As we sang “Open Our Eyes, we want to see Jesus,” I looked at Jesus’ photograph in the back pew. There is a picture of Jesus between the pages of the Bible in the pew, but I doubt that many really want to see the Jesus portrayed there.
I seriously doubt the SBC wants to see that photograph of Jesus. If they did, it would mean facing some hard truths and I don’t think they are ready for that. Over 200,000 members have left the SBC but I suspect there are many more who have slipped away because they no longer relate to the message sent by those churches.
“I want to reach out and touch him and say that we love him” formed in my mouth and I stopped singing. Will the Jesus we claim we want to see understand why women cannot preach and why women are held to a submissive standard? Will that Jesus be pleased at the seminars, blogs, websites and preachers who deny over one-half of God’s human creation? Will he be pleased at the way women are treated by their church, by the Southern Baptist Convention leadership, by SBC seminaries, by Baptist Associations, and by other Baptist entities?
Open their eyes, Lord! Open their eyes.
Will the Jesus we find in the pages of the Bible be pleased at the meanness of SBC leadership when they seek to remove an Alabama church and unpaid staff member because they said out loud what many are believing but are afraid to say – that they support same gender marriage? (Baptist News: Just prior to the convention, the SBC Executive Committee will consider removal of an Alabama church already ousted from its local association because the pastor and an unpaid staff member said publicly they support same-sex marriage).
The SBC is going to hold a prayer meeting Tuesday night and pray for a “Great Awakening.” They are looking for a religious revival.
It won’t happen. It can’t happen. What are they going to awake to? They don’t like the picture of Jesus found in the Bible so they certainly are not going to awake to that. They like their laws but not the people who are affected by those laws. Matthew 23 is a mirror that they will not look in.
Open their eyes, Lord! We want to see the Southern Baptist Convention “awakened” to become the reflection of Jesus.
It is our fear – and should be the fear of all Christians – that the SBC will continue the nightmare of denying women the fullness of God and their salvation, and will continue their meanness against churches and people who are trying to live like Christ.
bWe Baptist Women for Equality's Blog 
Ah, another Daniel parallel here for you, Shirley. All those who draw nearer to God feel their own sinfulness and painfully realize just how many ways they are lacking in the light of His greatness and glory. Daniel who was upright and sought the Lord had to go to bed when the angel appeared to him after one of his long fasts. I’ve heard people question whether this was an angel or Christ Himself because it nearly perfectly matches John’s description of Jesus’ visitation while he was at Patamos. We fall on our faces in awe at who God is and how holy He is. Isaiah also could only utter, “Woe is me.” We realize how undone we are before Him.
Stepping into the light to see God’s countenance takes remarkable courage and humility — and such things are so lacking in most people in leadership.
Continue to be like Daniel — fearless through faith in God before men and undone in God’s presence — with as much holy fear as you can fathom. Perfect love casts out fear, and God sees all. Many want God to see nothing. Those of us who see the suffering and twisting of that which is good are willing to risk the pain of shock and awe to follow what is right and what God has put into our hearts to do for Him.
You are a Daniel indeed. Rest in His love when you are weary.
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Thank you, my friend. I have heard and sung that song many times, but standing in church today singing it made me realize that we already can see Jesus in the pages of the Bible, but we don’t really want to look.
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Shirley:
I wish it were possible to see the list of Churches and individuals who have lost or been denied the opportunity to minister because of their support of Women in Ministry in the Southern Baptist Convention. How many books would these names fill? I once posted to someone that SBC stands for Solely Boys Club–IMO it still is.
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I don’t have such a list, Tom. Maybe Ed Stetzer or Thom Rainer does, but I doubt they would make it public.
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So they don’t even look into the mirror of the Word at all to see what manner of man they are, so there is nothing to forget when they walk away from it to be busy about everyday living. Since reading this, I think of the song that I used to sing at Christian school:
Oh my dove, who art in the cleft of the rock
In the secret place of the stair
Let me see thy countenance
Let me hear thy voice, for sweet is thy voice.
And I thought of the Psalmist saying, “let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, oh Lord, my strength and my redeemer….more to be desired are they than gold — yay than much fine gold and sweeter than honey and the honeycomb.
He is sweet, and those who go through the motions miss out on so much tender love. We don’t see that modeled and we so seldom hear about this side of the Lord. I sin so much, despite my desire not to do so, but all I can do is go back and go back again. I want my eyes to be open to see Him. and I want my ears to hear Him, and He is so patient with me. I don’t find Him at the seminars. I find Him in the secret place where He whispers.
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Love is proclaimed, Jesus is proclaimed – and then hate mail (blogs, CBMW, seminars, etc) is sent out.
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The SBC has talked about a “Great Commission Resurgence”, even about renaming the convention. The instructions Jesus gave in the “Great Commission” cannot be for women in Southern Baptist churches because women are not allowed to do any of the things Jesus said to do!
What do you want to bet that only men will be allowed to pray at that prayer meeting???
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Nancy, I will be shocked if a woman is allowed to pray at this meeting.
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Me, too. I doubt that any woman will be able to pray at the meeting. Actually, they should have the prayer meeting before they vote on anything! They need awakened before the votes.
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SBC has many catchy phrases down through the years. Bold Mission Thrust was one. I think they have dropped the idea about renaming. Haven’t heard about it recently.
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Dethrone? There is the problem. Clearly women are used in wonderful ways throughout His Word.
You believe u need to dethrone what God has put into His law.
Pray and ask Him to guide.
He will not tell u to dethrone or take the place of man and what He has put in place.
May u find comfort and contentment as a woman of faith humbly in His proper plan.
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You said, “He will not tell u to dethrone or take the place of man and what He has put in place”
Jo, no woman wants to take the place of men. That is slammed at us often, but it has no basis of truth. We are women and we want our own place and that place equals the same kind of service men are allowed to have. You are also wrong when you say “what He has put in place.” That is also your interpretation. You and others have decided what God put in place. I encourage you to read the Gospels and the stories of Jesus and women. In those Gospels, you will find absolutely no reference to males being God’s chosen ones. Instead you will find how Jesus raised women by giving them the Good News personally. That eliminates the middle ‘man.’ Keep reading my blog and read my books and ur eyes will be opened.
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Jo, a similar argument was used to justify slavery in the 1800’s.
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