Bob Allen of the Associated Baptist Press has penned an article titled BJC files brief opposing sectarian prayer at government meetings. Here is a snippet:
WASHINGTON (ABP) — The Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty filed legal papers July 6 arguing that inviting religious leaders to invoke sectarian prayers at a North Carolina county’s board of commissioners meetings is unconstitutional.
The BJC filed a friend-of-the-court brief urging the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold a Jan. 28 ruling by a federal district judge that prayers used to open or solemnize meetings of the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.
Towards the end of the article, Allen mentions the prayer controversy here in McLennan County:
A similar controversy has been brewing in Waco, Texas. After weeks of discussion, McLennan County commissionersvoted July 6 to begin their meetings with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance.
The decision came after commissioners sought legal advice and community input about how to conduct prayers in a way that includes all faiths and protects the county from potential lawsuits.
I have previously blogged about this brewing controversy here and here.
I have read the McLennan County prayer policy. It seems very similar to Forsyth County’s prayer policy. Lester Gibson and the other McLennan County Commissioners would be well served to read the Baptist Joint Committee’s brief.
Just wondering – do you believe that religious liberty is a spiritual goal?
You might compare the two documents to see how much copying was done. And whether the same words are mis-spelled or mis-used, as in “lead” in stead of “led”.
BDW: Little off topic but want to bring this to your attention and your audience at Baylor.
In the discussion tht follows at sbcvoices.com your Father Doug Weaver’s history of 2nd Ponce in re Robert Marsh’s presentation to his deacons in June 1990 is taken issue with.
Hope Hankins sees this, and would love to see your response at the Voices:
290 stephen fox August 1, 2010 at 10:56 am
I doubt SBC Peace Committee Members Charles Pickering and Jim Henry would agree with SSBN’s assessment above or its endorsement by Brandon on Russell Dilday and other matters in regard how the Peace Committee report was implemented.
Bush 43 Judicial Nominee is now a trustee of the Alliance Defense Fund with Chuck Colson and others.
But I could be wrong.
It would be interesting for Pickering and Henry to address SSBN’s conclusions in panel with Henry’s daughter Kate Campbell and the son of Pickering’s former pastor Robert Marsh, his son Charles who will have a bio on Dietrich Bonhoeffer out fall of next year.
While SSBN may have some weak points, his overall sentiment on the whole lacks merit and distracts from greater truths.
That said here are some of the remarks Robert Marsh made to his deacon Board at 2nd Ponce in Atlanta where he followed Dilday; remarks of June 1990 from a history of the church by Doug Weaver whose son BDW sometimes posts on this board.
Robert Marsh was a classmate of Adrian Rogers at NOBTS:
From his address to his deacons
Item 3 The Political Agenda of SBC takeover fundamentalists:
I want to say this as objectively as possible and simply give the facts as they have been given to me, not from reading the AJC or the Christian Index; but these items on the agenda have been given to me eye to eye conversation with dear friends with whom I may disagree very thoroughly but who have been clear enough to state the political agenda of the conservative movement.
1)Since 79 The Conservative Resurgence among SBC has tried to move us to a righ wing political philosophy and insisted that a conservative believer would be a political conservative….
2)I have had it stated to me very clearly eye to eye; “If you don’t vote for Ronald Reagan or George Bush there is no way you can claim to be a follower of Jesus Christ.
3) A strong military build up is a very important item on the political agenda….You are going to be supportive of what we did in Granda and Panama. If not, then there is something wrong with your commitment to the Word of God
4)If you favored giving away the Panama Canal, there is no way you can call yourself a Bible Believer
5) Capitalism is the only economic system to be found in the Word of God
6)If you believe the Bible, you will oppose the Equal rights Amendment
7)If you are a Bible believer, you will be Pro NRA…
Question is should these positions become a litmus test for participation in the Kingdom of God
More frightening, Should this agenda be the basis which determines whether a person can teach or serve on a board of trustees for one of our Baptist Institutions?
For Brandon and his full 27 years here on the earth, again, Garry Wills concluding chapters in American Christianities may help him digest some of the above in context and aim him toward better Light.
Reply
291 volfan007 August 1, 2010 at 11:43 am
1. He was wrong, but it would be a good thing for Believers to be politically conservative…IMHO.
2. He was definitely wrong about this one. It’s absolutely a stupid statement.
3. He was wrong again. This guy just made up things.
4. Again, he was wrong…not only wrong, but this is the most idiotic statement I’ve seen in a long, long time.
5. Wrong again. Although, capitalism is one of the best systems going today.
6. What?
7. What? again.
This is some of the most stupid stuff I’ve read in a long, long time. Completely idiotic.
David
Reply
292 David Miller August 1, 2010 at 11:44 am
99% of the time, the best thing to do is just to ignore this stuff.