Conservative Baptist Board

Remember, two things you're all forgetting:

1. This idea has been proposed and shot to pieces by others in leadership. This may all be moot.

2. Who decides who's conservative enough??????? What's the standard?

 

We could post a picture of that "Dr." Ruckman fellow with a subtitle You must be at least as theologically conservative as this man to ride this ride.

Or we could have a picture of Olive Oil and the phrase "You must be at least this narrow to ride this ride.

Or...and here's a novel idea...we could require an affirmation of the Southern Baptist Faith and Message .

____________________

On a historical note, isn't this something like what has happened in other baptist cooperative ventures.

On the board, weren't the forums initially free-for-all. Then the non-Christians were relegated to their own forums, and the non-baptists likewise. Ultimately, the non-Christians were banned entirely. Now that it's just baptists in the baptist-only forum, some people are arguing that some of us are more "baptist" than others.

Once we've weeded out the "heathens" we turn on ourselves.

Joshua

[ August 29, 2002, 09:34 AM: Message edited by: Rev. Joshua Villines ]

 

Turn on ourselves???

Don't mean to sound offensive, Josh, but your ideology/certain beliefs is not what is considered "real" Baptist. I'm sure you know what I mean by that without going into graphic detail.

Not everyone who chooses to call themselves Baptist is truly Baptist in fundamental CORE beliefs. In fact, I know of churches (particularly in the South) who have no idea what to name themselves, so they call themselves Baptist. The word Baptist seems to have become rather generic in recent decades.

I see the Conservative Baptist Board as a venue to clear up the "muddy waters."

 

SheEagle, whether you mean that to be offensive or not, it is. I may not be what you consider to be a "real" baptist; but that does not make me any less a baptist. If you want to make a forum for fundamentalist baptists that's fine with me, but call it what it is. Implying that it's the "real" baptist forum is inaccurate and insulting.

Joshua

 

Okay, perhaps a better way to phrase it is:

Mainstream Baptist as opposed to "fringe" Baptist.

 

I was about to agree SheEagle, but then I realized that you probably think you're "mainstream." The mainstream of this board has nothing in common with my experience of the mainstream of baptist and Christian life.

Joshua

 

But you and I travel in "different" circles, eh Josh? You know what I'm talking about...and Baptists I know (literally thousands) not associated with this Board, who are mainstream, do not travel in the pro-abortion, gay rights circles.

In fact, some of the trash propogated by certain people on this Board is the reason I will not recommend this Board to people I know---they would be extremely offended at some of the extreme posts on here by "Baptists," such as denial of the Virgin Birth, for one.

 

SheEagle, and I know thousands of baptists who do travel in those circles. Lumped together, I've probably preached to thousands of them.

In the end, though, one's position on abortion (I'm opposed to it but think it should be legal) and homosexuality (I don't think it's inherently sinful) have nothing to do with whether or not one is an authentic baptist. Normative baptist views on many issues (alcohol, the role of women, racial issues - just to name a few) have changed dramatically over the years. Sometimes they've gone back and forth.

Following baptist principles of polity are what make one a baptist. Tying one's beliefs to larger, national bodies can give one more credibility in some baptist circles - and less in others; but it's not necessary. The same is true for attending a baptist seminary.

Again, I have no problem with a fundamentalist baptist forum if you feel that you need one. Just don't try to make the claim that it's the "real" baptist forum.

Joshua

 

Josh,
What do you think about . . .

[EDITED by WEBMASTER]

[ August 29, 2002, 01:14 PM: Message edited by: webmaster ]

 

And here I thought that real Baptists were the ones who affirmed soul liberty!

Seriously, in baptist circles there is no such a thing as a "normative" view on an issue like the virgin birth. There is "normal" but not normative. There are distinctives that one has to subscribe to, like baptism, the Lordship of Christ, Authority of Scripture, Autonomy of the Local church and that, but questions like abortion are simply not determinative in identifying a baptist.

 

They will know we are Christians by our love.

 

[ August 29, 2002, 11:43 AM: Message edited by: Latreia ]

 

Titus 1:13
This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith.

 

Actually, I can think of several of us "liberals" by the definition of the prevailing forum ethos: Me, Post-It, Stubborn Kelly, BWSmith, Baptist Believer, David Cooke,Jr., and maybe a couple more.

Joshua

[ August 29, 2002, 02:29 PM: Message edited by: Rev. Joshua Villines ]

 

To borrow the expression of the person who started this post: There is a great gulf between reality and the theological estimates some people have of others.

To all those who think I'm a "liberal" -- if it makes you feel like a big man/woman before God and everybody to call me a "liberal", go for it. I'm not scared of the word -- the fact that it is completely inaccurate doesn't seem to mean anything to many in this crowd.

To those who are fond of saying, " [a person/religious denomination/CBF] is lost and on a greased slide to hell!", you are only tempting God to act against you. Organizations are often in error, but people are not saved by organizations -- salvation is in Christ alone.

For those who accuse some here of being "children of Satan/devil", again, you are tempting God to act against you.

For those who like to throw false insinuations ("How do you feel about child molestation") into the threads to discredit those with whom you disagree, you are doing the work of the evil one -- the false accuser.

We don't have to agree, but we do have to learn to get along if we are going to be obedient to the call of Christ.

We are called to rightly discern the Body of Christ.

 

How is that a false insinuation? It was simply pointing out that some professing people don't know where to draw the line on sin. Homosexuality isn't inherantly sinful????? Ride the fence, keep one foot in the world and one in the church....CHAFF!!!!!

 

RSR - well spoken. Technically, I'm basically neo-orthodox - which makes me a conservative among mainstream Christians.

"Liberal" here, however, is a much broader brush (and "baptist" is apparently much narrower).

Joshua

 

There is a "mainstream" movement among baptists (see "mainstreambaptists.org"), but you probably would call them liberal. You might want to use a different phrase since they have laid claim to the name and have pretty large numbers to establish themselves as THE mainstream. Of course, maybe I'm wrong and you actually agree with the mainstream folks. Please let us know what you think of them.