My copy of Texas Baptists Life landed in my mailbox today. It stirred and saddened my soul.
On pages 16 and 17 there is a big spread about something called GC2 – a movement of God’s people to share Christ and show love. Underline those words “To show love.”
The Message from the BGCT Associate Executive Director, Dr Craig Christina, shares his thoughts.
“… it is not a new denomination. We’re not competing with the Southern Baptist Convention or any other national or state convention of churches. …Instead we feel compelled to follow the Lord’s leading and unit God’s people to build relationships with like-minded Christians as we explore and expand mission opportunities.”
And there you have it. The same-old, same-old. The DNA does not change.
It is a NEW DNA that you must be working from. That is what Jesus came to do. He came to change the Jewish leaders’ hearts and what they were teaching. They were wrong then, and we are wrong now.
Where is the love you tout? Look at your Statement of Faith of the GC2. It is not about love. It is laws and legalistic jargon just like those Jesus reprimanded the Jewish leaders about in Matthew 23. Jesus called them snakes and vipers because they were deadly and killed the souls of those they were supposed to be ministering to.
You are doing the same thing. You are hammering on abortion, homosexuality, and gender reassignment. This is no new work. This is the same thing that has gotten Christianity in the place we are in today. Where little love is shown.
People are leaving the church by droves. They are not seeing the love. Why did you think Jesus came to earth? Well, let me tell you. It wasn’t to keep up their old laws. It was to bring a new law. A law of love God and love your fellow man – in action and deed – not in honeyed words.
Jesus turned his eyes upon them.
What will Jesus see when he turns his eyes upon this Statement of Faith by the GC2? Where will he see “the love that you are to give?” He knows His own love, but it hard to find your love in this statement.
Your Statement of Faith has little to do with Faith. It is mean-spirited and un-Christlike. Look at #8, #9, #10. Then see why I suggest you delete those and add a new #10 to show your love.
STATEMENT OF FAITH
THE GC2 MOVEMENT AFFIRMS
- There is one God who is revealed in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit;
- Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church;
- The virgin birth of Christ, the eternal Son of God, who died for our sins, was resurrected on the third day, and is coming back;
- The Bible is God’s Word and truth without mixture of error;
- Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone;
- The priesthood of every believer and of all believers;
- The urgent need to reach the lost with the Good News of Jesus;
- The sanctity of human life from conception to natural death; You are going to have a little bit of trouble with this one. The new Texas Abortion Law says that women cannot abort a baby 6 weeks from conception. If she is caught or turned in she can be brought to justice for taking a human life. Look what was agreed upon at the SBC 2000 Convention “Therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention, meeting in Orlando, Florida, June 1314, 2000, support the fair and equitable use of capital punishment by civil magistrates as a legitimate form of punishment for those guilty of murder or treasonous acts that result in death;” You must ask yourself: “Do you condone killing her if she has an abortion?” Of course you do. Says so right there. Also read How Southern Baptists became Pro-Life.
- Gender is a gift from God who creates humankind male and female in the Divine image and likeness (Gen. 1:27); Gender is not as straight forward as you want everyone to believe. We know babies are born with indeterminate gender. I learned that when I was seven years old and it was whispered that a relative had given birth to a son and “there was something wrong with the genitals of the boy.”
- Biblical marriage as one man and one woman in a covenant relationship with the Lord and with one another; There is a little problem there, too. Oh sure, I know you are talking about same-sex marriages, but you are the one comparing them and making them fit your standard with heterosexual marriage standards. Look at what the bible lists as biblical marriages – multiple wives, husbands with concubines, adultery with your slave. You might need to eliminate the word biblical. This, too, does not show love. It shows blatant disregard for humans’ sexuality. Not everyone was fortunate enough to be born heterosexual. You have made them outcasts. Where is the love you proclaim on your flashy website?
- The ordinances of the church are the Lord’s Supper and believer’s baptism;
- The autonomy of the local church in governance and ordination.
#8, #9, #10 should be completely deleted as written.
Number 10 should have a new paragraph reflecting your intention “To show love.”
#10. We will show our love to our neighbor as Jesus taught, placing no restrictions on that love because Jesus did not place any restrictions, and we will strive to follow the example of Jesus.
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:36-40, NIV
Jesus gave us a new playbook that we call The New Testament. As Christians, we have misused it and abused it.
bWe Baptist Women for Equality's Blog 
They keep trying to breathe new life into their dead orthodoxy of the traditions of men. Those dry bones will not come back to life, no matter how they try to string them together and dress them in new clothes.
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