Finally, Christians are beginning to see the problems ...

I can't speak for his particular branch of Baptists, but the general tradition is that the local church is autonomous. The decision to dismiss the pastor would have to come through a vote of the membership.

 

Amen.

The fighter jets/crosses image is offensive on many levels.

 

I don't have a problem with Christians living one church because of a disagreement over theological issues. But to make it about politics is what I have a problem with.

 

Story says he is against abortion.

The guy is absolutely right. He would probably be considered a conservative but the church should be inclusive, not exclusive and when religion takes over politics it is never, ever, good.

Bottom line is when religion is the avenue to power, you have people hijacking religion for the sake of power. Not true believers.

Mixing the two is as big a threat to religion as it is to politics.

 

Cal Thomas has fretted about this on several occasions. And he's certainly no liberal and someone who's pretty gung-ho in support of Bush administration policies in the Middle East.

 

Yeah, but that doesn't mean much if you're also going to label it petty (or suggest the church shouldn't be involved in opposing).

That kind of attitude basically puts abortion in the same category as jaywalking.  I'm against that too, but I'm not gonna waste time opposing it.

 

Methinks you are taking him a bit out of context.

 

This is an interesting issue for me. How do you reconcile an Old Testament God who wiped out cities and flooded the earth, flattened armies, etc., etc., etc. to a New Testament God whose infallible son says to turn the other cheek?

 

Exactly.

In other words, he's saying if conservative and evangelical Christians would put as much focus on feeding the homeless as they do trying to outlaw abortion and stopping gay marriage, nobody in this country would go hungry.

 

There are so many things in life where this is true. If automakers would focus more on fuel-efficiency than seats which warm your butt. Et.al.

 

And the first paragraph is not a direct quote so he mav not have actually referred to the abortion issue as "petty".

 

Wow.  As if Christians do nothing for the homeless?  Or that they can only focus on one thing at a time?

I think I'd prefer to accept JR's suggestion that he may not have referred to abortion as petty.  I hope that's the case.