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On Tuesday, November 13, 2007 the N.C. Baptist Convention voted to sustain the November 12 ruling of their Executive Committee that Myers Park Baptist Church no longer be considered in friendly co-operation with the N.C. Baptist Convention. These actions came after Myers Park Baptist church leaders spoke to the officers of the Convention and to the Convention itself. Below are the letters delivered by members of Myers Park Baptist Church. Read letter delivered by Dr. Shoemaker »
Letters to the N. C. Baptist Convention Nancy Walker I THANK GOD that I was born and raised at Myers Park Baptist Church. I was able to grow in my faith and my relationship with Christ in a church that was kind, loving and inclusive. I thank God that I am able to continue my spiritual journey at Myers Park Baptist, the church whose membership elected me to serve them as a Deacon without regard to my sexual orientation. As you know, most gay and lesbian people are not so fortunate. I recall how shocked and saddened I was to discover one year that many of my friends had nowhere to celebrate Christmas because they were no longer welcome in their families' homes, or in the Churches where they worshipped as children. That year, my partner and I invited those people to our home on Christmas Day to celebrate the holy day. I remember the overwhelming love I felt for my family when they volunteered to come to celebrate and to be a surrogate family for those whose families and Churches had abandoned them. We nicknamed the gathering, the Misfit Christmas party. This body has the power and opportunity today to open your hearts to all who seek to worship God… to commit to follow Christ’s example by reaching out to so many who have suffered both pain and spiritual isolation…to those who have been excluded from our churches, not by Christ or God, but by religious institutions… and even to those who have turned away from Christ because they were told there was no place for them at God’s table. God forgive us. We could debate Bible verses until God calls us all home, but I don’t think it is the purpose of this Baptist body to interpret scripture for all Baptists by majority vote. It is certainly not in our great Baptist tradition to do so. I hope we can agree, though, that God’s love and grace are for all people. As Jesus said: “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, so that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” I am a lesbian. I am a Baptist. I am a devoted follower of Christ. And no matter what your vote today, I will continue to be God's witness in the world for love, compassion and reconciliation among all people... and I will continue to be loved by God. I know this because it’s in the scripture... and it’s in my heart. ....................................................................................................................... Edward T. Hinson, Jr. Brothers and Sisters: I’ve asked my Pastor Steve Shoemaker to hand deliver this letter to you in connection with the application of Myers Park Baptist to have messengers present for this year’s North Carolina Baptist Convention. I am a former Chair of the Myers Park Baptist Church Board of Deacons and currently serve the Church as a Life Deacon. The press of business prevents my appearance in-person. We chose to send messengers to this year’s convention to urge you to reconsider your position on removing from fellowship North Carolina Baptist Churches that are welcoming and affirming of homosexual persons who chose to attend or seek membership in their congregations. Our Church is openly welcoming of all persons who seek to join us on our journey of faith. I am from a long line of Baptists and have always embraced Baptist cornerstone principles of respecting the autonomy each congregation in matters of governance and local church membership and respecting individual soul competence in matters of scriptural interpretation. I am proud of Baptist forbearers who stood against church/state entanglement and central church hierarchies that imposed a faith dictated by Popes, Bishops and other central commanders of church doctrine. The priesthood of all believers is of historical significance, but is alive and well at Myers Park Baptist Church and in the hearts and minds of our people. I attend a Wednesday morning men’s Bible Study. We wrestle together with meaning of Biblical stories. A recent passage was Luke 18:9-14. I am sure you are familiar with Jesus’ comparison of the prayers of two men in the temple. One was righteous, trusted in himself and regarded others with contempt. He thanked God that he was not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like the other man who was also praying in the church- a tax collector. The tax collector’s prayer was “God be merciful to me, a sinner.” Jesus said that of the two, the righteous man who tithed and fasted was not the one who went home justified. Elsewhere, we learn that Jesus associated with and took meals with sinners. I am thankful for this Gospel good news. To me, it says we should welcome all who come to pray with us and let God be the judge of their worthiness. Despite my years of study, I do not feel qualified to judge my fellow sinner. And as a Baptist, I resist any church central command structure which purports to do the judging for me and my autonomous Baptist Church. Sunday evening November 4 our congregation joined Temple Beth El of Charlotte for a special service commemorating Crystalnacht, the night the Nazis began their open assault on the Jews. One of the passages read at the service was one I expect you know. I will ask Pastor Shoemaker to read it to you now.
When we read this moving statement together with the Jews present from Temple Beth El, the Spirit spoke to my heart that these words are applicable today when action is taken against homosexual persons. I am not homosexual- I am blessed by a marriage of more than 30 years and two special children. But when anyone comes to mistreat or exclude my homosexual brothers and sisters, I will stand with them and for them, for I believe they are children of the God I seek to serve. My faith tells me to welcome them as I welcome all however flawed who come to worship God. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God, and I will not be party to excluding any from God’s grace and mercy. For too long the church has focused condemnation on this minority and the speck in the eye of our brothers and sisters while ignoring the log in our own. I urge you to change your direction and refocus on the historic missions of the Church in the words of the Prophet Isaiah, to “seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, and plead for the widow.” Isaiah 1:17. Throughout the world today and even in our own country the oppressed need rescue and widows and orphans still must be defended and have strong advocates. These are causes in which we can join and for which the world and God’s people await leadership. Otherwise, regretfully, we must end our association. In Christ, ...................................................................................................................... Barbara Mishoe I grew up in a Southern Baptist Church..….. I was a Sun Beam and in GA’s…….. I went to Sunday School and Training Union……… I was baptized and married……. I went to a Baptist Junior College…….. I sang “Jesus Loves Me” and “Just as I am” ……… When this convention took the vote last year to exclude churches that welcome Gay and Lesbian individuals, you struck at the heart of the acceptance that Jesus lived and the love of God that I believe extends to all. The Bible is used to argue any point you want to stand behind, but I and my church, choose to stand with God’s loving and welcoming arms for all who choose to be disciples. ...................................................................................................................... Raymond E. Owens, Jr. Thank you for the chance to speak to you today. You and I find ourselves in disagreement. Disagreement about the Word or how our faith is expressed among Baptist and Christians is not new. It began with the Disciples. In fact, our country and our world – Christian and non-Christian – are in conflict about the role of faith and religion. In our country, at its worst, those who are called “liberal” are smug in their know-it-all, anything goes, secular humanist approach while those who are called “conservatives” are at their worst fearful that their families and children are losing the values of their faith and are, therefore, banning books and even blaming 9/11 on their fellow citizens. Smugness. Fear. The liberals because of their fear of intolerance mock the sincere beliefs of good people; the conservatives are smug in their belief that only they are right and that others are dammed. Smugness. Fear. While we don’t know each other, you and I are also in agreement. Perhaps we should start there. We are life-long Baptist – Southern style. We need no Popes, no Cardinals, no creeds, nothing between us and our Bible. Nothing between us and our Lord. Because of that freedom, we have and do, therefore, disagree. We have not – and must not – disfellowship for that reason alone. I have members of my family and friends whom I love who agree with your view of gays and lesbians. The opposite is also true. I would not for a moment say to them nor they to me that because of that view we could be neither friend nor family on this issue about which our Lord said not one word. What brings you to this decision? What are you afraid of? What can you be afraid of? A few scattered churches in North Carolina who disagree with you. You would strip this church of a 60 year old association because of this. It is easy to do. Perhaps it will be easy to do. I ask you to do the harder thing – take the first step against the fear and the smugness. Thank you for your time and attention. ...................................................................................................................... Todd Rubenson We have made theological arguments regarding our embrace of gay and lesbian people in our letters to the Convention. Today, I’d like to convey something more personal. Twice while growing up I watched families literally torn apart when grown men, who had been aware of their sexual orientation since adolescence, finally decided in their 50’s that they could no longer live dishonestly before God and their communities. A third family friend never has reached a place of peace in regard to his own sexual identity, instead enduring a lifetime of personal pain and anguish with his family. That is the history of a generation that simply could not come to terms with the reality of homosexuality in our culture. In contrast, today I see hope. Today, I know many gay and lesbian couples who are living in open, happy, healthy relationships – as committed partners, sharing their lives, working for the betterment of their families, churches and communities. Many attend our church. And in their unbending commitment to following the way of Christ, they are as fully Christian as any people I’ve ever met. In my view, that’s what this debate is really all about. Will we choose a path that leads to joy, hope, compassion and love, as Jesus has taught us… or will we choose a path of exclusion, cutting people out of the church who want only to belong, and diminishing ourselves in the process? My enduring hope is that the world’s people who truly want to follow Jesus…will choose a path that leads to love, and joy, and life. ...................................................................................................................... Church Forum and Update: On Sunday, November 18, church leadership invited the congregation to discuss and comment on the recent interaction with the N.C. Baptist Convention. Leaders and members read their letters to the convention, and several forum attendees addressed the group. The forum was recorded and is available here:
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