Time To Pull The Plug?????? What Say YE???

[Gene Scarborough]

Bruce--

At long last, somebody gets it!!!!

Our unique NC problem is the pumping of SEBTS graduates into the system. It is on overload!

The fundies have now taken over this state. CBF / Moderate folk just don't have the heart for the political battle required to have saved it. Now our only outlet for truth, The Biblical Recorder, is toast. YES--I am not kidding when I speak of the need to formally separate and tell it far and wide!

For years many smaller churches continued to call SEBTS student pastors in NC & VA, but had to learn in the school of hard knocks that they were sending little knights in shining armor with new Constitution and By-laws in hand to make that student the King-pastor.

If things were more clearly stated by CBFNC as to the options and the difference, I think much of this could have been avoided. VA has done the wise thng to split to a separate Stae Convention. Eastern NC is conservative, but not bent to any Preacher running their church as the King. When they make the "great mistake" because they are uninformed, it is a time of travail and sorrow they do not deserve.

If "ignorance is bliss," we have some of the most blissful Bapists anywhere in the South!

[Tim Bonney]

[Gene Scarborough]

Possibly true, but I did not detect the empathy that Bruce gave.

Sorry if I am too sensitive on this. It is a NC perspective I don't sense from you guys.

[Tim Bonney]

[Ed Pettibone]

[Gene Scarborough]

Ed--

The best I can detect we have, shall we say, slid into the separate entity status with a minimum of clear explaination of exactly what that is.

The most visible explainations has come from the SBC as they tried to paint CBF as a "gay loving / woman ordaining / bunch of people who don't really believe the Bible." They certainly know how to wave red flags with such hostile flame words the average Baptist in NC assumes we are evil to the core.

CBF has typically chosen to remain quiet rather than to enter the debate by shouting, "You are a bunch of lying / thieving / distorters of truth!" It is closely akin to the baseless epithets of the Republicans against the Democrats. This battle for the hearts and minds of people is very closely akin. Certain "flame words" seem to draw the wrath of the good folks in NC.

The only advice I can offer is that we more clearly portray our stance that "we love without having to judge others / we cooperate with one another and other religious groups for the sake of the spread of the Gospel / we just take a little broader view of mankind and morality without coming close to the "liberal" status of which we have been falsely accused."

Stick to the guns of the name Cooperative / Baptist / Fellowship as opposed to Southern Bigoted Churches.

I am certainly open to any other recommendation which shows us to be what our real SBC forefathers were---minus the slaves!

[Ed Pettibone]

[Gene Scarborough]

Ed---

Both you and Timothy make valid points. If I had had a crystal ball in 1967 as I graduated Emory, I would have joined up with them. I have always been most close to the UMC minister in any town I served. In Minister's Life, my most favorite meeting was the Eastern NC UMC meeting at Fayetteville. I won't go into details, but they were being helpful to one another and the discussions showed a far greater level of maturity and intellect far and wide over the select group I hung out with at SBC meetings. Their "bottom line" for me is a much lower level of pretention than the average SBC clergy. In addition, their clergy enjoy a level of protection from the congregational crazies no Baptist preacher gets. In Bath, when I go to church functions it is at the UMC church which has a female pastor.

I don't know more than I have shared about making the CBF difference more plain. While we have talked and show it internally, the typical NC brain-poisoned SBC Baptist does not get the message. When those trusting small churches have invited an SEBTS student of today to come, they usually get burned. We do have options with Duke / BTSR / Campbell in eastern NC, but churches are numerous and there are not enough to go around. The stories of church tragedies are more plentious than I can cover here. It all boils down to people not borthering or caring to discover truths for themselves until they get burned badly. The SBC uses attractive words, but with the poison of prejudice and judgementalism hidden like stricknine to poison Jesus' call to love and forgiveness.

I liken it to the boy who finally got up the courage to kiss his true love. He closed the screen door, turned back quickly, and kissed her through it. She said, "I know you're doing something, but the message is not quite getting through to me yet!!!"

[Haruo]

[Gene Scarborough]

Good luck, my brother!

Anxious to hear of a successful call to a place where God can use you and your spicy wife.