RE: Saddleback Church ordains three women, draws criticism

The article by Bob Smietana was somewhat reckless, in my opinion, as he seems to equate a woman preaching with an ordained woman pastor. The little “cute” ending regarding communication with Dr. Al Mohler from Beth Moore was completely out of place. Mr. Smietana did not give an unbiased news story.

This is a difficult issue for many. I would suggest anyone with an opinion on “either side” read two articles written by E. Earle Ellis, former research theologian at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. They are included in his book Pauline Theology: Ministry and Society under the section “Paul and the Eschatological Woman,” and are titled “Four Theological Principles” and “Three Crucial Texts.”

Bill R. Lee
Ennis, Texas

RE: Editorial: For Christians, public policy is about love of neighbor

One of the ongoing troubling deficiencies in Texas is the refusal to expand Medicaid. When Texas refused to partner with the Affordable Care Act by expanding Medicaid—80 percent of which would be funded by the federal government—it actually left the poor in Texas worse off. This biennium is on track to do it again.

When the poor and working poor do not have access to adequate affordable health care, the whole state suffers.

Texas has a three-pronged approach to Medicaid. First, it contracts out the existing Medicaid policies to big insurance companies, which rake in significant sums of money for regionally managing Texas Medicaid. Second, they keep eligibility small and narrow. Third, they cut reimbursements to medical and mental health providers, often causing shortages of providers throughout the state.

In addition to the issues you mention in your editorial, we need to care about health care for those who can’t afford it.

Michael R. Chancellor
Round Rock, Texas

I’m a Christian, native Texan, graduate of Dallas Baptist University and writer/editor in central Missouri. While some Christians see public policy as “love of neighbor,” many do not.

Love should indeed motivate all our actions, but Christians should not happily wield the coercive power of the state to push well-intentioned programs. The road to hell …

The state holds the monopoly on violence. If we do not obey its demands or pay its dues, we will be forced to—at gunpoint, with the threat of being thrown in a cage.

Regarding public schools: We agree a clear-thinking and well-educated society is key to peace and prosperity, but why assume the only way we get there is with government schools? The already bloated system seems to know only a single song titled “We Need More Money,” while national literacy rates are embarrassing and critical thinking is in a supply crunch.

Meanwhile, I tutor a group of homeschoolers whose parents are forced—by taxation—to fund schools they do not use, and that they—reasonably—believe have failed. How is that love? It sounds more like theft.

Were local churches to begin making converts and tithers at gunpoint, while insisting: “This is for your own good! We’re doing this out of love!” it wouldn’t last long. Why, then, are Christians happy to do that very thing when it comes to public policy?

Nathan Bechtold
Lake of the Ozarks, Mo.

RE: Baptist leaders react to Chauvin guilty verdict

Where are the prayers for the Chauvin family by the Baptist leaders? I’m sure his family is hurting, too.

Some reading my question and comment may accuse me of being racist and sympathetic to Chauvin, and also assume I disagree with the decision the jury made in his trial. That’s far from the truth.

First of all, I am not a racist. I am ashamed to say that in my younger years I was prejudiced. I since have realized my fault and have overcome my past views toward others.

To me, racism stems from hate, desiring to inflict physical and emotional pain on others. I never have hated individuals or certain races of people.

Prejudice stems from ignorance and with time and maturity can be overcome.

Reading the article pertaining to prayers for the George Floyd family from Baptist leaders, I had to ask myself, “Are we as Christians practicing ‘selective’ prayer?” Not once did I see one word concerning prayers for Chauvin and his family.

Even though Chauvin was found guilty of his crime, does he not merit our prayers? Don’t they think his family is hurting now and need our prayers just as much as the Floyd family?

If we don’t or refuse to lift up Chauvin and his family in our prayers, are we not participating in prejudice that he is not worth our prayers?

F.A. Taylor Jr.
Copperas Cove, Texas

RE: New doubts over Southern Baptists’ limits on women’s roles

I am not in disagreement with the author, but the reports and interviews of those supporting the idea of social change of the church were troublesome, pointing out a trend toward supporting individuals over God. When a church or group of churches begins to cater to the desires of its members, it is headed quickly down the path to ruin in God’s eyes.

I believe the Southern Baptist Convention is working steadfastly to be firm in God’s word. I also believe Beth Moore and some of the interviewees are committed Christians.

The “but what about” argument about abuse by males against females has nothing to do with God’s instructions in the Bible. These things simply are evil and need to be addressed as evil. God does not give license for men to abuse anyone, male or female.

Making a woman a lead pastor will not remove evil from a church. Only God can do that, and any other belief is a compromise of God’s holy word. My prayer is that Beth Moore or any woman or man who professes to be a follower of Christ will put him first in their lives and first in their ministries.

We all have to watch and listen for the Lord’s guidance in all matters and not be tempted by the loud, sometimes attractive voices of the world. I am in constant prayer for myself not to falter or judge others, but to look upon others as God does, with his love and understanding. Sometimes it’s more difficult than other times.

Jim Bryant
Rockwall, Texas

RE: Baylor reckons with painful information about founders

My friend Ken Camp’s article on the tragic racism of Baylor’s founders reminded me of another article I read recently about Alexander Campbell published in the Christian Chronicle, an international publication of Churches of Christ.

The article presented historical evidence that Campbell, despite his strong faith and visionary achievements, was a racist. I was saddened but not surprised. The blunt fact is almost all Anglos were racists in Campbell’s day. It doesn’t excuse it, but it does give it a context. Nor does it require us to ignore all of Campbell’s many achievements.

Campbell and Judge R.E.B. Baylor were good men who nonetheless were flawed. But doesn’t that also describe David, Peter, Paul and every other hero in the Bible except for Jesus himself?

Perhaps some pertinent advice on the subject can be drawn from Jesus’ words from John 16:12—“There are many things I would tell you, but you cannot bear them yet.”

Learning life-changing truth always is incremental. The divine message is complete and perfect, but learning the mind of God always takes time. And time has a way of educating and humbling us.

If we can show grace to present-day imperfect people, perhaps we also can offer grace to well-meaning but imperfect people from the past, warts and all—even if their names are written in history books or engraved in buildings. To quote another saying, “Hate the sin, but love the sinner.” It’s still pertinent.

Rodger Weems
Grand Prairie, Texas

RE: Beth Moore: Southern Baptist no more

Beth Moore’s departure from the Southern Baptist Convention will not hurt her in the least. A lot of us stand with her.

I am curious about something, though. Why have we heard so much about “cancel culture” in relation to Amazon’s taking a book off of its website, but no one uses that term when Beth Moore’s Bible studies and ticket sales made a significant plunge based on her calling out Donald Trump on his decades-long public sinful behavior against women, the disabled and minorities.

Cancel culture isn’t new. It’s really just the “in” term for boycott.

Additionally, Southern Baptists hold to the belief that women shouldn’t be lead pastors. The belief that speaking behind a pulpit is sinful seems to me to be placing the pulpit as the object of worship.

Mary Manning
Aurora, Colo.

I’m not writing to defend Donald Trump or to sound critical of Beth Moore, but I am getting tired of Christians with “double standards.”

I believe I wrote to the Baptist Standard in defense of Ms. Moore speaking “behind the pulpit” in a Baptist church. There’s a difference between speaking in a church and pastoring a church.

I admit Ms. Moore has done great and noble things in serving the Lord, but what does Donald Trump have to do with no longer identifying with Southern Baptist?

Mr. Trump is far from perfect, but Ms. Moore had rather support and vote for Joe Biden—who has touched women and children inappropriately, for which there is video proof—and support the murdering of unborn children. Mr. Trump probably has done more for the “church” and protecting unborn children than any other modern-day president.

If we are to be judged on our past, we need to remove the Psalms and 1 and 2 Samuel, because King David was guilty of adultery and murder.

People, especially Christians, need to realize hate will affect your health and even kill you.

F.A. Taylor
Copperas Cove, Texas

RE: Voices: Serious problems revealed by the ERLC Task Force report

I want to give a hearty “Amen” to Jamey Yadon’s article about the ERLC report and the troubling aspects of it. It reveals with great insight some deep spiritual issues in our national convention related to partisan politics.

I have served on the advisory board of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission in the past, and I have great admiration for their work and for Russell Moore’s courage and candor. I truly believe his is a much-needed prophetic voice among Southern Baptists and other evangelicals who have lost their way related to political power.

Thank you for being bold enough to publish this very honest and accurate assessment.

Ed Seay, senior pastor
First Baptist Church, Magnolia

RE: Major effort needed to rebuild refugee resettlement system

Regarding the Feb. 2 Baptist Standard article describing the effort needed to rebuild the United States refugee resettlement system, I’d like to begin at the end of the piece.

“Pastors and churches are eager to serve and pick back up where they left off,” noted Travis Wussow of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission.

Rebuilding the system will take more than a presidential executive order. More is needed than re-staffing by World Relief and other refugee sponsoring agencies. Churches will fulfill a major role in refugee resettlement by providing hospitality at the local level.

Since the influx of refugees following the fall of Vietnam, the United States has provided refuge for millions of persons fleeing war and persecution. That refuge has resulted from a team effort by government, nonprofits, churches and individuals. Many churches in Texas and beyond have played a crucial role in helping refugees resettle in the past 50 years by meeting a variety of needs.

From the Panhandle to Palacios and from East Texas to El Paso, Texas Baptist churches and others have taken seriously the mandate to welcome the stranger. Volunteers have provided instruction in English for refugees in many settings, but ministry has not stopped at the end of class. Caring volunteers have helped refugee families find jobs, furnish apartments and provide for the educational needs of their children. Let’s get ready!

Lester Meriwether, executive director
Literary Connexus
Fort Worth

RE: Editorial: A question to focus us on what matters most: “So, what?”

The thing that matters most is presenting Jesus Christ to the developing nations of the world—Africa and far East Asia.

The issue of racial reconciliation for Black and white people in America will never come to pass. American Black people have had their administration twice in Washington. It bothers me to read racial issues being used in our academic institutions and our Baptist churches, most recently involving a Black Baptist pastor in Arlington, Texas, who appeared in the Baptist Standard.

Five decades ago, my wife and I left Kenya for Texas, to join the teams of men and women who labored day and night preaching Jesus Christ in villages and towns of East Africa. During the early 1970s, we could not get a single brother or sister from the Black congregations in America to come to East Africa to witness of the Lord.

Now as American citizens, we spend three-fourths of the year in East Africa building disciples and planting new churches.

Solomon Kimuyu
Dallas, Texas

RE: Letter: Voices: A warning from a friend: Return to your first love

Many Christians have been turned away slowly from the real Jesus to an idol. Some teachers and pastors are preaching a triumphal, earthly king, who gives orders, commands obedience, and requires adulation and even worship. They have been deceived by the ego.

Many of our people have been worshipping a lion, and have become like lions—predators. To them, meekness looks like weakness. In the reality of the present kingdom of God, meekness is awesome strength under the perfect control of the Holy Spirit. “The meek shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5).

We must learn to distinguish the voice of the ego from the voice of our true Shepherd. We must listen again to him. He is humble and meek as a lamb before its shearer. He sought no reputation and fled from being made a king.

If we could see clearly the sweet gentleness, love and kindness of Jesus and Father, we would fall to our knees and weep at the pride in our hearts and the arrogance in our minds.

Jesus’ way is to go lower and lower, to be of no reputation. Give it all away. Take your name off the signs. Less of us; more of him. Even Jesus, the very best of us, deflected all praise and honor to Father.

Who are these teachers, pastors and writers who have led the sheep away from their true Shepherd to an earthly king? Those who have led us astray need to be fired or converted.

Lenny Smith
Nashville

RE: Voices: A warning from a friend: Return to your first love

The warnings from Rev. Fields to the white evangelical community are an important message to hear. However, a point Rev. Fields failed to mention is the actions of those radical, supposedly evangelical Christian Republicans in our nation’s Capitol may not have reflected the thoughts or beliefs of all mainstream white evangelical Christians.

For myself, a member of the Baptist church for more than 54 years, being white or Black has never been an issue in any church of which I’ve been a member.

I lived through the 1960s in Dallas before I came into the church, but my parents did not teach me to be racist. They taught me to be respectful of all God’s creation, including all people, animals and all the Earth.

The churches I’ve attended, held membership in, and been part-time staff in over the past several decades have had members of various colors and nationalities.

I wholeheartedly agree with Rev. Fields that we must never forget our mission or our first love. However, I’m not convinced those radicals who rioted and were destructive were mainstream Baptists at all. I hope and pray they were not, just as I join with Rev. Fields in praying our political climate will not distract us from our common goal of reaching the lost of every nation, color or persuasion for Christ.

May our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ save us from our own follies as we move through the next several days, and may his divine will and wisdom prevail.

Bonnie Dove
Arlington, Texas

RE: Voices: Resist Christian nationalism displayed during assault on U.S. Capitol

I disagree with the editor about a recent headline: “Resist Christian nationalism displayed during assault on U.S. Capitol.”

There is no evidence of “Christianity” on display. There was a display of religious nationalism, same as one might find in a Muslim country like Iran or Saudi Arabia.

This group of terrorists didn’t just hatch overnight. They have been nurtured for years by false prophets and other anti-American figures.

We have known what Donald Trump is for much longer than the four years he has been in office. We know he has complete contempt for the teachings of Jesus and other parts of the Bible, including telling thousands of lies. But some of the most prominent religious figures have bowed down to him and have ignored the Johnson Amendment, as well as the Bible.

We have reaped what was sown.

Carl Hess
Ozark, Ala.