Traditional Baptist positions

I'm surprised that there are only four who voted for "smoking to be disallowed in church but in private......."

Or maybe because it's not clear if "disallowed" means that it is the church's position that smoking is taboo, or does "disallow" mean that in the pulpit it is the declared position, or "disallowed" means no smoking within church premises ?

I voted yes, with the understanding that "disallowed" means "not in church premises". Outside church premises ? Well, the member is welcome to smoke his/her lungs away, for all I care.

 

about the smoking issue, I thought that it meant not allowing people to smoke on church property.
However, after having lived in the South and preached in tobacco country, it isn't necessarily a Baptist tradition thta people can't smoke on church property.:BangHead:

 

I know it must be difficult to frame the options properly for these polls - I have not yet started one myself - but I must say that I found this one particularly difficult to answer.

One of the options was:

Proper church clothing should be coats & ties, or dresses at least mid-length ​

If I tick that option, it seems as though I am saying that those particular items of clothing, ties, coats and mid-length dresses, must be worn to church services. If I don't tick the option, it could seem as though I think that "anything goes".

Another option was about smoking:

Smoking should be disallowed in the church, but in private it’s up to the individual​

That is particularly difficult, because there are two factors. I might agree with one, but not the other. In fact that is the case here. I agree that smoking should be disallowed in church buildings (indeed that rarely is questioned here in the UK, even by non-Christians), but I do not agree that in private it is up to the individual. Do I tick this option or not, seeing as I agree with only half of it? Incidentally, here, the first part is not an option anyway, as since July, smoking has been illegal in all public buildings.

 

As far as the dress for church option, I don't think God cares what you wear just that your inn His House. I mean no cut-off that would be, oh well! you know what I mean. I'm not a coat & tie kinda guy. Never will be. I wear anything from my blue jeans and Harley Davidson T-shirt to a Polo shift and nice pants. Just my 2cents worth.

 

That's very true. As a child, I had usually had to walk past a dozen or so deacons and Sunday School teachers trying to get in one last cigarette before they went inside.

In fifth grade Sunday School, the teacher (a smoker) was going off on his usual rant about how horrible it was to drink alcoholic beverages because it was like "drinking a bottle of poison." He explained that alcohol was extremely addictive and once you started with a drink, very few people could stop until they were completely intoxicated. He want on to explain that true Christians did not have sinful habits that could damage their health.

I asked if smoking was a sinful habit and you could have heard a pin drop. He hemmed and hawed and finally explained that smokers don't hang out in nightclubs or disgrace themselves by their actions. I asked if smoking could harm one's body or was addictive... and he decided to close the class in prayer. We got out of Sunday School a full 25 minutes early. :laugh:

 

The only option I almost checked was the praying for a miracle option, as we always pray for healing - but are not dissapointed if physical healing does not take place for the individual as we may never know the miracles that take place in the family of the sick due to our ministry to the family or the Lord's work in that family.

 

I only agreed with one, about the government promoting church doctrine. Others I am "ify" on. Most seem to be men's tradition and not the doctrines of GOd.

 

Hmmm...not much I could vote for. It seems that most of these "positions" are based off of preferences. Not necessarily unwise preferences...but preference nonetheless.

 

Well stated....that is the same one that I voted for.

 

This poll made me laugh out loud. (No offense just repeating my action)

I voted for three (I think):

Faithful members should give at least a tithe (10%) of income to the church
We should pray for the sick and injured, but be unsurprised if there is no ‘miracle’
The church should not look to government to promote its doctrines

(I would have voted for the no smoking in the church thing...b/c I don't think smoking a sin issue...but I don't care if you smoke in the church.)

Just funny to me how many of the above list are issues that only Christians are keeping score on. The unchurched don't care...and frankly our belief and position on them has discreditted us. I died to dressing a certain way years ago because what is one man's casual is another man's dressy and frankly Jesus never wore a suit and tie so the norm hasn't been established.

I'd be interested in seeing less a preferences poll and more a baptist theological distinctives poll with really good questions.

 

The only one I voted for: The church should not look to government to promote its doctrines.

 

There are lots more that could be on that list.

One biggie.


If you have personal devotions every day, you will be more sipritual.

 

This is false?

 

The point about the church not looking to the government to promote its doctrines means that we are not a Christian nation and never have been. Christians have been in government (e.g. Jimmy Carter) but the government cannot be Christian. I agree with this since it's consistent with our freedom to believe whatever we choose as individuals.

 

I would just like to know why these positions have to be labeled as "Traditional Baptist " ?

I was saved after reading the NT for one whole week. No one from any denomination came to my door. After my salvation I began to throw away CD's and books. I started looking at what I was wearing and I took the liquor in the fridge and poured it down the drain.

Not because of Baptist positions but because of Biblical ones that God showed me before I ever knew of or set foot in a Baptist church.

I became a Baptist because it was lining up with what I was reading in the Bible. I guess my question would be why aren't these Traditional Christian positions because they line up with God's word ?