Posted on 06/25/2014 6:54:49 PM PDT by Faith Presses On
Thanks for the ping WKB.
IMHO, this church in California was lost before they made this decision.
Bye.
Each church is in charge of their affairs. There is the SBC which is in charge of all the churches overall. A national meeting is held each year and each state has a yearly meeting. Each church votes on their ministerial staff. I know some other churches have no say about their pastor and staff. Our pastor has been here since about 1978.
My church is SBC. We do not accept homosexuality as a normal lifestyle. While we would not turn one away, we would strongly feel that once they came to Christ, they would have to see this as sin and allow the work of the HS to change them. I realize it would be a process, but I do not believe that we would knowingly allow a homosexual to be a deacon, SS teacher, etc. No positions of authority or leadership. Same as we would do if we found a “straight” person living in another sexual sin, as adultery. The Bible is pretty adamant about that.
Of course. I get tired of people who aren’t Baptists taking shots at the SBC. They don’t understand that each congregation is independent. That’s part of what makes us Baptists. As a convention we haven’t wavered one iota on homosexuality, or sexual sin in general. In due time that aberrant congregation will be dealt with if there is no repentance, but there is an orderly process that will be followed.
Exactly
Bind Demonic attacks against Christians in Jesus name.
Deception by Pastors that don’t preach the truth is just as bad as Satan lying to people himself!
I think the SBC in general has been lax on their outward support of Israel. I’ve contacted the SBC and the State Association. Taking pastors on tours of Israel is nice but. . . .
What .45 Long Colt said ...
Albert Mohler Jr., 6/19/2014 - Baptist Polity and the Integrity of the Southern Baptist Convention
Long article by Albert Mohler Jr., president of the SBC Theological Seminary in Lexington, KY. Excerpt below ...
"...A church that is recognized by the Convention as a participating church is a congregation that contributes to the causes of the Convention and is in “friendly cooperation” with it. The SBC Constitution states: “Among churches not in friendly cooperation with the Convention are churches which act to affirm, approve, or endorse homosexual behavior.” Thus, a church that takes any such action effectively removes itself from being “in friendly cooperation” with the SBC.
But this does not mean that the Convention does not have a responsibility to act on its own authority. In 1992 the SBC voted to withdraw fellowship from Pullen Memorial Baptist Church in Raleigh, NC and Binkley Memorial Baptist Church in neighboring Chapel Hill. Both churches had taken actions that endorsed homosexuality. In 2009, the Convention acted again to remove fellowship from Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth, TX, on the same grounds.
As the 2014 meeting of the Convention approached, a 4th congregation, New Heart Community Church in La Mirada, CA, took a similar action. In this case, the congregation voted to retain its pastor after he announced that he had changed his understanding of same-sex relationships and behaviors. Pastor Danny Cortez acknowledged that his affirmation of homosexuality was a “radical shift” from the congregation’s stated position and the denomination’s confession of faith. He led the congregation to adopt a self-identification as a “Third Way” fellowship, allowing for multiple understandings of same-sex behaviors and relationships. That led to a schism within the congregation, with more conservative members leaving.
All this came to the Convention’s attention just days before the meeting in Baltimore. On JUN 2, I published an article alerting Southern Baptists to the development and making clear that the Convention now faces a duty to protect the integrity of its own confession of faith and integrity of fellowship. Further, I argued that there is no “Third Way” on the issue. Eventually, every church and denomination will have to decide if it will recognize or conduct same-sex unions. That moment of decision will come sooner, rather than later.
In Baltimore, the SBC did not act on the question, and for an understandable reason. The issues erupted just days before the Convention met, and there was no time for the Convention to come to a clear understanding of New Heart Community Church’s actual relationship, if any, to the Southern Baptist Convention.
Like many Southern Baptists, I was frustrated that the SBC could not and did not act during the meeting in Baltimore, though I fully understand why. I have no doubt that the Convention will act decisively and rightly at its earliest opportunity.
As the Convention gathered in Baltimore, there was a very real question about the nature and status of New Heart Community Church. An official with the California Southern Baptist Convention said that the congregation is actually a mission of a parent church that does not affirm the mission’s revolt on this issue. If so, that issue needs to be clarified immediately and the “mother” church must act decisively to discipline the mission, assert its own leadership, and demand confessional integrity. If the mission continues in its revolt, that parent church must either repudiate the mission and sever fellowship, or it will violate its own confessional integrity and effectively remove itself from “friendly cooperation” with the SBC. ...
... Autonomy implies responsibility, and every general Baptist body related to New Heart Community Church now faces the responsibility to act. I am confident that the Southern Baptist Convention will act rightly. I am hopeful that the Los Angeles Southern Baptist Association and the California Southern Baptist Convention will act with equal clarity and resolution.
There is always sadness when fellowship must be withdrawn, but if New Heart Community Church does not repent and return to agreement with our convictions and confession of faith, the failure to withdraw that fellowship will be nothing less than a tragic abdication of responsibility and a violation of theological integrity. The moment of decision will not be long delayed."
>> Of course. I get tired of people who aren’t Baptists taking shots at the SBC.<<
Yes! That’s exactly how I feel being Catholic! You’ll probably be told you should quit the SBC because now you’re condoning it if you stay a member.
Nothing new under the sun.
Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid. - Isaiah 29:13-14
This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. - Matthew 15:8
I was disappointed the SBC ‘leadership’ prevented any action from being taken. - Mr. Rogers 6/25/14
The human condition hasn’t changed since the Expulsion. They haven’t built upon the Rock.
The Lord knows if I’m pretending something here or not.
Actually I was part of a conservative Baptist church in the Northeast for years, and I keep up with the church, so I understand that each SBC church is independent - to a point. So if this church is to be dealt with eventually, where is all the concern from the leadership now? I’m not against the SBC at all, but these days words and actions have to be looked at closely, because this is a time that some masks are being taken off and some people are “evolving,” and leadership these days tend to be more like the followers and sheep, pleasing their congregations. One other thing, too, is that the body of Christ isn’t divided, as Paul said. Whatever is done in the Lord’s name is every Christian’s concern.
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