Have you ever been ashamed to tell someone that you are a Baptist?
Have you ever been ashamed to tell someone ...
Discussion in '2004 Archive' started by Craigbythesea, Sep 10, 2004.
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No!
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If I weren't a Baptist---THEN--I'd be ashamed to tell someone!
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CraigbytheSea... not even when I read the politics or versions forums. NEVER!
I'm with Blackbird... I'd be ashamed to be anything else. Baptist Born, Baptist Bred and when I die I'll be Baptist Dead. -
I'm with blackbird. I've never been ashamed of my faith. I'm ashamed of some of the people who go around and "claim" they are just to swindle money away from hard working folkes that can't really afford it.
I'm with Diane too. I wasn't Baptist born, but i'm certianly being raised a Baptist and rasing my children that way too. -
Never
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nope, not me either
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I have been ashamed of some Baptists, at times I have been ashamed of this Baptist (Me). I have been ashamed of some Christians, at times I have been ashamed of this Christian (Me). But as far as being a Baptist and most importantly a Christian I echo Paul---"I am not ashamed.."
Bro Tony -
Ashamed of my religious affiiation? Never happenned. Not even when I was a member of other denoms before I joined my SBC church. This is the US, the capital of freedom of worship. No one should be ashamed of their religious affiliation, no matter what it is.
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I am with Davids Angel, and bro. Toney; I am ashamed of those who falsly claim to be Christian whether it be Baptist or other wise. I was raised in one Baptist denomination, and "got saved" then joined another Baptist denomination; got licensed to preach, then two yrs. later was called to preach in a Comunity Church, got ordained by my Baptist home church, and have preached in other denominations since. Don't want to satart a riot, but I don't think the name on the church "building" is what is important.(Acts 4:12)
With the love Jesus gave me,
irwin -
Absolutely. Ashamed at how the Baptist name has been sullied and degraded.
We have a couple of lunatic KJVO and legalistic (going to hell if you wear slacks, etc) hylesish type of "Baptist" churches in Casper.
And two liberal "Baptist" churches, one with a woman pastor! Sear that neither would recognize the Gospel if it hit them between the eyes.
So when confronted with "Are you a Baptist?" I always have to add disclaimers and definitions. Sad. -
I am not ashamed...but then again, whay not tell them you are a CHRISTIAN rather than saying a Baptist. Being a Baptist doesn't get you into Heaven....but being a CHRISTIAN does!!!
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Being a CHristian doesn't get you into Heaven either. Only being saved does that. None of knows with certainty who is saved and who isn't. In fact, scripture tells us that only God decides who is saved and who isn't, and that we're forbidden scripturally from making judgements about peoples' salvation.
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Johnv, one isn't a Christian unless one is saved. To call yourself a Christian when you know you're not is hypocritical or maybe delusional.
I do agree that we can't know if other people are saved or not, only ourselves. But, when we know we are saved, then and only then can we really call ourselves Christian. -
I have never been ashamed of being a Baptist or telling anyone that I am a Baptist. I have attended a Southern Baptist Church all my life.
I didn't know there were so many different kinds of Baptist until I joined this Board.
I have a very good friend that I have known for about seven years now. She has always known that I was a Baptist. Recently, I mentioned that I was a Southern Baptist...she said, "Oh, you're not one of those, are you?" She thinks that Southern Baptist are fanatics and very strict.
We never know how other people perceive our denominations, do we? -
Of course.
And I rarily mention that I have a baptist background when I talk with people who are unchurched.
I don't need to convince anyone that "Baptist" is right.
I need to convince everyone that Jesus is right.
Why risk who they might have known who is "Baptist" or what church they attended that was or was not "Baptist" and lose the opportunity to present Jesus?
That is why I don't have Baptist in the name of my church and neither do many/most younger church planters. -
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John, I diagree. One can only be called a Christian if he has a relationship with Christ. And, yes, it has nothing to do with denominations are religous instituttions.
Acts 11 vs. 26 says: The Apostles were first called Christians in Antioch.
It means: followers of Christ or Christ's men.
1 Peter 4 vs. 16 says: Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.
This tells me that a person must be a follower of Christ; i.e. be saved, in order to be called a Christian. Obviously the Apostles didn't belong to a religious organization or a denomination, but they were called Chrisitans simply because they were followers of The Christ. -
Reeling back to the topic at hand, we're talking about the term "Baptist". That eveltually led to the term "Christian". The implication I read into it was that if someone says "Baptist", we can assume that they're "Christian". Of course, if I said "Catholic" or "Methodist", all of a sudden, that presumption ceases. That likely has more to do with us simply having a preference for our own kind, so to speak. We'll always want to assume that most Baptists are Christians, while any other denomination or group has a lower precentage than us. It's the ole' superiority complex.
In regards to your previous post, I do understand where you're coming from. I don't disagree with the concept as much as I do with symantics. I'd dive more into your topic, but I think I'd just be preaching to the choir, so to speak.
Although, there's one thing that I want to point out. Being a follwer of Christ isn't something you are, it's something you do. Being saved is something you are. Just as the Prodigal Son was still the Father's son, even though he wasn't following his father.
Also, when you say the early apostles were Christians, but didn't beliong to a religious orgainzation, you miss one thing: they were all practicing Jews. This would become a big bone of contention later on, when Peter wanted converts to convert to Judaism, while Paul said that conversion to Judaism was not intended by Jesus. In the end, I believe it was Thomas, who settled the arguement by agreeing with Paul. Since then, new Christians have not been required to convert to any religion. They began meeting and fellowshipping, but not as churches as we know it. Still, today, we have religions, like my own SBC, that have setup a manmade institutions around what was originally intended to be a relationship. I often wonder if this is what Jesus intended. -
delly wrote:
I think that's the point that Johnv is making here. There are lots of people who call themselves "Christian" who aren't in actuality "saved".
Therefore, I agree with Johnv when he said that "Christian" is not (automatically) synonomous with "saved".
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