Ethics Daily announced today that student and leader guides for "The Agenda: 8 Lessons from Luke 4" are now available free online. The lessons are designed to be used in preparation for the
Celebration of a New Baptist Covenant, which has Luke 4 as its focal passage. Robert Parham, executive director of the Baptist Center for Ethics, stated:
Our hope is that Baptists across North America will use these lessons in preparing their hearts, minds and hands to pursue Jesus' mission statement. ... We hope that we will be hearers and doers of the word (Jas 1:22), that our minds might be transformed (Rom 12:2) and that we might become known as those who do good for and with others (Mt 7:12).
I am excited about the Celebration, which will be held January 30-February 1 in Atlanta, and I am glad that the
Baptist General Convention of Missouri is not only supporting the Celebration but also helped underwrite these lessons.
Ethics Daily announced today that student and leader guides for "The Agenda: 8 Lessons from Luke 4" are now available free online. The lessons are designed to be used in preparation for the Celebration of a New Baptist Covenant, which has Luke 4 as its focal passage. Robert Parham, executive director of the Baptist Center for Ethics, stated:
Brian,
ReplyDeleteIs there any progress on President Carter refuting Rabbi Lerner's and Newsweek's reports attributing to him non-exclusivist views and statements?
A clear gospel message, including the exclusivity of Christ to save, is central to any "authentic Baptist witness" or new "prophetic Baptist voice."
I urge you, the BGCM, the BGCT, and other promoters of the NewBapCov to either refute or verify these reports of Jimmy Carter's non-Baptistic soteriology.
If the reports are true, Carter should be asked to step aside as the key figure and keynote of the January event. Otherwise, "Baptist" should be dropped from the name so not to confuse the lost in America, who may have read and heard that Carter believes "a Mormon is a Christian" and that Judaism is a "legitimate path to God."
Brian,
ReplyDeleteI emailed Rabbi Lerner asking if he stands by his report on his May conversation with President Carter regarding Judaism and Zionists, which indicated Carter had pluralist views.
I share with you the Rabbi's interesting reply:
"I have no interest in quoting Carter—and perhaps I was reporting only what I wished to hear and not what he actually said, because at this point I’m unable to reconstruct the conversation in a way that would make me certain."
I will no longer refer to Rabbi Lerner's report. Carter's response on Mormons to Newsweek is still unrefuted or unexplained, and therefore troubling, though not as troubling as the Rabbi's allegations.
President Carter should stay away from Lerner. Advancing a common political agenda is not worth associating with and being used by a liar.
Chuck: Thanks for the comments, and especially thanks for sharing the result of your contact with Rabbi Lerner. This confirms my suspicions about his account. I hope that this is a reminder for all of us to (1) be careful about quoting others if we cannot do it accurately and (2) be careful not to use questionable evidence or claims.
ReplyDeleteAgain, thanks for helping figure this out! I'll offer some thoughts on your question about the Mormon comment later.
Brian,
ReplyDeleteI'm emailing to you the entire sequence of messages between the Rabbi and me.
I was surprised at the ease with which I was able to contact and hear back from him.
My observation: Secular politics merged with religion result in some really mixed up, messed up situations, like this one.
Chuck: Thanks a lot for passing that on as it is an interesting read. I second your observation!
ReplyDeleteChuck: As for your Mormon example, it is important to carefully read Carter's answer. He only said he has a relative that is a Mormon that he believes is a Christian, not that all Mormons are Christians. I am sure that a few Mormons might accept Jesus as their savior in spite of the religion.
ReplyDelete