Posted on 11/17/2001 4:23:44 PM PST by gg188
Southern Baptists shun common prayer
By Mark I. Pinsky
Sentinel Staff Writer
November 14, 2001
LAKELAND -- Despite the trauma of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Southern Baptists won't be flocking to interfaith services designed to bring the nation together. Alone among America's major religious groups, the nation's largest Protestant denomination holds fast to its long-standing policy of not praying with others.
For the 15.7 million members of the Southern Baptist Convention, this means not only Jews, Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus, but also Christian denominations they do not consider legitimate, including Roman Catholics, Mormons, Seventh-day Adventists and Jehovah's Witnesses. "We believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven," said the Rev. Dwayne Mercer, pastor of First Baptist Church of Oviedo, explaining why he would not participate in interfaith gatherings, including one scheduled early next year for Central Florida congregations.
Mercer was elected president of the 1 million-member Florida Baptist Convention on Tuesday, at the group's annual meeting in Lakeland. He was unopposed.
Mercer, 47, said if he attended events with leaders of other faiths, members of his congregation might assume he believes "that all these faiths are legitimate," which he does not.
Even in a time of crisis, praying with Charismatic and Pentecostal Protestants is as far as most Southern Baptists are prepared to go.
In Jacksonville, the Rev. Ted Corley, pastor of Mayfair Baptist Church, organized a citywide service after the tragedy, limiting those invited to Southern Baptists, mainline Protestants and Pentecostals.
"I draw the line with those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as their messiah," he said.
"I tend to shy away from that. . . . As a pastor, I would not feel comfortable with someone praying to Allah or Buddha in my presence. That would go against my position concerning my faith about salvation and Jesus Christ."
Locally, the Rev. James Fortinberry, executive director of the Greater Orlando Baptist Association, said he would be willing to participate in an interfaith panel, but that he also drew the line at common prayer. Refusing to join such prayer gatherings "might be misunderstood," he said. "That's just a risk I take."
The Southern Baptists' course might be self-destructive, said Leo Sandon, distinguished professor of religion and American studies at Florida State University. By refusing to join in religious gatherings in a time of crisis, he said, "they're alienating themselves from the broader community."
"I am very sorry and disappointed that we have not had the presence of our brothers and sisters of the Southern Baptist faith," said the Rev. Fred Morris, executive director of the Florida Council of Churches, who has been active in organizing interfaith gatherings in Central Florida. "It has been deeply rewarding to be sharing in prayers for peace and harmony with persons of a wide variety of faith traditions, and it is disappointing not having such an important group as the Southern Baptists sharing in this very rich experience."
Besides alienating themselves from other faiths, Sandon said, the Southern Baptists "are driving the wedge deeper between themselves and progressive members of the denomination."
Already there are hundreds of such dissident, moderate congregations across the South and Midwest that no longer send delegates to the annual Southern Baptist Convention or to statewide gatherings such as the one in Lakeland. Many of these congregations do not agree with the national denomination's position on interfaith gatherings, Sandon said.
For example, representatives of Sweetwater Baptist Church and College Park Baptist Church joined members of other religions at an Altamonte Springs hotel in the weeks after the terrorist attacks. "Interfaith gatherings build an enormous amount of understanding and respect for different faith traditions," said the Rev. Ron Crawford of College Park Baptist Church. "We have so much to learn from one another. To refuse to participate is nothing more than arrogant and truly unbecoming a Christian."
Attacks offered opportunity
In contrast with other religious denominations, which in the days after Sept. 11 emphasized understanding, tolerance and respect for the American Muslim community, Southern Baptist missionaries declared that the attacks offered an ideal opportunity to evangelize American Muslims.
The Rev. Peter Shadid -- pastor of the Arabic Evangelical Church a ministry of First Baptist Church of Kissimmee -- said the attacks spurred his conviction that the Gospel should be shared with Arab-Americans. During a tragedy, he said, it is human nature to feel closer to God.
"Muslims are more receptive to know about Jesus Christ than at any other time," he said.
A prominent Southern Baptist leader took another approach, denouncing all of Islam as a religion.
The Rev. Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., said Islam worships a false god with a false faith. Speaking at his seminary's chapel on Oct. 17, Mohler said, "I want to say as a Christian theologian, the biggest problem with Islamic theology is that it kills the soul."
It is a faith that "lies about God" and "presents a false gospel," said Mohler, a rising leader in the denomination. He said "these are difficult things to say. This is not polite."
Mohler, who regularly condemns religious pluralism and its notion that all faiths are equally legitimate, also said in his chapel talk that Jews and Muslims do not serve the same God as Christians.
On CNN's Larry King Live last year, Mohler used some of the same language to describe the Catholic Church.
"As an evangelical, I believe that the Roman church is a false church and it teaches a false gospel," Mohler told King.
At the same time, the Southern Baptists have no problem making common political cause with Catholics on issues such as abortion and stem-cell research. They just won't worship with Catholics.
The Rev. Paige Patterson, former president of the Southern Baptist Convention and head of the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C., frequently boasts, "I do not have an ecumenical bone in my body."
Patterson was one of the architects of the conservative takeover of the denomination.
Mark Pinsky may be reached at mpinsky@orlandosentinel.com or at 407-420-5589.
Copyright © 2001, Orlando Sentinel
And Katie, if you don't like the South, may I suggest you chose the nearest inter-state to your location and head due north.
How many Baptists does it take to change a light bulb?
CHANGE? Who said anything about change?!?!
I have never seen our church reject open prayer or prayer with other Christians.
Sounds like another scam to me or at the least, not an opinion of the church as a body!
Well maybe the Southern Baptists think prayer has some other purpose then to provide "rewarding" and "very rich" experiences to the participants. In fact, I would have thought the purose of prayer was to petition God for some particular blessing. How does a huge hodge-podge religious touchy-feely group grope accomplish that?
Since when is God more likely to reward prayer based on the number of attendants at the prayer meeting? (There are a number of Bible instructions about prayer that directly contradict this whole group prayer concept, like going into your closet to pray, and where two or three are gathered together.) Its not likely that most of the participants at these religious rallies are familiar with these, however.
Hank
You obviously don't read the religious threads here.
Isaiah 1:15 And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.All prayer is not equalJeremiah 7:16 Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee.
Jeremiah 11:14 Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up a cry or prayer for them: for I will not hear them in the time that they cry unto me for their trouble.
Lamentations 3 7 He hath hedged me about, that I cannot get out: he hath made my chain heavy.
8 Also when I cry and shout, he shutteth out my prayLamentations 3 43 Thou hast covered with anger, and persecuted us: thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied.
44 Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass through.
Proverbs 15 . 29 The LORD is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous.
What do you think religion is? Ice cream?
You hit the nail on the head.
It is a faith that "lies about God" and "presents a false gospel," said Mohler, a rising leader in the denomination. He said "these are difficult things to say. This is not polite."
Mohler, who regularly condemns religious pluralism and its notion that all faiths are equally legitimate, also said in his chapel talk that Jews and Muslims do not serve the same God as Christians.
Remember during last year's presidential primaries the leftist media (that's redundant, isn't it?) tried, as it always does, to fuel fires between Christian denominations? Between Catholics and Baptists, etc.? Christians have liturgical differences among themselves, yes. But it isn't the same as the differences between those who believe in God (Christians and Jews) and pagan, heathun idolators whose so-called "religion" consists of killing "infidels", flogging women and jumping boys and goats.
Amish and Jews and Catholics and Baptists have tenets within their faiths that differ irreconcilably with the other groups. The WEST has differences with ISLAMS that go to the very heart of all things civilized.
Now the left wants to exploit Catholic/Baptist liturgical differences for their purposes of mainstreaming ISLAM and other wicked cults, saying that they are no different from us in the USA.
Tough, I even pray that the muslims will find Christ.
And they twisted Gods word for their own benefit. Like people do now, trying to make Christianity more tolerant.
Christianity was never meant to be a religion of tolerance. Meek gentle loving, yes, tolerant, no.
You people that think Jesus is coming back as that loving carpenter, patting everyone on the head and telling them everthing is ok as long as you tried to be nice, are in for a big surprise
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