In 2004, Dr. Rich Mow, then president of Fuller Theological Seminary, spoke before a large gathering of evangelicals and LDS (Mormons). He apologized, in part, for what he considered to be a misrepresentation of the LDS faith on the part of evangelicals. He would have known, given that he had spent the previous six years (and the decade since) interacting with LDS and asking and answering questions with his LDS counterparts. Don’t get me wrong, Mow was and still is a Christian, an expert in Calvinist theology that rejects the doctrines that distinguish Mormonism. He was simply acknowledging something we probably all need to be reminded of in light of the upcoming presidential election and the impending Southern Baptist Convention Annual Convention: that no matter how much we disagree with our neighbors, we cannot bear false witness.
In June, the SBC is preparing to discuss and possibly adopt so-called “legal reforms.” The proposed amendment would add a clause to the SBC’s constitution that would require only men to be appointed as elders and pastors, a term known as “complementarianism.” While the majority of the SBC appears to support this amendment, it still raises important debates about the role of women in ministry. And in those debates, I have seen many people on both sides of this issue sin against their brothers and sisters in Christ in an attempt to discredit the opposing position. .
A major concern for many in the SBC is liberal-leaning thinking. The idea is that if we allow a woman to be a pastor or elder today, she will be condoning homosexuality tomorrow. I’ve heard people say, “Look at United Methodist.” “They had a female pastor, and look where that led them.” But the denomination I’ve called home for the past four years, the Assemblies of God (AG), has ordained women since its founding in 1914. This position is considered “egalitarian.” Contrary to some claims, the AG does not condone homosexual relationships. The same goes for Foursquare, the Christian and Missionary Alliance, and the Free Methodist Church, among others. Just two years ago, the Global Methodist Church broke away from the United Methodist Church to form the Global Methodist Church, another example of an egalitarian denomination demonstrating historic Christian commitment to sexual ethics.
Contrary to what many complementarians have argued, teeth It is also possible that you are an egalitarian and do not approve of same-sex relationships. These sects are proof of that.
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Another argument I often hear is, “I don’t care what the Bible teaches.” I can’t speak for others, but if you don’t care about the teachings of the Bible, I won’t be speaking in tongues, as the denomination I call home has told me for the past three years. I wouldn’t have felt any deep pain. He cannot be a qualified minister. If the Bible were just an accessory to me, I would have lied and said I was speaking in tongues in private. Instead, I chose to fight the incredible hurt of hearing my community reject my call to vocational service in this denomination. why? Because I submit to the Bible and the Bible commands me to be honest.
I don’t find the AG’s argument on this issue to be persuasive, but I have never accused the denomination or those within it of not caring about what the Bible says. I believe those who support that doctrine do so out of a serious desire to follow what they believe the Bible teaches. Similarly, egalitarian interpretations of the Bible have a rational and well-thought-out basis for their position. Whether you find it convincing or not is another story.
I’m not saying you have to agree with me on this. What I’m saying is that misrepresenting someone’s beliefs in order to “win” is not worth the price of sin. Mr. Moe was right when he said that evangelicals sinned against Mormons. It would also be correct to say that complementarians sin against egalitarians by saying they don’t care about the Bible. Furthermore, even though many complementarians have reasonable Biblical support, some egalitarians claim that all complementarians are simply misogynistic and want to oppress women; It would be correct to say that he sinned against. While I respect your reasonable intellectual beliefs, I cannot agree with you.
Nor does it mean, as Jude says, that we shouldn’t fight for the truth. The search for truth is good and necessary. Paul affirms this in Galatians 1:6-9 and elsewhere. But we have to be honest with ourselves. In his book talk to mormonsMo says: [others] We belittle the truth by attributing to them things they don’t actually teach, and if we don’t really care if we’re right, we He has become a false teacher, a teacher of untruth! ” Remember, he’s talking to a group with far more different opinions than we do. Regardless of the degree of disagreement, misrepresentation is a sin.
I often lament the fact that I was born too late to become a music lover in the early 2000s.I Love Listening to music that no one knows. One of his songs that falls into that category is “You Are My Country” by Gable Price and Friends. The song begins by repeating a line that has captured my heart since the first time I heard it. “Maybe we’ll go to heaven and realize we were both wrong.” What if that were true? What if God is not a complementarian or an egalitarian, a Calvinist or an Arminian, a Democrat or a Republican?
On that day, when we have to give an account of ourselves to God (Romans 14:12), if it is true and we teeth If we are wrong, we should pray that the only mistake God finds in us is in our very doctrine, and not in the way we treat each other as we struggle for truth.
Kyle Perry is a youth pastor and teacher living in Washington state. In the fall of 2024, Kyle will begin pursuing a Master of Divinity degree at Baylor’s Tuett School of Theology. One of Kyle’s main interests is conducting interfaith dialogue with Latter-day Saints (Mormons) from a traditional evangelical perspective.
