Watermarks
by Dr. Mark Waters,
pastor, Western Hills Baptist Church, Fort Worth.

While I prefer to use this column to speak words that are pastoral and healing, sometimes hard words must be spoken. When demagogues take over a denomination and then crucify people in the name of God, persons of character cannot remain silent.

The same demagogical tactics which led to the firing of Russell Dilday at Southwestern Seminary have been used against numerous friends of mine at Southern Seminary. Forty-four faculty members have left since R. Albert Mohler became president. Most recently, my mentor and friend Dr. Frank Tupper has been forced into retirement.

With great sadness, I have followed the events leading to Frank’s resignation and the previous threat to bring a motion against him and his recent book to the floor of the SBC.

I have complete trust in the integrity of Frank’s Christian commitment. His profound book, A Scandalous Providence: The Jesus Story of the Compassion of God, is essentially a narrative on the providence of God revealed in the life and ministry of Jesus. Frank’s narrative theology is informed by his own experience of tragedy and providential care during the time surrounding his wife’s death from cancer.

Frank describes God’s providence as scandalous. Paul used the same word in 1 Corinthians 1:23 when he proclaimed the crucified Christ to be a stumbling block. Persons seeking power from God are scandalized (caused to stumble) by God’s self-revelation in the powerless-power of the cross. God has manifested God’s providential care in this world in the apparent powerlessness of sacrificial love.

Thus the God revealed in Jesus Christ is scandalous, especially to those who have created a god in their own inerrant image. Consequently, my sadness for Frank is small compared to my sadness for those SBC leaders whose faith is too little to handle God’s scandalous self-revelation. Perhaps submitting to a God revealed in the sacrificial weakness of the Cross would involve giving up too much power.

With sadness,
Mark

This column was written by Dr. Mark Waters, pastor, Western Hills Baptist Church, Fort Worth. We appreciate his permission to allow us to reprint it. As editor, I chose to print it in the TBC newsletter because it deals with Frank Tupper, who preached the Spring revival at our church. He was wonderful. DRC

September 1996