Posted on 06/21/2007 6:57:50 AM PDT by DBCJR
Doubts continue to swirl over Fred Thompson's faith ... Thompson shot back that he's not only a Christian, but a member of the fundamentalist Churches of Christ.
...Professor Mark Elrod of Harding University said he doubts Thompson is "filling out an attendance card at a Church of Christ on Sundays." ...he hasn't been able to find any information regarding the former senator's actual membership... "In our tradition," Elrod said, "that's called 'being out of fellowship' or a 'lapsed member.'"
... WND has learned Thompson was baptized into Christ in the early 1950s at the First Street Church of Christ in Lawrenceburg, Tenn.
His mother, Ruth Thompson, regularly attends the Brentwood Church of Christ near Nashville... Fred Thompson is known to worship there when he visits his mother.
In 1997, Thompson spoke at a fund-raising event at Freed-Hardeman University in Henderson, Tenn. – another college affiliated with the Churches of Christ – where he was presented with a Bible. He and his parents have set up academic scholarships in their names there.
...
According to a spokesman for Focus on the Family, Dobson had not not meant to disparage Thompson and was simply "attempting to highlight that to the best of his knowledge, Sen. Thompson hadn't clearly communicated his religious faith, and many evangelical Christians might find this a barrier to supporting him."
Dobson told reporter Dan Gilgoff he had never met Thompson ...
Thompson and his first wife, Sara Lindsey, divorced in 1985. The Church of Christ frowns on divorce, and believes only "fornication," or sexual infidelity, can be grounds for divorce and remarriage.
In 2002, Thompson and second wife, Jeri Kehn, were married in the liberal United Church of Christ, not the ultra-conservative Churches of Christ to which Thompson claims to belong.
(Excerpt) Read more at worldnetdaily.com ...
I think Bill carried a gigantic Bible it made him a gigantic Christian.
Somebody got it. My point was I don't care about the person's faith. Yes it's important but would I rather have a Christian who 'feels' it's important to expand the government to 'take care' of everyone or a nature worshipper whose goal is to cut government down to the bone, eliminating departments, shutting down whole sections of the government, and dropping whole unconstitutional programs.
As a North Carolinian I'd rather have the nature worshipper as I don't look to the government for leadership in faith. But I do look to them to follow the Constitution and stay within their intended boundaries.
One thing we can be sure of - the bible makes very clear that God establishes world leaders. So, if Fred does become President it is because God allowed or commanded it (and, yes, that applies to Clinton [Bill in the past or Hillary in the future] as well).
Jesus Christ will decide how well Fred Thompson, and everyone else, has run life’s race, and whether or not he is worthy to enter heaven.
“We, the people” only get to decide how well FDT, and each of the presidential candidates, run this political race, and whether or not he, or she, is worthy of the presidency of the United States. Christ doesn’t need our help to make His decision. We need His help to make our decisions.
Some folks persist in “straining at gnats, and swallowing camels.”
Absolutely. I think our Nation has some serious praying to do.
“Clinton is a United Methodist.
Rudy Giuliani is an excommunicated former Catholic who still shows up at Masses from time to time to be photographed.
John McCain is an Episcopalian.”
Hillary claims to be “an amateur theolgian” among the more liberal wing of the United Methodist Church, originally from the Chicago area. The UMC ranges from Evangelical to almost a Unity theology depending upon the area of the country and the local congergation. The West and Northeast Coasts are particularly liberal and unorthodox. The Denver Seminary not only questions the virgin birth, the divinity of Christ, etc, etc, but they have had a Gay & Lesbian Caucus for decades. The Northwestern Conference “embraces the spirit of the totem” referencing Native American spiritualism. Hillary has a wide latitude to “theologize” there.
“This is an old article that has been posted repeatedly.
If you read the original — not the one from WND — you’d see that it was written in a playful tone, not critical whatsoever of Thompson.”
This is not an “old article” but recent developments upon a on the same subject. This article is not against Fred and neither am I. This article corrects misconceptions that Dobson reportedly said and adds evidence of Fred’s involvement in the Church of Christ. I have no idea what article that you refer to that had the “playful tone.”
“I don’t think it’s right for any Christian to question the authenticity of any other Christian’s faith unless they are engaging in open, unrepentant sin or preaching a Gospel other than that revealed by scripture. The apostle Paul asks, “Who are you to judge another’s servant?”. This is one area where EVERY Christian needs to work on the plank in their own eye before criticizing the splinter in another’s.”
Since you replied to meI must assume you are directing your comments in reply to my comments. I don’t question anyone’s faith. The article brought up whether Fred “practiced” his religion. That is observable and measurable. The article gives some observable and measurable evidence that he does, at least to some extent. My comments were to question the extent to which any candidate “practices” their religion. The only one that seems to is Mitt, possibly McCain and Edwards. We see Bush & Carter practicing theirs and, as I noted, some would question the value of that as an indicator of how good a president they would be.
I believe strongly in the indissolubility of marriage, but I am not in the least bothered by Fred Thompson’s divorce and remarriage. Even less than Reagan’s, which was contracted between two people in their late 20s as opposed to a couple of teenagers facing a pregnancy.
I am not sure where you got your information from (I'm not saying its wrong, Its just different from what I heard). I am aware that marriages between people before they turned 21 was/still is to some extent common. Regarding Thompsons first marriage, I remember reading years ago, that him and his first wife got married, because they were a couple of "love struck kids", who really hadn't thought it out. I do not know the age of his older kids, or if it was a pregnacy scare, it came across to me as 2 kids wide eyed thinking they were in love and rushing to get down the alter......something I've seen far to many folks do, and usually (not always) regret...and sadly, not to many religious institutions I've come across have had problems with it.
I think you are wrong on that.
Donna Hanover was his 2nd wife, not his first.
His first marriage was annulled.
Giuliani and Hanover were wed in a Church ceremony.
“I’m not a Mormon, but I don’t believe in the doctrine of original sin, either, since I can’t find it in my Bible.”
Doctrine is a synthesis of what the Bible says about any given point. You will not find “original sin” in any concordance. Neither will you find the “Trinity” which was a 5th century doctrine first synthesized by Augustine. Belief in the Trinity is foundational orthodox Christian doctrine. There are many scriptures that the doctrine is based upon, just like original sin. But the elements of salvation are expressed in Romans 10:9-10. The Trinity is integral to that. The concept of original sin is tangential.
“Who cares?!?!? I don’t care if they worship a tree, a rock, or a door. As long as they promise to
A) Follow the Constitution to the letter (which would be a severe limitation of current ‘powers’ invented by the Executive Branch) and
B) Cut the government to the bone (and I mean cut, not slow growth)”
Did you read my comment? Sounds like you didn’t.
“Professor Elro has never met Thompson; nor has he “been able to find any information” regarding his church membership.
Dr. Dobson was “simply attempting to highlight to the best of his knowledge” that Thompson had not clearly stated his religious beliefs.
Yet these 2 gentlemen felt free w/out any evidence to make public statements about another man’e religious life. Shame on both of them.”
Excellent conclusion! To be fair, Dobson was misquoted so the reporters are the ones who “should” be ashamed.
“The Church of Christ requires you to fill out an attendance card every Sunday? Weird.”
Someone else disputed that.
I knoe he got divorced, I didn't know the church gave him the annulment, thats sick, he was already living with Hanover at the time, ugh.
Well, thats an improvement to being married to your cousin (which he was).
Technically, you are not allowed to marry someone who is within three degrees of consanguinity without a dispensation.
His first wife was within two degrees of consanguinity and no dispensation was ever asked for or granted.
That made for a very easy annulment.
Never been to a Catholic service. I’ve only been to two Catholic weddings.
Ask 112 people that replied to it before you that question. Not sure that this article was ever posted. Others were, but this had new info. QUESTION: why did you read what you call a re-post?
That is so nasty.
When he was mayor I remember him making an off color joke about it, I almost puked.
I also remember it as an anti-southern joke.
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