Delegates to the annual meeting of the N.C. Baptist State Convention voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to expel Charlotte's Myers Park Baptist for welcoming gays and lesbians without trying to change them. [..] Six other churches out of more 4,000, including three in Charlotte, quit the Baptist State Convention to protest those rules. The six called them a violation of local autonomy. [..] The vote to expel Myers Park Baptist came after two leaders of the church called on the convention to open their hearts to homosexuals who want to worship with them and to respect local Baptist churches' autonomy."Jesus welcomed those considered outcasts and sinners by his culture and religion," the Rev. Stephen Shoemaker, senior minister at Myers Park Baptist, said from the podium. "We hope we live in his spirit."
Excerpts from: N.C. Baptists expel Myers Park church by Tim Funk, Charlotte Observer Nov. 14, 2007
In a recent WCNC news story, it's been reported that, because the convention's leadership has become increasingly dominated by biblical literalists, historical colleges, retirement homes and a women's missions organization were expected to part ways with the N.C. Baptist State Convention.
You can read Myers Park Baptist's Reverend H. Stephen Shoemaker's recent compelling sermon on the need for the Church to go beyond both the fundamentalism which is tearing away the connective comminal fabric of the NC Baptist Convention and modernism here. On the seron, he states,
"We are called to be non-conformist in the cause of the kingdom of God."
What do you think about this?
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6 comments:
The Rev. Shoemaker is to be commended for his take on what Christianity should be about. Kudos also to the 6 other churches that stood up for what's right. I for one am sick and tired of fundamentalist bullies, whatever faith they claim.
I, too, commend Rev. Shoemaker for standing by his theologocal principles and for quoting the famous minister Harry Emerson Fosdick who basically said that no matter how much his heart may have seemed desperately wicked, his brain and conscience had never been were more luminously clear.
I'm sorry for the typos in my comment above. My keyboard's broken.
How refreshing - to have a church [or any group] stand up to those who make themselves feel powerful by oppressing others. This was a red-letter day for many of us.
Marsha,
in Charlotte
Good for Rev. Shoemaker. I hope he and his church prevail with the denomination at large.
Looks like the battle is won. Only six churches are misled by their leadership. The truth is that unless people repent for their wrong they will not be accepted into the Kingdom of God. So, welcome people of course, but never sell out the truth of God's law, for the sake of what is deemed politically correct by the bullies and fundamentalist that are driving the world to destruction by violence of war. May God continue to strengthem people to stand up for the truth as we see in the decision of the N.C. Baptist Convention.
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