Letters

Published March 4, 2004

Letters to the Editor may not reflect the views or opinions of the Witness. Letters may be mailed, faxed or submitted using our online form. Only letters marked clearly for publication, signed with address will be considered for use. Letters are subject to editing. Please limit letters to 250 words.

BAPTIST WORLD ALLIANCE

Laymen shares concern

"And John answered him saying, Master we saw one casting out devils in thy name and he followeth not us; and we forbad him, because he followeth not us." Mark 9:38

I am now past 80 and have been a Bible-believing Baptist since boyhood. I applaud our leaders for firmly opposing such things as abortion, homosexuality, a government free of any mention of God, and many other issues we hold to be wrong.

That said, let me say as firmly as I may that we are being self-defeating and pharasaical in our efforts to abandon our long partnership with the Baptist World Alliance. First, we reduce funding for the BWA openly because it accepted the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship as a member. Then we propose withdrawal from BWA with the intent of forming our own alliances. This gives the world the perception we will have control even at the cost of hindering world evangelism. We are also telling the world we lack unity in our common goal to win the world for Christ because of our infighting.

Let us follow the lead of our own WMU in continuing our full support of the BWA and our primary commitment to the Great Commission. Let's listen to the answer of Jesus! "And Jesus said, Forbid him not, for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak ill of me. For he that is not against us is on our part."

Howard Williams
Cosby, Tenn.

ORDINATION

Leaders don’t know Bible

A news article in the Feb. 5 issue of the Witness reported "State Board disfellowshipped church," and the article reports the reason: "The action was in response to the church's calling of a husband and wife as co-pastors. Association leaders said in public media accounts that the calling of a woman pastor is contradictory to the teachings within Scripture."

The time has come to request a study of Scripture on this matter.

The Southern Baptist Convention, its leaders and its members no longer have a knowledge of Scripture. People do not memorize Scripture as they once did. They do not study it as they once did. I am old enough and have been a member of Southern Baptist churches long enough to know how far from this foundation the convention is drifting. In fact, the convention may be building a house on sinking sand rather than the church's one foundation, Jesus Christ, whose ministry was supported by women. Furthermore, Acts begins with the assertion that men and women will be "ordained" by the Holy Spirit.

The whole issue of women pastors is a matter of "straining at gnats and swallowing camels," for the convention has been removing itself from scriptural truths in many areas of worship and fellowship, and a season of revival and repentance is needed.

Diana Matthews
Gainesville

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