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Why aren't Baptists more Ecumenical???

Discussion in '2005 Archive' started by BillyMac, Apr 2, 2005.

  1. BillyMac

    BillyMac New Member

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    Posting recently two threads in which I used links to Dr. James Dobson, I couldn't understand why there was so much animosity to accept what Dobson had to say. For years of listening to Dobson's program "Focus on the Family", somehow I never realized that he is not Baptist, but is Nazerene. And that apparently is the Baptist sticking point that he is not Baptist. Nevermind that he is a like-minded Christian. Nevermind that he teaches Jesus Christ and Him crucified for the sins of the world. Nevermind that his programming exemplifies a Christ centered life.|

    Are we so closed minded that we should reject every other Christian based on denominationalism??? Are we THAT sectarian as to claim that we and ONLY WE have the exclusive rights to be Heaven bound and that others aren't??? Are we so self-absorbed as to think we have the exclusive truth to the rejection of all other Christian thought???

    If we are, then why all the fuss over a dying Pope??? If we are, then why is there a section for other denominational Christians on these boards???
     
  2. TCassidy

    TCassidy Late-Administator Emeritus
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    Actually his denominational preference has nothing to do with my lack of enthusiasim for his teachings. My differences with Dobson are centered on his mixture of psychology, humanism, New Age, political activism and ecumenism. [​IMG]
     
  3. Pastor Larry

    Pastor Larry <b>Moderator</b>
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    I have never heard anyone object to Dobson based on his church affiliation. My objections, like those of Thomas, are based on his theology, psychology, humanism, etc. There are simply better options with better answer than Dobson gives.
     
  4. Ps104_33

    Ps104_33 New Member

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    How ecumenical do you think we should be?
     
  5. gopchad

    gopchad New Member

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    I would mirror the remarks of Pastor Larry and TCassidy. Dobson is looking to build men up, but Galatians 5 says we should manifest the fruit of the Spirit. The Spirit can only manifest Himself in us as we die to self. This is the opposite of what psychologists like Dobson teach. There are a host of reasons to reject much of the teaching/literature that FOF puts out.

    Chad
     
  6. BillyMac

    BillyMac New Member

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    Exactly my point.
     
  7. Baptist Vine

    Baptist Vine Member
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    Most people want menaing out of life, above all else.

    Some get it by making up miracles. Some get it by imagining great moves of God - anything to create some excitement.

    Making peace with the ordinary is difficult.

    Many Baptists create this meaning by debate, argument, and separation.

    Every group or denomination has, or tries, to make scriptural claims for their positions, some are actually legitimatley based on the heart of Christ, others decreasingly less so.

    There is such a thing as new age and humanism to be sure. But I've also seen people, other ministries tagged with the label humanist and/or new age based upon the weakest chain of assumptions.
     
  8. StraightAndNarrow

    StraightAndNarrow Active Member

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    We should embrace all of Christ's church. Does anyone here really believe that only Baptists are going to Heaven? If not, how can we withold fellowship with those whom the Lord accepts?
     
  9. TCassidy

    TCassidy Late-Administator Emeritus
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    We should embrace all of Christ's church. Does anyone here really believe that only Baptists are going to Heaven? If not, how can we withold fellowship with those whom the Lord accepts? </font>[/QUOTE]Could it be because God commanded us to turn away from the brother who walks in a disorderly manner?

    2Thess 3:6 Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.
     
  10. Joseph_Botwinick

    Joseph_Botwinick <img src=/532.jpg>Banned

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    Actually his denominational preference has nothing to do with my lack of enthusiasim for his teachings. My differences with Dobson are centered on his mixture of psychology, humanism, New Age, political activism and ecumenism. [​IMG] </font>[/QUOTE]I was gonna say the exact same thing.

    Joseph Botwinick
     
  11. Joseph_Botwinick

    Joseph_Botwinick <img src=/532.jpg>Banned

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    Actually his denominational preference has nothing to do with my lack of enthusiasim for his teachings. My differences with Dobson are centered on his mixture of psychology, humanism, New Age, political activism and ecumenism. [​IMG] </font>[/QUOTE]Are you who I think you are, or do you have no idea who I think you are? :D

    Joseph Botwinick
     
  12. El_Guero

    El_Guero New Member

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    BillyMac

    I really do not know what threads you are talking about.

    But, ecumenical is not a good word. And there are many non-Baptists that I disagree with. Including the Pope that just passed. That doesn't require me to disparage them. Nor, does it require me to agree with them.

    God Bless,
     
  13. BillyMac

    BillyMac New Member

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    Okay so give me a better word to describe what I am trying to get across.

    As the threads..... One is here in this forum: "Words of Solace or A Call to be Pro-active???"; and the other is in News/ Current Events forum: "Dr. James Dobson on: Terri Schiavo". The latter one is where the disparaging comments have been made.
     
  14. El_Guero

    El_Guero New Member

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    Billy,

    One problem, Baptists have always been separated from mainline ecumenical Christianity.

    The second problem is one of reaction. When reacting against views (and personages) that we know are NOT Baptistic, we baptists are often overly quick to make statements that are cutting.

    The very nature of being a Baptized member of a local Baptist church brought with it an alienation from many people that tried to make amends with the world.

    Calling a Nazarene a Baptist or a presbyterian a Baptist: is like calling the Pope a Baptist. At least a good Catholic, Presbyter, or Nazarite would know the difference ...

    There are so many immigrant people in baptist circles that do not know what traditional Baptists believed. But, many of the "new" Baptists want us (baptists) to rediscover "what the Bible says". We will soon be another non-denominational church.

    And without Sunday School and training union we will not recover Baptistic doctrines.
     
  15. TCassidy

    TCassidy Late-Administator Emeritus
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    That depends on who you think I am, or who I think you think I am. Or something like that. If you think I am a former BB Administrator who got so fed up with a certain harpy that he left you may be onto something. [​IMG]
     
  16. KeeperOfMyHome

    KeeperOfMyHome New Member

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    I know who you is!

    Julia
     
  17. Joseph_Botwinick

    Joseph_Botwinick <img src=/532.jpg>Banned

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    That is who I thought you were. [​IMG] Hey there Thomas.

    It is good to have you back. I haven't seen or heard from you in a long time. How are you and your wife doing?

    Oh yeah. In case you didn't hear the news, my wife had our first son on August 20, 2003. His name is Jacob. He is such a joy to have around.

    Joseph Botwinick
     
  18. BillyMac

    BillyMac New Member

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    El_Guero,

    Thanks for the re-education. You have hit on some things that I recall are true from as far back in my memory as 1962, before as I recall, the big ecumenical movement. I sure hope that the Baptists hold onto being Baptist and not becoming a non-demoniational church. I don't foresee that happening here in Augusta Georgia though. This is where the birthplace is of where the Southern Baptist Convention was borne. But getting back on topic, I was thinking before that we should be more accepting of our brothers in Christ whose doctrines happen to be differnent than what we are taught / what we believe. I'm not saying abandon what we believe in order to accept them as our brothers or cousins, but when will we be able to embrace a fellow Christian based on our kinship and not on strictly separatist groudns of division. For instance, we here in Augusta have a Christian unity prayer service every few months in which hundreds of churches gather together at the civic center to pray for our nation and our president and other concerns that affect Christians. This was begun by one of our local Baptist Churches. It is ecumenical and yet none of these churches are giving up their own denominations. Instead of being separated by our different beliefs we can come together for a praise and prayer service based on our common beliefs. Is it so wrong that I would want this peaceful solution to binding the body of Christ together in unity???
     
  19. Ben W

    Ben W Active Member
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    I think that it is a little silly for Baptists not to wish to fellowship with other Christians. Consider how diverse a group the Baptists are -

    Freewill Baptist, Independant Fundamentalist Baptist, Southern Baptist Convention, Old Regular Baptist, Seventh Day Baptist, Full Gospel Baptists.

    There are plenty more that I could name, yet this grouping are Christians that all confess the Baptist Distinctives.

    Yet how many other churches are similar in doctrine? - Christian and Missionary Alliance, Open Brethren, Evangelical Quakers, Salvation Army, Evangelical Anglicans, etc.

    Why would Baptists not want to fellowship with any of the groups above whose doctrinal statements all mirror there own?
     
  20. Dr.Tim

    Dr.Tim New Member

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    First hand experience tells me that Full Gospel "Baptists" are NOT Baptist.
    Several reasons.. first and foremost, they are not for local church autonomy..if they are with Full Gospel Baptist International. There is an overseer and the have a headquarters that is NOT like the SBC headquarters..this one CONTROLS.
    Second, and this is personal opinion like the next one, they are more pentecostal than baptist in their perspective of tongues and healing, etc. Third, and last, they are extremely liberal and care more about the black man getting treated fairly than they do about abortion and gay rights. These folks (in my area) CONSISTENTLY vote democrat.. Al Gore, John Kerry, Mary Landrieu.... Edwin Edwards (now in jail).. they invite them in their churches and "lay hands" on them.

    True, the second two do not necessarily make them non-Baptist from the view point of many, but the first one is the killer.
     
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