This link to a letter from the SBC’s International Mission Board, informing those who had refused to sign of their impending termination. This is old news (2002), but continues to be the operating procedure and attitude of those in power at the Southern Baptist Convention. These are not “servant” leaders, but dictators of the religious sort; the Pharisees from whom Jesus got so much flack and supicion about his “qualifications” to be saying he was “from God”. Jesus is still being questioned and opposed today byu the descendants of these legalists. Add to that the spiritual scourge of nationalistic militarism run amuck, and you have a deadly force of religious fundamentalism even more deadly than the Muslim fundamentalistic theocratic zealots. But here in this country, the percentage of our population complicit in this heresy outnumbers tyhe support for Islamic fundamentalistic violence in the Muslim world. “With great power comes great responsibility”
(that’s from “Spiderman”, but nonetheless profoundly true).
Related to that, with great influence and power, comes the danger that the consequences are far more wide-reacfhing, and far more igniting of far greater consequences. The power and wealth and reach of the United State’s actions make this “complicity of the Churches” (and the Southern Baptists lead the way as the largest Protestant body in the United States)all the more dangerous, damaging, and destructive of Christian mission and witness across the world. Shame on you , Southern Baptist Convention! Repent and hear the gospel. And I’m serious about that. You need to receive Christ, and not the cultural counterfeit you have constructed in his stead.
Dear ___,
You are among a small handful of missionary personnel who are continuing to struggle with my request earlier this year to affirm the current Baptist Faith and Message. Or perhaps you are among those who have already decided not to respond to this request to assure the Southern Baptist Convention of our continuing doctrinal accountability. …..
(read on at the above link)
Today, as I expressed above, that authoritarian doctrinal arrogance has become aligned with the very real evils engulfing our nation at this time. NOt only are American Southern Baptists now being held accountable to the theological whims of narrow minded fundamentalists, but also expected to the tow the line in nationalistic idolatry, and to blend that with their “faith” which is quickly losing its “Christ” and becming an arm of the principalities; of EMPIRE. The empire is doing its job on the American Church, and they have succumbed to an a alarming extent.
This makes it very lonely. Oh yes, there are the fellow Progressive Christian bloggers, Sojourners, and friends , now dispersed across the country; but I need a local fellowship. To found/start such as thing myself makes me tired just thinking about it. Perhaps such fatigue can be overcome. Perhaps if I saw some glimpse that someting new could arise; or some possibilities could be “started”. More later….