and tear his tongue out.  I didn't of course.  I couldn't.  I could not believe anyone could be so crude (and I know lots of crude people).  Nor could I comprehend the remotest reason this knot-head would have in his pea-sized brain to insult her the way he did.  I don't get it.  She'd never done anything at all mean to him.  She is one of the sweetest ladies I know.  She is synonymous with the words kind, loyal and full of mercy.  She was crushed.  Emotionally and psychologically.  The words spoken to her were uncalled for.  Senseless.  Upon reading her email to me, my heart flooded with irritation and bitterness.  I felt sick to my stomach.  I went to my Facebook account and a friend of mine had posted a quote by Adrian Rogers:

"Bitterness is an acid that eats its own container." Adrian Rogers

I copied it and posted it on my status and added, "I need some extra lining around my heart tonite".  I know that the only thing I can do to rid myself of anger is to forgive.  I know that I must and I really need to do that before the sun goes down.  Yet, here I am.  The eastern sky is turning pink and purple as Oklahoma sunsets most often do.  And I am still clinging to the arrows flung at my friend.  I still hurt for her.  I feel her pain--but not all of it.  Only she knows the depth of it.  I suppose that is how we all feel when someone for whom we care deeply is maligned, or insulted, or criticized without rhyme or reason.  In the end, we each have to come to the end of ourselves and realize we are partakers in the sufferings of Christ.  And He is the healer when we turn to Him.

I don't know what He plans to do about all my writing, though.  That's a whole 'nuther bug to crush.  When I publish this, there is no turning back.  The words are cached.  The copy will be gone.  I wish it were as easy to wipe out the memory of a person's words as it is to delete the post.  I really do.  God give me grace to accept the attacks and manifest the mercy He has shown me by His sacrifice and love. selahV