POLL: Assumptions about Being a "Moderate"

Amen! Preach! Tell us again! [/QB]</font>[/QUOTE]Thank you Baptist Believer!

latterrain77

 

A lot of people in the churches have been completely kept in the dark about what has happened over the last 25 years in the SBC. Currie is just telling them about it. He is also trying to get people to see that if they don't like the way things have gone in the SBC, they have some alternatives. That's what the Mainstream Baptist Network is all about. It started as Texas Baptists Committed and has now gone nationwide.

 

Often enough, there is plenty of the color gray in between the black & white colors of the "right wing & wrong wing." Like the symbol of the "scale of justice" (depicted as a left/right,up/down image), the arrival of TRUTH requires balance and an honest review of all the information. A "moderate" is one who (ideally) has put the doctrines of both the Right & Left to the BIBLICAL test. In some instances, the moderate concludes that the "right" are correct while in other instances, he concludes that the "left" are correct.


So what are you saying? the moderates are actually birds without wings, or like an ostrich.. birds with useless wings?

[ July 23, 2002, 03:36 PM: Message edited by: TheOliveBranch ]

 

Often enough, there is plenty of the color gray in between the black & white colors of the "right wing & wrong wing." Like the symbol of the "scale of justice" (depicted as a left/right,up/down image), the arrival of TRUTH requires balance and an honest review of all the information. A "moderate" is one who (ideally) has put the doctrines of both the Right & Left to the BIBLICAL test. In some instances, the moderate concludes that the "right" are correct while in other instances, he concludes that the "left" are correct.


So what are you saying? the moderates are actually birds without wings, or like an ostrich.. birds with useless wings? </font>[/QUOTE]Hi TheOliveBranch. Well, it's probably more like wings without the bird!

latterrain77

 

Qoute of Joshua's "rejection of Christ's divinity/virgin birth/physical resurrection".
On the road last weekend , I went to see what we as IFB call liberals or more in line with Joshua's views or as I see it. But this church might have passed Joshua on going to the left and wasn't as polite as Joshua. The teacher of the class said," you would have to park your brain to believe the virgin birth and physical resurrection of Christ. He said no one could be half man and half God". I tryed to tell him Jesus was all man and all God, showing the divinity of Christ. The teacher went on to say he didn't know of a honest person that would teach such a thing, he tild me to look at the great schools such as Oxford, Harvard, Yale and other.
Went to church service and it was more about liberal to ultra liberal social things and nothing about the gospel or salvation.
They were for the most part professional people with alot of school teachers, college professors and attorneys just to name a few, upscale folks. I was in the wrong place, but I knew it when I went, wanted to see again after reading Joshua here.
I wouldn't want the money the Lord has put me in trust to me to go to anyone with their view, and I would think they would feel the same.

 

Qoute of Joshua's "rejection of Christ's divinity/virgin birth/physical resurrection".
On the road last weekend , I went to see what we as IFB call liberals or more in line with Joshua's views or as I see it. But this church might have passed Joshua on going to the left and wasn't as polite as Joshua. The teacher of the class said," you would have to park your brain to believe the virgin birth and physical resurrection of Christ. He said no one could be half man and half God". I tryed to tell him Jesus was all man and all God, showing the divinity of Christ. The teacher went on to say he didn't know of a honest person that would teach such a thing, he told me to look at the great schools such as Oxford, Harvard, Yale and other.
Went to church service and it was more about liberal to ultra liberal social things and nothing about the gospel or salvation.
They were for the most part professional people with alot of school teachers, college professors and attorneys just to name a few, upscale folks. I was in the wrong place, but I knew it when I went, wanted to see again after reading Joshua here.
I wouldn't want the money the Lord has put me in trust of to go to anyone with their view, and I would think they would feel the same.

[ July 25, 2002, 11:55 AM: Message edited by: Bob Alkire ]

 

Bob,

It was good of you to give them a try, but it doesn't sound like the kind of place I would have been happy either. In my opinion, one of the great sins of the liberal churches is throwing out the baby of the gospel with the bathwater of fundamentalism. (I'm not intentionally bashing fundamentalism here - just recognizing that, as liberals, we aren't going to embrace it; but that doesn't mean we should ignore the gospel.)

I preach that Christ was crucified for our sins, and that he was physically resurrected by the very hand of God. We all know the things I don't preach, but in the heart of the gospel at least we have common ground.

Interestingly, when I preach in a very liberal, urban, over-educated church like the one you've described; I've noticed that it's my prayers more than my sermons that people respond to. It seems they aren't accustomed to their pastors praying as if God is actually listening. I think their pastors would be surprised to hear how hungry their congregations are to hear a man or woman in the pulpit who believes in a living God who loves them.

If you'd like, I could look for a more "moderate" liberal church in your area; one that might give you an idea that there are liberals who are also people of faith.

Joshua

Joshua

 

Joshua, I'm on the road almost every weekend and I try and find a place where I can worship and learn.
I make it a point to read some books that I disagree with each year and go to a more liberal church a few times a year just to see where everyone is, as I have said I came out of a very liberal background.
Thanks for the offer, I believe it came from the heart, even if we are so far apart and will never embrace the others point of view. Try Dayton, Oh., I get up there from time to time on the weekends.
Bob

[ July 25, 2002, 11:55 AM: Message edited by: Bob Alkire ]

 

Joshua, I'm on the road almost every weekend and I try and find a place where I can worship and learn.
I make it a point to read some books that I disagree with each year and go to a more liberal church a few times a year just to see where evertone is, as I have said I came out of a very liberal background.
Thanks for the offer, I believe it came from the heart, even if we are so far apart and will never enbrace the others point of view. Try Dayton, Oh., I get up there from time to time on the weekends.
Bob

 

Bob,

You may want to try Memorial United Church of Christ, UCC

I'm not that familiar with them, but they're UCC so they're almost definitely liberal; and they also seem to be Bible/Gospel-centered.

Joshua

[ July 25, 2002, 01:36 PM: Message edited by: Rev. Joshua Villines ]

 

Bob,
Re: your "liberal" church experience-
How very sad. I am convinced that many folks go too far to the right in reaction to people like those. There is a healthy, reasonable balance of using the brains that God gave us in conjuction with our prayer, faith, and the Holy Spirit, that should lead us where God wants us. I believe there is a wide range of belief about God, Jesus and the Bible that we can reasonably call Christian. In the name of being smart and sophisticated these folks have missed the boat, and are missing out in the rich blessings they can receive in the worship of our Lord.

 

David,
I think you could be right, but it goes both ways.
But on the other hand when Dr. R.G.Lee ( who was one of the greatest SBC preachers) stopped the Alldredge Amendment, many think it did more harm than good. It open the door wider for those from the left and closed the door to Dr. Lee in many SBC churches and others from the right, but he wanted to include the left, but in the 60's they didn't want to include him. Most of his preaching was done in IFB churches, or should I say alot.

 

David,
I think you could be right, but it goes both ways.
But on the other hand when Dr. R.G.Lee ( who was one of the greatest SBC preachers) stopped the Alldredge Amendment, many think it did more harm than good. It open the door wider for those from the left and closed the door to Dr. Lee in many SBC churches and others from the right, but he wanted to include the left, but in the 60's they didn't want to include him. Most of his preaching was done in IFB churches, or should I say alot.

 

Joshua,
Thanks, I might give it a try.
Bob