Archive for Homosexuality
Podcast Episode 5
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We’re back with episode five of the SBC Today podcast. This time, I’m joined by Robin Foster, Scott Gordon, and Joe Stewart, and with a smaller crew comes a shorter podcast, this time coming in under thirty minutes. We were all over the place in terms of topics in this episode, from the President Obama’s health care initiative to Baptists in Romania to tornadoes in Minnesota.
You can listen to the podcast right from the site using the player below, or, as many folks have done, subscribe to our podcast in iTunes and have it downloaded immediately when it becomes available each week. Click the podcast image in this post or the link in the sidebar to be taken to our iTunes page, and while you’re there, give us a rating and/or a review. We’d appreciate feedback, which you can put in a review there, or in a comment here. Let us know how we can improve the podcast.
Below are some links to the items we discussed in this episode. See you next week on the podcast.
Enhanced Podcast: Merritt and the ACLU On Same Page
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Below is a post from guest contributor Tim Guthrie. Tim is Senior Pastor of Arlington Baptist Church in Knoxville Tennessee. To comment on this post, you can go to Tim’s blog here.
USA Today ran an article by Jonathan Merritt exposing his own views (not those of the norm in SBC life) related to homosexuality. Though Merritt, the son of SBC Pastor James Merritt and Liberty Grad (of which I am) presents his heart for loving people, he also reveals a dangerous view of Biblical understanding and application.
I do not question his heart. I do question several things in the article and I also question his use of “title” in describing who he is and what he does which I will explain later.
Hate the Spin
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When I was in college at John Brown University in the early 1990’s, I loved playing foosball. I played every day, at all hours. It’s possible that, had I not loved it so much, I might not now be working my way through Liberty University’s distance learning program, but I digress.
I was never a great player, mainly because I was never able to generate enough power without spinning the handle, and spinning, in real competitive foosball, is strictly verboten. There was even a catchy saying in the foosball community at this private Christian college: “Hate the spin, but love the spinner.” It is much easier to slam the ball into the back of the goal when you spin, but the truly talented players can fire unbelievably powerful shots just by the action of their wrists. They don’t need to spin in order to be effective.
On April 20, USA Today published an essay by Jonathan Merritt. Merritt, 26, is a recent graduate of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and according to the footnote of his essay, he works as a faith and culture writer. The article is titled “An Evangelical’s Plea: ‘Love the Sinner’,” and it is a call for Christians to reach out in love to the gays and lesbians around us, and to do so in tangible ways. This is a worthy point to make, and a call that all of us who name the name of Christ ought to heed. But in making the point, Merritt makes use of quite a lot of rhetorical “spin,” enough to make me want to dust off that old catch phrase I learned around the foosball tables at JBU.
The Rick Warren Shuffle
Posted by: | CommentsRick Warren has backed away from his earlier support of California’s “Proposition 8.” You can read about it here. One may seem to wonder why Warren would do such a thing? Dr. Jim Garlow, the senior pastor of Skyline Wesleyan Church seems to have is own idea as reported in the article linked above. In it Garlow says,
Historically when institutions and individuals back away from convictional biblical truth, it is driven primarily by one single factor — and that is the respectability of other people. In other words, much more caring about what other people think about them than what God thinks about them,
I don’t know if this is the case with Warren, but I am disappointed in his recent shuffle away from supporting Proposition 8.
The Most Important Thing Happening Right Now in the Southern Baptist Convention
Posted by: | CommentsPretty pretentious (or portentious?) title, huh?
The most important thing happening in SBC current events right now is the Executive Committee’s consideration of whether Broadway Baptist Church, Fort Worth, TX, is or is not in “friendly cooperation” with the Southern Baptist Convention. Why do I believe this to be the most important thing presently ongoing in the SBC?
Do I believe that this case is important because homosexuality is the most important issue presently facing our convention? No. The SBC’s answer to the question of homosexuality is, for the moment, clear. We’ll see where it stands one generation from now, with researcher after researcher declaring an upcoming generation of “evangelicals” who are “more tolerant on issues such as gay rights and homosexuality” (John Turner, quoted in Christianity Today online article here). But I think we have reason to hope that the Southern Baptist Convention is distinct enough from evangelicalism at large to stick with the Bible while evangelicalism slides off into public relations. Whatever. But my point here simply is that the SBC, before showing Broadway Baptist Church the door, is already sufficiently on-the-record on the question of homosexuality.
Homosexuality is an important issue, but not nearly the most important issue facing us at present. But there are issues involved in this case that are very important for Southern Baptists.
Biblical Church Discipline and Regenerate Church Membership are among them. The very heart of this case is the idea that Broadway Baptist Church is responsible for those whom it admits into membership. Reports indicate that one of the most important questions posed in the last EC meeting simply asked Broadway’s representatives something along the lines of, “If you knew for certain that a person seeking membership were an ongoing, active, unrepentant homosexual, would you still receive that person into membership?” It is a good question, and the committee did not receive a good answer, to my knowledge.
Broadway’s defense, up to this point, has been that it has never taken any sort of a vote to place the church in favor of homosexuality. Unless it does something like that, Broadway’s representatives argue, it has not “act[ed] to affirm, approve, or endorse homosexual behavior.” (SBC Constitution, Article III). I’m hoping that the Executive Committee is preparing to decide that a church is indeed acting to affirm, approve, or endorse behavior when (a) the church knows full well that its members are engaged in that behavior, and yet (b) no disciplinary action whatsoever is taken by the church with regard to that behavior—no preaching, no formal disciplinary action, not even any passing over such a one for positions of responsibility in the congregation.
I believe that this action, if taken, will be an important milestone in our needed strengthening of biblical ecclesiology within our convention. It will be a clarion call to our churches to remember that membership does matter and that we are indeed responsible for the spiritual health of all of those who are members in our congregation. Particularly this is true for those of us in church leadership “who will give an account” (Hebrews 13:17) for these folks. At least with regard to homosexuality, the message from our convention will be clear: Loving and redemptive discipline toward known practicing homosexuals in the church is the only biblical option for our churches.
That lesson, once learned with regard to homosexuality, needs to be extrapolated to a great many public and grievous sins that muddle our testimony of Christ, weaken our evangelistic effectiveness, and diminish the holiness of the Bride of Christ.
And that brings us to the final reason why this is the most important thing happening right now in the Southern Baptist Convention: Because this question is all about the local church. We’ve had a Conservative Resurgence among our national institutions. Similar things need to happen in some of our state conventions. Discussions are underway regarding a Great Commission Resurgence to serve as extension and successor to the Conservative Resurgence. These are all good things. But none of them are the thing that we need most.
What we need is a Local Church Reformation, fomented by Personal Revival for some, and Regeneration for others. To the degree that the case of Broadway Baptist Church reminds us about how profound is the need for reformation and revival in our churches, this is a good thing—indeed, it is the most important thing happening right now in the Southern Baptist Convention.
UPDATE: As it so happens, the good folks over at BaptistTheology.org have just posted an article by Dr. Gary Ledbetter entitled “Is There a Church within Your Church?” I just read the article and I see that it addresses some of the same points that I have addressed in this blog post. The major difference is that Gary’s article is so much better written.
Homosexuality, Worldviews, & Ministry
Posted by: | CommentsAssociated Baptist Press…Cooperative Baptist Fellowship…Lesbian Gay Bi-sexual Trans-gendered people…
It would seem that all of these organizations are on the same page. “Unfair” you might say…well…
The Associated Baptist Press – which on their website admits to a tangential (read that as foundational) association with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship – has recently published a series of articles by Mercer University professor Dr. David Gushee discussing the issue of homosexuality and our attitude/response as Christians and Baptists. These articles are:
OPINION: On Homosexuality, Can We at Least Talk About It? (March 27, 2008)
OPINION: On Homosexuality, Whose Narrative Do We Believe (May 1, 2008)
OPINION: The Path to Discernment on Homosexuality (July 16, 2008)
You might be thinking, ‘OK, that’s enough,’ BUT no! Two more articles, conveniently circumscribed with the “OPINION” disclaimer–much like the one the CBF used as a “get out of jail free” card with Dr. Killinger whom they invited to be one of the speakers at their little conclave in Memphis this summer (curiously, our Missouri CBF paper had no report even mentioning the name of that renowned “theologian”)–have appeared from differing authors, one from which I am certain they wish to distance themselves…
OPINION: No True Compassion Apart from Revelation – Dr. George Guthrie (August 13, 2008)
[He is a Bible Professor at Union University, Jackson, TN]
OPINION: Gay Christians Can’t Wait Any Longer – Peggy Campolo (August 13, 2008)
[Yes, she is the wife of Author/Speaker Dr. Tony Campolo]
Now, as I have stated, the ABP has given itself the “the opinions expressed by our guest editorial writers do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff or management (CBF) of ABP News” escape clause. This does not settle the issue. Simple accounting of articles written gives a 4:1 ratio in favor of the accomodationists’ mindset over the biblicists’ mindset. It is that accomodationist mindset which LGBT advocates are seeking to push into our churches.
I understand that we could have it out right here over the theological underpinnings of various world views…and maybe that should happen. Obviously I am aggravated by the ABP & CBF lack of forthrightness and consistency regarding the issue of homosexuality. I am also grieved that someone like Dr. Guthrie will likely be demonized for his expression of biblical compassion in this discussion. I whole-heartedly agree with his perspective on this matter…and this is not an academic exercise for me.
Within my extended family, I have had to deal with a family member who has chosen the homosexual life style. The road which I have traveled down regarding this issue has not been an easy one. It has been filled with tension, arguments, challenges, hurts, and frustration.
Let me state right now that I am completely convinced, on the basis of Scripture alone, that homosexual behavior is a sin. I see no other viable theological argument to contradict that conviction. I am well aware, having dealt with discussions with this family member of mine, of the various arguments in the pro-gay theology perspective. Like Dr. Guthrie (and Joe Dallas, see his detailed discussion here), I find the arguments to be siginifcantly lacking in hermeneutical support of the homosexual lifestyle.
Let me also state that this confrontation has also caused me to open my eyes to wrong, sinful approaches to this issue in my own life. For instance, I had found that the easiest way for me to be certain to communicate to family and friends that I was not nor ever will be gay was to be certain to be either caustic or sarcastic in my description of homosexuals (and in the right context to be certain to throw in the right pejorative slang..such as queer or fag…as needed). At this point let me illustrate what God showed me from a pastor’s perspective. Let’s suppose that a solid, Christian couple has a 24 year old daughter who has chosen the lesbian lifestyle. They are in agony over this situation but have yet to speak to anyone about it. They come to church one Sunday morning for Sunday School and are really needing to open up about their situation. During the course of the class Bible study, the teacher makes some sarcastic remark disparaging “those queers” and the majority of the class chuckles in agreement. Unfortunately, the door has just been slammed in their face. How could anyone feel comfortable about reaching out for ministry, compassion, and support in that environment?? I know that has happened…and unfortunately might happen all too often in some churches. In these actions, we as God’s people have sinned and fallen woefully short of who we should be as followers of Christ.
I have learned and have hopefully been changed in my approach to ministry in this area. My change in relationship to the issue of homosexuality did not necessitate my acquiescence to acceptance of sin in order to be seen as compassionate or relevant regarding this issue.
As Christians, and Baptists, we must always line our lives up with Scripture. What God calls righteous, we must call righteous. What God calls sin, we must call sin. Homosexual behavior is sin. It is unacceptable in the life of a Christian–just as is lying and adultery, etc. We must also keep every door to ministry open. In our ministries, individuals struggling with homosexuality ought to be welcome to attend our churches…we have the True answers they need, and if they are seeking a way out, we must help them. Conversely, someone who openly advocates and lives that lifestyle would never be a candidate for membership, and certainly not leadership, in our church. If someone were to come into our church and attempt to ’stir things up’ regarding this issue, they would be asked to leave…I believe that to be a primary responsibility I have in overseeing the ministry of our church.
When we walk in Jesus’ steps, following the will and way of our Lord, fulfilling the ministries he has given us as His children, we will walk through troubled waters. We must remain constant in our stands against sin and in the offer of grace, mercy, and redemption to all.
Broadway Baptist and The Homosexual Issue
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Recently Broadway Baptist of Ft. Worth voted to not have pictures of families in their directory because some of the “families” were homosexual couples. You can read about the debate and the vote of the congregation here.
How did this historic church that is known for its music come to debating if homosexuals would be represented in their directory? According to their web site, they have had a string of pastors who led the church to liberal views and practices.
John Rowan Claypool, 1971-1976 was the pastor that “ordained a woman to be a minister, the first by any church affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas and only the ninth in the Southern Baptist Convention.”
Later, C. Welton Gaddy, 1977-1983 “was one of three Baptist preachers who attended a meeting in Gatlinburg, Tennesee, called by Cecil Sherman out of concern about the attempted takeover by the Paul Pressler and Paige Patterson of the Southern Baptist Convention.”
The next pastor was the man who organized the aforementioned meeting, Cecil E. Sherman, 1985-1992. “He was in the forefront of the organizing of Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and became that organization’s first executive head in 1992.”
H. Stephen Shoemaker, served from 1992-1999 until he took the pastorate at Myers Park Baptist Church, Charlotte, North Carolina. You might remember the homosexual controversy of Myers Park from this article that reported, “The Executive Committee of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina ruled Nov. 12 that the church was not in compliance with membership articles. While convention messengers voted overwhelmingly to hear the Myers Park appeal the next day, they voted similarly to reject it.”
In 2001, they received Brett Younger as their current pastor. Younger made this statement about the current controversy: “If we look into the eyes of a gay Christian, we may have to rethink some of our opinions.”
I agree with Younger. Broadway Baptist does need to rethink some of their opinions, first being the idea that a person can be a “gay Christian.” Such a statement is akin to saying “dark light” or “depraved saint,” and is an unworthy utterance from any Christian’s lips.
What caused the church to come to this point? In my opinion they had a consistent stream of liberal leadership that desired to become more like the world than being salt and light of God’s Word. Broadway Baptist Church is an example of why I rejoice that God raised leaders in the SBC to bring us back to our conservative roots. I personally believe if the Claypool’s, Gaddy’s, Sherman’s, and Shoemakers had their way, we could very well be debating homosexuality within the convention. But God raised men like Paige Patterson, Jerry Vines, Adrian Rogers, Al Mohler, and others who took hits from the liberals to lead our convention back to her conservative roots. Two points I would like to make concerning Broadway Baptist. First, has the Executive Committee looked into this situation with a recommendation in Indianapolis to remove fellowship from this church if they still belong to the SBC? Second, this is a very precarious situation. No matter what the church chooses (other than removing from fellowship those practicing homosexuality) they are still redefining the family. To print a picture in a church directory of two homosexual men or women as a family redefines the family contrary to the biblical witness. Also, to refrain from printing family pictures of a husband/wife/children, husband/wife, single parent/children or single person in favor of group pictures diminishes the importance of families in the local church. Either way, unless they follow the biblical mandate to remove those practicing what God considers an abomination, they are redefining the family. I hope the executive committee is looking into this situation and preparing recommendations to the SBC when she meets in Indianapolis. I also hope that Broadway Baptist will take a stand for God, with love, and discipline those members so that they realize their sin and turn from it.
