Letters to the Editor
Published May 12, 2005
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.
PAPAL AUTHORITY
Baptists not Protestant
| I must take issue with the statement made
by Associate Professor Mark Devine of Midwestern Baptist
Theological Seminary in the article “Evangelicals
stand firm in rejection of papal authority,” who
said: “As Protestants and evangelicals, we deny any
special authority to the pope or any other religious
leader.” By definition, a “Protestant”
is a member of a “Protestant” church.
Protestant churches were once part of the
“Catholic” church, but during the Reformation,
could no longer tolerate the non-biblical teachings being
espoused by the Catholic hierarchy. Under the direction
of Reformation-era leaders Luther, Calvin, Tyndale, Knox,
Zwingli, et. al., groups left the Catholic church,
forming what we now know as “Protestant”
churches, e.g. Lutherans, Episcopalians, Presbyterians,
Methodists, etc.
While it is common for the world to view Christians as
either Catholic or Protestant, a study of the history of
the theology and doctrines held by Baptists makes it
apparent that Baptists were never part of the Catholic
church. In being altogether separate, we did not protest
Catholic doctrine and leave, becoming Protestants.
A good overview of Baptist history can be found in a
booklet The Trail of Blood… Following Christians
Down Through the Centuries…or The History of Baptist
Churches From the Time of Christ, Their Founder, to the
Present Day, by J.M. Carroll and available at
www.baptistpillar.com.
|
Michael D. Clay
Jacksonville |
FLORIDA BAPTIST HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Rennolds info needed
| Edwin Hansford Rennolds, Sr. (1839-1912)
was one of our early Baptist leaders in the state of
Florida. He served as pastor of Bethany Baptist Church in
Nassau County, acting editor of the Florida Baptist
Witness, four-time chaplain of the Florida Senate and
early leader of the Florida Baptist Historical Society.
It is our desire to contact any descendants of Rennolds
for the purpose of sharing information with his family
and honoring Rennolds as one of our pioneer leaders. Any
information or pictures relating to the life of E.H.
Rennolds would be greatly appreciated. Contact Jerry
Windsor by phone at 800-328-2660 ext. 428, or by e-mail
at jmw@wfeca.net. |
Jerry M. Windsor
Florida Baptist Historical Society |
SCHIAVO
Reader response
| I am responding to the letter from Mrs.
Helen Gibson to the editor, titled “Christians
Disagree.” Mrs. Gibson seems to put far more weight
on prayer in making a decision than on seeking biblical
counsel. In fact, she never mentions the Bible. The
Bible, full of instructions on life issues and how we are
to view life, is the Word of God. If I want to be a
follower of Jesus Christ and I am faced with how to
respond to a particular moral issue, I MUST see first
what God has to say about it. God gave us the Bible to
consult and use daily to form a biblical worldview, which
is a worldview completely set apart from the secular
world. I would challenge anyone who is a Christian and
supported the death by dehydration of Terri Schiavo to
give specific verses that support God’s approval. I
also challenge Judge George Greer to give his biblical
reasoning behind his ruling. I suspect that if Judge
Greer is actually a Christian, he hung his Christianity
up on a hook and left it behind the door when he entered
the courthouse.
God’s answer to prayer and biblical truths will
never contradict each other.
|
Mollie Powell
Plant City |
BAPTISM
Baptism not a choice
| I believe one of the reasons baptisms are down is because SBC churches teach that it is not necessary. Every time I question this teaching I get another question, “What about the thief on the cross?” (Study your commentaries to find out who the “thief” was and why he was being crucified.) More importantly, the Messianic Dispensation (Great Commission) was not given until after Jesus was crucified, rose from the tomb, met with the eleven disciples and gave his instructions (Matt. 28:16-20; Mark 16:15-16). These are Jesus’ own words. He doesn’t say baptism is an option, or a personal choice. There are many verses of Scripture that speak
to baptism. Some are Mark 1:4; Acts 2:37-39; Acts 22:16;
Matt. 3:13-17; Rom. 6:1-4; Eph. 4:4-5; Gal. 3:26-27; 1
Peter 3:21.
I have heard SBC pastors and Bible study teachers say
they do not “teach” baptism because they are
afraid some will come into the church, just to be
baptized, and think that is all they need to do to be
“saved.” While I know that baptism alone does
not save anyone, I do believe (based on Bible Scripture)
it is one of the necessary steps to salvation.
|
Olon Miller
Frostproof |
SBC NASHVILLE
Sunday Services
| First Baptist Church of Mount Juliet,
Tenn. invites Convention goers to Convention Sunday, June
19, which will feature three speakers with inspiring
messages. At 8:30 a.m. Dr. Ken Hemphill speaks, followed
by Dr. Richard Ross at 9:45 a.m. and then Dr. Jimmy
Draper of LifeWay Christian Resources at 11 a.m. A
catered meal will follow services for at the rate of $5
per person and $20 per family maximum. FBC, Mount Juliet,
is located a half-mile north of Interstate 40 on North
Mount Juliet Road about 20 minutes from downtown
Nashville. To register for the meal call the church
office at 615-754-2525, or e-mail the church at info@fbcmj.org. |
Paul Gunn
Mount Juliet, Tenn. |
|
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