Baptists

Southern Baptist Convention on the Verge of a Split

Southern Baptist Convention May Split

More Baptist Apostasy

Protestants Claim Teresa Is In Heaven

Elmer Towns Gets Inspiration From A Pentecostal

Clark Pinnock Denies Eternal Punishment

Carter Doesn't Like Some OT Passages

Tim George Urges Catholic-Protestant Cooperation

Lyons Won't Step Down

Southern Baptist Convention on the Verge of a Split

A group of liberals in the largest Protestant denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention, has broken ranks refusing to
accept the conservatives' insistence that the Bible be interpreted literally.

One doctrine which has led to the break is the submission of wives to their husbands and the prohibition of females to be
pastors. They have set up seminaries and a religious publishing house. They have also sent out their own missionaries and
created separate associations of congregations, like the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, which by itself counts 1,800 churches
as contributors to its budget. One of those is First Baptist Church, which covers a city block in Winston-Salem, North
Carolina. Pastor David Hughes said its members have donated considerable time and money to the convention's causes during
the last century. He likens the relationship between his church and the SBC to a marriage gone sour. The two are like a couple
that "still live under one roof, but they have very little to do with each other," he said.

Paige Patterson, the president of the SBC admitted that moderates had "formed a denomination within the denomination." He
would not be surprised if 1,500 or more moderate congregations were to leave the convention in the coming years out of the
more than 40,000 total congregations. They would quickly be replaced, he said, adding that the denomination gained 1,479
new churches in 1999 and that its increasingly conservative stance had been attracting established congregations as new
members. A prime example is the Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia, which is pastored by Jerry Falwell.
"We're gaining, not losing," Paige said. [Ed. note: Falldown has been independent since he started his 501c3
corporation in the 1950s. It is NOT a Messianic Faith assembly. I do not know why he has succumbed to the
politically correct practice of joining a denomination or association. It is just one more proof he is sliding down the
slippery slope to total apostasy.]

"The bottom line is anytime you take a stand and define yourself very clearly -- and in this case, returning to the faith of our
fathers -- there are people who want to be part of that and join you," Paige said. "And there are people who don't want to part
of it, and are going to use their chute and rip cord." [Ed. note: Since the SBC and its member 501c3 corporations have
allegedly returned to the "faith of" their "fathers" when did they leave that faith? Has anyone pinned that down?
Since they are allegedly trying to return to the faith of their fathers who are their fathers? Will they separate
themselves from the state by eliminating their unequally yoked marriage with the Federal Reserve Corporation?
Will they re-examine their doctrines and allow true scholars to dialogue with them concerning some of their false
doctrines?]

The SBC operates six seminaries, fields more than 6,000 missionaries and runs one of the world's largest church literature
publishing houses. When Southern Baptist leaders speak, politicians and the news media take notice. [Ed. note: Why would
anyone listen to what the SBC says, except to refute it? Seminaries are NOT Biblical! There is NO support for
them or for Bible colleges, church schools, etc. Every bishop is commanded to train faithful men to be bishops (2
Tim. 2.2). They are obligated to do this and if they neglect this duty they are NOT fit to be bishops! They must
resign or be removed from their position! They CANNOT ship men off to Bible college or seminary!]

"I can't emphasize enough that among this generation of college students and seminary students, conservative and liberal, their
sense of denominational identity is much smaller than previous generations," said Bill Leonard, a church historian who is dean of
Wake Forest Divinity School. They think of themselves as Christians, rather than as Baptists or Methodists or Presbyterians.
[Ed. note: That is actually Biblical.]

Southern Baptist leaders have become more conservative in years, but in May a committee of leaders proposed revising the
denomination's core statement of beliefs at the annual meeting, on June 12 in Orlando, Florida. The revisions, if adopted at the
meeting, would call on Christians to oppose abortion, homosexuality and pornography. [Ed. note: This was long overdue!]

One clause, among the most controversial, would also firmly state that the Bible does not allow women to be pastors, a largely
symbolic move in a denomination where few congregations have hired women for that office. "While both men and women are
gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture," the statment says. [Ed. note:
Long overdue!]

Southern Baptists became a separate denomination in 1845, when Baptists nationwide split along North-South lines over
slavery. Today, Baptists in the United States are divided among several denominations, with Southern Baptists being the
largest.

The cultural support of the SBC began to crumble in 1960's. "It was the breakup of the Old South -- the civil rights movement,
the immigration of Yankees in and Southerners out," said Ms. Ammerman, a sociologist. [Ed. note: I guess that is the
answer to my question -- who caused the denomination to stray. Those damn Yankees!]

In 1979, a group whose leaders included Patterson, succeeded in electing one of their own as the denomination's president,
gaining an office whose powers included appointing trustees to oversee the Southern Baptist seminaries, missionary agencies
and other boards. The conservatives have preached that the standard of Baptist belief is that the Bible is "inerrant" -- literally
true in all matters -- and have said that those who serve the denomination ought to subscribe to that. [Ed. note: Good!]

After unsuccessfully trying for a decade to wrest control of the presidency away from conservatives at the annual convention,
the moderates began founding their own seminaries and ministerial programs in the 1990's. One is the Baptist Studies Program
at Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta, whose graduates include Stacey Simpson, 28.

Ms. Simpson, who was baptized in a Baptist church, attended Furman University in Greenville, S.C., when that institution took
steps to distance itself from South Carolina's Baptist organization, dominated by conservatives. At Candler, she was ordained
in a liberal-leaning congregation that was eventually expelled from the SBC's Georgia organization.

Ms. Simpson serves as pastor of Fellowship Baptist Church, a five-year-old congregation in Edison, Ga., affiliated with the
Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. "I call myself a Baptist," she said, "and I kind of have to add a bunch of clarifiers after that,
when people ask." (6-06-2000, www) http://www.nytimes.com/library/national/060600nc-baptist.html  

Stacey most likely is NOT born from above. If she is saved she is totally apostate and backslidden. YAHWEH
Elohim strictly forbids females from teaching men and exercising authority over them (I Tim. 2.12) as well as from
being bishops (I Tim. 3.2).

The move by thousands of 501c3 corporations to appoint females as the chief executive officer is one more proof
that we are living in the apostasy of the last days (2 Thes. 2.3; 2 Tim. 4.3,4).

Southern Baptist Convention May Split

The largest Baptist group in Texas may leave the conservative Southern Baptist Convention.

The Baptist General Convention of Texas, the largest state convention in the denomination, is openly discussing severing ties with the national body, which two years ago called for wives to "submit graciously to the servant leadership of her husband." "We're not interested in siphoning off a lot of funds from Texas to fund a Jerry Falwell-clone church," said Clyde Glazener, president of the BGCT.

The moderate Texas group funneled more than $45 million from Texas churches to the national body in 1999 and accounted for 14% of its budget. The differences have raised the possibility that the state convention will create a new Baptist denomination at its annual meeting in October.

The national convention, at its annual meeting in Orlando June 14, also alienated moderates by declaring that women should no longer serve as pastors. The Southern Baptist Convention, based in Nashville, claims 15.8 million members at more than 40,000 churches and is the nation's largest Protestant denomination. If the 2.7 million members and 6,000 churches in the BGCT separate from the national group, the Texas convention would become the ninth-largest denomination in the country. (Las Vegas Sun, 6-24-2000, www) http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/text/2000/jun/24/062400645.html  

Let's hope the apostates leave the SBC -- it might motivate the SBC leadership to get right with YAHWEH and make more changes to glorify YAHWEH. The move to tell wives to submit to their husbands (2 Keph 3.1-6) and to forbid females from being bishops was long overdue (I Tim. 2.9-15; 3.2).

I must make it explicitly clear that all denominations and associations are clearly wrong! The act of creating a denomination or association is a deadly spiritual sin that divides believers rather than unite them.

All denominations and associations should be abolished yesterday! If you are attending a local assembly that is in a denomination or association you need to confront the bishops and demand they disassociate themselves from it. If you are not knowledgeable enough to do it I will be happy to explain it to them. If they do NOT pull out of their association you must leave that assembly and find one that is NOT a part of a denomination or association.

I must also make it perfectly clear that if you are attending a 501c3 corporation (church) you must demand that your bishops dissolve its corporate status. I will be overjoyed to explain it to them. If they refuse to do the right thing you must leave and find an assembly that is NOT a corporation.

More Baptist Apostasy

Another Baptist church has called a female to be its senior pastor.

Calvary Baptist Church of Waco, Texas called Julie Pennington-Russell to be their senior pastor. According to the Baptist Standard more "than 1,000 women have been ordained as ministers since 1964" in Southern Baptist churches which CBC is (8-24-1994, p. 4). (Plains Baptist Challenger, June 1998, p. 4 - http://www.llano.net/baptist)

Most bishops of Baptist assemblies, especially SBC assemblies, are backslidden and many are apostate. This is true of independent and fundamental Baptist assemblies. Even though few independent and fundamental Baptist assemblies understand the clear teaching of the Scriptures that females cannot be bishops (I Tim. 3.2; Tit. 1.6) or even teach men (I Kor. 14.34,35; I Tim. 2.11,12), the bishops don't know what their primary duty is (2 Tim. 2.2) and waste most of their time preparing and delivering boring and meaningless sermons.

All bishops throughout the world need to stop preaching sermons and start teaching their flock (I Tim. 4.13,16; 5.17). Bishops are to preach the gospel to the lost and teach the Scriptures to believers. They are not to preach to believers.

If your bishop(s) preach and rarely teach and do not disciple faithful men to be bishops -- you need to find another assembly where the bishops know what their duty is and do it.

Protestants Claim Teresa Is In Heaven

Many Protestant leaders have publicly stated they believe Teresa was saved.

James Dobson and Jack Impe were two of the most outspoken supporters of Teresa. Dobson said "she manifested the fruit of the Spirit in her life" and Jack boldly declared that the "sweet 90-pound lady" could not possibly be lost.

"While I have no desire to judge an individual's salvation, from her own lips come statements that indicate a darkness [as to] the state of her soul," wrote Bill Jackson (C.E.C. Journal, 2-98). "She prayed for a soul to leave Purgatory every time she was photographed; she said she could not have Jesus were it not for the priest's blessing on the wafer; she openly urged the pope to name Mary `Co-Redeemer, Co-Mediatrix and Advocate of Christians.'" (Plains Baptist Challenger, March 1998, p. 3 -http://www.llano.net/baptist)

Dobson, Impe, Lindsey, Crouch and every Protestant who claims Teresa was saved and is in Heaven doesn't know the Scriptures or the Roman Catholic doctrine of soteriology. Any Catholic who believes the official Catholic doctrine of salvation is not and cannot be born from above. The Catholic gospel is another gospel that saves no one.

If Teresa was trusting in the Catholic doctrine of salvation for her salvation, as she showed by her statements, then she is burning in hell at this time. She will continue to burn with the rest of the Catholic popes, cardinals, bishops, priests and laymen who died trusting in the Roman Catholic doctrine of soteriology. They will burn in hell until they are judged and then they will be cast into the Lake of Fire (Apok. 20.11-15) where they will be tormented with burning sulfur through all eternity (Apok. 14.9-11; 20.10).

Elmer Towns Gets Inspiration From A Pentecostal

Elmer Towns, who co-founded Liberty Bible College with Jerry Falwell, said he was inspired by David "Paul" Yonggi Cho, a pentecostal preacher in Korea.

Elmer is impressed with Cho's success and asked him, "How would you advise me to become a more godly man and to get power with God?" Cho told him that he begins each day by reciting the Lord's Prayer several times and then prays for two hours.

"Perhaps American pastors would have a church growing like this church if they spent the time in prayer like he does," Elmer said.

Herman Otten, editor of "Christian News," says Cho is "a charismatic and occultist who rejects historic Christianity." Metropolitan Tabernacle Pastor Peter Masters agrees that Cho is an occultist. (Plains Baptist Challenger, March 1998, p. 2 - http://www.llano.net/baptist)

Elmer has lost it just as his buddy Faldown has lost it. Both men are backslidden and close to being apostate. It is only a matter of time before they join the apostasy of the last days. I attended LBC for one semester and left because it was a joke college. It has gotten much worse since then.

Elmer's desire to have a big church shows he is walking in the flesh. YAHWEH didn't call any man to build a mega-assembly. Instead He commands all bishops to duplicate themselves by training faithful men.

The pentecostal movement was started by the devil and virtually all pentecostals are not born from above. No SPIRIT controlled believer in YAHSHUA of Nazareth can fellowship with pentecostals or charismatics. We are to share the gospel with them and pray they trust in YAHSHUA to save them without evidence of redemption through speaking in gibberish.   If you think they are born from above ask them to share their testimony. Most won't be able to give you a concise testimony and the few who can will most certainly say they know they are saved because they speak in tongues. Speaking is not an evidence one is born from above--it is a proof one is demon possessed or has been deceived.

Clark Pinnock Denies Eternal Punishment

Pinnock teaches annihilationism denying the clear doctrine that the wicked are punished in the Lake of Fire through all eternity.

According to Pinnock the doctrine of eternal punishment "makes God into a bloodthirsty monster who maintains an everlasting Auschwitz for victims whom he does not even allow to die." He is convinced that such a God "is more nearly like Satan than like God." (Plains Baptist Challenger, March 1998, 3 - http://www.llano.net/baptist)

The doctrine of eternal punishment is explicitly clear and no SPIRIT controlled believer can deny it. Some plain and clear passages are Leviy-Matt. 25.41,46 and Apok-Rev. 14.9-11; 20.10. To believe a passage that says the righteous have eternal life and the wicked go away into eternal punishment means the wicked are not punished forever, but the righteous live forever is absurd. Eternal is either eternal for both or it isn't for either. You can't say eternal means eternal for the righteous and annihilation for the wicked. It is ludicrous.

Instead of asking why YAHWEH would punish the wicked for all eternity we should ask why He bothered to save anyone. To reject eternal life so one can fulfill his petty lusts is insulting to YAHWEH. Eternal damnation is a just punishment for people who are so self-centered and full of hate that they refuse the free gift of eternal life. If you can't understand this you are backslidden, apostate or not born from above. You need to examine your faith to see if you are saved (2 Kor. 13.5).

Carter Doesn't Like Some OT Passages

Jimmy Carter said that he and his wife don't care for some passages in the Old Testament.

"There are some elements of harshness and massive destruction where every person in a village is killed, all the cattle are killed, carrying out the orders of God," he said. "They cause us concern." (Plains Baptist Challenger, February 1998, p. 4 - http://www.llano.net/baptist)

Jimmy is a typical baby believer who has no idea who YAHWEH is and what justice is all about. Few bishops (pastors) bother to teach the Old Testament and the handful who do teach the basics with no depth.

When the Ibriy went into the land that YAHWEH chose to give them (Yahshua-Josh. 1.3-6) he commanded them to wipe out all the inhabitants (Yah. 6.21; 8.26; 10.37,40; 11.11-14,21) so the indigenous peoples would not corrupt them with their false religions and immoral behavior (Yah. 23.4-13). The Ibriy failed to drive them all out (Judges 1.19-21) and they
eventually adopted their religions and customs, even to the point of sacrificing their children to false deities (2 Kings 17.17; 21.6; 23.10; Ps. 106.37,38; Yirmeyah-Jer. 7.31; 19.532.35) and having male and female prostitutes openly ply their trade (I Kings 15.12; 22.46; 2 Kings 17.9-12). They also fell into witchcraft (2 Kings 21.6).

Had the Ibriy genocided every inhabitant of the promised land their history would have been far different. There are times when groups of people go too far and it is best for the peoples of the world for them to be genocided to keep them from corrupting more people. A perfect example are the peoples who were destroyed by fire at Cedom (Sodom) and
Amorah (Gomorrah) (Genesis 18-19).

Tim George Urges Catholic-Protestant Cooperation

Tim George, the dean of Beeson Divinity School at Samford University which is supported by the SBC, says Protestants and Catholics are in a common struggle against the devil.

"All who believe in Jesus, Catholics and evangelicals alike, are comrades in a common struggle, not a struggle against one another, but against the Prince of Evil... In a culture of death, we bear witness together to the Lord of life..."

Tim added that, "Bible-believing evangelicals stand much closer to Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger than to Bishop John Spong!" (Christianity Today, 12-08-97, cited by the Plains Baptist Challenger, 1-98, p. 8 - http://www.llano.net/baptist)

It's obvious Timmy is apostate if he is born from above, which is highly unlikely. All true believers in YAHSHUA are in a struggle against the devil and his minions (Eph. 6.11,12),
including the Roman Catholic Church. The RCC is the modern day manifestation of the ancient Babylonian religion founded by Nimrod and Semiramis. This ancient religion has ruled the world since it was created (Apok. 17.18) and it currently rules the world through the RCC and Babylonian Talmudic Judaism, the other half of Babylon the Great, Mother of Prostitutes (Apok. 17.5).

True believers who are aware of the doctrines of the RCC know it is a false religion and they have nothing to do with it or with Catholics. Since virtually all Catholics are not saved and headed straight to hell we cannot fellowship with them or work with them in any way (2 Kor. 6.14-16).

Instead of working with Catholics we should be sharing the gospel with them and explaining to them that they are not born anew. If they refuse to trust in YAHSHUA alone to save them and come out of the RCC we must shake the dust off of our feet and go on to the next lost soul.

There may be a handful of priests in the RCC who are born again, but the fact that they remain in that satanic church means they are apostate. It is impossible for any RCC priest to be walking in the SPIRIT, including Randy Terry's buddy, Pat Mahoney. It should be noted that Terry and Mahoney are apostate and doing the work of the devil. This is true of every person who claims the RCC is a true Messianic Faith church, including Hankie Hannegraaf, Jack Impe, Pat Robertson, Paul Crouch, Hal Lindsey, Bobby Schuller and Billy Graham.

Lyons Won't Step Down

Henry Lyons, the head of the National Baptist Convention USA, apologized today but refused to step down amid escalating accusations of financial and personal wrongdoing.

"I am a preacher who made some very serious mistakes in judgment," said Lyons at a news conference at his Bethel Metropolitan Church. "If I have violated any federal or state laws, it was not my intent. It was also not my intent to do any act or any financial harm to anyone."

The president of the nation's largest black religious group has been dogged by allegations that church money was spent on expensive jewelry, a Mercedes-Benz and a $700,000 home bought with his mistress. Lyons is also accused of diverting money intended for the restoration of Southern churches damaged by arson to other church expenses and to accepting $350,000 in secret payments from Nigeria's military ruler.

"I am no monster. I am no devil," he declared. "I am a man, and despite whatever you may write I am still a child of God."

He denied misusing any convention or church money, he said he had voluntarily amended his federal income tax returns to reflect "a substantial increase in income or financial gifts" since 1995.

"I have never, even up to this day, reached into the offering plate and taken money that parishioners gave to this church every single Sunday," he said.

"Nothing that was said today is an admission of any criminal wrongdoing," said his chief mouthpiece, attorney Grady Irving.

Lyons is a target of state and federal investigations to determine whether tax-exempt church funds were improperly used. He said he doesn't expect any criminal charges to be filed against him.

His life began to unravel in July when his wife, Deborah, was charged with arson for setting small fires inside a $700,000 waterfront home in Tierra Verde. He bought the house with Bernice Edwards, a convicted embezzler he hired as the church's corporate relations director. The convention tightened its financial controls in response to criticism of Lyons' use of church funds, but ended an internal investigation.

Among the latest allegations is that Lyons acted as an unregistered lobbyist for the government of Nigerian Gen. Sani Abacha, who is seeking better treatment from the United States. Abacha, who seized power in 1993, is accused of crushing pro-democracy groups and imprisoning and assassinating political rivals.

Lyons also accepted $225,000 from the Anti-Defamation League and the National Urban League for the repair of burned churches after a national rash of church fires, but most of the money was never distributed to the affected congregations. (Las Vegas Sun, 12-03-97,
www)

Lyons is a crook, an adulterer, a bribe taker and a lot more. I find it difficult to believe he could be born from above. If he is saved, he is extremely backslidden. He should step down and never pastor an assembly again. The NBC USA is an apostate organization. It should have sacked Lyons a long time ago. Keeping him as president of the convention proves its leadership is apostate.