Baptist fundamentalism and forgiveness

I note that much of our moneys and benefit packages are still tied to the SBC, and until we become independent of that then griping, we come across as biters of the hand that feeds us, though in reality as Rick Davis says, we the church member feeds the church which feeds the Convention, Association and Fellowships or Alliance. They will all have divisions, almost too numerous to mention. This leads to politics and thus to compromise, which becomes tricky in the realm of religion, where soul competency is foundational and everyone believes their version of the Word Of God is the one true revelation.

Some of us see the struggles of the past twenty years as rooted in those very differences Baptists have always tacitly encouraged by tolerating them for growth and the purpose of ministry under the banner of Christian unity. So the disagreements were always there, and are not some sudden flare up leading to the "takeover twenty years ago". Our inability to overcome the pride engendered by hurt feelings, which did lead to that takeover and seems now to emanate from it, is a real failure--and a sign to us that arrogance has its consequence. Within the local church and inside the associations and conventions there needs to be a return to genteel open minded conversation. I know from my own youth experience based during the sixties that the fundamentalist view was in part an expression of frustration with the secular social centers of influence and a desire to protect children from what can be desctribed as a determined, metered, unbounded, focused attack on Christian ethic and institutions, groups and individuals--almost a paranoia.

The moderate view has a more complicated expression in its seeming desire for secular or government regulation on common definitions and enactments of charity but a laissez faire attitude concerning control of certain personal behaviours. Time and space and fersure my capacity limits a true analysis here of the differences, but as one who feels torn between, as opposed to pushed aside, or demonized, may this be a decent restart at a conversation which should have retaken place much earlier, but might possibly be mute, as to effect and affect, today, due to tardiness or lack of humility.