Welcome back. I pray you are well. I hope the following
entry makes you smile and gives a thought to carry you throughout your day.
There are some times
when Baptists traditionally have said, “No,” and it was a good thing.
“Is the Sermon on the
Mount symbolic and too impossible to attempt?”
“No.”
“Jesus never really
intended us to really live out the Sermon on the Mount. I mean really?”
“No.”
“Should I go to war?
“No.”
“Should I kill?”
“No.”
“Should I coerce anyone
to believe what I believe or should anyone coerce me?”
“No.”
“Can an association of
churches tell my church what to do?”
“No.”
“Can any government ever
force me to pray their prayer, read their scripture, or worship according to
their church?”
“Hell no!”
I remain a Baptist
because by saying “no” to intolerance and repression, I am saying “yes” to
religious liberty. I believe in the separation of church and state,
the freedom of conscience, and the competency of the soul. Ours is a
rich history of defying civil authorities who are killing us. And
you thought the puritans were persecuted?
It is troubling today to
see Baptists argue against the separation of church and state. Ironically, they claim that the phrase
“separation of church and state” is not in the Bill of Rights.
The phrase comes to us
from Thomas Jefferson who used it when he replied to the letter he received
from the Danbury Baptists in Connecticut.
The congregation had expressed their fear to Jefferson that the federal government
might grow into a religious tyrant.
Ironically, President
Kennedy was speaking to a group of Southern Baptists in 1960 when he said that
he believed in the absolute separation of church and state. Back then, Southern Baptists feared the Pope
would be ruling the United States.
Now that the SBC has so
much political influence, I doubt they would want to hear our current president
avow absolute separation of church and state.
Ironically, these
Baptists today who believe that the separation of church and state is a myth do
believe in “separation of powers.” This phrase is not found in the U.S. Constitution.
Imagine if our president
suddenly declared every American has the right to make his or her own moonshine. Imagine if he gave an executive order
declaring all Americans must learn the art of distilling in federally funded
schools.
Lord have mercy! My Baptist brothers and sisters would gnash
their teeth over his egregious violation of the separation of powers.
Incidentally, we
Baptists traditionally believe in the trinity, a word not found in the Bible.
I am aware my denomination
is not perfect, but I shall remain a Baptist. My historical heritage and people are too
interesting to abandon. We are good people
who lose our way from time to time, for decades on occasion, but some of us
find our way again. Religious liberty allows
me to say, "No!" to my church.
Which is the most
impossible journey for a Christian? Living out the Sermon on the Mount or possessing the correct
theology? I choose the
Sermon on the Mount. It manifests the nature
of God.
I am too stubborn to
change, too loyal. Besides, I am
ordained. Nobody can take that
away except the one who called me.
Next, I want to reflect
on spiritual psychology. I hope to see you
here. Blessings…
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