Posted: 12/11/06

Bible Studies for Life Series for December 17

The intermingling of faith, hope & love

• 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

By Kenneth Lyle

Logsdon School of Theology, Abilene

In the concluding verse of this week’s focal passage, Paul writes the justifiably well known admonition: “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13).

Faith, hope and love—ideas often linked together by Paul (Romans 5:2, 5; Galatians 5:5-6; Ephesians 4:2-5; Colossians 1:4-5; 1 Thessalonians 1:3; 5:8). Faith, hope and love—seen today, as then, as life-changing gifts from God. It is faith, or more precisely Jesus’ faithfulness to God’s plan to save the world, that allows us to have hope (Romans 1:16-17). Hope, the result of faith, that allows us to live with confident expectation about what God has done, is doing, and will do in the world. Love, that quality for which Paul claims the privileged position amongst the three, expressed in word and deed in and through the community of God.

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Discussions of love often lend themselves to curious and difficult comparisons. In English, we really only have one word for “love.” We express our “love” for fried catfish with perhaps the same enthusiasm that we say “I love church!” We announce our undying love for our husband or wife, and then turn around and say, “I love ice cream.” Obviously, we don’t mean the same thing in each instance.

There are other words we could employ—affection, appreciation, enjoyment, admiration—but, we generally resort to the easy and often used “I love …”—fill in the blank.

Hellenistic Greek provides a way through the maze of conflicting understandings about the nature of love. The language employed by the New Testament writers held several words which translate into English as “love.” Eros, or erotic love, suggests the feeling between lovers. Storge, or affection, expresses the feeling of parents to offspring. Philia, or friendship, speaks of the bond between friends, brothers or sisters. Different words for different sentiments.

The word most often used by New Testament writers to express the peculiar kind of love expressed by God to humanity, by Christian to Christian, and from Christians to the world is agape. In 1 Corinthians 13:13, the King James Version renders agape as “charity,” placing the focus on the necessity of Christian love for the world. Agape expresses love as the love God has for us, and when applied to Christians, agape expresses the reality that Christians should act in behalf of others without taking into consideration their worthiness.

In addition to the variety of terms used to express the variety of loves we have, we also must consider the verbal nature of these nouns that mean love. As we have seen with faith and hope, nouns often have a verbal element that forces us to ask the question, “Is this thing (faith, hope, love) something I have or something I do?” The long answer made short is, yes!

We possess faith, but it must be exercised. We hold on to hope, but we live it. Likewise, we have love, but we must express it.

I am reminded of a skit performed at a Baptist Student Union meeting a long time ago where the main character received the gift of God’s love. He held on tightly to the wonderful feeling of love, grasping it in his hands, refusing to share with passersby. At the end of the skit, the miserly holder of God’s love risked a peek into his clasped hands only to see that God’s love—God’s agape—was gone! Love is something we have, but it also is something we do.

Paul’s discussion of love in 1 Corinthians comes after his reflection on the variety of spiritual gifts expressed in the church (1 Corinthians 12). The church at Corinth faced many of the same kinds of difficulties the 21st century church faces today.

The church was divided into various factions that looked to different personalities for leadership (1 Corinthians 1:10-7; 3:1-23). There was a fundamental misunderstanding about the nature of spiritual experience, and how to be both a spiritual and physical person in the world (1 Corinthians 5-8). This misunderstanding of spiritual experience expressed itself either in libertine behavior that indulged the desires of the flesh or ascetic tendencies that prohibited natural human behavior. Perhaps worst of all, some in the church were trumpeting their spiritual gift over and against the spiritual giftedness of others.

Against this backdrop, Paul discusses the variety of spiritual gifts available the church. Paul admonishes the Corinthians and Christians of all ages that differences in spiritual gifts allow the church to minister effectively in the world. They are not a reason for boasting. Everyone in the church cannot do everything, but each one can do and should do something, and no single gift is more important than another.

Paul concludes his discussion of spiritual gifts by encouraging us to “…eagerly desire the greater gifts,” and he begins his discussion of love by saying, “and now I will show you the most excellent way” (1 Corinthians 12:31).

The lesson writer outlines the focal passage focusing on the priority of love (vv. 1-3), the practice of love (vv. 4-7) and the permanence of love (vv. 8-13). This outline provides a convenient, appropriate and easy to remember means for focusing themes in this text.

In the opening paragraph, Paul draws our attention to the various kinds of sound that might fill our churches; the deep discussions that may dominate our Sunday school classes; the charities that vie for our attention; and he reminds us all of this is worthless without love. As Christians, all our actions must be grounded in love.

The central paragraph describes Christian love in powerful descriptive terms—patient, kind, not envying, not boasting, not proud, not rude, not self-seeking, not easily angered, keeping no record of wrongs, not delighting in evil, rejoicing in truth, protecting, trusting, hoping and persevering. Easy words to memorize, read and talk about, but difficult tasks to complete. But, as Christians we are not excused from the practice of love both to each other and to the world.

In the final paragraph, Paul reflects on the permanence of love. While other things like knowledge will pass away, Paul is convinced “love never fails.” Paul acknowledges that while we may not understand all there is to understand, love remains above all things. There is faith, there is hope, there is love; but Paul reminds us that the greatest of these things is love.

Discussion question

• How are faith, hope and love interwined?

Posted: 12/11/06

BaptistWay Bible Series for December 17

In the light of the noonday, darkness abounds

• John 4:1-30; 39-42

By David Wilkinson

Broadway Baptist Church, Fort Worth

Jesus, as depicted in the Gospels, could be described in a lot of ways. But one thing he clearly was not was boring. No one left an encounter or conversation with this itinerate preacher-prophet-teacher-miracle worker-son of a simple Galilean carpenter thinking Jesus was dull.

Jesus was interesting. He was fascinating. He was mysterious. All these qualities—and more—are wonderfully evident in the contrasting, back-to-back conversations recorded in Chapters 3-4 of the Gospel of John.

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A surprising conversation

The story of Jesus’ conversation with “the woman at the well,” unique to John, is among the best-known stories of the gospels. Its placement following Jesus’ discussion with Nicodemus is strategic, and the narrative, as well as the conversation itself, unfolds masterfully.

The fact that they were in Samaria at all probably had the disciples muttering to themselves as they went into the village to order take-out for lunch, leaving Jesus alone at the well (v. 7). Every self-respecting Jew, when traveling from Judea to Galilee as Jesus and the disciples were (v. 3), literally went out of his way to avoid the province of Samaria and any interaction with its occupants who were viewed by the Jews as unclean traitors and inferior heretics.

The disciples, therefore, had good reason to be “astonished” (v. 27) when they returned from the market to find Jesus talking one-on-one in a public place with a woman who also was a Samaritan—one social and religious faux pas compounded by another.

The comment that Jesus “had to go through Samaria” (v. 4) clearly refers to an inner, Spirit-led decision in striking contrast to social and religious custom. Jesus had every reason not to go through Samaria and, as it turns out, only one reason to do otherwise—the opportunity for an extraordinary conversation with a despised foreigner who in turn became the catalyst for introducing her townspeople to the Messiah.

Jesus’ need to go through Samaria is consistent with the central message of the Gospel—that “God so loved the world.” The story of the encounter with the Samaritan woman illustrates the “whosoever” of John 3:16. Learning that “whosoever” really does mean everyone is a key theological lesson not only for the first disciples, but also for the early Christian community, as the story of Acts dramatically reveals.

Comparing conversations

Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman echoes the earlier conversation with Nicodemus. Both the similarities and contrasts in these back-to-back conversations are striking and purposeful.

Nicodemus, a fellow Jew, approaches Jesus at night for a private conversation between teachers about theological concerns. The woman, a foreign Samaritan, is approached by Jesus in a public place, and the ensuing conversation occurs in the broad daylight in the middle of the day. Nicodemus is a religious leader presumably with a respectable reputation, while the Samaritan woman’s reputation is questionable at best. That she was at the well at noon in the heat of the day, rather than in the cool of the evening when most women gathered to socialize as they filled their water pots, also may suggest she felt ostracized.

Both Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman interpret Jesus’ words literally, while Jesus is speaking on a deeper, spiritual level. To each person, he offers the same gift, but wrapped in different metaphors of “born from above” and “living water.” In both conversations, Jesus exhibits the spiritual insight that enables him to penetrate quickly to the heart of the matter. In both cases, he touches a spiritual nerve: “He unmasks the spiritual emptiness of the one who seems righteously self-sufficient and opens up the alienation of the second, caught in a maze of tangled relationships,” commentator Roger Fredrikson said.

“Living water”—i.e., running water or spring water—was (and still is) greatly prized in Palestine. In literature, this precious water became a symbol of divine wisdom and teaching (Isaiah 55:1-3, Psalm 36:9, Jeremiah 2:13). Jesus, however, applies this rich metaphor to himself, “referring to his divine revelation and to the Holy Spirit who will be given as living water to those who accept that revelation,” theologian Raymond Brown points out.

The power of testimony

The progression of faith in this account unfolds masterfully. On the woman’s part, the conversation moves from surprise to curiosity to interest to witness. In a parallel sense, Jesus moves from stranger to prophet to Messiah, underscoring the dynamic quality of the gospel’s emphasis on “believing in Jesus.”

This story also illustrates the power of testimony. God uses the Samaritan woman’s testimony—despite her spotty moral resume and the tentative nature of her own faith in Jesus (she never makes an explicit declaration of faith in Jesus as the Messiah in this account). As one of my seminary professors liked to say, “God is perfectly capable of hitting a straight lick with a crooked stick.” The result is that “many” come to believe in Jesus “because of the woman’s testimony” (v. 39). Furthermore, Jesus stays two more days at the invitation of the villagers, and “many more” come to faith (v. 41).

The story concludes with an affirmation of faith in Jesus at two levels. The first is the response of the people to the testimony of the woman and to the words of Jesus. The second is the implied invitation to the reader to respond to the witness of the gospel. Faith in Jesus can be prompted by the testimony of a witness (in this case, the Samaritan woman or the larger Gospel account), but ultimately seekers must claim it for themselves.

We are invited to affirm with the Samaritan villagers, “It is no longer because of what (others have) said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world” (v. 42).

Discussion questions

• Who are the “Samaritans” in our society who challenge our commitment to the “whosoever” invitation of the John 3:16?

• The purpose of our testimony is to point others to Jesus. In what ways is the Samaritan woman a model for us as witnesses to the truth found in Christ?

• Like the Samaritan villagers, we must claim our faith in Jesus “for ourselves,” rather than relying indirectly on the testimony and the experience of others. How has this happened for you?

Posted: 12/11/06

Explore the Bible Series for December 17

God works through spiritual leaders

• Ezra 7:8-10; 9:1-2, 4; 10:1-5

By Howard Anderson

Diversified Spiritual Associates, San Antonio

Ezra proves to be a godly spiritual leader coming to Jerusalem during the reign of Artaxerxes, probably over a century after the completion of the temple in 516 B.C.

Ezra was a priest and a scribe. He descended from Aaron through Phinehas and later Zadok. His purpose for going to Jerusalem was to study the law of the Lord, to do it, and to teach the statues and ordinances in Israel. Jerusalem needed the law of God. Ezra’s teaching was needed to give solidity and strength to the Jewish community struggling against pressures to surrender its ethnic and theological identity.

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God needs godly, spiritual leaders to teach his word. God’s work necessitates good stewardship and generous sacrifice. Gross violations of God’s word must be acknowledged in prayer and confession. God’s leaders must make God’s call for the separated life clear to God’s people.

Returning to Jerusalem (Ezra 7:1-8:36)

The events of chapter 6 took place during the reign of King Darius. Now we are jumping forward many years to the reign of Artaxerxes (464-424 B.C.). Ezra, the leader of the second return to Jerusalem (circa 458 B.C.) is introduced with a long genealogy, demonstrating that he was from a priestly family—the family of Aaron.

Ezra not only was from a priestly family, he also was a skilled scribe—one who copied and studied the law. After the exile, the office of scribe came into prominence, in some ways replacing the prophet in importance and eventually eclipsing even the role of the priest. “The law of Moses” refers to God’s law. Moses may have been the person most closely associated with the law, but it was the Law that “the Lord God of Israel had given” (v. 6).

Throughout his life, Ezra had concentrated fully on the study, practice and communication of the word of God. Ezra diligently searched the Scriptures so he could live by them and teach them to Israel. Because of this, the gracious hand of God empowered him (v. 9). The words in verse 11 describe Ezra with exceptional praise by referring to him as “the scribe’s scribe” or the teacher of scribes.

Three sources of offerings for the temple are listed: (1) the silver and gold of the king and his counselors, (2) the silver and gold of the people of Babylon and (3) the freewill offering of the Jewish people who remained in Babylon. “The house of their God which is in Jerusalem” is a reference to the temple (vv. 13-19).

Ezra was given authority to set up a judicial system with the power to punish. Although the magistrates and judges had authority over only Jewish people, their authority extended beyond Jerusalem to Syria, Phoenicia and Palestine (vv. 25, 26).

“To beautify the house of the Lord” is a reference to the reestablishment of moral, spiritual and religious life (v. 27). Ezra was encouraged with renewed vigor and gathered leading men of Israel to return to Jerusalem with him (v. 28).

“These are now the chiefs of their fathers” (8:1). The list of people who returned to Jerusalem recalls the list of the men for war at the time of the anticipated conquest of the land of Canaan (Numbers 1:26). Their chiefs represent 12 families, and the number of males in each family is given. The total number of the heads of families who accompanied Ezra back to Jerusalem was 1,496 (vv. 2-14).

The people began to assemble at the river on the first day of the first month. During the course of the first three days, Ezra discovered there were no Levites among the travelers. During the next eight days, Ezra enlisted Levites (vv. 15-20), entreated the Lord (vv. 21-23) and entrusted the traveler’s considerable load to the priests and Levites (vv. 24-30). The returnees then departed from the river on the 12th day of the first month. The trip took about three and a half months.

Confessing sin (Ezra 9:1-15)

Both the leaders and the people of Israel had failed to remain separate from the Gentiles who lived in the land (9:1, 2). The Jewish returnees were marrying the pagan peoples of the land, a practice the Law of Moses expressly prohibited (Exodus 34:16; Deuteronomy 7:3).

Ezra felt an overwhelming sense of shame. His prayer was one of confession (v. 6). Though Ezra had not participated in this sin himself, he identified with the sins of the people. Ezra further acknowledged that the people’s sinful actions were part of their history. The whole nation—“kings and priests,” as well as the people—had sinned in the past, and they had suffered for it at “the hand of the kings of the lands” (v. 7).

In verses 10-12, Ezra confessed the sins of the nation by referring to what “the prophets” had preached. The prophets prohibited intermarriage with Gentiles (Deuteronomy 7:1-3; 23:7; Malachi 2:10-16).

Ezra ended his prayer not by asking for forgiveness, but by declaring God was “righteous” (vv. 13-15). Israel was guilty and deserved whatever justice God gave them.

Turning from sin (Ezra 10:1-44)

Many people in Israel were concerned about the sin in their midst. So while Ezra wept, prayed and confessed, these people “assembled” around him and “wept very sore” (10:1).

Making a “covenant” with God means binding oneself by an oath to God to do something. It was the most binding form of commitment a person could make (v. 3). Shechaniah said, “arise” (v. 4) reminding Ezra it was his responsibility to teach Israel the law of God.

“Within three days” was a reasonable demand because the more distant cities all were within three days’ journey to Jerusalem (v. 8). According to the law, the money from the sale of “forfeited” property went into the temple treasury (Leviticus 27:28-29, where “devoted” means “forfeited”).

The people faced two problems: (1) There were too many of them for the investigation to be done in a day or even two days. (2) The weather would not permit them to stay in Jerusalem. The people who traveled from a distance could not stay in the city, living and sleeping in the open air, during the cold, rainy period. They requested their rulers organize the investigation (vv. 10-14).

“And gave their hands” (v. 19) also may be translated “they gave their promise.” The symbol of raising hand to take an oath still is practiced in many cultures. With this sign, the Israelites agreed to put away their unlawful wives and offer a sacrifice according to the requirement of Leviticus 5:14-19. Although this promise and sacrifice are mentioned only in connection with the priests, it is likely everyone on the list fulfilled these requirements. Even though some had had “children” with their pagan wives, they still separated themselves from them (v. 44).

Discussion questions

• If Ezra was empowered by his knowledge of Scripture, can the knowledge of God’s word also empower our lives? Most would answer yes, but how do we go about living out empowered lives?

• Does God still call people to separate themselves from sin? How do Christians fight being enmeshed in a pervasively sinful culture?

Posted: 12/08/06

BGCT responds to clergy
sex abuse; victims want more

By Hannah Elliott

Associated Baptist Press

DALLAS (ABP)—Recent sex scandals among Catholic and evangelical leaders are prompting renewed calls for action against clergy sexual abuse. But with research indicating such abuse is more prevalent among clergy—including Baptists—than other counseling professionals, abuse-victim advocates are asking if enough is being done.

Comprehensive studies are difficult to find. But a 1993 survey by the Journal of Pastoral Care found that 14 percent of Southern Baptist ministers admitted to engaging in inappropriate sexual behavior. Seventy percent said they knew another minister who had.

A 2000 Baptist General Convention of Texas report indicated more than 24 percent of ministers said they had counseled at least one person who had sexual contact with a minister. The BGCT report called the level of sexual abuse by clergy “horrific” and noted that “the disturbing aspect of all research is that the rate of incidence for clergy exceeds the client-professional rate for both physicians and psychologists.”

Christa Brown, an attorney from Austin, maintains www.stopbaptistpredators.org. She works with the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, an organization of survivors of clergy sexual abuse. She also recently handed out brochures at the annual BGCT convention in Dallas.

“We call upon the Baptist General Convention of Texas to stop shielding clergy predators and to take action for the protection of kids,” the SNAP leaflet said. It called on the BGCT to hire independent experts to investigate sexual abuse cases within the convention.

Brown, 54, who said she was abused by a Southern Baptist youth minister in 1968, insists if Baptist leaders cared enough about protecting kids from clergy abuse, they would not let congregational autonomy be an impediment to action.

But representatives from the Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board staff take issue with Brown’s characterization. They say they’re actually the only Baptist group to take a proactive stand against clergy abuse—all the while working within a denominational structure built to maintain autonomy in local churches and resist top-down management.

Emily Row, coordinator of BGCT leader communication, said her initial reaction to hearing from any victims group is one of sadness. She acknowledged that “there have been and continue to be gaps within the system,” and said she understands “the grief and the anger and the frustration that is bound to be a process of having been a victim.”

Still, she said, there’s a lot of misunderstanding about how the BGCT deals with clergy misconduct, and some of it is hearsay.

“Groups like SNAP say that we are harboring people guilty of sexual misconduct,” Row said. That’s not the case, she added. Instead, churches can report sexual misconduct to a confidential file on a volunteer basis.

“What happens is that duly-elected members of a church provide us with information of incidents of sexual misconduct…. It has to be in writing.”

That practice is intended to protect both the accuser and the accused, Row said.

The issue of confidentiality versus secrecy has remained a large part of the debate, especially concerning the BGCT’s file of ministers who reportedly committed sexual misconduct. SNAP officials criticized the Texas file in a letter they delivered Sept. 26 to the SBC Executive Committee in Nashville calling for an independent review of Baptist abuse.

But BGCT leaders point to the file as proof they’re doing more than other Baptist groups in trying to stop sexual abuse. Indeed, while the file remains confidential, it is a step that others have not yet taken, Row said.

Row stressed that the “file of incidents” is often misunderstood. If a minister is convicted of any indecency or confesses to such, then church leaders can choose to report it to the list. And other churches can have access to the file as well, if they submit an official request.

To check the “confidential, not secret” BGCT file, an elected member of a church must submit a written request inquiring about a particular person. Should that specific person appear on the list, BGCT officials “respond with a form that says if the person indicated has an incident on record in that file.”

“Because we’re autonomous as Baptists, we can’t make anyone tell us anything,” Row said. “Our information is only as good as the church information that is provided, which means that when a church doesn’t report to us what has happened, we don’t have any way of knowing, and that information is not in the file.”

Any clergy members recorded as public sex offenders against children are listed in public records, and churches “are encouraged” to reference those lists. Those names are not listed on the BGCT site because “it’s already part of public record,” Row said.

Christa Brown, however, called that limited availability a “very dangerous way of thinking.” FBI reports say less than 10 percent of child molestation cases are ever detected, much less prosecuted, so hundreds of cases go unreported in public databases every year.

“The contents of that file are kept secret from the very people who are most in need of knowing what’s in it—the parents in the pews of Baptist churches,” Brown said.

Secrecy contracts, or agreements that forbid the victim from speaking about the inappropriate contact, have contributed to the problem, Brown said. Often, women who had an affair with a pastor are asked to quietly leave the church in order to save themselves—and the church—the embarrassment of a scandal.

“Even if (Baptist leaders) can’t actually remove men from ministry, they could at least take on the obligation to inform people in the pews when there is information about a minister reported for molesting a kid,” she said. “To keep that kind of information a secret from parents is unconscionable.”

For her part, Row stressed that not all of the people in the file were guilty of criminal behavior or child abuse. Some are included because of adultery with consenting adults, for instance. Others may have looked at legal pornography. And she urged churches to contact authorities immediately in cases of illegal behavior, harassment or rape.

What’s more, the BGCT has an “intervention specialist” who deals with cases of clergy misconduct, Row said. And the convention has published several guides on ministerial ethics, one specifically about preventing and confronting clergy sexual misconduct.

In June 2002, the Southern Baptist Convention also passed a resolution on the sexual integrity of ministers. It urged seminaries to emphasize ministerial integrity in the training of pastors and other leaders, and called on civil authorities to punish to the fullest extent of the law sexual abuse among clergy and counselors.

“We call on our churches to discipline those guilty of any sexual abuse in obedience to Matthew 18:6-17, as well as to cooperate with civil authorities in the prosecution of those cases,” the resolution said. “…We pray for those who have been harmed as a result of sexual abuse and urge our churches to offer support, compassion and biblical counseling to them and their families.”

Phil Strickland, in a letter of introduction for Broken Trust: Confronting Clergy Sexual Misconduct, wrote that 96 percent of sexual exploitation by professionals involves a man in power capitalizing on a woman’s trust. The late director of the BGCT’s Christian Life Commission, Strickland said clergy sexual misconduct happens when a person in a ministerial role engages in sexual contact, threats or sexual behavior with a congregant, client, employee, student, staff member, colleague or volunteer.

Sometimes it’s done once, spontaneously, by a leader who is emotionally vulnerable and lonely. Other times, the abuse happens from a leader who has a pattern of abusing power—a serial abuser who actively looks for opportunities to take advantage of congregants.

“Congregations should conduct background checks on prospective staff and assure appropriate supervision of all staff,” said Strickland, who died last year. “If there is a complaint of sexual misconduct, the church must act immediately to investigate and intervene properly and responsibly.”

Dee Ann Miller, an author and former Southern Baptist missionary, has worked with people affected by clergy abuse for more than 15 years. Of the 2,500 clergy-abuse survivors she has helped, she said on Brown’s website, at least 300 of them claim to have been abused by Southern Baptist clergy.

Miller, who wrote How Little We Knew: Collusion and Confusion with Sexual Misconduct, said she had good response from Baptists when she first got involved with the issue in 1995. But she sees little progress toward training ministers and lay people to prevent and deal with sexual misconduct.

“I could not understand then and still have only partial understanding of the rationale that would put other individuals and congregations at risk while giving ‘opportunity for restoration’ to a perpetrator with multiple victims…,” Miller wrote in a series of essays for Baptists Today.

In an issue so mired in hurt and mistrust, solutions seem few and far between. Miller and Brown have repeatedly and emphatically said the BGCT’s action is “not even close” to proper investigation and prevention of misconduct. Brown has called it “a bit of talk and some words on paper” that effectively recycle predators from church to church.

Row maintains that the convention has committed to improving “communication and to make use of our clergy sexual-misconduct file.” Convention leaders truly want to prevent sexual abuse and help those whom it affects, she said.

“My hope is that as more of these instances are made public knowledge, that churches will see the need to begin to report these things,” Row said. “That they will see that they can be a part of bringing about a solution. My hope is that those who have been bold enough to step forward and say something will be rewarded.”

Posted: 12/08/06

CYBER COLUMN:
Wishing for Christmas

By John Duncan

I’m sitting here under the old oak tree, wishing for Christmas. Here in our town, it feels like Christmas. Ice, sleet and snow fell from the sky. Winter’s chill thrills the air. Giving swells in my heart. And Christmas soon comes!

The old preacher Philips Brooks in the 1800s said, “The earth has grown old with its burden of care, but at Christmas it is always young.” How true. When it snowed here recently, I wished for inches, white covering the earth like a cotton blanket. I longed for the snow to pile up so I could grab the neighborhood kids and slide on boxes, throw snowballs and fix hot chocolate. I also wanted to run down to Blockbuster and rent three movies, Elf and The Chronicles of Narnia and It’s a Wonderful Life, just hear those infamous movie lines: “I know him! I know him!” and “It’s always winter but never Christmas” and “See (George) Bailey, you’ve had a wonderful life!” Ah, Christmas soon comes!

Christmas is about the birth of Christ, to be sure, as a star hung over Bethlehem, wise men and shepherds and a pregnant Mary riding a donkey and Joseph in his wide-eyed innocence. Christmas is portrayed so many ways, from It’s Christmas, Charlie Brown to Rudolph the Red-Nosed Rein Deer to Santa Claus I, II, and now III to The Miracle on 34th Street to the local church pageant with bathrobes and broomsticks and fresh-faced children as shepherds and wise men to million-dollar extravaganzas with enough glitz and glitter to sparkle beyond anything Hollywood could do. From the programs and pageants to the Christmas lights on my street, you cannot help but love Christmas. It soon comes!

But for all Christmas is, it’s an emotional time. Every year, I send a letter to families that lose loved ones. As one lady who lost her husband said recently, “I am not looking forward to Christmas!” Christmas is an emotional time because of separation—families separated by war, divorce and geography. Christmas is an emotional time because of the sentiment that goes with it. I never really knew my great grandmother, “Big Mama” as we called her, and I am not sure why we called her that, but she lived with us for a period of time after my mother recovered from a car wreck. I can remember that she gave me an electric helicopter and that was before X-box, iPod and all the electronic jazz kids have today. I was 5 years old, and the sentimental memory still lives in my mind and heart.

Christmas also bears the mark of hope—for a new year, for a fresh start, for a gift, for a the joy of giving, for the wonder of Christ in all he means when we pause in peace to reflect and anticipate who Christ is and the core values of Christmas—peace, love, joy, Emmanuel and “he has come to save us from our sins.” Christmas soon comes!

As a pastor, people, memory and reflection filter through my mind at Christmas. “Doc,” my friend and chiropractor, would always call at Christmas, take our family out to eat, and we’d drive around and look at Christmas lights. “Snap, crackle, pop” my back would go when he fixed it from time to time and especially that one time when I could barely walk after playing basketball. “Padre,” he would say, “get your self down here to the office, and I’ll have you playing again in a couple of days!” I limped painfully into his office and he snapped, crackled and popped me and I played basketball two days later. Miracle it was! Christmas is about the Miracle, and it soon comes!

I think of Christmas, and I remember Phyllis, “the Philistine” as she signed her letters to me. Throughout the year, she called needing something. She had troubles in her life, too numerous to count. She depended on the church. It was her life and once upon a time a place for her to find comfort. I saw her before she died recently. Barely able to speak, tubes running through the veins, her voice weak as hospice cared for her, and she thanked me and the church for helping her and apologized for all the trouble she caused. Granted she did cause trouble once in awhile, but the church was about all she had. Every Christmas, Phyllis was one of those people we made sure we helped. She wrote a poem before her death and sent it to me in a letter. Here it is, titled, “Some People”:

Some people come into our lives and quickly go.

Some people move our souls to dance. They awaken us to new understanding with the passing of their wisdom.

Some people make the sky more beautiful to gaze upon. They stay in our lives for awhile, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never, ever, the same.

She signed it: “Freedom butterfly” and wrote it on butterfly stationery. It was the Philistine’s way of saying thank you and her way of expressing a wish that she was ready to go and be with Jesus, free from pain and life as she agonizingly knew it. Christmas conjures up the footprints of Mary and Joseph and Jesus and those indelibly left on our hearts and a time to reflect on “some people” in this wonderful thing called life. Christmas is about the Footprint, and it soon comes!

Then I remember Frank. Frank had cancer, smoked like an incinerator and had no money, no family and no etiquette. He died a pauper. The church paid $959 for his funeral. And Frank left letters notes and gifts. One Christmas, he left me wooden church with a cross. I still have the church. One cold December day, he dropped it off at the church. He wrote mysterious words on notes:

–“Friends are what makes humanity eternal, love is God made visible;”

–“Beauty is the image that you can see even though you may close your eyes;”

–“A moment of anxiety becomes a moment of adoration when our eyes are fixed on him.”

Frank drove an old beat-up blue Cadillac, “my welfare Cadillac” he once laughingly called it, planted flowers at the church and watered them one spring and died one cold February day while I was reading to him in the nursing home. I read the Psalms, and he cried and slipped into glory, and I will never forget it. The Christmas before he died, I took him a red poinsettia from the church. He struggled to breathe, could barely talk, but you would have thought I had delivered a brand new Cadillac or a gift of the pearl of great price. He thanked me and cried and asked me to beg God for his mercy. That Frank, some people stick in your heart and brain like peanut butter to a jar. Christmas is about Mercy of God dripping into our hearts like a salty tear on the wounds of life, and it soon comes!

Then there was Daniel. It was Christmas evening, and my wife baked chocolate-chip cookies, and I went by the oil lube place where Daniel lived. He got kicked out of his house. He slept at his work. Never mind that Daniel had this pit bull dog that scared me to death one summer day when he asked me to come to his house. I arrived, we talked about the trials of his life, and then he stripped his shirt off, pointed to scars from some Mafia fight he had down in Miami, and he yelled at the top of his lungs. I prayed like mad, and he would not let me leave. Daniel calmed down, and then I did all I knew to do—share the gospel. Daniel wept, accepted Christ, fell to his knees and hugged me, and by God’s grace I raced past the pit bull dog and darted back to church. Sometimes in the ministry, the drama is too much too handle, but by God’s grace you survive. Daniel himself was a survivor. When I delivered the cookies that Christmas Eve at 9 p.m., Daniel was drunk as a skunk, lonely, alone on a wide sea and thanked me for the cookies and begged me to come in. He took the cookies, and I wished him a Merry Christmas. The last time I saw Daniel was at a convenience store when he walked over to my car, I rolled down the window, and he muttered, “Pray for old Daniel; he’s in the lion’s den again!” I have not seen Daniel since that moment, but I wonder about him. “Old Daniel’s’s in the lion’s den again” rolls around my brain like a marble spinning down a cylinder. All I have been left to do is wonder about Daniel and his lion’s den. Christmas is about a Person who came to save some people, all people, you and me in the person of Jesus. And Christmas soon comes. I sense the wonder!

Christmas soon comes, and all I am left to do his wonder. Jacob Niles tramped the Appalachian Mountains in search of folk music in 1925. He moved to New York and with inspired creativity, he used the folk music of the mountains to write this Christmas song entitled “I Wonder As I Wander,”

I wonder as I wander out under the sky, How Jesus the Savior did come for to die.

For poor on’ry people like you and I…

I wonder as I wonder out under the sky.

When Mary birthed Jesus ‘twas in a cow’s stall,

With wise men and farmers and shepherds and all.

But high from God’s heaven a star’s light did fall,

And the promise of ages it then did recall.

If Jesus had wanted for any wee thing,

A star in the sky, or a bird on a wing,

Or all of God’s angels in heav’n for to sing,

He surely could have it, ‘cause he was the King.

I’m sitting here under the old oak tree, wishing for Christmas, agreeing with Jacob Niles, remembering the sentiment and the Savior and a cast of characters, Mary and Joseph and Doc and Phyllis the Philistine and Frank and Daniel in the lion’s den. Christmas soon comes! I love the Miracle of it all and the Mystery and the Mercy. O, how I love the Mercy, and the Joy. All I can do is sit here and wonder as I wander. Sense the Wonder and drink in the Joy! Merry Christmas!

John Duncan is pastor of Lakeside Baptist Church in Granbury, Texas, and the writer of numerous articles in various journals and magazines. You can respond to his column by e-mailing him at jduncan@lakesidebc.org.

Posted: 12/08/06

COMMENTARY:
Black Friday

By Jinny Henson

It was Black Friday, the fabled day after Thanksgiving and I had absolutely no desire to shop. The consumerism, the materialism…I was taking the moral high ground and refusing to shop. My mother and I discussed how crazy people were to get up at dawn’s crack and fight fellow citizens for the last low-priced cart wheeling tiger or karaoke machine.

But then I realized we needed orange juice and milk. Hmmm…you know, Target had such great prices on those things….a full .17 cents cheaper on the O.J. and a whopping .23 on the milk. It was the only fiscally responsible move one could make.

The parking lot looked deceptively empty. As I ventured inside I was actually surprised at the lack of humanity therein. I decided innocently enough just to breeze through the electronics section. Between the 13 steps of the Entrance sign and the first check out station something animalistic took over within me. I spotted two hand-held DVD players in a basket, shocked that they still had any left. I asked the lucky souls where they had found these barganzas at the late hour of 9 a.m. when the sale started promptly at 5.

“Over in electronics….we got two of the last ones.”

Uh-uh. The gauntlet was thrown down. If there was even one of those individual DVD players left in the entire store, it was mine. My basket, on two wheels now, spun around the corner in haste. I was like a crack addict jonesing for the next hit. Something internally propelled my body forward as the mild-mannered “It’s really about Jesus’ birthday” alter-ego watched on in horror, unable to tame her.

I read each approaching basket for clues as to my proximity to the DVD player. Searching the end caps in my peripheral vision, I darted through the clothing, “furnishings,” and bedding. Finally, I arrived! But, was I too late?

Each one of the 600 carts I sped past had a player in it. How many could this store stock at once and if every Target on the planet had them on for this cheap, what were my odds?

I quickly arrived and asked the photo lady whose job it was clearly not to know where the sale items were where the hand-held DVD players were. “Let’s see…” She sneered patronizingly and lazily gestured, “They were right over there. You know, the sale did start at 5.”

Undaunted, I figured that there had to be at least one indecisive consumer like me out there; prone to put large cuts of meat back in the cereal aisle and stick woks on top of the tropical fish when I changed my mind. So, my strategy revamped, I set out on recon.

Like the 7 foot cut out of the dude in camo just 2 rows over, I was a hunter with no intention to leave without my prey. Up and down the aisles I searched. “Just one.” like Rain man I mumbled repeatedly, “Just one.” I was serious about this because only 33 other stores advertised these gadgets and who knows when I could next find one. It may mean me waiting, say, until 12:30 or possibly even later. This was a limited offer and the profundity of it all had not escaped my notice.

Up and down, to no avail. Then suddenly a strange thing happened as I began to drift farther and farther from the frenzied electronics department…the veil lifted as quickly as it had descended. I began walking away from any possibility of that once in a lifetime bargain and simply walked toward my gallon of milk. I was momentarily a Patty Hurst, held captive by the manipulative, endorphin-elevating shopper’s thirst. But not for long.

I gathered my milk, selected my orange juice and checked out. My senses had returned and my emotions, cooled. I had a good laugh at what an incredibly easy mark I was and made an important vow. Next year. there’s no way I’ll be so foolish. I’ll get there right at 5.

Jinny Henson is an author and stand-up comic who performs for churches and comedy clubs nationwide. When not unleashing her wacky sense of humor, this Baylor University graduate is a preacher's wife, nutty blonde and soccer mom. You can find out more about her at www.jinnyhenson.com.

Posted: 9/19/03

Can a university be distinctively
Baptist and academically excellent?
—Or …

By Chris Seay

As I travel the country speaking to pastors, I get a lot of questions about my commitment to our denomination. I believe denominations are quickly becoming dinosaurs. So, many wonder why I invest my time and resources as a Texas Baptist. I tell them straight up that the Baptist General Convention of Texas is more like a family than a denomination. While segments of the Baptist faith have been fighting with moderates, Jews, Catholics and Mickey Mouse, my friends in Texas have been focusing on being the presence of Christ, starting churches, feeding the hungry, caring for orphans, opposing the death penalty and avoiding the wrong kind of controversy.

Maybe I spoke too soon. While the BGCT has remained above the fray, Baptists on the Brazos have locked themselves in a no-holds-barred cage match and thrust the worst stereotypes of people of faith onto the international stage. I, for one, have had enough. If being in the Baptist or Baylor family means taking sides and arms against one another, then I am opting out.

Baylor's quest: Joel Gregory Ella Wall Prichard Chris Seay

The world we live in has changed. If the booming churches of the 1950s were the Baptist equivalent of the Promised Land, then we are living in exile. Emerging generations have little connection with Christ or the church; they see Christians as irrelevant and angry, and church involvement is at an all-time low. The new world is post-modern, post-colonial, post-Christian and post-denominational.

My calling is to be a missional leader in that new world, pointing people toward the beauty of the redemption found only in Christ. Fighting Baptists are making that job harder every day. Back me in a corner, and I'll come out swinging, but I don't want to fight. There are better and more important things to do.

I especially don't want to watch Baptists exchange blows. “Saturday Night Boxing” on HBO has become one of my favorite pastimes, but those guys fight much fairer than Baptists. They tap gloves before they start, back up when the opponent is down on the mat and often hug after 10 long rounds. Baptists fight 'til the death, and many pastors like me are walking away from the institutions that seem hell-bent on self-destruction.

A decade and a half removed from the heyday of denominational controversy, a group of old-school Baptists are returning to the ring like an elderly George Foreman for one more fight. If the unrestrained tirade we heard this summer in the Ferrell Center is any indication, this attack is as vulgar as a Mike Tyson bout and equally bewildering. We only have one satisfactory foe–the fundamentalists–so we pin their face on every opponent we encounter. The chubby mug of Jerry Falwell or Paige Patterson is being carefully pasted on the profile of Baylor President Robert Sloan. If you look twice, you will see clearly that it doesn't fit the six-and-a-half-foot-tall president.

Maybe you can't teach old dogs new tricks. In 1990, we needed some pit bulls to protect Baylor and the BGCT from a takeover, and they did their job. The problem with pit bulls is once they have been trained to fight and they get their first taste of blood, they become killers and eventually have to be put down. It is time for the warriors to lay down their swords. There will be problems and disagreements, but they should be solved in a face-to-face sit-down, not by maligning one another in anonymous documents, the Baptist Standard or the Houston Chronicle.

Call me an idealist, but I have dreams to see all denominations work together. On the mission field, it is common to see pastors abandon their denominational dogma for the sake of the gospel. The reality of a world in need of the redemption found only in Christ creates a focus and clarity we lack. Conflict is inevitable; it is the distinct way we deal with it that makes us Christian.

Those who are airing nasty thoughts to the press are making matters much worse. To the faculty member who called Sloan “an evil person,” I am bringing a vote of no confidence until he learns to talk nice. To the alumna who offered to donate money for Sloan to start his own school (a la Bob Jones), I'm offering matching funds for her to take anger-management classes. If you are unable to say something kind, or at least speak in a cordial manner, it is time to stop talking. And so I shall.

Baylor has a long tradition of appointing ordained pastors to her presidency. With a few exceptions, the presidents have been pastors. It is safe to say the learning curve is steep when making the transition from the pulpit to the chief executive office of a large university. Robert Sloan has made plenty of those mistakes. He has the respect of Baptist churches and was appointed to close the gap between Baylor and Texas Baptists. He is an extraordinary Bible teacher, family man and friend of the church. He also has failed to rally other significant populations of faculty and supporters to his cause–mostly due to some highprofile gaffes and differences in values. But blunders and semantics don't justify the hostility and hatred in the air in Waco.

Baylor always has been a lighthouse for intelligent young pastors. God has blessed me as a pastor and author by the things that I learned there. While at Baylor as a young student/pastor, President Herbert Reynolds came to visit my church. After the church service, he embraced me with the kindest words a mentor could speak to a young minister and silently dropped a hundred dollar bill in my shirt pocket (only Dave Bliss gives out more money than our former president). The administration of Baylor University has always sought a strong relationship with the church and her pastors. Which is the reason all these leaders must sit at a table to pray, critique, apologize, vent, listen and reconcile.

Baylor exists for the sake of the church. She is “Pro Ecclesia” and “Pro Texana.” So, resolve these differences. Our success in Texas rests in Baylor's hands.

The path of peace is not easy. It is time to seek a better way. Jesus said clearly that the world would know his disciples by the way we love one another. I wonder who they think we are; we fight more often than Oscar de la Hoya or Mike Tyson.

It is time for the lovers to take the helm of denominational life. The work of the gospel has very little to do with power. It is more about grace, service and reconciliation. In the midst of the controversy at Baylor, we need the fighters to embrace their enemy and allow for the transition to peacetime.

Chris Seay, a Baylor graduate, is an author and pastor of Ecclesia in Houston

Posted: 12/01/06

Around the State

• The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor art department will sponsor the 10th Christmas Workshop Dec. 9 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. This year, the workshop will include a musical component, and a fee of $15 will be charged instead a gift collection as in years past. Children under 6 must be accompanied by an adult for the entire time. Children will make a variety of Christmas decorations and then will be entertained by Toucan Jam, a duo that plays musical instruments from around the world. Children who wish to attend only the musical portion of the event will be charged $8. Space is limited, and prior registration is recommended. For more information or to register, call (254) 295-4676.

• Phil Rhodes has been named director of institutional research and assessment at Houston Baptist University, effective Dec. 11. He most recently was senior research analyst at Baylor University, serving in that position since 1998.

• Audrey Chumchal was crowned 2007 Miss Mary Hardin-Baylor at the university’s annual pageant. Chumchal, who represented the freshman class, is a biblical studies major. Others honored included Lindsey Harkrider, first runner-up; Katrina Esco, second runner-up; Leslie Anne Estes; and Martha Sicking, fourth runner-up.

• Richard Blackaby, a well-known Canadian Baptist leader, was awarded an honorary doctor of divinity degree by Dallas Baptist University during its fall convocation. He is president of Blackaby Ministries International, founded by his parents. For 13 years, he was president of Canadian Baptist Seminary in Cochrane, Alberta. He also is the author of several books. His father, Henry Blackaby, is author of the best-selling Experencing God.

• Baylor University’s Truett Theological Seminary Alumni Association has honored Anne Burton with its distinguished alumni award. Burton is a Cooperative Baptist Fellowship missionary. She has served in Los Angeles as a chaplain at the University of Southern California, worked with migrants and refugees in North Africa, taught English as a Second Language and ministered among international students and visiting scholars. Prior to working with CBF, Burton worked at Rice University and Texas Medical Center in Houston through the Texas Baptist Student Ministries as intern associate director.

• The Texas Baptist Men group of Sur Zarzamora Church in San Antonio is reprinting the 20-volume commentaries of Joshua Grijalva at the request of churches whose pastors want to use them. The cost for 250 sets is about $13,000. For more information, contact Pastor Guadalupe Fonseca at 9339 S. Zarzamora Street, San Antonio 78224-2106.

• Susan Pigott, professor of Old Testament and Hebrew at Hardin-Simmons University’s Logsdon School of Theology, has been named a founding fellow of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics. It is the first academy dedicated to the enhancement of ethical status of animals through academic publication, teaching and research.

Anniversaries

• Dan Chrestman, 10th, as pastor of The Fellowship of Tapestry in Hurlwood, Nov. 10.

• Tommy Culwell, 10th, as pastor of Colonial Hill Church in Snyder, Nov. 24.

• Baptist Temple in San Antonio, 95th, Dec. 10. Former pastors Mark Newton and Loren White will preach. Former Minister of Music Phillip Smith and his wife, Charre, will bring the special music. Following a catered lunch, Christian entertainer Clifton Jansky will present a concert.

Deaths

• James Grider, 71, Oct. 14 in Dallas. A bivocational pastor, he also worked as an auto mechanic. The Campbell resident was preceded in death by his sisters, Lilly Faye Grider, Alline Grider, Pauline Odessa Joe and Jessie Grider, and a brother, Earl. He is survived by his wife, Joyce; daughters, Debbie Byrd, Cathy Smithey, Debra Wade and Linda Payne; son, Dwight; brother, Frank; sisters, Hazel Branch, Bobbie Hutchins and Ruby Hensley; 10 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

• Ennis Kirkland, 79, Nov. 11 in Jasper. Ordained in 1965, he was pastor of Calvary Church in Jasper, First Church in Spurger, Bon Weir Church in Bon Weir and Plum Ridge Church on Lake Sam Rayburn. A member of Hillcrest Church in Jasper, he was interim pastor of numerous Southeast Texas churches. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Bobbie; daughters, Brenda Kay and Becky Gulley; sister, Joyce Hanks; and two grandchildren.

• Don Tew, 65, Nov. 20 in Austin. An architect, Tew designed 68 church sanctuaries and buildings, including Hyde Park Church in Austin, where he was a third-generation member. He also was the architect for 30 Central Texas schools. He served the Austin church as a Sunday school teacher and chairman of deacons. He was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease last year. He is survived by his wife, Barbara; sons, Todd and Monty; and eight grandchildren.

• Russell Pogue, 87, Nov. 20 in Valley Mills. As a student, he was pastor of churches in King, County Line and Val Verde. After graduation, he moved to the Panhandle and was pastor of churches in Kress, Friona, Hereford, Wellington, Peters-burg, Cisco and Spearman. After retirement, he served two years in Uganda with the Southern Baptist Mission Service Corps. After returning to Texas, he held several interim pastorates and was director of missions for Bosque Association from 1995 to 2005. He was a member of First Church in Valley Mills. He was preceded in death by his brothers, Howard and George. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Imogene; daughter, Lois Ferguson; sons, Jim, Dan and Ed; brother, Paul; nine grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

• Dorothy McDowell, 81, Nov. 26 in Dallas. She was a retired employee of the Baptist Standard. She was preceded in death by her husband, Alvin. She is survived by her sons, Ronald and Mikal; daughter, Pamela Risley; sister, Rosa Harris; six grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren.

• Sidney Moore, 87, Nov. 27 in Dallas. She devoted her life to God and family. Her father died when she still was in her early 20s. At that time, she became the sole-support for her mother and three much younger siblings. Although she had several opportunities for marriage, she chose to remain single and provide a home for her mother and a future for her siblings. She held several jobs, but then found her niche at the Baptist Standard, where she retired after more than 30 years of service. She was preceded in death by her brother, T.E., and sisters, Beulah Jones and Annie Carson. She is survived by her brothers, Cecil and Donald.

Events

• Pleasant Grove First Church and First Church of Urbandale, both in Dallas, will merge in a unification service Dec. 31. Urbandale’s facilities will be used for the joined congregations, while Pleasant Grove will provide the ministerial staff. Prior to joining, on Dec. 9 at 10 a.m., a celebration service will be held at the Pleasant Grove Church site to honor the congregation’s 103 years of ministry to the community. Causey Gram is pastor.

Addie Barton

• First Church in Salado will dedicate a historical marker at noon on Dec. 10 recognizing Addie Barton, pioneer missionary to Mexico. She taught school in Saltillo, Mexico, from 1883 until 1910, when the Mexican Revolution forced her home. After returning to Salado, she worked with Mexican refugees until her death in 1921. The marker will be placed next the to church's historic bell, crafted in 1879. The bell will be rung as a part of the ceremony. After the ceremony, a fajita lunch will be served by the Texas Baptist Men Disaster Relief Feeding team. Brian Dunks is pastor.

• The seventh annual Waco Christmas Celebration will be presented at 1 p.m., 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Dec. 9 and at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Dec. 10 at Columbus Avenue Church in Waco. A cast of more than 200, including a 100-voice choir, along with handbells, ensembles and choreography, will be featured. There is no cost, and tickets are not required. Doors open 30 minutes prior to performance times. David Hardage is interim pastor.

• Gambrell Street Church in Fort Worth presents “A Choral Evensong in Accordance with the Anglican Cathedral Tradition” Dec. 10 at 6 p.m. Clyde Glazener is pastor.

• Baptist Temple in Houston will present Handel’s Messiah Dec. 16 at 7 p.m. The sanctuary choir, directed by Edward Crowell, will be joined by organist Lew Zailer and the Fidelis String Quartet of the Houston Symphony. Admission is free, and complimentary childcare is provided for children 5 years old and younger. Kelly Burkhart is pastor.

Posted: 12/01/06

Texas Baptist Forum

BGCT follow-up

If our Baptist General Convention of Texas leadership is the best we have, God help us.

How can intelligent people interpret Robert’s Rules of Order by saying the Executive Board is above the convention itself, especially when the body is in session? Where is the Christian example from our leadership when they shut down a messenger who was given his rightful time to speak to his own motion, only to embarrass and denigrate him in front of the audience—especially when everything looked orchestrated? 

• Jump to online-only letters below

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

“I feel like an older groom who has been married before. I know what I’m in for, but I’m so excited about the honeymoon, I can’t think straight.” Robert Sloan At his installation as president of Houston Baptist University, reflecting on his 10-year presidency of Baylor University “If there are some who are concerned about the viability of the (National Association of Evangelicals), it’s based on their ignorance, not reality. … This is like a plane crash. When a plane crashes, you’re sad and it’s big news, but you don’t abandon the airline industry. You recognize that’s the safest way to travel.” Leith Anderson Interim president of the National Association of Evangelicals, responding to criticisms the resignation of former President Ted Haggard due to sexual immorality has exposed weaknesses in the organization (Christianity Today/RNS) “The problem is not the Quran or the Torah or the Bible. Indeed, I have often said that the problem is never the faith; it is the faithful and how they behave toward each other.” Kofi Annan United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan (The New York Times/RNS)

We lost monies in having parliamentarians who ruled with an iron hand and allowed no freedom of expression at all.

Jonathan Hernandez Sr.

Arlington

I hope Texas Baptists, and especially those in the BGCT, realize reducing their Cooperative Program giving in order to “send a message” to the Executive Board or executive director has a much broader impact on the ministries that are supported by those funds than it does on convention leadership. I’ve never agreed with that method of “getting the attention of the leadership.” 

To suggest the messengers at the convention this year did not have the opportunity to express themselves in a democratic fashion is deceptive. The messengers very clearly and overwhelmingly defeated David Montoya’s first motion, which would have amended the constitution to give the convention the power to fire the executive director from the floor. Clearly 90 percent or more of the messengers voted against that motion.

Robert’s Rules of Order provides a way to over-rule the chair when a motion is declared to be out of order. If there were as much support for Montoya’s second motion as some suggest, I would have thought we would have visibly seen something during the convention to indicate it.

Lee Saunders

Houston

I’ve taken a wait-and-see approach to the Rio Grande Valley church starts issue, praying it was not true, and if it were, that it would be rectified suitably. After our BGCT annual meeting, I am disappointed and heartbroken.

After reading the investigators’ 42-page report, one phrase kept ringing in my head—“lack of subpoena power.” I can’t help but wonder if someone is trying to hide something in Dallas.

It is my understanding that Charles Wade now has the authority to decide whether or not he turns the investigation over to civil authorities. Why is it up to him? Why could we not decide this as a convention?

This will be a dark cloud over the BGCT until we see transparency from Dallas. We need a full investigation. If a crime was committed, it does not need to be covered up and leave a cloud of suspicion over our convention.

I love the ministries of the BGCT, but I do not put much trust in BGCT leadership. I hope I’m proven wrong. The Executive Board should take a stand and ask for civil authorities to investigate this matter fully.

Terry Williams

Childress

The Baptist convention in Texas has split several times before during the past 150 years—but not for godly reasons.

Members of the BGCT, let’s come together in this difficult time, not move apart. Watch our leadership and ask hard questions of it—even be outraged over the Valley missions matter; but please stop the talk of escrowing CP dollars or possibly walking away. Neither action can be justified.

Mature believers in growing churches know this and stay focused on accomplishing the Great Commission together. Let’s continue to be those Christians and those churches in Texas.

David Troublefield

Wichita Falls

Closed-door sessions are concern

I definitely agree with your editorial that the BGCT Executive Board needs to “restore the power of convention-determination—the vote—to convention messengers” (Nov. 20).

As a layperson at the convention, I did not sense that the majority of the messengers were concerned about that. It seems most important to me.

If the Executive Board and its staff cannot trust the messengers, how can the messengers trust the leadership? Closed-door sessions urgently convened reminds me of the work of another convention whose actions have been greatly criticized by Texas Baptists.

Letters from Todd Pylant and Jay Fleming (Nov. 20) indicate they understand the necessity of restoring confidence.

Nelda Weldon

Waco

Baptist Organization 101

I did not attend the Baptist General Convention of Texas annual meeting at Dallas, but from what I read and understand, some persons need a lesson on Baptist Organization 101.

The convention (messengers from participating churches) meet for two days to empower the Executive Board and the employed staff to carry on the business of the Convention. This is directed through the BGCT constitution. Please read Constitution Article VII-Executive Board.

They will be there when the gavel falls on the annual meeting.

 H. Harold Brown

Port Neches

The good ol' boy syndrome

What must we do? We preach Jesus, we teach Jesus, but do we daily follow Jesus? We need repentance, true repentance, with our pastors, lay leaders and with the staff and board at the BGCT.

When God’s money is mismanaged and misused, then someone or someones must be held accountable. Charles Wade’s article “We will bring credibilty and integrity” (Nov. 20) is shameful and disheartning. It examplifies the good ol’ boy syndrome: “We do our business behind closed doors and/or give alot; get a lot.”

We, Texas Baptists, best wake-up, all is not well.

Jack Graham

Paris

Forgiveness a priority

In our day-to-day relationships, many situations arise that cause hurt and discord. We must get past the hurt or discontentment in order to forgive the offending party.

Jesus forgave man for their sins as he bore them on the cross. If Jesus can forgive all of mankind for their sins, you, too, can forgive the person that has deeply wounded you. Your spirit will not be free until true forgiveness is obtained. Many people carry around the burden of hurt and ill feelings for years, because they were deeply wounded by the actions of others or words from someone’s mouth.

My prayer for you is to free yourself from the shackles of carrying a load that is difficult for you to bear. Don’t let Satan ride your back. He can only ride your back when it is bent. Have you ever tried to ride the back of a horse when it was standing straight up? You can’t; it is very difficult to hang on.

If a professed Christian is wronged by another, he ought not complain of it to others, as is often done merely upon report, but to go to the offender privately, state the matter kindly, and show him his conduct (Matthew 18:15-20).

Bearing a heavy load is not a requirement for a child of the King.

Kimberly Eaton

Abilene

Thanks for Valley pastors and churches

While the fight against fundamentalism has taken place, many have actually forgotten the fundamentals of our faith in Jesus Christ. It would do us all good to read Philippians 2:5-11. Christ did not call us to riches but to right living! 

At this time, an increasing portion of our state is Hispanic. Thank God for the pastors and churches in the Valley and in this state that know the mind of Christ.   

Henry Adrion III

Hilltop Lakes

Shrinking love offerings

It is with a heavy heart that I reply to the letter titled “Entertainment centers” (Nov. 6).

The reason churches have begun charging for tickets to gospel concerts is there is no longer any “love” in love offerings. The national average at Southern Gospel events that merely take up an offering is $1.57 per head. Our church struck a somewhat higher average, but it still is a grievous embarrassment to hand a vocal group—who just sang their hearts out—a collection of dollar bills that will not even cover their gas to the event.

Would the letter writer care to invest in equipment, load it up, unload it and set up, sing for two hours, break it all down and cart it home for less than gasoline expenses when the same crowd never balks at paying $10 for a bag of popcorn and a soft drink at a movie theater?

It is a wonder we can get artists to come to our churches at all. They already are doing it practically for free, and then the pastor is assigned to hand them the discouraging news in the form of an ungrateful offering.

What a shame.

Steve White

Dallas

Blessed with fellowship

“Ministers battle feelings of being alone in the crowd” (Oct. 2) caused me to realize I am one of the most blessed pastors anywhere. I enjoy a supportive fellowship with two groups of pastors.

One is with fellow Baptist pastors in Frio River Baptist Association. We genuinely care for one another—celebrate success, support struggle, combine resources to extend God’s kingdom, and generally be on mission together as a body of churches. Though we represent two state conventions, BGCT and SBTC, we have placed denominational politics aside to know one heart in ministry.

The other is with pastors of various denominations who meet for prayer weekly in central Atascosa County. This “band of brothers” also knows no spirit of competition or conflict over “turf,” “sheep,” or “notoriety.” There is a “Kingdom of God” mindset rather than an interest in “promoting our brand.” We can share our struggles, knowing confidences will be guarded and genuine Christian love expressed. The churches in our county are stronger because the bond among several of its pastors is maintained.

Folks tell me what I enjoy here is rare. I have a friend planting a church in another part of the state who echoes the loneliness expressed in the article I read. I just wanted to say that there are some places where ministers are connecting with each other, and it is making a big difference. I am fortunate to live in one of them.

Bill Fowler

Pleasanton

Don't ignore Mormon beliefs

A daily newspaper announced, “Mormons are members of Christianity.” Many Mormons are outstanding people, accomplished, prosperous, moral and ambitious. Mormonism should not be a barrier to the seeking of high office in this land.

However, to state that “Mormons are Christian” ignores their beliefs. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) has spent millions of dollars to be accepted as a part of Christianity, but what they teach places them outside of historical Christianity.

Christianity teaches that Jesus Christ is a member of the Trinity; Mormonism teaches that Jesus was the brother of Lucifer (Satan). Christianity teaches that Jesus Christ is God, not that he became a god through good works, as the Mormon Church teaches. Christianity holds that Jesus was incarnate through the virgin birth; the Mormon Church teaches that he was the product of a sexual union between God and one of his many “celestial wives.” The foundation of Christianity is that men and women, boys and girls, can be made suitable for heaven thought faith in Christ, not that they can become gods in their own worlds as taught by the Mormon Church.

In American, it is not necessary to pretend that we are all alike in order for us to cooperate in a pluralistic, democratic society. It is not necessary for us to ignore the teachings of Mormonism in order to affirm their right to believe as they do. 

Larry Holly

Beaumont

Love endures

Growing up the son of a Baptist minister, I was taught that “God is love.” I am much older now, but still believe that God is love. No matter what one calls God—Jehovah, Allah or just God—one Creator, in love, made us all and the planet we inhabit.

To many, love is weak, wimpy, naive. But in reality, its strength is the missing ingredient in the world’s so-called pursuit of lasting peace. We citizens of the world are fooling ourselves if we believe we can love God and hate other people. Fear, hate, greed and pride lead to killing and war. God does not need or want anyone to kill in God’s name. What are the real reasons suicide bombers kill themselves and other people they don’t even know?

The clergy of every world religion should be preaching the good news of God’s love—the tie that binds all humankind. It is unloving pride that motivates people to think their religion, culture or race is superior to anyone else’s. Our differences cannot be resolved militarily. It behooves the world’s religious leaders to speak out and demonstrate God’s love by example. A hungry, dying world is crying out to be fed. Love is strength, endures and never fails.

Paul L. Whiteley Sr.

Louisville, Ky.

Joe Roper also inducted

An article recognized recent inductees into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame (Nov. 6). The article also listed names of several previous inductees.

I would like to add to this list the name of my brother, Joe Roper, a pianist who was inducted posthumously in Oct. 2005.

Joe was well known in the field of gospel music during a long career of performing and teaching. Among his pupils was Floyd Cramer of Grand Ole Opry fame. He was pianist for the original Stamps Quartet and performed at the 1936 Texas Centennial State Fair. 

His induction was proudly and quietly observed in our family but was little heralded outside the family circle. The author of your article had no way of knowing this, but I offer it in honor of Joe’s memory.

Cecil Roper

Fort Worth

Give God everything

I read with interest your editorial on tithing (Oct. 16). You hit the nail on the head when you said we should give God everything, since he owns it anyway. If pastors would preach this doctrine from the pulpit rather than the legalism of tithing, giving would increase.

The Scripture that comes to mind is Mark 13:41-43, where Jesus and the disciples are watching the people put their money into the temple offering, and a widow came and put in two small coins as compared to the large sums that the Pharisees were placing into the box. Jesus remarked: “Look, guys! This poor widow gave more than any of the rest. The rich only gave what they did not need. She gave all she had.”

This is what God wants us to do. He does not need our money. As you say, it is his anyway. God’s kingdom will always go forward.

Lealand Dean

Denton

Emphasize making disciples

Over the years, I have read many books that, in one way or another, describe “the purposes of the church.” Some list them in very attractive and alliterative terms. Unfortunately, all I have read are wrong in at least two ways.

First, they make evangelism and discipleship two separate purposes of the church. There is no biblical justification for this separation. Jesus said we are to “make disciples.” He never said we are to get people to make a profession of faith and then measure our effectiveness by the number who do and who are then are baptized.

Second, they are wrong in that they always omit any kind of purpose that could be described as being related to a kingdom vision (missions, if you please). The primary emphasis is on growing bigger churches, not on going into all the world and building the kingdom.

There are several reasons for this approach.

First, we have allowed ourselves to be seduced by the business model of success—bigger is better. And, we Baptists have come to measure our “success” by the three “B’s” of baptisms, budgets and buildings. This is evidenced by the way we affirm pastors, churches and ministries. Bigger, we say, always is better.

Second, we have allowed some well-meaning Baptists of the past to emphasize the local church in nonbiblical ways rather than affirm our connectedness as members of the body of Christ. (Think of those who have said a believer can observe the Lord’s Supper only in the local church where he/she is a member.) The first group of believers “devoted themselves … to the fellowship” (Acts 2:42). Just as the Israelites of the Old Testament had corporate relationships that required corporate responsibility (see Joshua 7, for example), believers of today have responsibility for and to each other as members of the body of Christ. We are saved one at a time, but when we are saved, we become members of those who were described for some 10 to 15 years after Pentecost s “people of the way,”—disciples or followers of Jesus Christ, not just members of a “church” that meets in a particular place. Many churches today would benefit by teaching believers their kingdom responsibility as well as their local church responsibility.

Maybe the article “Baptizing and making disciples” (Nov. 13) can help us begin to emphasize “making disciples” and thus have a more biblical approach to fulfilling the Great Commission. I suggest we take note of the fact 20 percent of American adults now worship in “house churches” (Aug. 7, 2006, p. 9). I also suggest reading Revolution by George Barna.

The future of Christianity is bright because young adult believers are committed to being what they call “authentic” disciples and have little or no interest in what appears to them to be a “performance” described as “worship.” I hope we all can move toward emphasizing “making disciples” as Jesus instructed us to do.

Lewis E. Lee

San Antonio

Roberts Rule of Order not utilized

Excellent editorial on how Baptist churches affiliated with the BGCT will exercise their voting over the next year (Nov. 20).

I would like to point out one thing about the out-of-order motion proposed during the last session of the annual meeting. When the president ruled the motion out of order, no one appealed the ruling of the chair. Robert’s Rules of Order allows the body to correct the chair any time the body believes the chair has ruled inappropriately. It requires a super majority to overturn the chair, but it could have been done. Not even the maker of the motion appealed the ruling.

Had I disagreed with the ruling, I would have done it.

I think this shows one of two things: (1) a lack of knowledge of the most rudimentary processes of Robert’s Rules by most messengers or (2) a trust in the president and Executive Director Charles Wade that it did not need to be dealt by convention in session.

After the overwhelming defeat of the previous amendment I would tend to believe that the messengers showed they are willing (for now at least) to trust the Executive Board to oversee Cooperative Program money.

I agree with you: Contributions to the CP will ultimately determine if Baptists really believe in the BGCT.

W. Wayne Holder

Waco

Please God, not ourselves

Some additional factors should be considered by those who demean current worship music and styles. As a 50+-year-old who grew up singing the great hymns of our faith, I understand how some might feel that a great heritage is being lost. I, too, love to sing those great words and tunes that are hidden forever in my heart. I thank God for them!

We are engaged in a great cultural shift unlike any in the history of this country. We can’t stop it, but we are commanded by our Lord to “go and tell” in spite of it. Many local churches (I’m sure there are notable exceptions) who have kept “traditional” ways are declining in number and reaching few, if any, with the gospel.

If a large group of people from another culture moved into our community, I would hope that we would do whatever was necessary to reach out to them in a language and in a manner that honored their preferences. This is exactly where we stand today with regard to the unchurched among us. The church exists only to bring the lost to Jesus. Everything else we do should be in support of that singular mission. When we stand still because the next step might be uncomfortable, we are acting to benefit ourselves and with a complete lack of faith in the One who saved us!

The message will never change, but the way of reaching them with the message of hope must adapt to those outside the church. A huge group of unreached people never have seen anything in the local church to appeal to them. If we continue to isolate ourselves from them, we are in direct violation of the Great Commission. When we say to them, “Become like us if you want to know Jesus,” we are selfishly dooming them to an eternity apart from our loving Father.

Miraculously, God still gifts writers who pen songs that are reaching this new group. To call these songs “little sing-along choruses” is an insult to our great God who has inspired worship of him for scores of new believers. Wherever God is moving, we should be grateful. However people are being reached, we should be thankful.

Whether Fanny Crosby or B.B. McKinney or Matt Redman or Chris Tomlin wrote the songs is not the point. What matters is that God is reaching out to hurting people like he always has, and we should each discover how we should be a part of his work in the hearts of those around us.

It’s not about our personal preferences in music, preaching styles, seating arrangements or anything else. It’s about his saved people proclaiming the Good News so that everyone may hear! I’m excited to see what will happen in our world when more of God’s people seek to please him rather than ourselves.

Jerry Barker

Falfurrias

What do you think? The Baptist Standard values letters to the editor, for they reflect Baptists’ traditional affirmation of the priesthood of believers. 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. Only one letter per writer in a three-month period.

Posted: 12/05/06

CYBER COLUMN:
Shoe business

By Brett Younger

Every five years or so, whether I need to or not, I go to the cheapest shoe store I can find to buy a new pair of everyday shoes. My old pair was beyond old. I avoided puddles with my left foot because of the hole in the sole. The insoles were missing, so they slipped up and down like flip-flops.

When I told Carol it was time for new shoes, she sent Caleb along to buy tennis shoes. I was confused when he stayed in the aisle where I was until I realized that my 12-year-old now shares my shoe size. Caleb also picks shoes by the same criteria—the first ones we try on with which we can live. He quickly selected midnight navy/metallic silver Overplay Nikes that cost more than all the Keds I ever wore.

Brett Younger

I asked the cobbler for dull, brown, everyday shoes with strings, but apparently they don’t make those anymore. The first shoes he found were peculiar. They looked like moccasins with rubber stops on the back of the heels. They were a poor man’s penny loafers with no place for the penny. They were the opposite of the blue suede shoes Elvis didn’t want stepped on, but they were dull, brown, on sale and shamefully comfortable. Dr. Scholl’s Memory Fit Insoles are like walking in marshmallows. I knew they weren’t fashionable, but these were the kind of comfy shoes an old woman with many children might want to live in.

Carol wasn’t impressed with my purchase.

“You bought house shoes.”

“I did not.”

“You did so.”

She had a point. They look and feel like house shoes. On Monday morning, I almost put them back in the closet, but then thought, “Maybe nobody will notice.”

Nobody noticed. I should have been wearing house shoes for years.

On Tuesday, I asked Pat Smith, one of the church secretaries, what she thought of my new shoes. She looked puzzled, “Why did you buy driving shoes?”

I’m going to keep wearing my driving shoes/moccasins/house shoes, because I’ve decided that my feet don’t deserve to be pinched by acceptable shoes.

We do way too much for the sake of appearances. (The devil makes people wear Prada.) Looking good is exhausting (or so I’ve heard).

People spend their lives doing what seems respectable. Some lawyers would live with more joy if they were kindergarten teachers. Some wives who drive a Lexus would be happier if they had waited for the guy who drives a Yugo.

Some of the people at the opera would rather be at the ballgame. Some at the ballgame would rather be at the library. Some reading the Wall Street Journal would rather be reading the Psalms. Some eating at a fancy French restaurant would really enjoy a burger and fries.

We run errands that don’t need to be run. We go to events that aren’t worth our time. We buy gifts to impress people who don’t need our gifts.

What looks good to the rest of the world may not be the way to go. We should spend less time worrying what others think and more time looking for what leads to real joy.

Do what makes your feet want to dance.

Brett Younger is pastor of Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth and the author of Who Moved My Pulpit? A Hilarious Look at Ministerial Life, available from Smyth & Helwys (800) 747-3016. You can e-mail him at byounger@broadwaybc.org.