If Jesus Had Anything To Say To The SBC What Might He Say?

Wade Burleson ponders this question in a recent post Grace and Truth to You: Jesus Pronounces Eight Woes on the Southern Baptist Convention (Matthew 23):

It's easy to preach texts when we think Jesus is talking about others in the abstract. It's not near as easy to preach texts when we believe Jesus could be talking about us. This modern edition of Matthew 23 is adapted to cause me to look within myself.

Then Jesus spoke to the Southern Baptist Convention saying: (2) The pastors and self-proclaimed leaders of the SBC have seated themselves in positions of authority; (3) Do not imitate their actions; for they say things that they themselves will not do. (4) They create heavy burdens and lay them on the peoples' shoulders for them to carry, but they themselves are unwilling to even lift a finger. (5) What they do in terms of acts of service they do only to be noticed by the world; for they lie on their resumes and take great pains to dress as the epitome of success.

(6) They love the place of honor at national events and want to be seen next to the powerful politicians, (7) and they cherish being respected and powerful in the eyes of others, even demanding that they be called "Dr." by those who know them. (8) But you, do not allow yourself to be called "Dr." by others, for One is your Teacher and you are all equal in honor. (9) Do no call anyone on earth your "Father" for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. (10) Do not consider yourself a leader; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. (11) But the greatest among you shall be your servant. (12) Whoever promotes himself will one day be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will one day be exalted.

(13) But woe to you, SBC pastors and self-proclaimed SBC leaders, hypoocrites, because you emphasize the building of your own kingdom and shut people out of the kingdom of heaven. (14) Woe to you SBC pastors and self-proclaimed SBC leaders because your love for money causes you to devour the widows' income for your own gain and yet for pretense purposes you act as if your motivations are all spiritual; therefore, you will receive greater condemnation.

(15) Woe to you SBC pastors and self-proclaimed SBC leaders, hypocrites, because you travel internationally to share your global causes and urge others to partner with you; but when you convince someone to join the efforts of the SBC you make him twice as much a recepient of God's judgment as yourselves.

Read the rest: Here.

Former Vice President Of The Southern Baptist Convention Praying For Obama's Death

This is a good illustration of the absurdity of bible literalism and why belief in biblical inerrancy is meaningless:

Wiley Drake was interviewed by Alan Colmes. In that interview, Drake admitted without hesitation to wanting Obama to die.

Asked if there are others for whom Drake is praying "imprecatory prayer," Drake hesitated before answering that there are several. "The usurper that is in the White House is one, B. Hussein Obama," he said.

Later in the interview, Colmes returned to Drake's answer to make sure he heard him right.

"Are you praying for his death?" Colmes asked.

"Yes," Drake replied.

"So you're praying for the death of the president of the United States?"

"Yes."

Source

This is exactly the type of nonsense that comes about from replacing a Christocentric reading of the bible with the false premise of biblical inerrancy.

Here is an atheist's response to this news:

Drake says that imprecatory prayer (praying for the misfortune or death of one's enemies) is found throughout scripture, particularly in the Psalms.

And he's right about that. Here are some of the verses from Psalms that Wiley especially likes.

Let their way be dark and slippery: and let the angel of the LORD persecute them. ... Let destruction come upon him at unawares Psalm 35:6-8
Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell. Psalm 55:15
Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth ... let them be as cut in pieces. ... The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.Psalm 58:6-10
Thou therefore, O LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel, awake to visit all the heathen: be not merciful to any wicked transgressors. ... they make a noise like a dog ... Behold, they belch out with their mouth ... But thou, O LORD, shalt laugh at them; thou shalt have all the heathen in derision. ... The God shall let me see my desire upon mine enemies. Psalm 59:5-10
Consume them in wrath, consume them ... let them make a noise like a dog. Psalm 59:13-14
But God shall wound the head of his enemies ... That thy foot may be dipped in the blood of thine enemies, and the tongue of thy dogs in the same. Psalm 68:21-23

Read On: Here.

Is it any wonder then that the worst thing to happen to the SBC is when they kicked the Moderates and Liberals out? After all Fundamentalist Christianity is not the same as following Christ as Fundamentalism is a Modernist invention itself. There is no distinct difference between Extremist Fundamentalist Christianity and Extremist Fundamentalist Islam either as both are born out of fear, hatred and a will to violence. However, there are some relatively decent fundamentalists---but can they really be called fundamentalists?

I agree with Chad Crawford over at Homebrewed Christianity in that this makes one embarrassed to claim a Baptist identity. Thankfully, there are Southern Baptists like Wade Burleson who denounce the violent tinged words of Pastor Drake.

See also Big Daddy Weave:

Wiley Drake is an embarassment to all Baptists, an embarrassment to all Christians and an embarassment to all Americans.

פֶּסַח And The Ransom Theory Of The Atonement

---Image from: The God Blog: A Look At Religion In The News.

So originally this post was originally going to be titled שִׁ֥יר הַשִּׁירִ֖ים (Shir Ha-Shirim), Intimacy And The Passover as previously mentioned but I'm saving that post for a later and separate post as that post more specifically deals with the beginning of the impartation of the Holy Spirit to be incarnated in all peoples of the world instead of dwelling within the Holy Of Holies. Anyways, פֶּסַח (Pesach) is the Hebrew word normally translated as Passover---a word coined by English Bible translator William Tyndale who translated the first mostly complete English Bible from the original languages rather than from the Latin Vulgate translation as Wycliffe had done about 200 years earlier. Tyndale also coined the word Atonement as Wade Burleson pointed out:

William Tyndale himself coined the English word atonement to help get over translation difficulties of the Hebrew word kipper and the Greek word hilasterion. Tyndale's understanding of the words kipper and hilasterion was that they pointed to a full and entire work of the triune God in making a total satisfaction for sin by providing a complete substitution, which was a once-and-for-all act procuring everlasting salvation for His people. This "moment" of becoming "at one" with sinners He chose to redeem Tyndale called an "at- one- moment."

My friend George Ella writes about why Tyndale intentionally coined the word "atonement" in order to translate the Bible into English:

The Roman Catholic Church, in the days of Tyndale, viewed the atonement as reconciliation being made to God for man’s guilt or original sin but not for the penalty of sin which had to be worked off by works of special merit and penance. This left the reconciled without true union with Christ and with Christ’s work only half done. This error led Tyndale to realise that the entire Biblical teaching was concerned with man becoming fully accepted in the Beloved, and thus becoming one with God. Christ’s reconciling death, he therefore saw, was an at-one-ment with God and promptly used the word to express both the Old and New Testament words to do with a sinner becoming right with God through an expiatory sacrifice at God’s initiative.

Moving forward---Passover of course is the Jewish holiday which commemorates the events of Jewish Exile and subsequent Liberation from slavery---here is a brief description of that:

Passover (Hebrew, Yiddish: פֶּסַח, Pesach (help·info), Tiberian: pɛsaħ, Israeli: Pesah, Pesakh, Yiddish: Peysekh, Paysokh) is a Jewish and Samaritan holy day and festival commemorating God sparing the Israelites when he killed the first born of Egypt, and is the seven day Feast of the Unleavened Bread (it lasts eight days in the diaspora) commemorating the Exodus from Egypt and the liberation of the Israelites from slavery.[1]

Passover begins on the 15th day of the month of Nisan (equivalent to March and April in Gregorian calendar), the first month of the Hebrew calendar's festival year according to the Hebrew Bible.[2]

In the story of the Exodus, the Bible tells that God inflicted ten plagues upon the Egyptians before Pharaoh would release his Israelite slaves, with the tenth plague being the killing of firstborn sons. The Israelites were instructed to mark the doorposts of their homes with the blood of a spring lamb and, upon seeing this, the spirit of the Lord passed over these homes, hence the term "passover".[3] When Pharaoh freed the Israelites, it is said that they left in such a hurry that they could not wait for bread to rise. In commemoration, for the duration of Passover, no leavened bread is eaten, for which reason it is also called חַג הַמַּצּוֹת (Ḥag haMaẓot), "The Festival of the Unleavened Bread".[4] Matza (unleavened bread) is the primary symbol of the holiday. This bread that is flat and unrisen is called Matzo.

Together with Shavuot ("Pentecost") and Sukkot ("Tabernacles"), Passover is one of the three pilgrim festivals (Shalosh Regalim) during which the entire Jewish populace historically made a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem. Samaritans still make this pilgrimage to Mount Gerizim, but only men participate in public worship.[5][6]

It is within the context of the Passover that Jesus and the Disciples celebrated the Last Supper which was most likely part of the Passover Seder. (More on that in my next post). It is also within the context of the Exile that the Ransom Theory of the Atonement emerges as previously stated:

Limiting the atonement to any one flawed and man-made theory of the atonement does a disservice to ourselves and others. Instead I propose that when one looks at all the theories of the atonement a more holistic approach to the atonement emerges as each flawed theory corrects the flaws of the others. For example, the Ransom theory is flawed in the fact that it makes God out to be a deceiver but it’s scripturally supported such as in the case of I Timothy 2:5-6:

5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, (NKJV)

And when one reads the Jewish Exile as a metaphor for human slavery to sin, so that the Ransom theory is one that emerges from the picture of the marketplace with the Gospel accounts' use of λύτρον (lutron) and more accurately a slave market with the theory’s metaphorical use of Exilic literature.

See pgs. 81-82 of Guide to Christian Belief (Questions of Faith) by Mark W. G. Stibbe for a more detailed explanation of the Ransom Theory and the picture of the marketplace. I shall continue my discussion of the Ransom theory in the post after the next.

Thoughts On The Atonement

Due to Easter approaching soon, I've decided to do a post series on the Atonement. Here is a list of the categories in which I will divide this series:

‏

שִׁ֥יר הַשִּׁירִ֖ים, Intimacy And The Passover

Implications Of The Incarnation To The Atonement
---from searchingthescriptures.net.

Blood And The Atonement--- due to The Mysterious Cities of Gold finally coming out on an official region 1 DVD in April, I have been re-watching the fan-made bootleg copy that I obtained from Tim Skutt. Since The Mysterious Cities of Gold centers on various cultures of Mesoamerica and South America---this gave me the idea to explain the significance of blood to various religions.

Jesus As Victor: A Theology Of The Cross

In the meantime, see my friend Christian Beyer's post on the Atonement and Wade Burleson's post.

All About The Illinois Church Shooting

Church Murder Suspect Had 'Death Day'
By JIM SUHR, AP
posted: 3 DAYS 6 HOURS AGOcomments: 4001filed under: Crime News, National NewsPrintShareText SizeAAA
MARYVILLE, Ill. (March 10) – Terry J. Sedlacek was called a quiet teen who washed dishes and helped prepare food at his family's restaurant. After a hospitalization during which he almost died, he became known for odd behavior, such as making barking noises. His body would sometimes jerk. Verna Giley, a former cook at the Key Galaxy Restaurant in Alhambra, said Sedlacek never was threatening — nothing like the man prosecutors charged Monday with gunning down a Baptist pastor in the middle of his Sunday sermon and then stabbing two congregants.
Neither Madison County prosecutors nor Illinois State Police commented on a possible motive, or whether Sedlacek even knew the Rev. Fred Winters, a married father of two who led the First Baptist Church for nearly 22 years.
"We're still not sure what the reasoning was," said Illinois State Police Lt. Scott Compton, who added investigators had not yet interviewed Sedlacek on Monday afternoon.
However, authorities say Sedlacek appeared to have planned the attack, since he referred to Sunday as "death day" on a planner found in his Troy home and he carried enough ammunition to kill 30 people.
Madison County State's Attorney William Mudge did not have any other details on the day planner entry. "The only thing I can really comment on is he came armed with many rounds of ammunition and a knife, and I think we can surmise that more bloodshed may have occurred," Mudge said.
Sedlacek, 27, of Troy, was charged Monday with first-degree murder and aggravated battery. He was ordered held without bail.
He remained in serious condition Tuesday in Saint Louis University Hospital's intensive-care unit, said hospital spokeswoman Laura Keller.
Sedlacek's attorney, Ron Slemer, told the Belleville News-Democrat that his client has deteriorated both mentally and physically since contracting Lyme disease. But Dr. Eugene Shapiro, a Lyme disease expert at Yale University, said it would be unlikely that the tick-borne illness would make someone so violent. "Lyme disease doesn't cause people to shoot people," Shapiro said.
None of the 150 worshippers attending the Sunday service seemed to recognize Sedlacek, and investigators did not know details of words he exchanged with Winters just before he allegedly began firing. They planned to review an audio recording of the service.
Sedlacek had 10 rounds of ammunition in a handgun and was carrying two more 10-round magazines in his pocket at First Baptist on Sunday, said Mudge. The .45-caliber Glock jammed after four shots were fired at Winters. Mudge said it appeared Sedlacek may have arrived at the church, about four miles from his home, as early as 5:30 a.m., partly because his Jeep was in a parking space close to a door in the crowded parking lot.
The first bullet was deflected by a Bible held by Winters, 45, but a subsequent shot struck him in the heart.
That first bullet exploded Winters' Bible, sending a confetti-like spray of paper into the air in a horrifying scene worshippers initially thought was a skit, police said. Witnesses said Winters managed to run halfway down the sanctuary's side aisle before collapsing.
An autopsy found Winters was hit by one bullet that went straight through his heart, said Madison County Coroner Steve Nonn.
Authorities said Sedlacek stabbed himself in the throat while being wrestled to the ground by two congregants, who also suffered knife wounds. A 39-year-old congregant, Terry Bullard, was upgraded to fair condition Tuesday. The third victim, Keith Melton, was treated and released.
Slemer said his client's family is "very sorry for the pastor's congregation." First Baptist Associate Pastor Mark Jones said one of the church's pastors visited with Sedlacek's family Monday.
"We actually pray for him," Jones said.
Associated Press writers Lindsey Tanner and Tammy Webber contributed to this report from Chicago.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
2009-03-08 13:19:31

See also Wade Burleson's post on the subject: A Shepherd Laying Down His Life for His Sheep.