The Ninth

Posted by Joe Thorn - 22/03/06

“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”
- Exodus 20:16

What does it mean to “bear false witness” against our neighbor? One of my favorite treatments of this commandment is by Thomas Watson. He explains that the ninth commandment generally “forbids anything which may tend to the disparagement or prejudice of our neighbor.” This law essentially prohibits all slander and lies, and it carries at least one imperative: “that we stand up for others and vindicate them when they are injured by lying lips.” (I encourage you to read Watson’s words on this here.)

Why am I whipping out the ninth commandment? Because some in the church have grown careless here. I have been careless here. There are a lot of accusations flying around these days in our Baptist periodicals, in our seminary student assemblies, and they rage in our internet publications. While I believe in theological debate, and am convinced it is necessary to call people out when they are teaching false doctrine, I am greatly troubled by the baseless accusations being made to make brothers and sisters look bad. “Those guys are hyper-Calvinists. They don’t evangelize, and they kill churches.” No evidence, just sensational language that riles people up and perpetuates prejudices. But it’s not just the Calvinists who have to walk through unjust accusations.

Recently some men have been accused of being “liberal” theologians. Vague generalizations are being made, people are not quoted, sound argument is not made, but naked assertions and accusations are released in an effort to warn others to stay away. “That guy is a liberal in evangelical clothing!” My trouble is that in some cases these accusations amount to unrighteous distortions of the truth. And I have to say, I am grieved.

I know, it sounds dramatic. I am normally just annoyed, but lately I am grieved that some men, zealous for truth yet ignorant of the facts, are making unjust accusations against others. I would like to give these critics the benefit of doubt, saying that they just didn’t have the time to read interviews, or that maybe they just misread the same book I read. But these are educated men, leaders in Christ’s churches, denominational talking heads to whom many turn to get their information and opinions. There is no excuse for unjust accusations nor the careless, arrogant attacks made on brothers in Christ.

Am I the only one who’s going to say it? This is sin. Having a platform or a big mouth necessitates responsibility, clarity and charity. What I have seen lately is at best zeal without knowledge, or worse it is lying. Either way, it breaks the ninth and hurts the church.

Look, if you think someone’s theology is dangerous, then deal with it. Use the man’s words, and show where his words speak heresy or false doctrine. I believe this is one of the tasks of our pastor-theologians and professors. But it must be done with care and precision, not passion and presumption. This forces everyone to be honest and fair.

Misrepresenting the ideas of another is both a misrepresentation of the truth, and it is unbecoming of the church. Such habits are satanic, and the danger is double because it encourages others to repeat the lie and spread the sin. As Watson put it, “A false witness perverts the place of judicature; he corrupts the judge by making him pronounce a wrong sentence, and causes the innocent to suffer.”

The carelessness of it all amazes me. Watson explains that men who would never steal another’s goods don’t think twice about robbing a man of his reputation.

Look, I am not an overly sensitive guy, but I am compelled by the ninth commandment to speak up for others, even those I sometimes disagree with, when false accusations are leveled against them, and to encourage greater care when we engage those we disagree with. Watson said it better than I can.

The mandatory part of the commandment implied is that we stand up for others and vindicate them when they are injured by lying lips. This is the sense of the commandment, not only that we should not slander falsely or accuse others; but that we should witness for them, and stand up in their defense, when we know them to be traduced. A man may wrong another as well by silence as by slander, when he knows him to be wrongfully accused, yet does not speak in his behalf. If others cast false aspersions on any, we should wipe them off. When the apostles were filled with the wine of the Spirit, and were charged with drunkenness, Peter openly maintained their innocence. ‘These are not drunken, as ye suppose.’ Acts 2: 15. Jonathan knowing David to be a worthy man, and all those things Saul said of him to be slanders, vindicated him. ‘David has not sinned against thee; his works have been to thee-ward very good. Wherefore then wilt thou sin against innocent blood, to slay David without a cause?’ 1 Sam 19: 4, 5. When the primitive Christians were falsely accused for incest, and killing their children, Tertullian wrote a famous apology in their vindication. This is to act the part both of a friend and of a Christian, to be an advocate for another, when he is wronged in his good name.

30 Comments

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  1. Amazing how Scripture always does this to us. Great response to all the noisy reviewers who rarely engage anything specific.

    Comment by Steve McCoy — March 22, 2006 #

  2. Blue Like the 9th Commandment

    Joe Thorn has pulled out his 9th Commandment trump card on some of the chatter about so-called liberals. Sounds like this has a few Blue Like Jazz reviewers names all over it. Here’s a teaser, but don’t miss the whole

    Trackback by Reformissionary — March 22, 2006 #

  3. Hammer to the nail. Fine work.

    Comment by iMonk — March 22, 2006 #

  4. Amen! People who bear false witness should stop doing that. May we always strive to represent our opponents’ views fairly. And may we always try to engage them with charity.

    “The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Tim 2:24-25).

    Comment by Denny Burk — March 22, 2006 #

  5. Very good and timely post, Joe. I’m linking to it here.

    Comment by Paul — March 22, 2006 #

  6. “…zealous for truth yet ignornant of the facts.” Good words Joe, for all!! Are we getting together tomorrow? Let me know.
    Later!

    Comment by Pat A. — March 22, 2006 #

  7. Meaningful, insightful, timely, and penetrating — Joe. Thanks for this. We all need it.

    Comment by Scot McKnight — March 22, 2006 #

  8. On time Joe! Thanks for another straightforward post. You are right, and this seems especially true of Don Miller. I’ve never met the guy, and there are some parts of his book that give me pause, but anyone who would call that guy a theological liberal is either ignorant or dishonest.

    Comment by Joel — March 22, 2006 #

  9. Sometimes I wonder if I am overly sensitive. Maybe I am. But I am grieved too. At a lot of what’s going on- from attacks on Mosaic (and the McManus brothers) to Don Miller to Calvinists (and not-Calvinists) to Wade Burleson. Do we really believe we can get away with saying whatever we want without taking any responsiblity?

    So a couple weeks ago I kind of went on a rant. Here, here, and here.

    Comment by Joe Kennedy — March 22, 2006 #

  10. Thanks guys. And Pat - we are on for tomorrow!

    Comment by Joe Thorn — March 22, 2006 #

  11. Joe, this is a fantastic post. Maybe you should post this about once a week since we all seem to leave honesty at the door when we are describing the positions of people with whom we disagree.

    Comment by Scott Slayton — March 22, 2006 #

  12. Joe,

    Convicting words, but thanks for the reminder. I’m referring to it here.

    Comment by John Divito — March 23, 2006 #

  13. Joe, you liberal! I bet you think its okay to drink beer too.

    Comment by marc — March 23, 2006 #

  14. Marc,

    Only good beer - ales generally. We need many more people like you Marc. Theolgically solid, funny with a great attitude. Thanks for the laugh - again.

    Comment by Joe Thorn — March 23, 2006 #

  15. Very good. Thank you.

    Steve McKoy brought up “Blue like Jazz.” Folks in my circles (So Cal & Ev Free) tend to complain about what Don Miller and others dont say more than about what they do say.

    I appreciate the way that Miller, for example, just writes and explores important topics of faith and practice.

    Are the complaints that I am hearing justified (I would not put them in the camp Joe is writing about)? Does the discussion have to come to a conclusion at some point?

    Thanks for letting me enter in.

    Comment by Robert Campbell — March 23, 2006 #

  16. Joe,

    I would love to see you do what you condone. Give us names and quotes of those whom you are rebuking behind the veil of your blog. Thanks!

    In Christ,

    Brad Walker

    Comment by Brad Walker — March 24, 2006 #

  17. Hey Brad - Not sure if you’re joking or not. Presuming you’re not, let’s be fair about this. Has Joe rebuked an individual? No. His post is in response to an apparent trend of baseless (or seemingly baseless - that’s the point, are these criticisms warranted?) criticism against specific targets. Want to know who they are? Dig deeper into this blog, and you’ll find examples.

    You’ll find Joe’s good about presenting evidence when he’s offering a criticism of something a specific individual does or says. And he welcomes corrections if he gets his facts wrong.

    Peace.

    Comment by Chris W — March 24, 2006 #

  18. Brad,

    Are you trying to call me out? This post was a general appeal for all of us to be more honest in our theological dialogue. The examples that I gave are things I have addressed in the past - names and all. Concerning charges of hyper-calvinism see here, and concerning Coppenger’s review of Don Miller, see here.

    Thanks for having my back Chris. I appreciate it.

    Comment by Joe Thorn — March 24, 2006 #

  19. Pastor Thorn,

    I go to a missional church with squeaky pews. We sing “Victory in Jesus” and “Just as I am” quite regularly. On the stage, we have an American flag on the left and a Christian flag on the right. The canvas backdrop of this painting of my Southern Baptist church is two large purple banners, one declaring Christ as “King of Kings” and the other as the “Lamb of God”, and an old fashioned baptistery. We have an organ, a piano, and some fake flowers on the communion table in front of the robust, sturdy wooden pulpit. Our church has a choir and a greeting time, where we walk around and shake people’s hands. We have a children’s teaching moment, an invitation, and some deacons who frequently close their offertory prayers with Christian clichés. The pastor preaches the word authoritatively, loudly at times, confrontationally, and boldly.

    The demographics of our church are diverse. We have an equal representation in all of the age categories, and a surprisingly large number of senior adults, who tithe their social security checks without fail. We are also a very socioeconomically and educationally diverse congregation and are praying to become more ethnically varied as well. The old people can be a nuisance sometimes, but really they are not so bad. They really hate it when our young people do trivial things like wear hats in the building, or shorts to a service. They don’t like it if our preacher preaches too long or if the drums (a new addition to our worship) are played too loudly. I‘ve really enjoyed getting to know some of the senior adults, really. Some of them smell like moth balls and need to lose the purple hair die, but I have been surprised by the depth of their wisdom and their passion for God. I got to know many of them through our Wednesday night prayer meeting. We meet in the small chapel because for some reason, not as many people come out to this service. It’s mostly just the old people and a few of the younger, faithful members. I think these prayer meetings used to be something really important back in our grandparents’ generation. However, they tell me that these times of prayer don’t attract younger people these days. That does seem to be the case, and I can understand that. It does appear to be a waste of time to me every now and then. The older people always seem to want prayer for their brother’s nephew’s cousin’s dog that broke its leg. Their prayer requests are almost always about health concerns. When I first started going, I found myself getting angry because we didn’t spend more prayer time in adoration or praying for “spiritual things.” I love going now and have found my heart broken over burdens for my fellow church members. I have really learned much about prayer, perseverance, and perspective from the senior adults. They have been through a lot.

    I must confess that I have gained some heroes while attending these prayer meetings. I really respect Mr. Ernie and Mrs. Mary, who have already celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. They volunteer and lead up many evangelistic outreaches in our community. They are not very relevant, and Mr. Ernie uses a KJV Bible, but they have such a heart for Christ and the great commission. I have been surprised at how the young black families that we minister to through a basketball league take to them. Mrs. Mary is one of the sweetest ladies that I have ever met. She must write a hundred notes a week. Just last week, I got a note from her saying how sorry she was that I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. She wrote that she was praying for me and quoted a scripture to encourage us. Mrs. Mary also did this when my grandfather passed away and when we had a miscarriage. I always enjoy seeing them on Wednesday night and am looking forward to them speaking to our college department about marriage.
    I also cherish what I have learned from Brother Bill. He reminds me so much of my “Papa” that it is scary. He is a charismatic (not doctrinally) man, very funny, very set in his ways, and confrontational. He has a huge heart and a loud bark. He talks slow and often tells irrelevant stories. He always has something controversial to say at our business meetings. Brother Bill and I bonded when he had a wreck outside the church and I stayed with him until the cops arrived. He is 80 years old and has terrible rheumatoid arthritis. Sometimes when I try to help him put his coat on at church, he will cry out with groans because of the excruciating pain. The week before last (last week we watched the children’s bible drill), our pastor told us of a missionary couple that needed a car and wanted the church to pray for them. Brother Bill raised his hand and said, “I know that I’m supposed to do this in secret, but I can’t keep quiet. I want to buy the car for those kids.” On a fixed income, this was quite a sacrifice. I put my head down to hide the tears on my face. I love Brother Bill.

    Our evangelism director’s name is Brother George. He is 68, not reformed (as I am), and shares the gospel more than anyone I know. What a joy it is to pray with him about the lost in our community. I really miss one of my heroes, Mr. Roby, from our Wednesday night services. He died just before Christmas. We used to sit by him every Wednesday night. He was very poor, very uneducated, and had cat hair all over him. He couldn’t talk very clearly, but my wife could always discern what he was saying (she is a speech-pathologist). Every Wednesday night he would ask us to pray for his wife, who had lost her mind. Mr. Roby’s love language must have been gift-giving because he lavished us with them. He brought us Kroger brand coffee, used men’s dress shirts that wouldn’t fit around my pinky, cheap garbage bags that always broke and spilled food juice onto my carpet, and paper towels that felt like sand paper. One night, I made the mistake of trying to give him a gift, and he ardently rejected. His joy came from being the gift giver. With a different cheesy Christian tee-shirt every Wednesday, he would lift up his hand and ask for an unspoken prayer request. I never knew what that unspoken was, but I always prayed for him. Come to think of it, I guess these Wednesday night prayer meetings have been productive.

    “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”
    - Exodus 20:16
    My greatest fear in the movement you have alligned yourself with, Pastor Thorn, is that it spits in the face of my church, and Mr. Ernie, and Mrs. Mary, and Brother Bill, and Brother George, and Mr. Roby. Where does your emergence leave them? What does your relevance say to Mr. Ernie’s attendance at the 1979 Southern Baptist Convention and the fight he fought? What would Derick Webb say about Mr. Roby’s cheesy Christian tee-shirt? I have read your blog and Steve McKoy’s, and Mark Driscoll’s, and Blue Like Jazz. I agree with your post about charity, but your best friend is the one that tells you the most truth. I believe that you have once again made yourself a martyr. Maybe what hurts your feelings so badly is that you are being called into question by solid, godly scholars whom you line up with (for the most part) theologically. Let’s face it, Pastor Welch’s comments weigh far less on your shoulders than do Dr. Coppenger’s. Perhaps some of the rebukes sting because you know some of the men challenging the emerging church movement. Some of them were your classmates, and some your professors. What you did not learn from some of these men is respect. Neither you nor I are fit to tie the shoes of Dr. Mark Coppenger, and he sure has earned the right to be called sir and Dr. You see, Pastor Thorn, Dr. Coppenger has fought a battle (moderates and conservatives), and you and I are the recipients of the spoils. What comes with experience and age is wisdom, and many of these men are fearfull that you and I will squander what they fought for so dillegnently. As other conservative, reformed critics have said, the emergent/missional movement has raised some good questions and identified legitimate problems; however, your answers and solutions are lacking. Critics are pointing out dangers that you would do well to heed. Many of these men have seen the American churches ravaged with liberalism like gangrene. Maybe they see something that you do not. You are a brother in Christ, and we have much in common. However, I believe that there are some errors in what you are espousing. I have been redeemed by the mercy of God and trust daily in the grace of Christ for all my imperfections. Pastor Thorn, I have much in my own thinking that needs reproof, and I pray that my brothers and sisters would rebuke me as needed.

    As R.C. Sproul wrote in his editorial of this month’s Table Talk, this generation needs fundamentalists in the form of John G. Machen and Carl F. Henry, men with compassion and backbone. The emerging church movement is inherently a critique against modern evangelicalism that displays a blatant lack of respect for hierarchy, seniority, tradition, and ecclesiology. What it lacks in respect, it also lacks in backbone. Some of you sneer down your noses at churches like mine and plant churches around young, relevant people that think like you and who want to bash “fundamentalists.” I fear that you and your friends bear false witness against Dr. Coppenger and my heroes in our Wednesday night prayer service. Do I agree with everything our church does? Absolutely not. Would I like to change some things? Absolutely. However, I am trusting that the ministry that will go forth is the ministry of reconciliation (1 Cor 5), where people with nothing in common have everything in common in Christ. We are to give a picture with our churches of the coming of the Kingdom. That’s cool, relevant, real, and attractive and against this, the gates of hell will not prevail. Movements will come and go, but Christ and His bride, the Church, will remain. Modeling this cosmic love story in our churches is keeping the greatest commandment (Matt 22:37) and defending them (the churches) is obeying it as well.

    In Christ,

    Brad Walker

    Comment by Brad Walker — March 24, 2006 #

  20. Brad,

    At our small and struggling church we are very diverse. From seniors to young twenty-somethings. From large families to singles. We are economically diverse, and come from different social backgrounds. Our worship music is mostly hymns, but we also sing some current stuff and we writ a bit of our own stuff as well. I preach about 45 minutes - right now through the book of Romans. For more on our church check our website. I share this with you to help you see who you are really talking to.

    The church you described sounds like the people of God to me. I would never, nor would anyone I respect, “spit in their face.”

    You never quote me, you have not demonstrated error or sin in my words, yet you have spilled a very emotionally charged response to a post that you claim you agree with. You said a lot, made a number of accusations - most of which I think are unfair. I hope you will consider my words.

    You said, “the movement you have alligned yourself with…”
    I have not allgined myself with any movement. I have been called liberal, emerging, hyper-calvinist and a fundemantalist. None of these labels are accurate. I gladly and openly use words/labels like: Orthodox, Evangelical, Baptist, Reformed, Confessional and Missional.

    “I believe that you have once again made yourself a martyr.”

    “Once again” would imply I have done this before. I do not believe I have, nor do I believe I am one now. In fact, while many of my Reformed friends have been slammed, blacklisted, etc. I have found little to no personal resistance. I have had a pretty easy time in the midst of my beliefs and practices. I don’t personally feel any heat.

    “Maybe what hurts your feelings so badly is that you are being called into question by solid, godly scholars whom you line up with (for the most part) theologically.”
    I have not been called into question, and would welcome someone’s critique of my theology and practice. Just please, be specific.

    “What you did not learn from some of these men is respect.”
    I do respect men like Coppenger, even if I do not respect the way they handle some issues.

    “Neither you nor I are fit to tie the shoes of Dr. Mark Coppenger.”
    I will not make any man into an idol. I am willing to bet Mark would disagree with your sentiment here as well.

    “and many of these men are fearfull that you and I will squander what they fought for so dillegnently.”
    Perhaps, but all they need to do is check my confession, and watch my direction. Read my words and listen to what I say. They need not fear that I will abandon the absolute authority of Scripture.

    “your answers and solutions are lacking.”
    Please give me an example.

    “I believe that there are some errors in what you are espousing.”
    What am I espousing? Again - more naked assertions. This is not helpful.

    “this generation needs fundamentalists in the form of John G. Machen and Carl F. Henry, men with compassion and backbone.”
    I agree.

    “The emerging church movement is inherently a critique against modern evangelicalism that displays a blatant lack of respect for hierarchy, seniority, tradition, and ecclesiology.”

    1. Why do you think I am a part of the emerging church?

    2. The EC is very diverse, but most of those I have read and talked with value tradition, ecclesiology. I have met leaders in the EC that are right on, and others who are way out.

    Look Brad, I believe the emergent church needs serious theological critique. I think legitimate critique can be offered of Don Miller’s book. I just want people to be honorable in it all.

    For the record, what bothers me in some of these critiques is not that guys I know are critiquing something I agree with, but that they have done a sloppy job, often with a bad attitude, of critiquing ideas I do and do not agree with. Such superficial criticism makes the whole lot of reformed guys look bad. I take issue with that.

    I am grateful for all them men who have fought for the truth within our Convention, and I stand with them. But there are new battles to be fought. I do not want to forget our previous battles, but one battle does not give ultimate victory. We must continue the work of semper reformanda.

    Feel free to stay in the conversation here, but no more naked assertions.

    Comment by Joe Thorn — March 24, 2006 #

  21. Joe, Brad’s comment is so riddled with false statements and judgments (as you clearly show in your comment) that it barely deserves a response. I will say this much to you, Brad’s comment shows exactly why you needed to write this post. Thanks.

    Brad,

    The fact that you can’t spell “McCoy” shows your utter ignorance of all things “emerging.” LOL That was a joke bro. (Oh, and “bro” is what we cool people say when we mean “brother.”)

    It sounds like the heart of your point is respect. Because of some old “war” I suppose we are forced to just take erroneous, uncharitable, and unbiblical judgments of people like Miller? Must we only speak about Coppengers former wars and glory days? Or can we actually just speak directly about the topic he chose to address?

    I’ll be honest. There’s one guy who has shoes I am unworthy to untie, and they aren’t the Right Reverend Coppenger. I agree about respecting our elders, but I don’t see anything disrespectful about Brethren Thorn’s post.

    The saddest thing is, you wrote a comment much longer than Joe’s post, and I’m not sure you engaged a single point he made.

    Comment by Steve McCoy — March 24, 2006 #

  22. [...] Joe Thorn gets my top billing this week: excellent post on how to talk about one another. The Ninth Commandment. (HT: Steve McCoy) [...]

    Pingback by Jesus Creed » Blogs of the Week — March 25, 2006 #

  23. Joe,
    I’m came over when I saw Scot McKnight’s reference to your post. I, too, thank you for your admonishment and confession. I needed to read it and take it to heart.

    Don Miller was in Grand Rapids, MI recently and while he can find humor in his opponents’ slander of his character, you can tell it hurts him, too. If Don is liberal, then the Pope is protestant.

    Comment by John Frye — March 25, 2006 #

  24. Joe,

    Great post. I am a student in a Seminary right now. I have a teacher who loves telling stories about how awful the liberal theologians in our church are. He tells about how they destroy people’s faith in the Bible and God, etc. Since I tend to be more on the “liberal” side (whatever that means), it eats away at me because it makes me feel belittled and like I am less of a Christian. I know it’s not true but when you hear it everyday, it tends to wear on you.

    At the same time, I always have to remind myself that I can’t play the same game. I can be just as dogmatic and insensitive in talking about extremely conservative positions.

    The real issue is control. We all want to control others and have people agree with us and follow our way of thinking. I have to remind myself that if everyone thought and acted like me, this world probably would not be very enjoyable. Embracing diversity and realizing that we don’t have to control everybody is really the key.

    I had never thought about these concepts in light of the Ninth Commandment. Great insight that I will keep with me for life.

    Comment by Trevan Osborn — March 25, 2006 #

  25. Labels are generally good if they fit. Common beliefs and history help us to know what labels really mean. So, I am fine with people using them when they use them well, and engage the ideas of the people they are speaking of. If someone believes the Scripture is not “perfect,” nor the only means by which we establish our theology I would want to challenge the idea. If a prof or author is leading people to believe things that are not true I think we have to speak up. So, debate and disagreement is good as it can clarify what is true. I just want it to be done honorably.

    Comment by Joe Thorn — March 25, 2006 #

  26. Brad, you question the respect of the emergents, but also spout this stuff, speaking of the very elders of the church you think Joe is disrespecting:

    “The old people can be a nuisance sometimes, but really they are not so bad.”
    “Some of them smell like moth balls and need to lose the purple hair die…”
    “It does appear to be a waste of time to me every now and then. The older people always seem to want prayer for their brother’s nephew’s cousin’s dog that broke its leg.”

    Despite these weird little comments you made, I see you love your church and its elder members dearly. That’s wonderful, but what did you see in Joe’s post about making sure our criticism of others never becomes inaccurate or slanderous that made you post such a long response that offered nothing to the topic at hand?

    Comment by Chris W — March 25, 2006 #

  27. [...] read more from Joe Thorn..   [...]

    Pingback by NextReformation » the Ninth commandment.. — March 26, 2006 #

  28. Thank you for your plea to take a higher road in the midst of theological conversations, blogging, etc. Something I’ve been pondering came to mind again as I read this and I wonder what you or others have to say…

    As believers we are not only told not to bear false witness, but also not to gossip or be slanderous, etc. I work with college students for a living and have been asked, “What’s the difference between ‘venting’ and ‘gossiping’?” I have seen students, my peers and myself (if I’m honest), take part in venting about their feelings toward another person or situation (typically with a trusted friend or two as the recipient of the conversation). Sometimes this is done “objectively”, that is, with the goal of relaying back the situation at hand, but I don’t think it always happens this way.

    In sum, (how) can we effectively vent or relay a particular situation to our friends or spouse or co-workers without gossiping or being slanderous? Any thoughts on all of this?

    Comment by Christine — March 26, 2006 #

  29. False charges - spreading false accusations, what a surprise. How do you think fundamentalists took over the SBC. Anyone who is surprised by the current leadership of the SBC telling untruths about fellow baptists is either too young to remember the 80s or just hasn’t been paying attention. Why do you think the baptist conventions in Virginia, Texas and, until recently, North Carolina have distanced themselves from the SBC? The increasing visibility of these leaders in Republican politics only reinforces the true motivation of their actions against fellow baptists. When Richard Land meets publicly with Republican politicians and tells them that Southern Baptists support the recent House legislation making illegal entry into this country a felony offense, he is violating one of the oldest tenants of SBC polity - no SBC leader speaks for Southern Baptists. They can state their own position and they can speak to us, but they don’t speak for us. The fact is they glory in their national exposure and are determined to push the convention deeper and deeper into Republican politics and take all the individual credit they can. Former Senator John Danforth from Missouri was right when he recently wrote a column criticizing the increasing partnership between the Republican party and the religious right. He argued that it is dangerous for the party and dangerous for religion. Individuals should be involved in politics - it is their civic duty. But using the convention to support controversial positions of one national party can be devastating if that party ultimately proves to be wrong. It is no accident that more and more new baptist churches are choosing to leave Baptist out of their name. Witness the new church in Georgia started by a recent President of the SBC. Billy Graham was right when he refused to take public stands on controversial political issues. He chose to preach Christ and His transforming power realizing that a transformed citizen is a good citizen regardless of his political affiliation. We should all be as wise as Billy.

    Comment by Jim W — March 29, 2006 #

  30. The Ninth Redivivus

    Trackback by caught in the middle — May 11, 2006 #

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