![]() Against the stream of contemporary Baptist conservatives, Jimmy stayed rooted in Baptists’ heritage of separation of church and state. He was a big-hearted, kind soul who would argue the paint off a wall but, unlike me, would genuinely listen to anyone in the room. He could drive even an orthodox rabbi to drink bacon grease when it came to following the letter of the law.Īs I got to know him, my irritation transformed to seeing him as, like me and most folks, yearning for connection but often fumbling around with how to do it. Both moderates and conservatives could be caught rolling their eyes behind his back for the countless times he called some nitpicking point of order at regional, state and national business meetings. Conservatives exploited him for his willingness to stir the pot even if they found him to be a gadfly. ![]() Moderates reviled Jimmy for his apparent closed-minded conservatism. Our churches, along with a Methodist church on our street, alternated hosting an annual meal on the Sunday evening before Thanksgiving. ![]() We were members at the same swimming pool where I took my children and he took his grandchildren. Just down the street from my church was another Baptist church led by the late Jimmy Stroud, an ultra-conservative firebrand with whom I had a wonderfully bizarre friendship. I served eight years as associate pastor at a church in Knoxville, Tenn., where Baptist churches outnumbered Starbucks and Dollar Generals by about 10 to one. I have been reminded of my relationship with a now-deceased Southern Baptist pastor. “We are still haunted and burdened by the baggage of St. The Southern Baptist Convention is dealing with simultaneous controversies over sexual abuse by pastors and over churches having women as pastors. Of late, all this struggle with sexuality and its overlap with the role of women has risen anew. Augustine, who turned his own sexual guilt into an entire theological system rooted in shame about sex in general and his own particular lust for the female form. We are still haunted and burdened by the baggage of St. 4:13-18).Over the years, this male-pattern bald-faced blaming has been thoroughly ingrained in us. We believe in the bodily resurrection of the dead, of the believer to eternal joy with the Lord, and of the unbeliever to judgment and everlasting punishment (Mk. As we long for His appearing, believers are called to be confident, ready, and to “stay awake” (Rev. This “Blessed Hope” is to encourage and to have a vital bearing on the personal life and service of the believer. We believe in the physical and bodily return of our Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that the true Church is composed of all who have been regenerated by saving faith and are united as the body of Christ, of which He is the head (Eph. They are, however, not to be regarded as means of salvation (Mt. We believe that the Lord's Supper and water baptism are ordinances to be observed by the Church. We believe that the shed blood of Jesus Christ and His resurrection provide the only ground for redemption, and only those who receive Christ are born of the Holy Spirit and are the children of God (Jn. ![]() Only through faith in Christ and the regeneration by the Holy Spirit can salvation and spiritual life be obtained (Gen. ![]() We believe that man, created in the image of God, fell into sin and is therefore lost. We believe the Bible to be the only inspired Word of God, without error in the original, the complete revelation of His will for the salvation of men, and the final authority for all Christian faith and life (2 Tim. As a result of the ministry of the Holy Spirit, His gifts and fruit are to be manifested during this church age (Rom. All believers have been baptized into Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit making one unified body because of this, we do not teach a second definite work of grace. We believe that the New Birth (Salvation) and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit are the same experience. We believe that the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to glorify Christ, convict individuals, regenerate the believing sinner, indwell, guide, and empower the believer for Godly living and service (Jn. He lived a perfect, sinless life, died on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins, rose bodily from the dead, and ascended into heaven where, at the right hand of God, He is our High Priest and Advocate (Jn. We believe that Jesus Christ is true God and true man, conceived of the Holy Spirit, and born of the virgin Mary. We believe in one God-Creator of all, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Deut. ![]()
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