Posted on 02/04/2006 2:44:05 AM PST by WKB
ENID, Okla.
A Southern Baptist pastor being removed from a national board governing worldwide evangelism says he doesn't speak in tongues himself but is defending missionaries who do to keep the denomination "broad in our cooperation."
The Rev. Wade Burleson, the senior pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Enid, said that the board of trustees of the Southern Baptist Convention's International Mission Board wants him to be removed because of his criticism of a policy change enacted by the IMB in November 2005. It stated that any candidate speaking in tongues, even privately, "has eliminated himself or herself from being a representative of the IMB of the SBC."
In a statement, the International Mission Board says it wants him removed not because of the tongues issue, but because of "broken trust and resistance to accountability." Burleson's removal depends on a June vote of the entire Southern Baptist Convention, but the controversy is being watched beyond Baptist circles, largely because of the dispute over tongues, an issue that has rankled many religious groups.
Tongues is described in the Bible as a spiritual language used by early Christians, enabled by the Holy Spirit. The issue of whether it is still relevant, or appropriate, for modern times has divided many denominations.
Burleson says he is not most concerned about tongues, but a willingness to remove ministers who disagree with what he and others consider "nonessential doctrines." Since the changes in the mission board's policy were made official, Burleson has been writing open letters and explanations of his position on his blog, kerussocharis.blogspot.com.
He has repeatedly referred to those who wanted the policy changes as "crusading conservatives."
"Crusading conservatives seek to convince you that their interpretation of the Bible on nonessential doctrines must be accepted by all conservatives, and if someone chooses to not conform to their specific interpretation, then he/she is removed from service," Burleson said.
Burleson says he considers himself a "cooperating conservative," which he defines as a person who is in agreement on the major doctrines of the Bible but gives freedom in areas of interpretation regarding nonessential doctrines. The SBC has long considered the Reformation's rallying cries of faith alone, grace alone, Scripture alone and Christ alone as summing up the major doctrines of Scripture.
The use of the spiritual gift known as tongues or glossolalia would fall into the nonessential category. Southern Baptists have a policy that prohibits their ministers from using tongues in a public setting.
"I do not want people to lose sight of the real issue," Burleson said. "It is not about the new policies. It is the direction we seem to be moving as a convention that shuts out dissent and desires conformity in the interpretation of minor doctrines."
Burleson said he does not practice a "private prayer language," the phrase some use for speaking in tongues, nor does anyone he would consider a close friend or family member. The issue, he said, is one of principle and "is not personal."
Leon McBeth is a retired distinguished professor of church history at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. He said that the SBC has a long-standing antipathy toward what some call the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit.
"In my day, our concern over the tongues issue was a biblical one," McBeth said. "In the Bible, tongues is always associated with conflict. And tongues isn't exclusive to Christianity. The practice goes at least as far back as the Oracle at Delphi.
"Sometime in the 1970s, as a way of ameliorating opposition to tongues, some Southern Baptists began to talk about private prayer language. They believed it was less offensive than calling it tongues."
Lyle Story, a professor of biblical languages and New Testament at Regent University School of Divinity in Virginia Beach, Va., said that the Southern Baptist resistance to tongues is tied to their belief that all the miraculous gifts (healing, prophecy, tongues, miracles) ceased with the death of the original 12 apostles and the completion of the Bible.
Burleson said he is resistant to the policy change because so many Christian men and women throughout history would have violated it.
"Some of our greatest missionaries of all time had a private prayer language, including Miss Bertha Smith of China, who led thousands of people to Christ and died an ambassador of the Southern Baptist Convention at the age of 100," he said.
Jerry Rankin, the president of the International Mission Board, has acknowledged that he has practiced a private prayer language for 30 years.
"We have become so intolerant that everyone must now march in lockstep with us or we kick them out," McBeth said. "I believe this (the policy change) was part of a power play to force Rankin into retirement."
The IMB made the policy change non-retroactive, so Rankin's position as president will not be threatened.
The trustees of the IMB deny that Burleson's criticism of the policy changes had a bearing on their decision to work to remove him. In an official statement released Jan. 11, board chairman Tom Hatley said: "In taking this action, trustees addressed issues involving broken trust and resistance to accountability, not Burleson's opposition to policies recently enacted by the board."
Burleson will remain on the board until the Southern Baptist Convention meets in Greensboro in June. The convention must vote to remove him, as the IMB has no power to do so. Burleson said he remains a strong supporter of the SBC and IMB.
"The International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention is doing the greatest work in our 161-year-old history," Burleson said. "I and my church support the IMB. We will continue to support the IMB."
No, was I commanded to somewhere? I missed that part.
Pick and Choose
I rest my case
See post #26 to which you responded with post #28.
The quote above from the article claims tongues to be a "spiritual language."
The quote from 26 was from the article, not mine.
Since you case makes no sense, you should rest it. I did not pick and choose anything. You are the one making up Biblical law.
Always Right? Sometimes Right?
Maybe you should go with "At least every once in a while right"
You make statements with no support. You can't even identify where or how I am wrong, you just proclaim it. You offer no debate, just claim you won it. Interesting tactic.
The modern Charismatic mode of "speaking in tongues" is troubling since it doesn't fit the biblical pattern set out by St. Paul. If a Baptist assembly were to somehow manage to accurately reproduce the biblical scenario (one speaks, another interprets, and this in the presence of non-Christians that understand the same language as the tongue), I think that sooner or later the SBC would make room for it.
You make statements with no support.
If you call quoting Jesus
"making statements with no support."
I think you are the one who needs to "give it a rest"
That is where you were wrong. Jesus did not say to pick up snakes and dring poison. Jesus said these signs would follow. In fact, Jesus said not to test God. Quite different.
The blog site is .. http://kerussocharis.blogspot.com/
I've swapped a few emails with Mr. Burleson. I think this comes down to some people wanting the SBC to "change". And, he's pushing against a group that if anything is wanting to reclaim the "old days". While many Southern Baptist churches have moved toward charasmatic services, many in the denomination would rather it didn't. We're seeing a discussion between these factions. And it's playing itself out on the International Mission Board.
Personally..... it seems to me that if a missionary wanted to speak in tongues it would be just as easy to accept funding from the Assembly Of God denomination.... and be right in their mainstream.
The other part of this issue is that traditionally Baptist Churches required baptism to be performed by a Baptist. Recently churches have accepted baptistm by non-baptist churches as long as it was by emersion. Mr. Burleson is pushing the imb to drop its requirements for Baptist Baptism among missionaries.
You offered that after my post, and then you misquoted Him.
then you misquoted Him
Where?
They couldn't go AOG without switching their views vis a vis Calvinism. Guess it's tough to be a frozen chosen and speak in tongues too....
You know.... I've been baptist all of my life. 46 years. I've never met a baptist that spoke in tongues. Or at least I've never met one that admitted to it.
gurk blop gig twanging icsleberry, HALLELUJUA!!! ;^)
I am now the Assistant Pastor at Boston's United Pentecostal Church
I have been attending this Church for half of my life of 48 years.
Speaking in tongues is also about receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost.
Romans 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
I don't see the distinction between verse 17 and verse 18
The Holy Bible, King James Version
Mark 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
Mark 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
Mark 16:17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
Mark 16:18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
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