Texas Baptist Forum

Posted: 9/14/07

Texas Baptist Forum

Little impact upon lives

I find it somewhat unsettling that “faith changes little over a lifetime” (Aug. 6). I thought Sunday school, Training Union, prayer meeting and regular attendance at preaching services were to help the saints grow in the faith—put away childish things.

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Letters are welcomed. Send them to marvknox@baptiststandard.com; 250 words maximum.

“Too often the church today is slow to speak forcefully about right and wrong, about out-of-wedlock births, about AIDS, about acceptance of criminal behavior, even about being a good parent. If we can just get the church to find its voice, it will (be) a powerful part of the solution.” Juan Williams Author and radio/TV analyst (World magazine/RNS) “This clash (between evolution and creationism) is an absurdity because on the one hand there is much scientific proof in favor of evolution, which appears as a reality that we must see and which enriches our understanding of life and being as such.” Benedict XVI Roman Catholic pope, on the debate between creationism and evolution. He added evolution falls short of answering "the great philosophical question, ‘Where does everything come from?’” (Reuters/RNS) “Mother Teresa’s ministry with the poor won her the Nobel Prize and the admiration of a believing world. Her ministry to a doubting modern world may have just begun.” James Martin Jesuit priest and author, responding to a new book of Mother Teresa’s writings, in which she often struggles with faith and doubt (New York Times/RNS)

If the research applies only to “religiosity in early adulthood” and later life, it seems we are not having much impact on adults.

A.T. Maker

Hope, N.M.

Home Ec class

Dolan McKnight criticized the Christian homemaking degree offered by South-western Seminary (Sept. 3). Today, more then ever before, wives/mothers need to know how to manage a home.

Many young women grew up in homes with working mothers, and they may not have learned the basic skills of sewing and homemaking, since their mothers’ full schedules did not allow enough time. Home Ec has not been taught in high school for many years, so how were the wives of pastors supposed to learn the skills?

It is not abusive or an insult for the seminary to offer a degree in such a vital subject as building a strong Christian home. There is not a higher calling for any woman.

A wife/mother wears many different hats every day that require extensive skills. Without strong Christian homes, our children do not have the foundation to withstand the evils in a secular world.

As the pastor’s wife, she will have the opportunity to guide many young women in the church as they build strong Christan homes. The classes that she attends at the seminary will help her fulfill God’s calling of supporting her husband’s ministry. 

Letha Puett

Dallas

Missiologist needed

It is laudable that churches in communities where foreign-born populations move attempt to minister to them in English or have the pastor’s sermons translated by a native-born interpreter.

However, based on my extensive ministry among Baptists in Texas (1962-1985), I still long for some professional missiologist to be a member of the staff at high level of mission strategy in the Baptist Building.

When will Texas Baptist churches join the “world of the 21st century” and move with the currents of internationalization, global village mission of God and change the mid-20th century mission methods? I hope and pray that it may be in my lifetime, but I am not certain that will happen.

In the meantime, I thank God for Texas Baptists and their generous spirit and mission zeal!

David D’Amico

New York

‘Liberating’ Iraq

As a Christian and a former Marine, I need to believe that “five prominent evangelical leaders” believe destroying a country’s infrastructure, kicking in doors of homes in the dead of night, torturing prisoners, causing more than 2 million refugees and killing thousands is “liberating Iraq” (Aug. 3).

I need to believe they don’t know documents in the Congressional Record reveal that after the United Nations condemned Saddam Hussein for human rights violations, the Reagan and first Bush administrations provided him with chemical and biological agents required for making weapons of mass destruction, and with military weapons and intelligence to use on his own people and to prevent regime change by Iran after he attacked that country.

I need to believe they don’t know that many of the Islamic extremist “freedom fighters” that Reagan recruited, trained and equipped to fight the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan are now al-Qaeda “terrorists.”

I need to believe they don’t know the United States is the only nation ever found guilty of international terrorism by the World Court for mining Nicaragua’s harbors. If cruise ships had struck those mines, there was potential for greater loss of life than on 9/11.

If they don’t know those things and believe that terrorizing citizens in their own homes is “liberating,” then I can believe that they believe war on Iraq is a just war.

Robert Flynn

San Antonio

Christian parenting

I found it very upsetting—appalling, actually—to read that only 14 percent of Christian parents think raising moral children with a strong faith is a sacred duty of their choice to be parents (Aug. 20).

Morality and strong faith begin at home, and the church is there to help the parents in these areas. Many Christian parents are guilty of spiritual child neglect/abuse. They will be held accountable for the poor job they did in that area on Judgment Day. Wake up, parents! 

Church, sound the alarm!  

Sadly, Satan is rejoicing.

Jean Whitmore

Okinawa, Japan

Push for national insurance?

I find it hard to believe the Baptist Standard printed the thinly veiled push for national insurance by Karen Wood (Aug. 20).

She is just another individual spinning the “47 million people without health insurance” message that is currently popular with Democratic presidential candidates, Michael Moore and yes, even President Bush. It’s a blatant attempt to push our society into a socialistic national insurance program.

If she really wanted to dig into those statistics she dreads, she would have found that over 10 million of those represented by the survey are illegal aliens. Another 17 million had incomes over $50,000 per year who chose not to have insurance or were between jobs. With these two groups taken into consideration, the number is closer to 20 million—less than 7 percent of the population.

She can go to either hospital emergency room in Waco and see that health coverage is 100 percent. Everyone (legal and illegal) can receive health care, and it’s the taxpayer and the insured that foot the bill.

Ed Middlebrook

West

A broadcasting parable

A deliveryman once delivered life-saving medicines and medical supplies. But his territory was large, and many people were not served. So, he bought a used truck and expanded the service. Over time, he improved the truck, adding shelves, fixing the engine, painting it. But it wasn’t cheap; his colleagues feared he would bankrupt the company. Meanwhile, the delivery truck was bringing medicines to more people, prompting inquiries for follow-up service calls in new places. More deliverymen had to be hired.

Soon, others in the same line of work saw the benefits of the improved delivery system and asked to piggyback their deliveries on the truck in exchange for a small compensation. The deliveryman agreed, and, though operating at a loss, he decided the future potential was great enough to add another vehicle some day.

But before that happened, his well-meaning colleagues convinced the owner to sell the delivery truck for reasons he never quite understood. Later, the owner noticed deliveries were way down, and he asked the deliveryman why. When he replied that all deliveries were now made on foot, because the truck had been sold, the owner responded, ‘Well, let’s get a new truck!’ But alas, the cost was now too great, and the moment of opportunity had passed.

The meaning of the parable:

The truck—the FamilyNet Television and Radio networks.

The deliveryman—all who have worked there over seven decades.

The territory—North America.

The medicines and supplies—TV/radio programs that help spread the gospel.

David Hammons

Fort Worth

Can the world recognize us?

Well, the Southern Baptist Convention says we cannot drink in moderation, cannot train our kids in public schools, and cannot speak with a private prayer language.  Maybe we should all move to Jonestown and get it over with. 

Maybe my Bible is different than theirs, but mines says, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). I wonder how we can do this when we are so far removed from the world that they do not even recognize us?

William Campbell

Port Aransas

Deconstructing "unkown tongues"

After hearing much about “unknown tongues,” and wondering about the subject, I have arrived at a possible solution. There are times when I find myself humming a tune, or making noises like, tum-ta-da or some such things, which make no sense to myself or anyone else. Yet in my own mind, it is a symphony carrying my senses to a feeling of elation.

Also, at times when I feel very close to the Holy Spirit, I may be unconsciously doing the same with an old religious hymn and humming, or in some manner beating out a melody, in my own mind, which, if heard by anyone else, would be a mess of noise. Could that be talking in an unknown tongue? If so, we are all guilty.

J.W. Daniel

Weatherford