A church in Austin, Texas was expelled from the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Apparently, the Texas Baptist association is more concerned with what people do with their naughty bits than with what the Bible said:
“This is my command: Love each other. If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.”
The Reverend Dr. Griff Martin, pastor of First Baptist Church of Austin, spoke out about the decision.
“I think I’ll be sad there wasn’t room at the table for love… We have ordained gay deacons. We have done gay weddings. We are celebrating children of gay couples.
[The Baptist General Convention of Texas] would hold to the position that marriage is just between a man and a woman … Texas Baptists is looking more and more like the Southern Baptist Convention and that’s terrifying.”
No room at the table for love — but plenty of room for discrimination. A post on the Texas Baptists’ website explained the decision to dismiss churches that practice love and inclusion.
“The first motion, brought to the floor by Steve Wells, pastor of South Main Baptist Church in Houston, set in place a procedure to consistently address churches considered to be outside of harmonious cooperation. The procedure granted the Executive Board, with a two-thirds vote, the authority to remove a congregation outside of harmonious cooperation.
The second motion, brought to the floor by Craig Christina, pastor of Shiloh Terrace Baptist Church in Dallas, reaffirmed the BGCT’s longstanding historical position on Biblical human sexuality and marriage, specifically within the context of considering whether or not churches are within harmonious cooperation.
The motion stated, ‘because of the historical and biblical positions of the BGCT as stated in multiple resolutions, motions, and actions, that any church which affirms any sexual relationship outside the bonds of a marriage between one man and one woman be considered out of harmonious cooperation with the Baptist General Convention of Texas.'”
Texas Baptist Association: WWJD? We Don’t Care
According to their website, the First Baptist Church of Austin focuses on service to the community. Their missions include providing transitional housing to the homeless, feeding the hungry, and caring for underprivileged children. They’ve turned one floor of their church building into a shelter, providing room at the inn, so to speak, for families in need. Their Mobile Loaves and Fishes mission goes out into the community, attempting to reach people who are hungry and food-insecure. These missions are right in line with Biblical doctrine.
“Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.”
“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”
“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
