tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17154648.post115464486922534026..comments2023-10-11T04:34:56.433-07:00Comments on His Barking Dog: An Invitation from the Middle for the Right and Left to Leave and What Will Be Left?Dennis E. McFaddenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07580173031351978626noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17154648.post-1155071711484410702006-08-08T14:15:00.000-07:002006-08-08T14:15:00.000-07:00Well HK... I would agree with you that the revisio...Well HK... I would agree with you that the revisionists have gutted the Baptist tradition... but we would differ on who the revisionists are.<BR/>FWIW, my congregation removed "Baptist" from its name 2 years ago because too many people in our broader community associated that word with the folk I would call revisionists - folk like the SBC, ABE, etc.royhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00508828835908673347noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17154648.post-1155002326434293152006-08-07T18:58:00.000-07:002006-08-07T18:58:00.000-07:00H.K., I sympathize with much of what you wrote...H.K.,<BR/> I sympathize with much of what you wrote. A question and a comment:<BR/>1.) Who exactly do you mean when you say "evangelicals" (i.e. in the context of "sacrifice all evangelicals"?<BR/>2.) I don't think you're correct about the motivating factor behind the recent blitz of churches dropping the name "Baptist." My experience has been that most churches dropping the word Baptist are looking to lose quite the opposite stigma: the hellfire and brimstone KJV-only picture of a Baptist, as well as appearing more ecumenical and welcoming to the people in the neighborhood.Zachary Bartelshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13188521505536660574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17154648.post-1154834703263742242006-08-05T20:25:00.000-07:002006-08-05T20:25:00.000-07:00A friend of mine "tipped" me off to a discussion a...A friend of mine "tipped" me off to a discussion about this blog in another forum. This surprises me, since the people on that forum have always prided themselves on not discussing people by name who are not part of their conversation.<BR/><BR/>Dealing with "the issue," however, several points can be made:<BR/><BR/>1. I did not speak with a member of the search committee (the only people pledged to secrecy). Indeed, I informed my source the way in which it would be used in this blog.<BR/><BR/>2. Because I am NOT on the search committee, my comment was that "I pray that my sources here are in error," recognizing that second and third hand information may or may not be true. <BR/><BR/>3. Despite the hand wringing by some of our Baptist brethren, my purpose in the blog was to give ADVANCE WARNING to VF that picking merely a "good" candidate for BIM is not enough at this time. In order to avoid continued losses of churches and regions, BIM should select a candidate able to reassure the evangelicals in the ABC in addition to other skills (sound management of a multi-million dollar budget, visionary leadership, good relations with the missionaries, ability to represent BIM well in the churches). Incidetnally, these are exactly the things I shared with Dr. Medley in his hotel room mroe than two years ago (along with a couple of names of midwest/eastern American Baptists who might make splendid candidates who DO fulfill the full set of qualifications referenced above.<BR/><BR/>4. My intention was not to spill names. That would needlessly complicate the search committee process. But, the responsibility of secrecy applies only to the committee members, not to outsiders who guess or get told by committee members who candidates are. In my case, the names shared with me were from a non-search committee member and, with one exception, were exactly who I would have predicted to be the finalists.Dennis E. McFaddenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07580173031351978626noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17154648.post-1154821368678337872006-08-05T16:42:00.000-07:002006-08-05T16:42:00.000-07:00I fear there is a lot of truth in ISY's first desc...I fear there is a lot of truth in ISY's first description of the middle...<BR/><BR/>I am part of ABC by choice and part of what drew me was the theological diversity. I deeply value many of those with whom I disagree (ask Dennis) and count on their insights to keep me honest. If Roy is truly inviting the left and the right to leave... he is destroying the very strengths that brought me into this denomination, which keep me here, and which keep me fighting/hoping that we can become more than what we are right now or have been for some time.royhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00508828835908673347noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17154648.post-1154697051584004612006-08-04T06:10:00.000-07:002006-08-04T06:10:00.000-07:00ISY, I'd consider my church of the middle (althou...ISY,<BR/> I'd consider my church of the middle (although I'm probably not of the middle. For once, my church has a pastor who is more conservative than the majority, rather than one who is waaaay off to their left theologically).<BR/><BR/>I proclaim homosexuality as wrong, but agreeing with me is not required in order to be in fellowhship (or even leadership).<BR/><BR/>We do value diversity--racial, national, and yes, theological (go back to the Rhode Island Charter to see if this is new).<BR/><BR/><I>Of course</I> we're multi-generational. Who would want to be part of a church that wasn't? <BR/><BR/>Membership standards are high. I personally interview everyone (and we've been growing a lot lately) and help them work through areas of difficulty where their doctrine doesn't match the plain teaching of Scripture.<BR/><BR/>We have been in the black financially for four years in a row now. No help from Valley Forge or Lansing. For our new elevator (a couple years ago) and A/C (please, Lord, by next summer), people dig deep and give till it hurts because they love the church. Still, thank God for the "old endowment" that kept the church afloat during the last pastor's tenure.<BR/><BR/>We have minimal representation in region and national ABC boards.<BR/><BR/>Our own ministry teams are split equally between "talkers" and "doers," but we get more real ministry and evangelism done than any other church I've been part of.<BR/><BR/>The Last three pastor's tenures at our church have been six years, nineteen, and fourteen. God willing, I'd love to stay thirty.<BR/><BR/>We may be "in the middle" of the current controversey (here's where I insert my own "yawn, yawn, and yawn"), but I believe our Lord would spit out any of the far-right-leaning churches I've been a part of before he would decide we were neither hot or cold when it comes to Him and His Gospel.<BR/><BR/>I guess when it comes to describing huge groups of churches, I should change my name to "Amill-Evidentialist."Zachary Bartelshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13188521505536660574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17154648.post-1154695269158122092006-08-04T05:41:00.000-07:002006-08-04T05:41:00.000-07:00Mr. McFadden’s Christian retirement home could hav...Mr. McFadden’s Christian retirement home could have a heyday recruiting folks from the middle of the road AB churches pictured above by Mr. I-S-W.<BR/><BR/>greetings, ronrevdrronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05003474866079969825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17154648.post-1154651045625037552006-08-03T17:24:00.000-07:002006-08-03T17:24:00.000-07:00So who's in the Middle? Is there a real middle? ...So who's in the Middle? Is there a real middle? The only ones who are in the middle are theological dwarfts, whose only alligence is to the denomination itself, which in effect makes them theo-left allies. My contention is that there is really is no effective middle.Glenn Laynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04705379907349377445noreply@blogger.com