The First Amendment does not protect defamation. But if SBC leaders win at the Supreme Court, not only will that change, but centuries of Baptist belief on church polity will be overturned as well.
From what's been written, it sounds like the SBC leadership has taken a wrong turn that, if the SCOTUS rules in their favor may eventually result in the downfall of the SBC. I will pray that the justices rule in a way that God approves.
I gave my life to Jesus over 60 years ago at a revival in my home denomination, the Unity of the Brethren. That's a Texas church that began with immigrants from Czechia who came to the state for freedom of religion: they were followers of the Czech priest Jan Hus, a reformer in the 15th century who the Catholic Church burned at the stake for his efforts.
Over the years, I have visited and attended many churches of varying denominations, all Protestant. For some reason, I have never felt comfortable in a Baptist church, but that's just me. I do however approve of the Baptist doctrine that the local church is dominant.
Besides the church of my family, where I was baptized, confirmed and accepted Christ I have only become a member of one other church, which my family attended a number of years before becoming members.
The main reason I have reserved my becoming a member is that in my lifetime, I have never been let down by God, but have many times been disappointed in the actions and attitudes of man. For that reason, I put my loyalty in one person only, Jesus Christ. I refer to John 21:21-22, feeling that means each Christian has the task of following Jesus, and not worrying about what He's doing with other believers. We just trust that all believers are faithfully following Christ, and love them as Christ commanded us to do. If all Christians did that, I feel there would be far fewer arguments, splits and divisions in the church. And certainly less going to court.
I am very blessed to have been a member of several good Southern Baptist churches over my lifetime. I have also been an officer of the Executive Committee of the SBC. I mourn for what I'm seeing. If the people deliberately perjuring themselves in these two cases prevail, it could indeed destroy the SBC. But they will get paid, and then they'll retire, and it will "obviously" be "someone else's fault", so why should they care, right?
Please straighten me out Rod…Does this mean that the Catholic Church protects pedo priests based on protected internal documents and only settled victim cases based on externally judged criminality? Duh… haha
I would be more confident in the Catholic Church if there was some local autonomy so I knew when I go to Communion I am not involved with an overall frightening over site scheme of things the way some pedo priests used to be allowed to go parish-to-parish undetected, terrorizing us all.
Many of us Catholics can’t get past and are still traumatized by the lingering effects the investigations into the sex-scandals involving children revealed and our decisions on what to do are limited by our consciences leaving us church homeless from the religion we love. Hummmm
Thank you for bringing this into the light Rod, most Southern Baptist churches don’t have a clue of what’s happening.
From what's been written, it sounds like the SBC leadership has taken a wrong turn that, if the SCOTUS rules in their favor may eventually result in the downfall of the SBC. I will pray that the justices rule in a way that God approves.
I gave my life to Jesus over 60 years ago at a revival in my home denomination, the Unity of the Brethren. That's a Texas church that began with immigrants from Czechia who came to the state for freedom of religion: they were followers of the Czech priest Jan Hus, a reformer in the 15th century who the Catholic Church burned at the stake for his efforts.
Over the years, I have visited and attended many churches of varying denominations, all Protestant. For some reason, I have never felt comfortable in a Baptist church, but that's just me. I do however approve of the Baptist doctrine that the local church is dominant.
Besides the church of my family, where I was baptized, confirmed and accepted Christ I have only become a member of one other church, which my family attended a number of years before becoming members.
The main reason I have reserved my becoming a member is that in my lifetime, I have never been let down by God, but have many times been disappointed in the actions and attitudes of man. For that reason, I put my loyalty in one person only, Jesus Christ. I refer to John 21:21-22, feeling that means each Christian has the task of following Jesus, and not worrying about what He's doing with other believers. We just trust that all believers are faithfully following Christ, and love them as Christ commanded us to do. If all Christians did that, I feel there would be far fewer arguments, splits and divisions in the church. And certainly less going to court.
I am very blessed to have been a member of several good Southern Baptist churches over my lifetime. I have also been an officer of the Executive Committee of the SBC. I mourn for what I'm seeing. If the people deliberately perjuring themselves in these two cases prevail, it could indeed destroy the SBC. But they will get paid, and then they'll retire, and it will "obviously" be "someone else's fault", so why should they care, right?
Please straighten me out Rod…Does this mean that the Catholic Church protects pedo priests based on protected internal documents and only settled victim cases based on externally judged criminality? Duh… haha
I would be more confident in the Catholic Church if there was some local autonomy so I knew when I go to Communion I am not involved with an overall frightening over site scheme of things the way some pedo priests used to be allowed to go parish-to-parish undetected, terrorizing us all.
Many of us Catholics can’t get past and are still traumatized by the lingering effects the investigations into the sex-scandals involving children revealed and our decisions on what to do are limited by our consciences leaving us church homeless from the religion we love. Hummmm