This is Viewpoints for Wednesday, September 13, 2017

Source of information

I read Dr. Cummings opinion on Sunday 9/10. He once again questioned those who believe the Bible is inerrant and infallible. I suggest Cummings tune in on weekdays to 90.5 FM or 102.7 FM at 10:30 a.m. or 88.9 FM at 8:30 p.m. to listen to Adrian Rogers. He proclaims the Bible very well. On the “Nashville Statement,” Google “Chris Fabry Nashville Statement” and listen to his conversation with a former lesbian who signed the statement.

“It is better to be divided by truth than to be united in error. It is better to speak the truth that hurts and then heals, than falsehood that comforts and then kills.”

Unchanging word

I admire the scholarly learning of Dr. Bill Cummings. I respect him as a church-going brother and found him to be a very gracious person when I met him a few months ago in his Sunday School class at First Baptist Church of Christ in Macon. His pastor, the Rev. Scott Dickison, is a dear friend of mine, who has led his congregation to take a leading role in building Beloved Community in our city, forming a thriving covenant relationship with First Baptist, New Street and the Rev. James Goolsby. Their collaboration is a model for other churches to follow.

However, I must beg to differ with Cummings’s response to Erick Erickson’s column on First Baptist’s recent vote to allow same-sex marriages to be performed there. Cummings’s response is unfairly over the top. I seriously doubt that Erickson believes that “every word in the Bible must be carried out.” And it is ridiculous for him to say that Erickson and the “Nashville Statement” group “would gladly put to death all the LGBTQ in Macon.” But the most egregious exaggeration in the column is to claim that Jesus in Matt. 24:51 is suggesting “that slavery was an accepted way of life, as well as the murder of bad slaves.”

Yes, there are some commands in the Old Testament that are no longer to be followed literally. In order to discern God’s will, believers must consider any particular verse in the context of the whole testimony of scripture. In the case of homosexuality, it is true that Jesus is not recorded as having addressed the topic. But there are a number of condemnations of homosexual practice in both testaments, not just the Hebrew Bible. What would Jesus do with the issue? I believe he would tell us to love the LGBTQ community without condoning their sexual practices. He blessed the wedding at Cana, and he promised to wed his bride in glory, but I do not think for a minute that he would bless a same-sex marriage.

Yes, Cummings, this is just the opinion page, and I for one am grateful we can depend on the unchanging word of God as my guide for living, rather than human opinions.

What’s next?

In this week’s papers I read two conflicting opinions from Erick Erickson and Bill Cummings on First Baptist Church’s decision to allow same sex marriages to be performed in their church. I was a member of First Baptist as a child and was baptized there and was taught biblical principles as a child. It hurts to see them adopt such a liberal non-biblical stance. The Bible is very clear on this subject and Erickson is right in condemning it in his opinion.

When you start down this slippery slope of immorality where will it stop? Will we next hear of a church allowing people to marry their pets? Oh God have mercy on those who have gone astray.

Fantasy world?

Frank Gadbois, get help. Your fantasy world is starting to take over. Your absurdity and absolutely fantastic ranting are no longer comic. They are now tragic. Two sentences stick out. The first is Trump is the worst president ever. After eight months. Oh Frank, take a break. And Obama’s achievements? That enters into the realm of science fiction. Of course you run President Trump down because he is working to end socialist programs. But, since you are of English extraction, we understand. It has been a way of life over there for many years. Works well, too, just look at their public “health” system.

‘Except for’

Thank you, Erick Erickson, I have always wondered where the “except fors” were hidden in the New Testament. You know, like, love your neighbor except for if they are XXXX. Or maybe, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of needle than for a rich man to enter heaven “except for” if I am really rich and I don’t want to give my money to my kids or the government. You know, all those “except fors” we all use to try and explain away what Jesus said in the Bible.

Why do we make what Jesus said so difficult? Love your brother. Wait, where is that except for? I have served with people of other sexual orientations in the military. I learned that aspect about them years after they’d PCS’d (permanent change of station) out of my shop. Good people. Hard working people. Honest people. I am sure they would have told me about themselves if I had asked them. But, it wasn’t my business. Our business was to protect the United States and all of us took that very seriously. The doctrine of progressive revelation seems to me to be a way to justify our personal feelings toward something using the Bible. Well, now I have the “biblical” name for it.

Good friends

Thank you, thank you, thank you. Those words of gratitude don’t even come close to expressing my appreciation for a group of friends who made sure that I kept breathing during the power outage caused by Tropical Storm Irma. I am suffering from advanced COPD and when we lost power Monday. I lost two machines that make it possible for me to continue breathing. Our newly purchased portable generator failed and at that point my neighbor and friend Robert Butler went to work with his brother in law, Winston Slappey and Slappey’s nephew Robbie McGregor. Those guys found another generator and worked until 11:30 p.m. Monday to get it up and running. As a result, I had oxygen and lived to breathe another day. While this was taking place, another dear friend, Tina Ward, was busy all day making sure my wife and I were taken care of and had everything we needed.

So, how did I make it through the storm? I did it “With a Little Help From My Friends.” With all the nasty attitudes expressed on social media these days and the great polarization of different groups in our country, it’s good to know there are still good people like Robert, Winston, Robbie and Tina ready and willing to lend a hand to improve someone else’s life. So once again my friends, Thank you, thank you, thank you.

This story was originally published September 12, 2017 at 9:05 PM with the headline "This is Viewpoints for Wednesday, September 13, 2017."