Southern Baptist Leaders Seek Softer Approach To Homosexuality

National Public Radio ^ | 5/17/14 | Blake Farmer

[marshmallow]

Some Christian denominations around the U.S. have been slowly warming to the idea of gay marriage. A few have even made an about-face.

Not so with the country's largest protestant group, Southern Baptists. The Southern Baptist Convention still preaches that marriage can only be between one man and one woman. But some pastors are softening their message.

A Change Of Tone

The Southern Baptist Convention held a gathering of pastors at its Nashville headquarters in April. For an organization that has previously used opposition to gay marriage as a rallying point, statements here from church leaders, like Kevin Smith of Kentucky, shocked the auditorium of pastors into silence.

"If you spent 20 years and you've never said anything about divorce in the church culture, then shut up about gay marriage," Smith said.

Pastor Jimmy Scroggins of Florida went even further.

"We're all in agreement that the cultural war is over when it comes to homosexuality, especially when it comes to gay marriage," Scroggins told the pastors.

Officially, Southern Baptists aren't backing down from their belief that homosexuality is sinful. Gays and lesbians are still barred from church membership without first repenting. But Scroggins says they're sitting in his pews and shouldn't be the butt of preacher humor. He calls that "redneck theology."

"Let's stop telling Adam and Steve jokes and let's be compassionate, because these are people that are in our community," he said at the convention. "These are people that are in our churches."

Baptist voices in the recent past were not known for compassion on gay issues. Richard Land was the church's chief spokesman for 25 years, and while no longer speaking for the denomination, he can still be heard from time to time on Christian talk radio saying things like this:

"I know that the dirty little...........

.

[uptoolate]

“These are people that are in our churches.”

1. Why? The Body of Christ is made up of regenerate believers. Unregenerate believers should never be invited to "yoke" with believers in a church setting...unless it is for outreach only, with the purpose of sharing the Gospel. Sunday morning is NOT that time. Everything that happens on The Lord's Day, can only be partaken of by people possessing the Holy Spirit. Praying - Spirit needed. Singing Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs to the glory of God - it is impossible for those without the Spirit to please God...by song, prayer, or otherwise. Communion - Spirit needed. Confessing sins one to another - maybe we don't do that enough because we sense unbelievers in our midst, waiting to pounce on that information. All this leads me to;

2. Our current thinking that man somehow is capable of "convincing" sinners to repent and believe has led us to a man centered gospel. Thus the attraction to "appeal" to the visual and audio senses. We think that by working a man's emotions, we can get him to make a decision...ala Warren quote, "In fact, on p. 219, he states, “It is my deep conviction that anybody can be won to Christ if you discover the key to his or her heart . . . . The most likely place to start is with the person’s felt needs.”" - Link
It is God who draws. God who convicts. God who takes out the heart of stone and replaces it with a heart of flesh. God who grants a man the ability to repent and believe. He will show mercy on whom He will show mercy. All this leads me to;

3. We have many who think they are saved, and are not, because THEY made a choice to come to God on THEIR terms. The pews need to be purged. This, Paul Washer, should be shown in churches all across America! When the purge happens, you will see this "softening" for sin leave. All which leads me to this;

4. Any regenerate man still sitting in a pew defiantly sinning in ANY sin, including but not limited to: homosexuality, murder, fornication, adultery, gossip, slander, fits of rage, drunkenness, disobedient to parents, etc...should fall to the biblical mandate of Church discipline...which the lack of in this post Christian culture has exacerbated our problem.

[Alex Murphy]

....not a word about Bellvue Baptist in Memphis, who tried to cover a child molestation by one of the Ministers, and actually refused to immediately fire him. This was 7 or 8 years ago, and resulted in dividing the church and families.

Didn't you used to attend there? Eight to ten years ago, FReepers were saying that they "preached the Word". Where do you think they went astray?

[Coldwater Creek]

I did go to Bellvue. It all started when Dr. Rogers retired and the people lost their vote. Dr. Rogers would NEVER have put up with the administrative shenanigan's that go on today.

[MayflowerMadam]

“These are people that are in our churches.”

If he’s referring to homosexuals, they are not in SBC churches as members. Perhaps they attend, but you can’t be an actual member unless you’re a born-again Christian. A person won’t/can’t practice homosexuality if he/she is a born-again Christian. Ergo...

Getting all squishy on what’s in the Bible has never had a good ending.

[fwdude]

"We're all in agreement that the cultural war is over when it comes to homosexuality, especially when it comes to gay marriage," Scroggins told the pastors.

What a godless, gutless coward.

He may not be interested in war, but war is STILL interested in him.

[ReformationFan]

After all, it has worked out so well for the Epicopagan(oops!) Episcopal church.

[ealgeone]

"If you spent 20 years and you've never said anything about divorce in the church culture, then shut up about gay marriage," Smith said.

I think he's spot on with this comment. For far too long the church has been silent on the issues of divorce, shacking up/living in sin, etc.

The homosexual movement is a natural outcome of this neglect by the church.

[ReformationFan]

“If you spent 20 years and you’ve never said anything about divorce in the church culture, then shut up about gay marriage,” Smith said.

So because someone has been negligent about speaking against one sin it’s OK to support another sin? :?

“For far too long the church has been silent on the issues of divorce, shacking up/living in sin, etc.

The homosexual movement is a natural outcome of this neglect by the church.”

I generally agree with this point although I’d add another subject the Protestant church has been generally silent about, i.e., contraception. If the contraceptive mentality hadn’t started to be embraced by the Anglican Lambeth conference of 1930, we’d probably never be discussing the issue of marriage redefinition today.

[ReformationFan]

Yep. Homosexuality OK. Abortions OK. Women preachers OK. But somehow, infant baptism is sinful? :?

Liberal Baptists are an enigma to me.

[ReformationFan]

I figure that the SBC would have to start pushing the usual liberal precursor a/k/a the ordination of females prior to acceptance of homosexuality in their churches. Unless of course there are some Baptists who support homosexuality yet believe ordination should be limited only to males.

[Ransomed]

“If the contraceptive mentality hadn’t started to be embraced by the Anglican Lambeth conference of 1930, we’d probably never be discussing the issue of marriage redefinition today.”

Very true. Every non-Catholic Christian who rejects it that I have found is invariably very conservative. On the other hand try to find one person of any faith who accepts abortion, ‘gay marriage’, or female clergy but who also thinks bc within marriage is wrong.

Also civil divorce and remarriage or at least easy civil divorce and remarriage. That one conditioned a lot of folks that the state defines marriage and can change it if judges, pols, or 50%+1 of the voting public agree it should be changed at any one time.

Freegards

[ealgeone]

“If you spent 20 years and you’ve never said anything about divorce in the church culture, then shut up about gay marriage,” Smith said. So because someone has been negligent about speaking against one sin it’s OK to support another sin? :? “For far too long the church has been silent on the issues of divorce, shacking up/living in sin, etc. The homosexual movement is a natural outcome of this neglect by the church.” I generally agree with this point although I’d add another subject the Protestant church has been generally silent about, i.e., contraception. If the contraceptive mentality hadn’t started to be embraced by the Anglican Lambeth conference of 1930, we’d probably never be discussing the issue of marriage redefinition today.

I agree...contraception has turned sex into an almost purely recreational thing as opposed to its intended purpose of procreation. Hence after the introduction of the pill you see the rise of:

1) militant feminism

2) beginning of breakdown of nuclear family

3) abortion

4) living in sin/shacking up

[Salvavida]

They know that they’d lose a lot of churches if they pulled that. I know many pastors that have said those are the 2 red lines. I’m reformed Baptist myself.

[ReformationFan]

“I’m reformed Baptist myself.”

Are you a fan of the 1689 London Confession of Baptist Faith?

http://vor.org/truth/1689/1689bc00.html

[Salvavida]

Are you a fan of the 1689 London Confession of Baptist Faith?

That's a lot of reading, but I don't see anything in there I would oppose.

[ReformationFan]

It’s quite good. It’s essentially the same as the Westminster Confession of Faith(1647) which is the Presbyterian confession with the main differences concerning baptism and church government.

This link compares the two of them side by side:

http://www.proginosko.com/docs/wcf_lbcf.html

[chesley]

There have always been liberal Baptist preachers. They should do what Jimmy Carter did and leave for a more liberal convention.

[Salvavida]

Wow. This one surprised me:

3. The purest churches under heaven are subject to mixture and error; and some have so degenerated as to become no churches of Christ, but synagogues of Satan; nevertheless Christ always hath had, and ever shall have a kingdom in this world, to the end thereof, of such as believe in him, and make profession of his name.