Southern Baptists Kick Out a Church

The Southern Baptist Convention voted to break its 125-year-old ties to Broadway Baptist Church, a Fort Worth congregation. Broadway allowed its homosexual members to appear in the church directory. Rather than allow same-sex family pictures, the church did away with all family photos and used only candid shots of all church members. Well, the SBC said a speedy adios to the church, claiming Broadway had violated its principles by acting to "affirm, approve or endorse homosexual behavior." Broadway maintains that it is "in friendly cooperation" with the SBC.

Um, when did the SBC become the Pope? The whole deal with Protestants is that you get to interpret the Bible for your own self and that individual congregations are not beholden to any higher authority (other than God/Jesus, of course). The SBC is supposed to be spreading the Good News, but they just keep getting smaller and smaller. Maybe it's time to rethink the rigidity? Just a little?

Remember, Jesus was peeved with the Pharisees because they were too rigid with the rules (Matthew 12:10-14):

¹⁰And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him.

¹¹And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?

¹²How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.

¹³Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other.

¹⁴Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him.