John Pierce asks similar question--Time to Pull the Plug????

[Gene Scarborough]

[Gene Scarborough]

I am and have always been a fan of Baptists Today:

It founder, Jack Harwell, was fired from the Georgia Chritian Index and started it with much pain / suffering / loss of income. Like any new enterprise the main question is: "Can you starve for 5-10 years to begin this???"

Us el cheepos don't help when we use the free websites to take it in--but everybody wants "something for nothing." That's why church members cringe when we start seriously to promote a tithe mentality!

I find in this publication the diversity I experienced in being a Southern Baptist pre-1979. It was the autonomous environment in which I was reared. It's not always simple and without diverse opinions, but it sure beats a Dictatorship.

A famous off-the-cuff private comment of George Bush quoted in John Dean's "Worse Than Watergate" is: "It would be so much easier to run this country if it were a Dictatorship---as long as I was the Dictator." Our national problem today is we just don't want any controversy in a diverse "land of the free." Everyone seldom gets his way, but a good debate and wise decisions which draw us together over splitting us apart has seldom been found. It is obvious on USA Today religious article comments that the vast majority of commentators are tired of "pretense religion"---but few can offer a way to "do things better."

People craving Sports Channel diversion seldom make good citizens or participants in a democracy.

[Ed Pettibone]

Ed: Gene, I think this is a better history of Baptist Today;

In April 1983 a group of Baptists who felt the conservative leaders of the SBC were restricting access to information about the struggle founded the publication, which initially operated in office space donated by Oakhurst Baptist Church in Decatur. The publishers' intention was to provide news and information about Southern Baptist life independent of the official denominational news services. As conservatives solidified control of the SBC, the moderate faction began new semi-denominational organizations, such as the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and the Alliance of Baptists. In 1991, in response to the rise of these new organizations, the board of directors of SBC Today changed the name of the journal to Baptists Today.

The list of editors of Baptists Today includes journalists who formerly held positions in Southern Baptist life. Walker Knight (founding editor, 1983-88; publisher, 1989-93; interim editor, 1997-98) served as a longtime journalist for the SBC Home Mission Board. Jack Harwell (editor, 1988-97) formerly edited The Christian Index, the Georgia Baptist Convention's newspaper. Robert C. Ballance (editor, 1998-99) held pastorates in several SBC churches. John Pierce (editor since 2000) previously served as the managing editor of The Christian Index.

source; http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/ ... p?id=h-918

And now I have a better idea of your impetus for the pull the plug mantra. We Have a friend who was in the singles group in Florida where Trudy and I met who was a Secretary at BT while Jack Harwell was there, after he married Teliea (sp), who had been our former Minister of Music.

[Gene Scarborough]

Thanks, ED!!!!

As usual, you do the thorough job as I cite the basics. I'm kind of like a good bird dog, but the hunter with the gun has to "bring home the dinner." My son's good black lab will give us both a look worse than our wives, If we miss!!!

Now------do you think it's time to pull the plug?????

[Ed Pettibone]

[Gene Scarborough]

Ed--

Here in NC there IS more of a plug than your realize from your NY perch. Just need to trust me on this.

[Ed Pettibone]

[Gene Scarborough]

I don't know about your ED, but I'm ready for some more voices to join in. We are obviously being read. We have said enough to put the case fairly clearly.

AGAIN: What say YE?????

[KeithE]

Yes I think moderate Baptists ought to form their own denomination and told Daniel Vestal that in email and in person over 10 years ago. I joined a moderate Baptist church 24 years ago expecting an iminent breakoff (and I wanted to be on the moderate side of that break), but it hasn't officially happened yet.

[Gene Scarborough]

KeithE---

Thanks for a straight answer which is to the point! Now we are doing what I think CBF needs: a serious input on whether we keep our mouths shut and lay low or go ahead and make our break official and clear.

I have been speaking from the NC perspective / Ed has been speaking from the NY perspective. Both of us are giving side descriptions of the status of Baptists in our particular state.

What is the status in Alabama??

NC is having significant moves by many churches--some our largest--toward CBF. NC is now completely run by the CR folks. Our Editor was forced to resign and his last day was Dec. 31. They have terminated the blog responses to articles / an Association in the Charlotte area is in turmoil from heavy-handed actions against the DOM who was forced to resign. Their local court is now involved. Baptists Today has covered the details after Norman Jameson wrote his last article about it and was getting almost 100% responses from people all over NC who are apalled by the actions and the spirit in which they were done.

[Gene Scarborough]

[Ed Pettibone]

[Gene Scarborough]

I tried to post a link without success. I would think their general website give the "religion" articles a spot.

I subscribe and get them every day. Sorry I can't be more help right now.

[Ed Pettibone]

[KeithE]