Texas Baptist Forum

Posted: 10/28/05

Texas Baptist Forum

Second-class family member

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"God sat with me as I remained calm and determined not to be treated with less dignity than any other citizen of Montgomery." Rosa Parks The late civil rights champion, remembering her famous display of courage in a 2000 interview with the Montgomery Advertiser (ABP) "Rosa Parks' disobedience to an unjust law was grounded … in her instinctive understanding of a higher moral order based on the sovereignty of God and the dignity of each person made in his image. Rosa Parks was not a theologian, but she knew the words of Amos and Jesus as well as if she had been their contemporary." Timothy George Dean of Beeson Divinity School at Samford University in Birmingham, Ala. (ABP) "We must draw a line in the sand–a moral line in the sand against further service cuts for poor people and tax cuts for the wealthiest. This is a moral issue now. This is a contradiction, and people around the country are feeling it." Sign up for our weekly edition and get all our headlines in your inbox on Thursdays Email Address Jim Wallis Head of the anti-poverty group Call to Renewal, comparing proposed federal budget cuts for the poor to tax breaks for the wealthy (RNS)

The theme of this year's Baptist General Convention of Texas annual meeting is “One Family–One Mission.” Well, this family member feels like a red-headed stepchild again this year.

I have only been a Southern Baptist for five years. I am a graduate of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and I pastor a church that is uniquely aligned with the BGCT. Imagine how it makes me and other family members feel to know that my alma mater does not have a place at the family table. To not allow Southwestern a spot in the exhibit hall or a place to hold its alumni luncheon makes me feel like I am a second-class family member. Am I paying for the sins of my father?

This continuing family feud makes it difficult for members like me to stay neutral. I don't want to choose one family member over another, and yet that is what I feel I am being forced to do.

Where is the love? Where is the cooperation? Where is the joy in the family? Where is the rose that President Ken Hall encouraged us to give last year to those with whom we disagree?

Clay Bowers

Houston

Old business

This tit-for-tat business has gotten old, very old.

Seeing that Southwestern Seminary has reached out to the BGCT (by requesting a booth at the annual meeting), it seems appropriate that the BGCT respond in kind.

This pettiness is doing nothing but showing the world the childishness of those involved. Grow up and do the right thing and let Southwestern have the booth.

Michael L. Simons

Cleburne

Presidential qualities

Concerning Baylor University's search for president, I don't believe they need to look very far.

Randall O'Brien, who currently is serving as interim provost, would be an excellent choice. He has been the interim dean of Truett Seminary, chair of the religion department, adviser to the president, and is a widely recognized expert on the Old Testament.

He also is quite a churchman. He has served as interim pastor of South Main Baptist Church in Houston and currently is interim pastor at Columbus Avenue Baptist Church in Waco.

O'Brien is one of the few people I can think of whom everyone likes and respects. I just think it would be a shame if Baylor didn't at least give him a serious look. They could certainly do worse, but I am not sure they could do much better.

Joe Early Jr.

Corbin, Ky.

Pastoral opportunities

One reason for such large numbers of vacancies in small churches is they ask pastors for the same amount of experience as the larger churches.

If they are going to ask a pastor to be bivocational, they also should give him opportunity to grow with them, instead of asking the pastor to already have everything together.

There are plenty of ministers who are called to the pastorate who may not have completed their degrees, yet why not give them a chance?

We were raised missionary Baptist, so we comprehend the stand Baptists take against women pastors. But plenty of qualified women carry the gospel, and qualified husband-and-wife teams would work with a smaller ministry.

S.C. Blackwell

Dallas

'Unbelievable' comparison

When I read Mark Dunn's letter comparing the value of the BGCT to the value of the Southern Baptist Convention (Oct. 3), my only thought was “unbelievable.”

I don't know what resources he is looking for, but that is primarily what the state conventions offer. It's a big world in the SBC, so the states can do a much better job of supporting individual churches. But because it is a big world out there, one individual church cannot do nearly as much as many churches working together cooperatively through the SBC.

We can't forget about “Samaria and the uttermost parts of the world.”

Sam Taylor

Hot Springs Village, Ark.

What do you think? Send letters to Editor Marv Knox by mail: P.O. Box 660267, Dallas 75266-0267; or by e-mail: marvknox@baptiststandard.com. Letters are limited to 250 words.