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TBC Newsletter | |
| March 2006 |
A MATTER OF PERSPECTIVE: REMEMBERING AND PRESERVING |
As mentioned on page one, this newsletter is dedicated to the lives and memories of Foy and Phil. It is important we reflect on the lives of these two extraordinary men. Their courage and dedication is an example for us all.
I am sure that we, Christian Ethics Today and the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission will all be working to compile many of their writings and post them online.
In our TBC newsletter, we have not often dealt with ethical issues though I have often wanted to do so since my Ph.D. is in ethics. I choose to ignore many issues, possibly not being as prophetic as I should have (see Phil’s article) because I was also remembering Foy’s advice (learn the difference in making noise and getting something done). The fact is the mission statement of TBC primarily deals with teaching about historic Baptist principles, not ethics.
Thus the article I wrote in opposition to capital punishment after Karla Fay Tucker was killed was never published. I have strong feeling on the unfair Texas tax system, but I have never written about that moral issue either. It is not the task of this organization and newsletter to address such issues.
What we do address is the historic Baptist principle of religious liberty and the separation of church and state, which were passions for both Foy and Phil. In this article, we are publishing a speech by Welton Gaddy, former Director of Christian Citizenship Development with the Christian Life Commission when Foy was its director. I think it is a remarkable speech and sounds an alarm that needs to be heard in America.
I do want to say two things about this speech. Occasionally Welton says some things that could be interpreted as being negative toward the current political administration. There is no intention to pick on the President or on any particular political party. Welton is pointing out the strong influence of Jerry Falwell, James Dobson, Pat Robertson and many other leaders of the Religious Right, who desire to destroy religious liberty in this country. Both Republicans and Democrats must be careful to guard against the influence of the Religious Right within politics.
In the eighteen plus years I have done this work, I have had less than five people ever mention to me that we were possibly partisan in anything we have published. I appreciate that and pledge to keep it that way.
A second thing I would mention is I understand the fear that feeds the Religious Right movement in this country, the decline of morality, or the seeming lack of appreciation of the Christian Faith by many in our society. We are all concerned about the incessant greed by many business and political leaders. We are all concerned about the explosion in births by unwed mothers. I hear about the lack of discipline and respect for authority of many young people in our schools. There are some TV programs I will never watch because of the continual crude sexual innuendos.
When my son Lance acted one summer in another part of the country I asked him about any “Christian friends” he might have made. He responded, “Dad, most of these people never think about God as far as I can tell.” That exchange troubles me greatly.
(continued)
Many have mistakenly decided that one reason for this decline in our culture is religious liberty for all. They thus are seeking to change this most important principle. They also want to use the power of the government to get people to “behave according to their values.”
I find no evidence for this in Scripture. Jesus allowed the rich young ruler to choose his value system. He did this with many others. He did not seek to use religious or political authority to make people share his values.
In fact, I honestly believe that the activity of the Religious Right in America is actually contributing to the decline of culture. They have abandoned the message of God’s love and chosen to try and use government to force their values on others, thus appearing to be mean and intolerant, turning persons away from Christ. Thus people are less tolerant of expressions of faith because in reality, many religious leaders do not share the love of God through religious broadcasting and on newscasts, but rather show a mean spirited intolerance fueled by their so-called faith. We encourage people to reject Christ, we Christians seem so mean and intolerant.
The fact is many are willing to do away with religious liberty for all persons in this country because they sincerely believe that is the way to advance the kingdom of God. I truly believe they are sincerely mistaken. Religious liberty is critical to the future of our country and the way we start to reverse the decline of culture in not through legislation as much as through evangelism. We need to refocus on the Gospel, i.e., the love of God.
Religious liberty was born out of our forefathers understanding of scripture and out of their desire to evangelize without fear of being imprisoned. I urge you to go often to our website, www.txbc.org, and read the excellent articles under the heading of religious liberty. Here you will find the history behind the first amendment, the scriptural basis for our historic Baptist position on church state separation and the current threats to religious liberty.
One of the legacies of Phil Strickland in Austin was the love and concern he expressed for people out of his faith who disagreed with him on public policy issues. They knew Phil loved them anyway in Christ. That was a powerful witness. It is the most powerful witness any of us can ever have. While we should all seek to live out our ethical principles and urge government and others to act in an ethical manner, none of that is as important as love. Phil always knew that and practiced that principle first.
When I reflect on the lives of Phil and Foy I am reminded of their combination of courage and compassion. They understood that it is critical that we remember the importance of disagreeing agreeably. It is important that we give others liberty even if they use it ways we do not approve of. And it is most critical that we Christians show love, forgiveness and acceptance to those who view the world differently than we do.
“They’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love” has always been a special song to me, and I remember it with a smile as I write this.
