Posted on 10/23/2013 6:07:28 AM PDT by marshmallow
Southwestern Seminary President Paige Patterson says churches should settle disputes internally and not talk about them to the media.
There’s no room in the church for whistleblowers, a Southern Baptist seminary president said in a chapel sermon Oct. 15.
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary President Paige Patterson said the prohibition in First Corinthians 6 on church members suing one another in secular court means “we don’t take matters before unbelievers.”
“This also means that you don’t take matters to the press,” Patterson said. “What goes on in the church of God doesn’t go to the press.”
“If I had fifty dollars for every time that I have told somebody from the press: ‘I’m not going to comment on that because, frankly, it’s none of your business; it’s the church of God’ — if I had fifty dollars for every time I’ve done that, this would be a wealthy institution and you wouldn’t have to pay any tuition at all,” he said.
Patterson said that response is never popular. “‘Well, don’t you believe in a free press?’ Yes. ‘Don’t you believe in a free ministry?’”
“I’m not going to talk to the press about things that are matters internal to the church of the Living God,” Patterson said. “It is none of their business. And they can’t possibly get it right, and they don’t get it right, so why do you take it to the world of unbelief? Whether that be the court, whether that be the press? ‘Well there’s just no other way to handle it.’ Yes there is. Commit it to the Lord God Almighty.”
(Excerpt) Read more at abpnews.com ...
He’s right according to Matthew 18.
Since the press can be counted on to lie and slander, it’s better to avoid them completely.
I have no problem with that.
Christians would be wise to extend this to their politics as well.
The media is not the friend of conservatism.
The comments at the source are pretty brutal. I don’t hear him calling for churches to cover up crimes or hide the truth. I hear him calling for churches to stop trumpeting their flaws loudly and proudly to a media that loves such things.
All of this is true but the real core is this...they don't WANT to get it right; they want to make Christians look bad.
Exactly.
Stop all calls for "transparency".
Let's do the same things we accuse other churches, government, and media outlets of doing.
No need for confession, we and the church should keep our sins hidden.
No reason to appear to an unbelieving world as honest, open, genuine, sincere, full of light and truth, because they might mock us like they did Jesus.
Everyone will know all about it later anyway when Jesus makes it known. Why be embarrassed now? Wait till then.
Dr. Paige's sermon - this subject begins at about minute 17:00
So You Believe in the Inerrancy of God's Word, Bully for You
by Paige Patterson on Oct 15, 2013
http://swbts.edu/index.cfm/resources/?action=public:library.details&ID=867#
I believe this is the correct approach. Why cast what is holy to dogs? Why put pearls before swine? They will trample them and you.
Seems fine so long as no one is taken advantage of - particularly kids.
I do not believe that anyone in the SBC was suggesting that crimes should not be reported to the police. That interpretaion comes from liberal commenters.
Just saying....
“There’s no room in the church for whistleblowers”
***What?
Luke 8:17
For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.
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