Did you go?

Is it over already? Did they say anything controversial?

Joshua

 

The convention? I didn't realize they already did it.It's been several years since we sent anyone. So does anyone know what happened this year?

 

The SBC annual meeting is this week.

 

Well good, means I'm not aoo awful far behind the times.

 

I was going to start a thread about the two "big" Baptist meetings which are held in the month of June. I'm just wondering if the SBC will introduce anything "controversial" this year, while two weeks later at the CBF general assembly those guys will spend most of the time talking about how "Fundamentalists" are taking away their "freedom" as Baptists.

 

I'm writing this from my hotel room here in St. Louis, site of this year's SBC. Radical homosexual activists tried to storm the convention center and caused some disruptions during the proceedings. Couple dozen have been charged with felonies, others charged with simple misdemeanors. The protests have not been peaceful and congenial as was promised. St. Louis police riot squads came out in full force due to threats from that group, I was told. All in all, it was a small but disruptive group. A notoriously anti-gay group protested on one side, saying SB should not witness/minister to gays. On the other was the gays, protesting against SBs for supposedly being in favor of gay murder and violence. When both extremes hate you, you must be doing somthing right
Anyway, the convention has been good so far, at least what I've been able to attend (I have some kidney/stomach troubles). Dr. Jack Graham was elected president by acclamation. Heather Mercer and Diana Curry gave talks. President Bush addressed the convention via satellite. Outgoing president Dr. James Merritt preached an outstanding sermon this morning. www.sbc.net will have more information.

 

Tom,

I would be stunned if Mel White - a follower of Martin Luther King and the teachings of Gandhi - allowed any member of Soulforce to violate the very clear principles of non-violent social change outlined in the organization's principles (you can read these in detail at their website. Generally all participants in their protests go through several hours, sometimes days, of preparation led by civil rights veterans from the sixties.

Also, their demonstrations are usually planned in cooperation with the local police departments.

As a side note, the members of Soulforce make it very clear that they do not hate anti-gay Christians.

Joshua

 

Tom, thanks for keeping us up to date on whats going on.

 

Chemnitz (our Lutheran friend) posted this down in all other religions with a rather Baptist sounding "AMEN!"

http://home.post-dispatch.com/channel/pdweb.nsf/TodayWednesday/86256A0E0068FE5086256BD600311AEB?OpenDocument&PubWrapper=A-section

Here's a little something on the incident about which Mr. Vols was telling us:

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/News/A8BBE61D7408E81686256BD6000D7438?OpenDocument&Headline=50+are+arrested+at+Southern+Baptist+Convention

It would appear, Joshua, that Soulforce was the organizer of the protest.

 

I'm sure they were the organizers, but I would be stunned if they in any way violated their core principles.

It looks like the felony charges were dropped.

Soulforce Press Release

Joshua

 

does "Soulforce" have any ties to the CBF or Alliance? Just wondering...

 

Did the SBC go too far in Saint Louis when they passed a resolution urging the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee to allow votes on President Bush's judicial nominees?

Is this not a political issue that is lost? There may have been a day in American history when Presidential nominees were routinely passed without regard to politics unless the nominee was in criminal or moral trouble. True, Hamilton blocked Burr, but in hindsight it could be said that Burr had low criminal morals although Hamilton confessed to adultery. The point is that the day of good-natured politics is over in America. Now politicians use every weapon of power to fight against an opponent based entirely upon political affiliation. If a person is not a member of your party, then everything that he does or is must be considered evil and vile.

What is happening in Washington D.C. is legal and probably cannot be stopped by words. The only possible theological or moral issue might be the delay in justice because of the lack of judges that causes a postponement of trials. But the lack of speedy trials is an old story in the USA. What is new is the open use of political power to control the judicial branch of government. How can this end? Does anyone really believe that putting more liberals on the bench would improve justice? On the contrary, the crisis in justice stems from liberals who have wanted to rewrite English jurisprudence to allow for the murder of the unborn, for example, and to make the criminal the victim and the victim the criminal.

Maybe the SBC resolution is just too weak and too partisan.

 

Soulforce went above and beyond what would be a peaceful protest. The slanderous literature that was passed out, coupled with a blatent disobedience to law enforcement and their attempt to disrupt orderly proceedings inside the EJ Dome was unbecoming.

 

I don't know about the resolution going too far or whatever. I don't think it was inappropriate. Just remember, it is a resolution. It's non-binding and doesn't carry much weight. It's just a statment of an opinion many persons from varying political opinions have: the Senate should stop playing partisan politics and get some judges on the bench.

 

The U.S. Senate will never go back to the good ole days when gentlemen were more gentlemanly. Everything will be a fight until the issue is decided at the ballot box. The U.S. Senate is silly, but the U.S. Judicial system is corrupt and justice is sold to economic and political interests. The resolution seems to be aimed at one political party but neither political party inspires much confidence. We need a legal reform where trials are speedy and judges do not legislate. We need to impeach and convict bad judges. Does anyone think that any more than a handful of judges will clear the U.S. Senate before the November election? (Don't forget that some people want abortion on demand, a nazi idea, and will do anything to keep it.)

 

Thanks for the great links!