Spurgeon a Pacifist? Gay the New Black? Election Fair?

The posting of links does not constitute an endorsement of the sites linked, and not necessarily even agreement with the specific posts linked.

150 Years of Misunderstanding the Civil War
“Blessed Are The Peacemakers”: An Examination of the Peacemaking Legacy of Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Do pastors lie when surveyed about work habits?
Gay Is Not the New Black
How Can Homosexuality Be Wrong if It Doesn't Harm Anyone?
Is Divine Election Fair?
Singing to Build Up
Charles Spurgeon: On War and Christians
What Does the Regulative Principle Require of Church Members?
What Is Morality Other than Harm?
When to Give Out Your Social Security Number, How to Protect It

Tithing 101 on the radio

RTR: Tithing 101 with Gary Arnold will be on blog radio this Sunday morning at 10:00am Eastern/9:00am Central. Just click the link and go to the site to listen.

Gary Arnold is author of Tithing Today, a book that presents "an in-depth study of the Levitical tithe," shows "that the requirement to tithe ended at the cross," and teaches "how the New Testament Church is to be financed."

Saints, Tongues, Muslims and Good News for Gays

And more.

The posting of links does not constitute an endorsement of the sites linked, and not necessarily even agreement with the specific posts linked.

Child Abuse And Matthew 18: The Dangers of Distorting Scripture
Church Signs of the Week
Free E-Book: Keach's Types and Metaphors of the Bible
Good News for Gays
Pope Francis clears John Paul II for sainthood
Summer driving tips to help prevent a road trip catastrophe
The Nature of the Biblical Gift of Tongues: Consideration of Relevant Non-Narrative New Testament Passages
Tom Hicks on Benjamin Keach
What Every Christian Needs to Know About the Qur’an

Texas passes stricter abortion regulations

"The Texas Senate passed House Bill 2 (HB-2) bill restricting abortions past 20 weeks and increased  facility requirements would be mean that only surgical centers could  provide abortions. Further, HB-2 would require that doctors performing abortions would have admitting privileges in nearby hospitals."

From Texas Senate Passes Sweeping Abortion Bill HB-2 19 to 11

Excerpts from Church Discipline 7

FORM OF DISCIPLINE
The method and form of discipline in Baptist churches are democratic and should be rigidly enforced. The Bible is the only faith and code of laws, and Baptist churches are its only exponents. A Baptist church has absolute power within itself to discipline its members, to punish heresy, wrong-living and evil-doing. From the local Baptist church (there are no other kinds) there is no appeal to a higher church-court or tribunal, for the very good reason that such higher courts do not exist. No association, convention, board of ruling elders, nor school of bishops has the power to set aside or reverse the decision of a Baptist church. In this manner, Baptists declare, trouble in one church, or with one member, or with one pastor, can neither injure the denomination as a whole, nor should it bring about strife within the councils of the faith.

The disciplining of a member is the church's business and takes place in and through the local church itself. Any member of a congregation has a right, if he has knowledge of his guilt, to bring charges against any other member. Of course, such charges must be based upon some violation of Scriptural law, or denominational doctrine as based upon a "thus saith the Lord" in His Word.

From Church Discipline by Lester Stewart Walker, 1913--1982

A revision of Walker's work by E. C. Gillentine is available from Bogard Press.

He said, she said

“Our government has treated free exercise of religion as though it were a tattered house standing in the way of a government construction of a railroad; there to be bought off or plowed out of the way, in the name of progress. We dissent.” -- Russell Moore

"Women’s rights used to be about the right to work in a chosen profession or stay at home. Now the left has reversed it into criticizing women who choose to stay at home, suddenly deciding that the choice is misogynist." -- Rachel Alexander

"God gave woman the goddess-like capability of bearing life itself, and yet feminists always seem to judge themselves by how much they can be like a man." -- Mark Osgatharp

"Saying there are too many children is like saying there is too many flowers!" -- Michelle Duggar

"There is such a thing as principled moderation, but real-world moderates are more prone to fudge, ignore and obfuscate when there appears to be no constituency for the truth." -- Alan Bean

"Swing voters are more appropriately known as the 'idiot voters' because they have no set of philosophical principles. By the age of fourteen, you're either a Conservative or a Liberal if you have an IQ above a toaster." -- Ann Coulter

“There are two theories to arguing with a woman. Neither works.” --  Will Rogers

"Women always worry about the things that men forget; men always worry about the things women remember." -- Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

A long list o' links

The posting of links does not constitute an endorsement of the sites linked, and not necessarily even agreement with the specific posts linked.

12 Foods Nutritionists Eat
Bloomfield Hills high school bans prayer at football games after ACLU complaint
Christian Preacher Tony Miano Arrested In Wimbledon For 'Homophobic' Sermon (with video)
Clapper apologizes for 'erroneous' answer on NSA
Ethics: Christian Friend Wants to Sue Pastor Over Copyright
Five car maintenance myths and the money-saving truth
Kentucky church wants pastor gone after wife's column
Leadership Training in the Book of Acts
Man charged with sex crimes at Caswell
Moore: Church’s views ‘seem freakish’ to culture
National gay blood drive aims to lift donation ban
Obama administration delays major requirement of health law
Post-DOMA, gay marriage backers target states
Rick Perry will not seek re-election as Texas governor
SEBTS to launch Spurgeon Center
So, You Want to Hide from the NSA? Your Guide to the Nearly Impossible
Texas House passes pro-life House Bill 2, Senate to consider it
The Anatomy of an Internet Article
Why Only Baptized Christians Should Take Communion

Excerpts from Church Discipline 6

RESULTS OF CHURCH DISCIPLINE
There are several noticeable results about churches which exercise church discipline.

1. They are, as a rule, Spirit led, consecrated and devoted to the Lord and His Word.
2.They live morally clean lives and keep united in fellowship and brotherly love.
3.They have the confidence of the world. The outsider who looks on soon decides that such a church is no place for criminals and crooks to harbor.
4. They have the blessings, smiles and approval of heaven upon them. Living a separated life is a doctrine that is taught from one side of the Bible to the other. God has always taught His people to live separate and apart from the world.
5. Churches which practice church discipline will find that worldly minded and hypocritical members and certain kinds of people of the world will frown upon them. They will also find that the Lord and His consecrated saints will smile upon them.
6. Churches which practice strict discipline are, as a rule, humble, Biblical, spiritual, steadfast, unmoveable and always abounding in the work of the Lord, I Cor. 15:58.
7. Churches which practice strict discipline are, usually, soul-winning churches and are not mere member-getters. They believe in regeneration before church membership.

May God help all His churches to see and know the value of the precious doctrine of strict church discipline. We are taught in the Word to adorn the doctrines of our Saviour in all things, Titus 2:10. The doctrine of church discipline should be honored, taught and obeyed along with all other fundamental doctrines of the New Testament.

[Conviction for an offense, as a rule, means an exclusion from the church, although the congregation, the church, in minor cases, may inflict such penalties as demanding an apology, or a public expression of wrong-doing, repentance and a desire for forgiveness.]

From Church Discipline by Lester Stewart Walker, 1913--1982

A Story of Horizontal Grace

"For me, a magnificent example of horizontal grace came by watching the late Tom Landry while he was still coaching the Dallas Cowboys. During the time he and I served on the board of Dallas Theological Seminary, I often sat next to him and found him to be a man of quiet dignity. The closer you got, the more you respected him. He was a man who lived under God’s grace, and he gave it away like few I’ve seen. This came into clear focus in his response to Woody Hayes.

"Hayes coached the Ohio State football team for 28 years and took General George Patton as his model of leadership. His hard-nosed discipline gained him a reputation for being fiery. He was very difficult to please, had little tolerance for failure, and sometimes crossed the line when disciplining a player. Over his career, Hayes amassed an incredible win-loss record, but he also created a long list of offenses against players, parents, fans, and sports reporters. During the 1978 Gator Bowl, an opposing player intercepted an Ohio State pass and wound up on the Buckeyes’s sideline. Infuriated, Woody Hayes slugged the boy, nearly knocking off his helmet—all on national television.

"Appropriately, Ohio State fired him the next day. But in the weeks that followed, the nation raged, reporters mercilessly piled on, and anyone with a grudge vented his spleen on the humiliated coach. He retreated in silence and shame behind drawn drapes and locked doors.

"During that time, Coach Tom Landry was to attend a prestigious banquet in New York and he was free to ask a guest to join him. Normally, he would have taken his wife, Alicia. But this time he appeared with Woody Hayes. Landry’s poignant act of grace lifted Hayes out of his shame and silenced his tormenters. Grace has a way of doing that.

"I asked Coach Landry about it at our next board meeting. He said, “I figured that since everybody else was beating up on him, he needed somebody to put an arm around him and tell him he still loved him.” Can you imagine how that felt for Coach Woody Hayes? When he was bent low, feeling ashamed . . . deserving nothing, Landry bent down, lifted him up, and embraced him."

It's Time to Embrace Grace by Embracing the Unlovely by Charles R. Swindoll

Excerpts from Church Discipline 5

RESTORING DISCIPLINED MEMBERS
In Gal. 6:1, we read: "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted." A church which is not in a condition to forgive an offending brother is not in a condition to discipline him. The spiritually strong members of the church should strive with all longsuffering and gentleness to reconcile the poor offender and bring him back into fellowship, if he will permit it.

In Paul's second letter to the Corinthians, he pled with them to forgive such a man. He said, "Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted by the many (the majority). So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him," 11 Cor. 2:6-8.

From Church Discipline by Lester Stewart Walker, 1913--1982

7 quotes about forgiveness

"If you fail to forgive, you burn a bridge over which you must some day walk." -- Josh McDowell

“Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.” -- Oscar Wilde

“To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.” -- C.S. Lewis

“To err is human, to forgive, divine.” -- Alexander Pope

"The glory of Christianity is to conquer by forgiveness." -- William Blake 

"A happy marriage is the union of two good forgivers." - Robert Quillen

"Forgiveness is the fragrance the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it." - Mark Twain

Excerpts from Church Discipline 4

CLASSES OF CHURCH DISCIPLINE
There are three kinds or classes of church discipline mentioned in the Scriptures: (1) Cases which deal with personal offenses. (2) Cases which deal with public offenses. (3) Cases which deal with doctrinal offenses. Each of these should be dealt with differently. God gives us a plan, in His Word, for each separate kind. Let us consider them in the order named above.

1. Personal differences, Matt. 18:15-17. Details for such offenses are very clearly given here by the Lord Himself. We read "Moreover if thy brother trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican."

Observe here that no mention is made of a church-sent committee. There is neither precept nor example for the appointment of a committee by the church to settle the matter. The above mentioned Scripture, as spoken by the Lord Himself, plainly states the manner in which we are to deal with personal offenses. When this plan is followed in spirit and in practice, the Lord will recognize it in heaven, Matt. 18:18. Heaven is the headquarters for all the Lord's churches, and all things that are done according to His divine plan are recognized and endorsed in heaven. Jesus is the Head over all things to His churches, and He is in heaven at the right hand of the Father.

2. Public offenses, I Cor. 5:1-13. In this passage we have an example of how to deal with one who has committed a public offense against the church, the house of God. The ground required for dealing with such an offender is, according to Paul's instruction to the church at Corinth, a local congregation, on the basis of a common report based on facts.

First, before a church can act upon any case, her members must be gathered together, assembled, I Cor. 5:4. This cannot be done by circulating a petition around to the members. Bear in mind the Scripture reads "Let all things be done decently and in order," I Cor. 14:40. Paul warns of the danger of allowing such matters to go uncurbed and unnoticed too long. Observe I Cor. 5:6, 7 "Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?" A little sin and a little worldliness in the lives of a few of the members, if not removed, will soon corrupt the whole congregation. The remedy is found in verse 6: "Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump." In verses 4 and 5 of this chapter the Corinthians are told what to do with the offender, "Deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh (not the soul) that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus." From this we understand that it is an injustice to the offender to allow him to go undisciplined. To do so will cause him to lose respect for the house of God.

In this passage we are instructed that we cannot, as a church, bother those wicked persons not in our membership, for God will deal with them. As far as those who are in the membership are concerned, the church has a Scriptural right as well as a responsibility to deal with them. Let us read I Cor. 5:12, 13: "For what have I to do to judge there also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person." This is to be done on the basis of a common report. No church committee is mentioned...

Another example of public offenses is found in II Thess. 3:6: "Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received from us." This is a direct command to the church at Thessalonica. As in the case of the Corinthian church, there is no mention of a church committee. Just simply a common report based on facts that satisfies the church is all that is needed...

3. Heretical offenses. In Titus 3:10, Paul gives instructions regarding disciplinary measures as applied to doctrinal offenders. We read: "A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject." This is not hard to understand, is it? Such an offender is to be admonished twice; after that, if he is not in harmony with sound doctrine he is to be rejected. As in the other cases, we find here no church-appointed committee is authorized to deal with the offender. The practice of churches naming committees to effectuate discipline is completely without Scriptural sanction. Accordingly, such a practice is a human invention, the which, instead of helping a church out of trouble, betrays churches into more and deeper trouble.

...We are insisting, however, that the Scriptures nowhere suggest nor make provision for a committee to function in church discipline. In fact, the practice of appointing of committees to chase down rumors against members, or to try members, is borrowed from some so-called churches, rather than found in the Word of God. God has given us no such example. By common report, as referred to above, we mean a report on which the church can rely as evidence on which it may deal with a disorderly member of any of the above-named offenses.

From Church Discipline by Lester Stewart Walker, 1913--1982

Excerpts from Church Discipline 3

THE OCCASIONS FOR CHURCH DISCIPLINE
1. The presence of unregenerated members, and their activities in church work, furnishes one of the occasions for church discipline.
2. The presence of unrestrained flesh furnishes another occasion for church discipline.
3.The presence and activity of untutored enthusiasts in the membership, who clamor for conformity to the things practiced by the world and some so-called churches around them, often present churches with difficult problems.

THE URGENCY OF CHURCH DISCIPLINE
The presence of rebellion against the Word of God, the spiritual virus, the modernistic, formal and dissipating influences in the life of a church demands immediate and stern action. For a church to dodge this matter means spiritual ruin to her. Sometimes we hear some say, "If we were to discipline our church, we would not have many members left." This may be true in some cases, but this does not alter nor discount the doctrine of church discipline nor the urgency of it being exercised. The dominion of such carnality in our churches strongly challenges them to clean house for the Lord. Most churches must make a comeback in this regard and clean up, or else we shall soon find ourselves in a universal apostate condition.

From Church Discipline by Lester Stewart Walker, 1913--1982

News and health, modesty and theology

...Some links
The posting of links does not constitute an endorsement of the sites linked, and not necessarily even agreement with the specific posts linked.

8 Signs of 'Hypergrace' Churches
14 Foods That Fight Inflammation
Beware of Beauty Overload: The Adaptive Eye of the Beholder
Confronting the Error of Hyper-Grace
Our fear of boredom is simply a fear of coming face to face with ourselves
The Surprising Cause of Most 'Spider Bites'
Washington state gets rid of sexist language
Who coined 'United States of America'? Mystery might have intriguing answer

Wisconsin Court upholds parents' convictions in prayer death 6-1

Would We Feel Better Without Makeup? One Woman's Modesty Experiment

Excerpts from Church Discipline 2

THE REASON OR PURPOSE OF CHURCH DISCIPLINE
1. It will aid the church in getting rid of her unregenerated members.
2. It will aid in chastening the erring children of God in the churches.
3. It will be a constant reminder to the church and to the world that God's justice in judgment will find, the wicked in whatever state, condition or society they may seek to live.
4. It will increase the membership among those who want a clean, wholesome spiritual environment in which to live.
5. Weak members will be helped.
6.The spiritually ignorant will be helped.

On this particular doctrine we have sinned and some have almost come to the point of outright contempt for God's Word. Such contempt for divine instruction is mounting evidence of the exodus of the Lord from His churches and the entrance of Satan to the seat of leadership in many congregations in the name of Christ.

From Church Discipline by Lester Stewart Walker, 1913--1982

Is That The Old Ship Of Zion?

I mostly like to sing, but among the favorite songs I like to listen to is "Is That The Old Ship Of Zion." Here are four YouTube versions by the Kingsmen quartet:

Chattanooga Live in 1977
Live In Orlando 1990
Kingsmen 50th Anniversary Concert
In Gainesville, Georgia

The Old Ship of Zion

I was standing on the banks of the river,
Looking out over life's troubled sea,
When I saw an old ship that was sailing,
Is that the old Ship of Zion I see?

Its hull was bent and battered,
From the storms of life, I could see;
Waves were rough, but that old ship was steady.
Is that the old Ship of Zion I see?

At the stern of the ship was the captain,
I could hear as He called out my name;
Get on board, it's the old ship of Zion,
It will never pass this way again.

As I step on board I'll be leaving
All my sorrow and heartache behind;
I'll be safe with Jesus the captain,
Sailing out on the old Ship of Zion.

Excerpts from Church Discipline by L. S. Walker

I have decided to follow on with the theme of church discipline and publish excerpts from L. S. Walker's booklet on the subject in 7 posts over the next seven days (d.v.).

THE MEANING OF "DISCIPLINE":
The word "discipline" means: (1) To regulate one's moral and mental training according to strict rules. (2) To develop his character. (3) To cause him to render strict obedience to the teachings of God's Word. (4) To inflict punishment for disobedience.

THE DOCTRINE OF CHURCH DISCIPLINE
The doctrine of Church Discipline is founded on the emphatic Word of God. That this is true there can be no doubt. Jesus said to His church: "Whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven," Matt. 16:19. The writer of this treatise has a burden on his heart to see the Baptist churches all over the land made better and enabled to do more for the cause of our dear Master. Undisciplined churches are robbed of their power to witness effectively for the Lord, because of sin, in their membership. In this they are severing their fellowship with their Lord. God cannot, He will not, bless a church in sin. In His Word we read: "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin," James 4:17. A church that will not discipline its members is either ignorantly or willingly disobeying the Word of God. If God had not intended for His churches to have exercised discipline over their members, He would not have inspired His writers to put it in His Word.

From Church Discipline by Lester Stewart Walker, 1913--1982

Randomly quoted, times 9

"Battle reenactments are enjoyable entertainment—for people other than veterans." -- Bart Barber

"Being pro-parent is being pro-child." -- copied

"Forbidden fruit creates many jams." -- copied

"No one ever wanted a new heart until he had one." – B. B. Caldwell

"God alone satisfies my search for substance in a world captured by silly things." -- Lore Ferguson

“In the beginning was the Word, not the video.” -- Ravi Zacharias

“The heart has its reasons, that reason knows not of.” -- Blaise Pascal

"Just because we don’t have two brides or two grooms in front of us, that doesn’t mean we’ve been holding to biblical marriage." -- Russell Moore

"If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail." -- [Alt. from Abraham Maslow, "I suppose it is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail."]

3 classes of Church Discipline

Yesterday I posted one blogger's comment about a "youth minister" who was caught having ongoing sexual relations with a teenage girl in his church. He wrote, "If he does not respond accordingly [repentance], he needs to be dealt with according to Matthew 18:15-17. But if he repents, we need to forgive. That is how we deal with these things."

Most American Baptists have lived through an entire generation or two (or maybe three) in which no discipline has been practiced in their churches. Sin is preached against generically and at times specifically, but no action is taken even when "it is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife." People have abortions, extra-marital affairs, live together out of wedlock, steal, get drunk and such-like -- and these things are not done in a corner -- all the while remaining members in good standing at their local Baptist Church. Brethren, these things ought not so to be!

Early in my ministry I read Church Discipline by L. S. Walker. In his booklet Walker categorized what he called "3 classes of church discipline": 1. Private offenses, 2. Public offenses, and 3. Heretical (or Doctrinal) offenses. Walker was correct and I have found no reason in the subsequent 30-something years to change, other than I have tweaked the wording of his third category. Resolution of each of these offenses are approached in a different manner by Christian and the church.

Matthew 18:15-17 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.  And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
1. Private offenses. A private offense is, as the name implies, an offense that occurs between two parties and generally will be known only unto them unless one of the parties tells others of the offense. A falling out between siblings is an example of this kind of offense. This is the type of offense whose resolution is formulated in Matthew 18:15-17. It is formulated in three steps, the following steps being unnecessary is the preceding step brings about the resolution. (1) Resolve the issue privately, no one else need be involved; (2) Take witnesses who might the negotiate between the parties toward a resolution; (3) Tell the church and let the church judge and resolve the issue. Any attempt to apply this to something such as a child sexual abuse case that the church already know about becomes ludicrous.

1 Corinthians 5:2b-5 ...that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present , concerning him that hath so done this deed, In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
2. Public offenses. This is a sin that is publicly known or affects "the public" -- people other than just the parties involved. These include sexual sins such as fornication and adultery, violent sins such as murder and rape, and property sins such as theft. An example of the resolution of this type of offense is found in I Corinthians 5:1-13. In this situation in Corinth a church member was fornicating with his father's wife -- a sin so vilely reputed that the promiscuous Gentiles wouldn't even sanction it! The church already should have acted, and are urged by Paul to take immediate action. No one goes to the member privately. The unrepentant public offender is immediately put out of the church. This is initiated by the church and not privately by an individual. The steps of Matthew 18 do not apply. In matters of public offense which are also criminal, the church acts in her realm in regard to her member, and also allows the "ministers of God" (authority, government) to act in their realm of criminal punishment.

Titus 3:10 A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;
3. Church fellowship offenses. This is an offense in which a church member causes division in the faith and practice of the church. Perhaps he or she adopts beliefs contrary to the faith of the church; for example, to reject the virgin birth of Jesus Christ or his blood atonement for sins are plain violations of the scriptures and bring one under the censure of the church. A divisive spirit that will not be corrected also falls under this type of offense. The individual might be divisive about matters on which the church would otherwise give broad leeway, such as eschatology. He or she might hold the doctrines "to the letter" but not uphold the law of love, trying rather to drive wedges between the believers in the church -- a church splitter. Titus 3:10 is the standard for such discipline. The church teaches and admonishes the member to return to the faith and practice of the church. The unrepentant offender, after being admonished twice, is rejected by the church from their fellowship. Because the offense is known to the church, this is not a private offense and the steps of Matthew 18 do not apply.

It is not uncommon to hear believers plead for the application of Matthew 18:15-17 to be inserted in all matters of church discipline. Such a plea is beyond the pale of scriptural truth and is a misunderstanding of biblical ecclesiology.

I don't have my copy on hand at the moment to compare, but the booklet by Walker or a digest of it can be found HERE.

Reporting child sexual abuse

In my online reading I've run across several discussions about the duty of pastors and church officials to report child sexual abuse.* Whether named or not, the context or background for much of this was the allegations that C.J. Mahaney and Sovereign Grace Ministries concealed sexual abuse of children, that church leaders did not report accusations, and that the churches or ministry handled the situations "in-house" rather than the allowing the law to take its course (among other things).

The ground that child sexual abuse is sinful, unlawful and should be reported was well-covered in the posts and comments. But there was one nagging issue that bothered me -- those who argued that this should be reported because the law requires it. What's wrong with that? Why would that bother me? Two reasons, mainly. But first let me give a four sample comments.

"Call the cops immediately. If we don’t, then we will be in trouble with the law."
"The law requires reporting of even suspicions of abuse. If you’re preaching obedience to the law, to a congregation of a class, then you’d best be calling immediately."
"Whether we think it’s the right thing to do or not, that’s the law so we do it."
"The law of our state says they demand to be involved in the process in order to determine if anything has occurred. And the state will fine you, if they discover that you knew of an alleged case and did not report it."

Briefly notice some elements within these comments. Report it because you'll get in trouble if you don't. Report it to be consistent with teaching obedience to the law. Report it because it's the law, whether it is the "right thing" to do or not.**

There are two reasons that we need to carefully examine regarding the idea of reporting child sexual abuse because the law requires. Stay with me through the post. I am not concluding that we should not report child sexual abuse. I am arguing for a biblical understanding of why a church should report child sexual abuse to law enforcement rather than attempting to handle it "in-house." I hope that we come out understanding why it should be done for biblical reasons rather than just because it is the law. I will digress a bit again before coming directly to the issue.

Child sexual abuse is sin. I'm not going to spend much time making this point, though we can go further if need be. But for the moment I will assume that most Christians will, and certainly ought to, agree with this. All sex outside of marriage is sin, and child sexual abuse is sex outside of marriage. It is fornication, which is a lust of the flesh (Galatians 5:16-21) and an evil thing that comes out of man's heart (Mark 7:21-23). It is assault and it is abuse. Additionally Jesus had much to say about children and the correct treatment of them. Any offense to them is serious and engenders judgment: "But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea (Matthew 18:10)." Pedophilia is one of several sexual characteristics classified as being "without natural affection." Cf. Romans 1:31 and 2 Timothy 3:2.

Reporting is the law. It is governed by state law and will vary by state. I think all states require reporting. According to the website of the Attorney General of the State of Texas, "Anyone having cause to believe that a child's physical or mental health or welfare has been or may be adversely affected by abuse or neglect MUST report the case immediately to a state or local law enforcement agency or the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services." Interestingly, "privileged communication" does not apply to the subject of child abuse in the state of Texas: "The requirement to report under this section applies without exception to an individual whose personal communications may otherwise be privileged, including an attorney, a member of the clergy, a medical practitioner..."

Because we ought to have God's law written in our inward parts
I asked earlier, "What's wrong with reporting child abuse 'because it's the law'?" Why would that bother me? It does not bother me to report it because it is the law. It bothers me that so many quickly default to this being the reason they would report it. Can anyone see a distinction here? Were I to come upon a car wreck with a serious injury, would I think of reporting it because "it's the law" or would I probably just call 911 because it's "the right thing to do?" If a shooting occurred at my church house, would my reporting of it be only because it is the law, or would it be an almost ingrained response to call law enforcement? If we are reporting child sexual abuse because it is the law it raises the questions "Would we do it if it was not the law" and "Why do we not have the same kind of 'untrained' response to the crime of child sexual abuse as we have toward a rape or a shooting?"

Because the Bible is our sole rule of faith and practice
The Christian's ultimate responsibility is to the Divine lawgiver. The Bible is our sole rule of faith and practice. We ought to obey God rather than men (if the two are contradictory) and we ought not get in the habit of looking to human law as our supreme guide. The beginning point is that the Christian’s life/calling has an overriding factor of obedience to God over man. If we train ourselves to do something because it is the law rather than because it is the biblical thing to do, we are setting ourselves up for future failure.

What about churches/ministers in countries where it is not the law? Should they report child sexual abuse? What about Christians who reported Jews to the German authorities because it was the law? Were they right? What we will do when we have trained ourselves to act only because it is the law, and a law calls on us to disobey God? We will acquiesce because "it is the law"? Or will we say with Peter, "Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye."

Just because something is legal does not make it biblically sanctioned (abortion & same-sex marriage, for examples). We should report child sexual abuse because it is the right thing*** to do. We would not keep a murder private. Both murder and child sexual abuse are criminal activities, a criminal matter! Churches don’t investigate or punish criminal behavior from a legal standpoint, so we turn it over to those who do. God has "ministers" who are ordained to these matters -- rulers, authority, government. Romans 13:4 For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.

We can arrive at reporting illegal activity, such as child sexual abuse, regardless of what the law says because: 1.) We are to render to Caesar what is Caesar’s. 2.) One of the things that God has made Caesar’s is the punishment of evildoers. That is the government’s job and not the church’s. If a man in our church murdered someone, we would exclude him, but we would not hang him between the pulpit and the altar. So with child sexual abuse. Government and church can and should both engage this sinful and illegal activity from the spheres of service which God has given them.

Reporting child sexual abuse is the law. So is abortion in all 50 states and so is prostitution in at least 8 counties in the state of Nevada. Should U.S. Christians therefore support abortion, or Nevadan Christians support prostitution? God forbid! Christians don't say, "The courts have declared abortion is a right. That settles it!" The main point I am hoping to get across is to train ourselves in our thinking to do something because it is right (required by God), not just because it is what the law requires. It is the law. Report it! Yes, but not simply because it is the law -- but because as Christians we are rightfully bound to do so by our faith and practice, the word of God.

* SBC Voices and SBC Tomorrow, for examples
** These are blog comments probably written on the fly. Given the opportunity to nuance their comments, the authors might not say they mean to report it only because it is the law, just that we should obey this law.
*** When I say the “right thing”, I mean the “biblical thing”

POST SCRIPT
After determining to write this post it came to my attention in a recent blog comment that at least some people are urging Matthew 18 as the proper way for a church to handle reported child abuse. Trying to be or sound biblical, one blogger advised regarding the arrest of a youth minister who had ongoing sexual relations with a teenage girl in his church, "If he does not respond accordingly [repentance], he needs to be dealt with according to Matthew 18:15-17. But if he repents, we need to forgive. That is how we deal with these things."

Matthew 18:15-17 is about a personal offense between brethren. It is a serious misapplication, with serious consequences, to follow such a formula in criminal offenses. I Corinthians 5, dealing with a sexual offense, is much more applicable as to how the church should deal with the matter internally. I believe that there is a deficient understanding of the whole scope of biblical teaching of church discipline. I hope to address that further tomorrow.

News, Health and Religion, variously linked

The posting of links does not constitute an endorsement of the sites linked, and not necessarily even agreement with the specific posts linked.

7 Foods with Bizarre Side Effects
10 ways to combat mosquitoes naturally
Carter says faith used against women
Catholics, Baptists join in HHS protest
Hobby Lobby wins legal appeal
Kennedy refuses to halt gay marriages in Calif.
Marijuana's march toward mainstream confounds feds
What about Movie Clips? Applying the Regulative Principle
Women Who Gave Their Lives for the Church

"Anastasia (c. 303): Christian martyr in Rome under Diocletian. Father was a pagan but mother was a Christian who instructed Anastasia in the faith. After her mother died, she married a Roman knight, Publius Patricius, who obtained a rich patrimony. when he discovered his wife was a Christian, he treated her harshly and spent her wealth. When he died, Anastasia spent her fortune on the poor and imprisoned. She and three female servants were arrested and told to sacrifice to idols. When they refused, the three servants were put to death, and Anastasia was burnt alive."

The police state

As children we were taught that "the policeman is your friend." That is usually true for law-abiding citizens in a free constitutional republic. At other times, though, police action is clearly excessive and escalates or contaminates situations that are innocent at best or simply resolved at worst. Here are a few.

Girl buys water, spends night in jail

Turtle Creek officials look into police search of home

Police defend killing of Baptist pastor

Chicago police criticized for bypassing warrant process to make arrests using 'investigative alerts'

NY police officer sentenced in "stop and frisk" case

Man with Down syndrome killed in a struggle with off-duty sheriff’s deputies

The posting of links does not constitute an endorsement of the sites linked, and not necessarily even agreement with the specific posts linked.

9 quotes on war

"We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender." -- Winston Churchill 

"War does not determine who is right - only who is left." -- Bertrand Russell

"I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy." -- John Adams 

"It's funny how those who are most pro-war are almost always the guys who never had to fight in one." -- Jerome P. Crabb

"There was never a good war, or a bad peace." -- Benjamin Franklin

"It is well that war is so terrible, lest we should grow too fond of it." -- Robert E. Lee 
  
"A piece of spaghetti or a military unit can only be led from the front end." -- George S. Patton

"We don't thrive on military acts. We do them because we have to, and thank God we are efficient." -- Golda Meir

And for fun...
"Military intelligence is a contradiction in terms." -- Groucho Marx

How the well-paid preacher prepares his pitch, in 13 hours or less

13 hours to prepare a sermon?

3 minutes   -- finding a text
57 minutes -- consulting the commentaries
1 hour        -- owning an outline
10 hours     -- accomplishing and applying an abundant amount of amazing alliteration
1 hour        -- mastering the subject matter, as well as embellishing the illustrations, punchlines and high points

A silver lining

I see ye visibly, and now believe
That he, the Supreme Good, to whom all things ill
Are but as slavish officers of vengeance,
Would send a glistering guardian, if need were 
To keep my life and honour unassailed. 
Was I deceived, or did a sable cloud 
Turn forth her silver lining on the night? 
I did not err; there does a sable cloud 
Turn forth her silver lining on the night, 
And casts a gleam over this tufted grove.

John Milton in Comus: A Mask Presented at Ludlow Castle, 1634

Communion, restricted or unrestricted...

How many kinds are there? I suggest 8 possibilities below (mostly related to Baptist churches), but there may be others. I suggest that almost all communion in Christian-denominated churches is restricted -- the disagreement is on how much to restrict it.

1. Unrestricted; anyone who wishes to participate may do so, regardless of their religious, secular or philosophical beliefs.
2. Restricted to those who consider themselves Christians.
3. Restricted to those whom the church considers Christians.
4. Restricted to those who have been baptized.
5. Restricted to those who have been baptized upon profession of faith.
6. Restricted to those who have been baptized upon profession of faith by a Baptist church/minister/etc.
7. Restricted to those who have been baptized upon profession of faith by a Baptist church and are members in good standing of a church of like faith and order.
8. Restricted to those who are members in good standing of the local church observing the ordinance.

Review of Communion: Is It Open or Closed

Communion: Is It Open or Closed, Bobby L. Sparks, Greenville, TX: Tabernacle Ministries, 2006. 9780976127048/0976127040, 48 pp. $3.95 Overview: “Reviews the Biblical issue of whether communion is open to all believers or restricted to the members of the observing church.”

While browsing the Baptist Book Store in Texarkana for printed nuggets, I ran across Communion: Is It Open or Closed by Bobby Sparks. Brother Sparks is pastor of Emmanuel Missionary Baptist Church in Greenville, Texas. His lectures on the Tabernacle have been very well received, and he is also one of few modern-day Baptist debaters. Larry Ray Hafley, reporting on the “Sparks-Campbell” debate in Mississippi wrote, “Sparks is as good a debater as the Baptists have.” Because of these reasons I was excited to get the book, which had flown under my radar to this point. I grasped it up Friday and started reading it Saturday.

Sparks divides his treatise into an introduction and 7 chapters. After his introduction he defines his terms and comes quickly to espouse and defend closed communion. The first five chapters contrast open and closed communion, giving scriptural arguments for the latter and scriptural & logical objections to the former. The last two chapters finish up with a brief discussion of the similar but competing doctrine of “close communion” and proof that closed communion is the historical position of Baptists. There is a bibliography, but it is incomplete. There is no index.

On an unnumbered recto page, Sparks overplays one of the best arguments against open communion -- 1 Corinthians 5:11 -- by its unqualified use to answer the question, “Is there a passage of Scripture that clearly states in unmistakable terms that a church is not to serve communion to all people who profess to be saved?” The answer is a resounding “Yes!” I agree. But to me this starts the booklet out on the wrong foot. Perhaps for some this will be a tantalizer to draw them into the book to see why. I am afraid that for others it could be a turn-off that causes them to close the pages and set the book aside. Why? Because that verse void of its context doesn’t “clearly state the proposition in unmistakable terms”. Studied and understood, it does. Maybe that is just me, though, that will see this is a negative. If anyone is interested enough in the topic to buy this book, surely they will be interested enough to go ahead and read it.

Sparks’s view finds a powerful ally in our Lord’s institution of His Supper -- it was not thrown open to all but rather restricted to a select few. The author rightly observes, “Not one argument that open communionists urge can be based upon the institution of the Supper by Jesus (p. 8).” He returns to mention this text on numerous occasions. Unfortunately, he never addresses any concerns as to why this observance was restricted even narrower than local-church only and what implications that might have for the local-church only view.

The author provides a direct and clear answer to the oft-raised objection, “It is the Lord’s Table.” Sparks answers, “Yes, it is the Lord’s Table. To our own tables we may invite whom we will, but servants may not give out invitations to their Master’s Table (p. 34).” He further notes that “No congregation has any authority to make the door of admission into their communion any straighter (sic) or wider than Christ Himself made it.” Of course, this argument cuts both ways, and sends us back to the Bible to see how wide or narrow Christ made the door of admission. Other complaints are addressed as well, such “do not judge,” “let a man examine himself,” and the idea that closed communion is intolerant.

The author lays out a good case to show that communion is restricted. An injunction to put an immoral man from among you, not keep company with him, to not eat with him -- even if it includes social eating -- must necessarily exclude such an one from the Lord’s Table. The heresies and divisions in 1 Corinthians 11 also provide a substantial reason for restricted communion. The connection between communion and church discipline -- and that open communion effectively nullifies church discipline -- is an important reason that communion should be restricted. Nevertheless, I don’t believe Sparks always “connects the dots” as to why to extend the restrictions to local-church only and leaves us to assume the proof is met. But why is church discipline nullified, for example, if a church only admits to communion members of other churches of like faith and order holding forth the same doctrines, and faithfully exercising church discipline on heresy and immorality? An answer to these types of concerns might well be answered in his Chapter 5, “Objections Answered.” All objections to local-church only communion do not come from those who indiscriminately throw the doors wide open!

On the other hand some of the author’s objections diminish in their power, if you are familiar with some of the churches that practice closed communion. For example, in objecting to close communion -- which within two pages Sparks curiously and contradictorily says is both “some better than” and “as bad as” open communion -- the author states “Churches that allow members of churches of their denomination to sit at the table of communion also sanction immoral living and heretical teaching.” Let me tell you straight: churches that practice local-church only communion who don’t practice church discipline (and there are those that don’t) “also sanction immoral living and heretical teaching.” This is ultimately not proof of either position, but proof that church discipline needs to be re-understood and re-established.

The last chapter, “The Historical Position of the Baptists,” might provide a good finish to this work, except for the fact that the majority historical position of the Baptists is not the one for which the author argues. It is interesting, but not necessary, to establish the majority position of Baptists historically. The task is to prove the practice scripturally. Since history is not in consistent agreement with Sparks’ proposition, this chapter detracts from rather than adds to the booklet.

The purpose of the seventh chapter is “to show that closed communion has been the historical position of the Baptists (p. 41).” I don’t doubt the author believes that to be the case, but the abundance of Baptist historical records does not prove it to be so. Even the select group of quotes that Sparks includes does not prove this to be the case. I will highlight only two: [1] “For many years the official position of the Southern Baptist Convention was that communion was restricted to the local church (p. 44).” Many Southern Baptists practiced local-church communion. Others did not. As far as an official position, one must consider the convention-wide statement of faith adopted in 1925, which reads, “It [baptism] is prerequisite to the privileges of a church relation and to the Lord’s Supper, in which the members of the church, by the use of bread and wine, commemorate the dying love of Christ.” While one might interpret this to mean local-church only communion, it does not specifically say so. It leaves enough ambiguity for differences. Nor do any of the Southern Baptist quotes given on pages 44-47 explicitly limit communion only to members of the local church observing the ordinance. Some of the writers quoted may have believed that, but their quotes don’t necessarily say that. Saying that church membership is a prerequisite to communion is not the same as saying that membership in the church observing the ordinance is prerequisite to communion. [2] “It has been the official position of the American Baptist Association from its inception that the Lord’s Supper was restricted to only the members of each local church (p. 47).” Again, the author fails to give the evidence to prove his proposition, whether it be so or not. Rather than quoting documents “from its inception” Sparks quotes a more recent iteration of the ABA Doctrinal Statement that explicitly states what he believes. In contrast, the New Hampshire Confession of Faith (1833) and a 12 item addendum that was adopted by the ABA in 1924 do not clearly limit participation in the Lord’s Supper to local church members only.

I have judged Brother Sparks book rather harshly. Perhaps to some extent because I feel he is capable of much better. In the historical chapter, I just don’t understand what he was doing. For example, there were Southern Baptists who could have been quoted embracing strict local-church only communion in clearer terms, yet he does not use such direct quotes. I still recommend this book. It has some good material and high points that are beneficial to the understanding of restricted communion, and some arguments that are not spelled out as well by others. I hope some editorial attention will be attached to typographical and formatting errors (e.g. the words “Chapter Five” appear at the bottom of page 31 instead of as the heading on p. 32) before it is reprinted. It may be purchased from Bogard Press, Tabernacle Ministries or Christian Bookstore.net.

My conclusion is that this book may well fortify the faithful who already believe in closed communion, but may have too many loose ends to convince the cynical who do not accept it.

* J. W. Griffith, historian, pastor and mentor, told me that of the old preachers in the Mt. Zion Association (a local association of churches affiliated with the ABA), there was only one who advocated strict local-church only communion. By the old preachers, he meant the generation of preachers before his preacher father’s generation -- men who were born roughly from the late 1850s to the 1870s, and who passed off the scene from the 1920s to the 1940s.

10 Things Robert Edward Lee said

About The War
"It is well that war is so terrible, lest we should grow too fond of it."
"I tremble for my country when I hear of confidence expressed in me. I know too well my weakness, that our only hope is in God."
"We have fought this fight as long, and as well as we know how. We have been defeated. For us as a Christian people, there is now but one course to pursue. We must accept the situation."
"The war...was an unnecessary condition of affairs, and might have been avoided if forbearance and wisdom had been practiced on both sides."
"I have carefully searched the military records of both ancient and modern history, and have never found Grant's superior as a general. I doubt that his superior can be found in all history."

About some other things
"I like whiskey. I always did, and that is why I never drink it."
"Do your duty in all things. You cannot do more, you should never wish to do less."
"The march of Providence is so slow and our desires so impatient; the work of progress so immense and our means of aiding it so feeble; the life of humanity is so long, that of the individual so brief, that we often see only the ebb of the advancing wave and are thus discouraged. It is history that teaches us to hope."
"The education of a man is never completed until he dies."
"My trust is in the mercy and wisdom of a kind Providence, who ordereth all things for our good."