early this morning christianity today news briefs reported that:
"The trustees of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary voted 36-1 on October 17 to prohibit professors or administrators from promoting charismatic practices, such as private prayer languages. In August, a new seminary trustee, Dwight McKissic, told students during a chapel service that he prays in tongues. McKissic, a pastor in Arlington, Texas, has criticized the Southern Baptist Convention's International Mission Board for barring missionaries from using private prayer languages."
in related news, in a blatant attempt to bind the feet of female chinese ministers who are walking away from the baptist faith and mission statement, the international mission board's committee on house church ministry has redefined all female led congregations as multi-dimensional children's ministries.
finally, last week at the national missionary convention hosted by the independent christian churches, churches of christ, the delegates took the unprecedented step of affirming and publishing a non-binding, yet unquestionably biblical, theological statement that will guide all future missionary endeavors. the agreed upon statement reads as follows: "we the autonomous, male missionaries of the indepedent christian churches, churches of christ do hereby agree that while one must not necessarily be immersed to be saved, one is surely going to hell if one is not." in a brief follow-up statement, convention chair michael nichols suggested that the statement was an attempt to both refute the charges of paedo-baptism that have been regularly raised against the un-denomination through the years and divide the group from any other christian denomination that views the practice differently.
What a Beautiful Place to Call Home
1 day ago
4 comments:
gentry- this is the kind of BS that really pisses me off. here you have these folks who are on their own in the fucking hardest circumstances trying to incarnate the example of christ, and their parent organization the imb is actively frustrating their efforts and belittling the sacrifices these heroic believers are making. i have personally visited with imb personnel in multiple countries who lamented to me how hard and complicated the imb makes the simplest things. the missionaries who live in the *tough* places struggle with so many difficulties - culture shock, lack of local support/family, you name it. i just CANT understand how organizations like that waste so much freaking time bickering over things like a private prayer language when they could be supporting them. i'm not saying the imb doesn't support them because they do in a million ways ($, healthcare, etc.), but still. come on. give me (and most importantly THEM) a freaking break. i'm sorry but this fires me up.
hey ben, i get frustrated with the faith and mission statement too. i think it is foolish to impose patriarchal views of ministry on "autonomous" ministries throughout the world. and, if it's true that the imb truly turns a blind eye to women leadership in places like china, where they don't have the levers to control church polity, but hammer on anglo churches about such matters i find that troubling.
that being said, the imb mission board had nothing to do with the private prayer language piece. that 36-1 vote was handed down by the trustees of southwestern seminary. i wonder who levied the opposing vote? hmmm...
in other news, i am a complete asshole for posting stuff like this. but sometimes, like this time, my 666 post,* i just can't help myself.
* yes, that is the actual number of this post. and yes, the devil did make me do it.
eldsdqb"while one must not necessarily be immersed to be saved, one is surely going to hell if one is not." Is there logic to this proposition? Is there any sort of real thought? what nonsense! Why!?
um, i made that part up. couldn't have all my fun at the sbc's expense, could i?
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