In Response to the Dr. Tiller Post
Well, it’s clear that people are reading, and I’m pleased about that. I got a great response from a very smart lady, and I should know, ’cause she’s my mom! Great lady.
Anyway, here’s her response to the previous Dr. Tiller post (I hope she doesn’t mind my posting it!):
You are right that the church is not what it should be. It is full of painfully human people who, many times, are seeking their own agenda rather than the one set for us by the Lord. The things that are done in His name are sometimes horrific. All through history you can find examples of man’s attempt to convince others of the righteousness of their position by the most anti-Christian behavior. But, we do not have the corner on that market. You have given a wonderful example of someone who has actually lived their beliefs before someone else who was desperately seeking. This does happen. There are many examples of that in the Christian church, and yes, even within the Southern Baptist denomination. Please do not allow your very appropriate revulsion at the action of this person / group who was responsible for shooting Dr. Tiller to fire your strong leaning toward cynicism – especially toward the church.
There is no place for this behavior in the Christian life – most of the people in our (and by “our” I mean Southern Baptist mainstream) churches would agree with you completely. Until we are all completely devoted to Him and living each day in obedience to Him, there will be aberrant groups who do really stupid, and sometimes criminal, things. We must stand against that as much as we stand against the actions of Dr. Tiller. The way we stand against it can be as much a harm to the Church and to our own faith as the actions of these killers if we aren’t careful to keep it in the light of His word and His teaching.
This is a great reminder to me personally, because I’m very often hard on my brethren (while openly acknowledging my own sinfulness). Here’s part of my response to her email.
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The Murder of Dr. Tiller and a Convert to Islam
I’ve got a great sadness in my heart for what the Christian Church has become. There are so many signs of degradation starting at the very top of the leadership and flowing (trickle is exactly the wrong word) down to the grass roots. I was raised a Southern Baptist and there are few denominations that equal the SBC in its capacity for besmirching the name of Jesus Christ. That’s for future posts, though.
The murder of Dr. Tiller, the abortion doctor in Wichita, KS, has provide great fodder for those that are looking for any reason to distract or demean the message of love and forgiveness of Christ. And why not? The man was shot and killed in the lobby of his church. The lobby of his church.
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