Why Equality of Women in Christianity Is Critical

I am a conservative, Bible-believing, evangelical Christian.

I believe the New Testament clearly teaches that leadership in Christ's Kingdom revolves around giftings, not gender; humility, not hubris; and personal service, not powerful status.

I've served as pastor of the same large, evangelical Southern Baptist church since March 2, 1992. I live in politically conservative northwest Oklahoma. I believe in liberty. I believe in the Bible. Most importantly, I believe in Jesus and His teachings.

For all these reasons, I believe the Bible and our Lord clearly teach that women should be free to serve based upon their giftings by the Holy Spirit, and never restricted from leadership or service because of their genitalia.

This is the teaching of Jesus.

For nearly two decades I have done all I can to convince the Southern Baptist Convention that if we are to behave in the manner set forth by the Bible we all claim to believe, then we should do everything we can to empower, encourage, and exalt gifted women.

The full-orbed image of God is never comprehended and appreciated until men and women work together in harmony.

In fact, I would go so far as to say, until women are involved in Christian ministry at your local church, you'll never see the transformative power of God in changing lives.

Our focus in the SBC right now is on the abuse of women.

Truth be known, our focus is all wrong.

We should be focusing on why we are not exalting women.

Women are, indeed, the very image of God.

"It Indicates a Wicked Society When Women Rule," Paige Patterson and His Inhumane View of Women

The Southern Baptist Convention is at a crossroads.

We have four weeks to correct our course or the future will be very bleak indeed.

Some are saying that the furor of Dr. Paige Patterson's words about an abused woman submitting to her abusive husband is unfair to him. "He didn't mean it," they say. "His words have been taken out of context," claim Patterson loyalists.

No. Dr. Paige Patterson meant exactly what he said.  Actually,  what Dr. Patterson truly believes about women is worse than what's so far been revealed in this little dust-up about abuse. 

Let me show you using Dr. Paige Patterson's own words while under oath.

In 2006, Dr. Paige Patterson terminated the highly acclaimed and brilliant Hebrew professor, Dr. Sheri Klouda, from the faculty of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, because she was a woman.

Let that sink in: Dr. Paige Patterson terminated Dr. Sheri Klouda due to her gender.

But why fire an acclaimed Hebrew scholar because she is female?

Dr. Patterson tells us under oath. The following exchange between attorney Gary Richardson and Dr. Paige Patterson during a deposition gives the reader a gut-wrenching glimpse into Dr. Patterson's view of women and a possible basis for his view that a woman should submit to her abusive man.

Question (Richardson): Well, I’m interested in whether or not you claim here under oath today, Dr. Patterson, that you mentioned to these two gentlemen (Blaising and Allen) any concern about her (Dr. Klouda) violating the stipulation that she was placed under?

Answer (Patterson): Yes, I did mention it to both of them.

Question (Richardson): And what — what is it you say you said to them?

Answer (Patterson): I don’t recall the exact conversation, of course, but I did say to them that I felt that there was violation taking place perhaps, and furthermore, that I felt that it was inappropriate ecclesiologically for her to be in this position.

Question (Richardson): And what was the violation that you claim here today that you told them that you thought was taking place?

Answer (Patterson): I believe that she was indulging in the exposition of the scripture.

Question (Richardson): Giving her own conclusions?

Answer (Patterson): Uh-huh.

Question (Richardson): Yes?

Answer (Patterson): Yes, I’m sorry.

Pay attention Southern Baptists:

Dr. Paige Patterson, according to his own words under oath, believed Sheri Klouda, a highly trained and acclaimed Hebrew professor, was "indulging in drawing her own conclusions about the Scriptures."

Dr. Patterson believes a woman should never draw her own, independent conclusions from the Scriptures and tell a man what she thinks God is saying. This was Dr. Klouda's crime. Dr. Patterson tells us this under oath.

But It Gets Worse

In his same testimony,  Paige Patterson is asked what he thinks about a society where women are in positions of leadership. I am typing for you the dialogue complete and unedited.

Question (Richardson): Would you think in regards to the issue of -- of women in the church, that you and Paul Pressler have acted responsibly for the convention?

Answer (Patterson): I certainly hope we have, we've done our very best.

Question (Richardson):  And -- and I think that you would agree that- that Wade Burleson would feel that he's done his very best, wouldn't you?

Answer (Patterson): Yes, he probably does, uh-huh. I'm not judging his heart. That's only known to God. That's something he does fairly regularly with regard to me.

Question (Richardson): On Page 1595?

Answer (Patterson): Yes.

Queston (Richardson): In view of time, I'll try to rush through this, but the third paragraph down it says, There it is. (Wade Burleson writes:) "There is the narrow, biblical interpretation that says it all and causes our convention some serious problems. No woman shall have authority over a man." Did I read that correctly -- correctly?

Answer (Patterson): Yes.

Queston (Richardson): And he (Wade Burleson) is saying that in his opinion, that you have gone far beyond the prohibition of women pastors?

Answer (Patterson): Uh-huh.

Question (Richardson): Right?

Answer (Patterson): Apparently that's what he's saying.

Answer (Richardson): And, of course, you disagree?

Answer (Patterson): Yes.

Question (Richardson): "According to Patterson's rigid and narrow interpretation of the Bible, it is wrong for a woman to serve in any position of authority over a man;" is that an accurate statement?

Answer (Patterson): In the church, yes.

Question (Richardson): How about anywhere else?

Answer (Patterson): Well I don't take a position about anything else, because the Bible is not crystal clear on it. The Bible does say in the Book of Isaiah, that it is something of an indication of a wicked society when women rule over them.

Throughout the deposition, Patterson made remarks about how society is not following the standards of God's word, but the church must follow the infallible Word of God when it comes to women not having any authority over men.

That's why Patterson recently said "a woman should never go to court with marital problems," problems that may even include physical abuse. Keep quiet. Submit.

One must conclude that in Patterson's world, an abused woman is better than an indulged woman.

In his 1988 job interview with the Christian Life Commission (now the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission) Board of Trustees, Richard Land - a close friend of Paige Patterson - said the following:

“I understand that [women’s ordination] is a problem with many [Southern Baptists] . . . and it is one that we need to be sensitive in addressing. It has been my experience and I hope I’m not being judgmental here, that many people, I suspect, use the women’s ordination issue as an excuse for having attitudes about women that aren’t Christian. I think we have to . . . make it very clear that we affirm the equality of women . . ., and be extremely cautious about extrapolating from two spheres, the home and the church. For instance, I don’t think that anything in the New Testament would prohibit a woman from being a professor or an administrator in any of our seminaries or colleges.”

In the span of 30 years, Dr. Paige Patterson has successfully managed to spread his denigrating view

Student enrollment under Paige Patterson's tenure

of women into the Southern Baptist institutions where he possesses leadership.

I have been attempting to warn the Southern Baptist Convention for decades this has been happening.

Now there are Southern Baptists who are saying, "Dr. Paige Patterson loves women!"  "Dr. Paige Patterson is being misrepresented." They declare, "Dr. Paige Patterson would never tell an abused woman to submit to her abusive husband.." "Dr. Paige Patterson was only joking when he said a man should own at least one woman." 

To Patterson loyalists, Dr. Paige Patterson is a misunderstood man.

No. he's not.

Dr. Patterson is a man who speaks what he believes.

Either too many Southern Baptists are cowards or far too many Southern Baptists believe just like Paige Patterson.

We must confront and remove leaders who propose an unbiblical, anti-Christian, inhumane, God-dishonoring view of women, and cover, hide, and excuse the sexual and physical abuse of women and not wait until society and culture shame us.

Indeed, shame on us.

Beth Moore, I've seen male leaders in our Southern Baptist Convention speak and behave shamefully around women. I've confronted the men every time I see it. I am grateful for your courage in speaking out about your horrible treatment.

We should have removed Dr. Paige Patterson years ago because Jesus demands humble, servant leadership in His Kingdom. The New Testament which unveils the Good News of the New Covenant of God's grace in Jesus Christ declares it clearly:

"There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:28).

So many lives have been, are being, and will continue to be wrecked by anyone who crosses Dr. Paige Patterson.

The Southern Baptist Convention has one final shot at making this right. If not, I and many other Southern Baptist pastors may very well hand the Southern Baptist Convention over to the rigidic, misogynistic, legalistic, Old Covenant Baptists who believe a society is wicked when women rule.

Jesus said His Kingdom is ruled by humble servants, regardless of their gender. 

I choose to follow Jesus.

Will Dr. Paige Patterson Retire or Will He Be Fired?

Photo of Paige Patterson (Courtesy: BaptistMessage.Com)

The verdict will soon be in.

Dr. Paige Patterson, architect of what some call the conservative resurgence of the Southern Baptist Convention will most likely no longer be the President of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.

The question left to decide is whether Dr. Patterson will be allowed to resign and retire or will he be terminated? The Southwestern Seminary trustee Executive Committee has been meeting for the past two days, and I'm told the full board of trustees will meet soon (May 22, 2018).

Paige Patterson loyalists, as always, want a fight to the finish. Let me introduce you to two men on the Executive Committee of the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary who are Patterson loyalists.

Dr. Bart Barber serves on the Executive Committee of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He seems to be fighting hard to keep Dr. Patterson in positions of leadership. At the 2009 Southern Baptist Convention, I stood on the floor of the Southern Baptist Convention and opposed the nomination of Dr. Bart Barber as a trustee for Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

I publicly stated at the 2009 Southern Baptist Convention that Dr. Bart Barber's appointment as a Southwestern Seminary trustee "would be a clear conflict of interest."

Dr. Barber served at the time as an adjunct professor at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He received a paycheck from the institution he was being nominated to oversee. Dr. Paige Patterson ultimately hired Dr. Bart Barber, and now the Southern Baptist Convention was about to place him as a trustee of that institution?

I warned the messengers.

"Placing an employee of an institution on the board of trustees of that same institution is a conflict of interest, and very well could cause future trouble in the Southern Baptist Convention."

Dr. Bart Barber is now serving on the Executive Committee of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a Patterson loyalist who is blind to the optics of how it looks for Paige Patterson to continue in Southern Baptist leadership. My opposition to Bart Barber as a trustee was and is not personal, but it is and remains principled. Dr. Bart Barber never should have been appointed a trustee of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Now the Southern Baptist Convention has to overcome Bart's opposition to the removal of Paige Patterson.

There are no women on the Executive Committee of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. There are only two women on the entire board of trustees at the seminary. Men - all men - are right now dealing with the very important question of what to do with a man who is seemingly indifferent to the physical abuse of women. It's a critical and important time of decision for those males in that trustee meeting room.

Another Patterson loyalist on the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary's Executive Committee is a pastor named Jeff Crook. If Paige Patterson kisses the bear for Jeff Crook, then one might assume Jeff Crook will find it hard to remove Paige Patterson.

In fact, Jeff Crook is on video denouncing any Christian who goes after Christian leaders. A Christian leader should "never quit, never give up, and never step down," says Jeff. Christian leaders can't be wimps. And, according to Jeff, any Christian who "goes after" a Christian leader should be ashamed.  Watch the video for yourself. How can Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary trustee Jeff Crook ever hold Paige Patterson accountable with that type of mentality?

The tense discussions are ongoing within the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary's Executive Committee even as I write. I believe in the end the smarter, younger, and wiser seminary trustees will prevail. They comprehend the optics. They are not blinded by loyalty. They understand that the Southern Baptist Convention - and especially Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary -  cannot survive the image of thousands of Southern Baptists standing and applauding Dr. Paige Patterson at this year's convention. Dr. Patterson by his own words seems not to care if a woman is physically abused.

Paige Patterson is scheduled to deliver the Southern Baptist Convention annual sermon on Tuesday, June 12, 2018.

In this day and age, people don't stand and applaud men who treat women as second-class citizens unless you wish to die a swift and sudden organizational death.

For years I've been trying to convince Southern Baptists that if we say we believe the Bible we should start acting like it. 

It is the teaching of Jesus Christ that liberates women.

There's something to be said about the weakness of the Southern Baptist Convention when the culture around us trumps Christ within us.

The ancient Hebrews never considered a person a disciple because someone said he believed something. The Hebrews defined a disciple as one who displayed his belief through his behavior. Later, the Greeks separated the soul from the body and followed that dogma by separating beliefs from behavior.

Southern Baptists have been too Greek for too long. We talk a good talk, but we're crippled in our walk.

Southern Baptists will no longer follow leaders who say they believe in the equality of women but behave differently. We will no longer give credence to people in power who say they are against abuse, but cover, excuse, and dismiss allegations of abuse.

Southern Baptist leaders must have a profession that lines up with their practice. Leaders must have a creed consistent with their character, a duty determined by their doctrine, and a behavior birthed by their beliefs.

It's about time we behave like the Jesus we say we believe.

It Is Now Time for Dr. Paige Patterson to Step Down

Paige Patterson (Paul Mosely/Fort Worth Star-Telegram)

It's time for Dr. Paige Patterson, President of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, to step down from leadership in the Southern Baptist Convention, which would include an immediate resignation from his position as President of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

Dr. Paige Patterson has created a firestorm in the media this past weekend over his public comments that an abused wife should stay in a physically abusive marriage. He said that a woman "who is undergoing genuine physical abuse from her husband, and her husband says she should submit" should do so. And he went on to say that the abused woman should:

"Pray at night beside her bed, quietly, for God to intervene."

Don't call the police. Don't file for divorce. Don't leave the abusive home. Pray. And if the abuse continues, "be happy" because God will hear her prayers and reach her husband through them and her quiet submission.

Twitter is ablaze with fury over what Dr. Patterson said.

Ironically, ten years ago I called out Dr. Patterson for these very remarks.

Nobody seemed to be paying attention then.

But in the days of #metoo and #churchtoo, people are much more keen to the issue of abuse. I'm not unfamiliar with the Southern Baptist Convention waiting ten years before correcting an error.

I like Dr. Paige Patterson. I have enjoyed dinner at his home. I have been the recipient of floral arrangements sent by Dr. and Mrs. Patterson (twice). I harbor no personal animosity toward Dr. Patterson or his family.

However, it's time for Dr. Patterson to step down from his leadership positions in the Southern Baptist Convention. He is scheduled to give the Convention Sermon at the 2018 Southern Baptist Convention in Dallas, Texas. He serves as President of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

It's time for Dr. Paige Patterson to step down from every leadership position he holds in the SBC.

Listen carefully Southern Baptists. Please, do not be tone deaf on this issue. If Dr. Paige Patterson is allowed to continue in leadership within the Southern Baptist Convention, Southern Baptists will lose any remaining credibility we possess as we share the Good News with the world at large. 

Dr. Patterson must step down. He must resign. If he does not, he must be removed.

Here are the top ten reasons Paige Patterson should resign immediately - or be removed by others - from his positions of leadership in the Southern Baptist Convention:

1. Paige Patterson has counseled physically abused wives to stay in their marriages.

2. Paige Patterson fired the finest Hebrew professor in the SBC because she was a woman.

3. Paige Patterson rescinded a seminary job offer to a popular SWBTS vocalist because Patterson discovered the vocalist was married to a divorced woman who had left an abusive marriage.

4. Paige Patterson is currently a party in a sexual abuse lawsuit, along with Judge Paul Pressler, a lawsuit that will soon be going to trial in Texas.

5. Paige Patterson protected a sexual predator by refusing to report him to authorities.

6. During a public sermon in 2016, Paige Patterson made suggestive comments about a 16-year-old girl being "built."

7.  It is possible that the Hebrew parchments purchased by the Pattersons for an unknown sum (e.g. in the millions of dollars) during a time of insitutional financial crisis, fragments that are now on display at the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary,  may actually be fakes. 

8.  Violating the school charter and admission policies, Paige Patterson admitted a practicing Muslim into Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, displaying the belief that he is above accountablity and oversight.

9.  Last year's full-time equivalent (FTE) student enrollment at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary was 1249, nearly half of the 2381 FTE's during the final year of Dr. Ken Hemphill tenure at SWBTS. Ironically, one of the stated reasons for Dr. Hemphill being forced out was "declining enrollment."

10.  Contrary to Southern Baptist polity and policy, Dr. Patterson is having a retirement home built for him on the grounds of Southwestern Seminary where he will be able to attend weekly chapels where his image is engraved in the stain glassed windows. 

I'm not an outsider calling for Dr. Patterson's resignation.

For the past quarter of a century, I have been the pastor of a Southern Baptist Church in northwest Oklahoma.

My father was a Southern Baptist pastor of the fastest growing Southern Baptist Church in Texas during the 1970's. My grandfather was a Southern Baptist evangelist. I served two terms as President of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma (2002-2004). It was also my privilege to serve on the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention (2005-2008), and I was fortunate to serve as the last Chairman of the Southern Baptist Convention's Denominational Calendar Committee (1995).

My Southern Baptist roots in Texas go back to Rufus Columbus Burleson, the first President of Baylor University after it moved to Waco, Texas. The name Burleson is engraved at the top of the Texas State Fair Park alongside Lubbock, Austin, Houston, Travis, and others. I only give this background to let the reader know this recommendation Dr. Patterson resign does not come from someone outside the Southern Baptist Convention.

I am a Southern Baptist.

There have been times the Southern Baptist Convention has been an embarrassment to me.

Nevertheless, Southern Baptists are family to me.

I call on Dr. Paige Patterson to step down from leadership within the Southern Baptist Convention before the 2018 Southern Baptist Convention in Dallas, Texas for the sake of the family.

Dr. Kevin Ueckert, Chairman of the SWBTS Board of Trustees, I trust - as in trustee - you are listening to the public, and more importantly, Southern Baptists? Steve Gaines, President of the Southern Baptist Convention, are you listening too?

We may not have an Executive Director of the SBC right now, but the people of the Southern Baptist Convention are the true leaders according to the SBC constitution, and Southern Baptists are now -after decades of silence - finally speaking out.

If Paige Patterson does not step down from his leadership positions before the 2018 Southern Baptist Convention in Dallas, Texas, this June, then you men will need to remove him.

For the credibility of our message.

Emotional Disconnection and an Addiction to Porn

Paul Young, the author of The Shack, has been a friend of mine for years.

I have learned a great deal about pastoral ministry and connecting with people through Paul and his ministry. Paul believes that every experience, every heart-ache, every blessing, every moment have collectively led him to the moment in time when he is connecting emotionally to the person standing in front of him.

Paul never looks over his shoulder to the next person in line. Paul seems unhurried or rushed as he visits with the person in front of him. He's not thinking about a future appointment or what's left to do for the day. Paul Young takes time to interact with people and connect with them on a level deeper than the superficial.

Paul and I have had many theological discussions on the atonement. Though we don't always agree, I've learned to listen carefully to Paul Young. I always learn a great deal about the human condition through his wisdom.

I've told the story before of Paul relating to me that a couple of young theologians approached him to debate the subject of Christ's atonement. They both argued with Paul about the extent of the atonement. Paul, a hopeful universalist, believes God will eventually save every sinner through the Person and work of HIs Son. The two theologians in front of Paul believed God has chosen to save those He elected to salvation, and it is those for whom Christ died and whom God will ultimately save.

During the debate, Paul asked the two men a question:

"Suppose you have two sons, both of whom are your flesh and blood. One boy is saved because God chose Him, Christ died for Him and the Spirit regenerated Him. The other boy, however, is chosen by God to be a "vessel of wrath" upon whom God's judgement will fall as a demonstration of God's holiness and justice. My question for you is this: Does it bother you that you have one son who will be in heaven and one son who will be in hell?"

One of the men quickly responded: 

"It does not. God's purposes are good, and if my boy is a vessel chosen for the demonstration of God's wrath against sin, it will be fine with me."

Paul Young's next question was startling:

 "How long have you struggled with pornography?"

The tell-tale sign of a struggle with pornography, Paul told me, is an emotional disconnect from human relationships. 

A man disconnected from feeling sorrow about his children's eternal welfare is a man disconnected from emotion in human relationships.

I am often asked how to help a loved one who is addicted to porn.

Ready?

1. Create safety. Create an environment where expressing emotion is encouraged, not discouraged. Passions are healthy, not sinful. "In your anger, sin not," the Bible says.  Feelings are neutral. What you do when you feel is the issue. Refrain from taking the expression of another person's emotions personally. You are not the cause of another person's anger, bitterness, rage - or for that matter - you're also not the ultimate source of their happiness, joy, or fulfillment. Whatever another person feels is neutral morally. Sure, negative emotions can and should be removed. But the only person who can remove them is the one feeling them. Learn to accept the one you love however they may feel, and let God use your unconditional love for others to bring transformative change in the one you love.

2. Connect emotionally. That means you feel with the one you love.  Empathy is defined as "the ability to understand and share the feelings of another."  Feel with empathy. Express your love verbally. Embrace your loved one physically. Listen intently. Play a game where you both learn words that help describe feelings.  Learn how to express your emotions without blaming the one you love for your bad feelings or crediting the one you love for your good feelings. Learn to simply feel and to let others feel. 

3. Care individually. Always set a goal to convey the importance of the individual with whom you are conversing at that moment. Be present. Every experience, every heart-ache, every blessing, every moment of my life has led me to this moment in time when I am relating to the person in front of me, the person God has brought to me. 

OKC, Enes Kanter, and Why Turkey Is a Huge Issue

Enes Kanter at Game 5 (Photo: Sue Ogrocki/AP Photo)

Last night Enes Kanter appeared in a city he loves almost as much as the people of that city love him.

Enes Kanter came to Oklahoma City to watch his former team play basketball.

The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Utah Jazz in Game 5 of their playoff series in one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the NBA.  Enes Kanter, OKC's good luck charm, sat courtside rooting for the Thunder, the former team he still loves.

After the game, the Oklahoma City media interviewed Enes Kanter. The star basketball player who now lives in New York City considers Oklahoma City his home in America, though he will always love his country of origin, the Republic of Turkey.

One question the media asked Enes might be overlooked by most Oklahomans today. Enes was asked by a reporter, "Have you made any ground in terms of getting your citizenship?"  

Enes is seeking to become a citizen of the United States.  Turkey canceled Enes Kanter's passport last year. 

That's not all. 

Six days after Enes' passport cancellation, the Turkish government issued an arrest warrant for Enes Kanter on May 26, 2017, accusing him of being a member of a "terror group." It was later revealed that Turkish prosecutors were seeking at least four years in prison for Kanter, maybe more.

So the fact Enes was in Oklahoma City to watch Game 5 of the Thunder vs. Jazz playoff series is a big deal - for Enes Kanter. And it should be a very big deal for all Oklahomans.

The friendly, fun-loving, irrepressibly delightful - one of the OKC's beloved "Stache Brothers" - would be in jail today were he in Turkey.

Or even worse.

Enes told the media last night that if he left the United States, Turkish officials might try to kill him. Listen to Enes Kanter's answer to the question from the media about whether leaving the United States before getting American citizenship would be "a bad idea." 

"Before I get citizenship? Yes. That’d be ugly. It wouldn’t be cool, especially before I sign my contract. Then, maybe go. If I die, at least let me get the money."

Oklahomans, are you listening? 

Enes Kanter is concerned - rightfully so - that the Turkish government might want Enes Kanter killed. Recep Erdogan, the brutal dictator who has taken control of Turkey as its President, says Enes Kanter is a member of a "terrorist group." 

I had lunch with the "terror group" to which Enes Kanter belongs this past Tuesday in Oklahoma City.

What a wonderful group of men and women. 

The Dialogue Institute of Oklahoma 

Since 2012 I've become friends with several Muslims in Oklahoma who are part of what is called the Gulen Movement. These Muslim men and women are from Turkey, but they are now political exiles from the country they love.

Enes Kanter is a follower of Gulen.

Fethullah Gulen, leader of this Islamic movement, is also an exile from Turkey. Gulen lives in Pennsylvania. President Erdogan of Turkey considers Gulen and those who adhere to the principles of Gulen to be Turkey's number one enemy. 

What are the principles Gulen believes in?

Dialogue. Democracy. Dignity.

The President of Turkey wants all followers of Gulen, whose movement is also called Hizmet, to be imprisoned as "terrorists." 

That includes Enes Kanter. 

When Kanter was detained in Romania last summer at the request of Turkish government officials, my Muslim friends in Oklahoma City called to see what I could do to help. I reached out to our U.S. Senators, and both Senator James Lankford and Senator Jim Inhofe were instrumental in bringing Enes back home to Oklahoma City.

Though President Erdogan couldn't apprehend Enes, the President of Turkey has since arrested tens of thousands of Turkish citizens, had many who those who opposed him brutally tortured or murdered and has effectively ended the freedom of the press in Turkey.

At the luncheon Tuesday, I heard the heartbreaking story of the editor of the largest newspaper in Turkey. The Turkish government came into his offices, took control of the newspaper, and the editor and his family barely escaped with their lives. 

The editor who escaped believed in individual freedom and liberty in the Turkey where he worked. But in the Turkey where Erdogan rules, there is now no freedom.  Turkey has turned into a society that tries to squash anyone who falls out of step with the ideology of the President.

Wake Up, Oklahoma. 

Realize that what is happening in Turkey affects us all. Take a moment to familiarize yourself with the Dialogue Insitute of Oklahoma and the Hizmet  Movement. 

These are the good guys.

Yes, they are Muslim. Yes, I am an evangelical pastor. Yes, the United States is different than Turkey. But Muslim followers of the Hizmet Movement and Christians in the United States want the same thing for Turkey and the United States - true freedom. 

As I've become friends with Muslims who follow the principles of Gulen, I've realized that there is a difference in Islamic traditions. 

A KC-135 Stratotanker taking touches down at Incirlik AFB

When the world - and even President Trump - tells us that the President Erdogan of Turkey is our friend, recognize the politics that are in play. Incirlik Air Force Base, the most important American Air Force Base in Europe, is located in southern Turkey. Every President of the United States will tout friendship with every President of Turkey. It's a must. It's politics.

But President Erdogan is not the friend of the United States.

Enes Kanter and those who are his friends are the true friends of Oklahoma and the United States. 

Enes says it best:

"I hope people around the world will open their eyes to the human rights abuses in Turkey. Things have gotten very bad over the last year. This is not my opinion. We don’t know everything that is happening inside Turkey, but we do know some facts. Newspapers and media have been restricted. Academics have been fired. Peaceful protesting is not allowed. Many people have been imprisoned without any real charges. There are reports of torture and rape and worse." —Enes Kanter, The Players' Tribune, May 23, 2017

Oklahomans, get to know the Dialogue Institute of Oklahoma. 

These Muslims are our friends.

Kuaybe, Ersin, and Muhammet Ali Sezer have all taught me the best way to get to know one's true friends is to dialogue with them, for one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter.

Do Southern Baptists Believe in Free Speech Anymore? Confronting Censorship in the SBC

Written by Lee Enochs from Princeton University

“But examine everything carefully, hold fast to the truth” (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

As I commence this guest post, I want to thank my friend, Pastor Wade Burleson of Enid, Oklahoma for allowing me to contribute what I believe to be an important article on the subject of Free Speech and Censorship in the Southern Baptist Convention.

I first became acquainted with Wade Burleson during the Muslim student controversy at my Alma Mater, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary a few years ago. In full disclosure, I am the student who blew the whistle on the whole matter at SWBTS and ultimately shared my grave concerns about Paige Patterson’s admittance of a Muslim student into the Ph.D. program at SWBTS.

During that time, I greatly disagreed with Dr. Patterson’s unilateral decision to wave crucial admissions requirements such as the need to be a Christian to attend a Southern Baptist and Cooperative Program sponsored seminary.

I also had concerns about allowing a Muslim student to attend a Southern Baptist Seminary our of concerns for the safety of our IMB missionaries and have first-hand experience with a Muslim who pretended to be a Christian Pastor and visited churches in America, ultimately to gain crucial information about the location of Christian missionaries in Middle Eastern countries. This was also during the time period when ISIS was savagely beheading people for being Christians and I was not sure if the Muslim student should be allowed to live on campus with us students and take classes with us. The charter and stated purpose of SWBTS from its inception in 1908, was to train “Christian ministers,” not unbelievers from an antithetical religion such as Islam which is openly antagonistic to the claims of Jesus Christ and Biblical Christianity.

When I brought my concerns up to the administration at SWBTS, I was told to “leave it alone” and commanded not to discuss the matter ever again. However, I persisted to discuss the matter amongst my fellow students and SWBTS professors. I was ultimately called into one of the dean’s offices at SWBTS and told I could not discuss the matter anymore, and if I caused Dr. Patterson any more problems, they would make it difficult for me to pursue graduate studies in Princeton, New Jersey even though I was on the Dean’s List, an academic scholarship student, President of the Southwestern Apologetics Club and on the verge of graduating at the top of my class at the College at Southwestern.

Because my conscience and understanding of Biblical discipleship would not allow me “drop the issue,” I began to anonymously correspond with Pastor Wade, under the alias “Deep Throat,” made famous during the Watergate scandal, which ultimately brought down the Presidency of Richard Nixon in August of 1974.

While I love Dr. Patterson, and greatly respect his stand for Biblical inerrancy during the conservative resurgence, I adamantly disagreed with his fiat decision to wave SWBTS’ admissions requirements that state in no uncertain terms, that a person must be a Christian to be admitted as a student at SWBTS

While I believe in submitting myself to the elders God has entrusted over me, I also believe each Christian and Southern Baptist has been endowed by God with an individual conscience, which he or she must obey, along with God’s Word to be a faithful Christian.

Thus, with fear and trembling, I blew the whistle on the whole Muslim student controversy at SWBTS by reporting it to Wade Burleson, a godly and courageous man who has taken a lot of heat over the years for his stances in the Southern Baptist Convention.

As a Southern Baptist student who fully subscribes to the 2000 edition of The Baptist Faith and Message, who is in good standing with my local church, I thought that the issue of allowing a non-Christian to attend a Southern Baptist seminary should not be decided by one man, irrespective of how powerful he is. Rather, I believe the matter should have been reported to the messengers of the SBC for open debate at the Southern Baptist Convention that year. I contended then and do so now, that it is a serious matter to admit to wave the admissions requirement of being a Christian at a Southern Baptist seminary since it could allow for a pattern of allowing non-Christians at our beloved SBC seminaries, which is explicitly not the intention of our seminary charters.

Needless to say, the administration of SWBTS did not like that I exposed the matter and I have now been banned from SWBTS, my college alma mater forever and was told by the head of campus security that if I ever stepped foot on campus again, he would use physical violence against me to violently remove me forcefully from campus with extreme prejudice.

I think that is beyond the pale of human decency and outrageous in the extreme since I was a respected student leader, 4.0 Dean’s List student and the recipient of SWBTS prestigious “Opal Cox” academic scholarship two years in a row before reporting to Pastor Wade on the Muslim student issue. The treatment I received from Patterson and Nichols at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary is bizarre and displays the absolute worst form of ruthless repression.

Despite claims to the contrary, I am a Southern Baptist too and I love my convention very much. I grew up reading W.A. Criswell’s famous book, “Why I Preach the Bible as Literally True,” and I am a great admirer of Dr. Al Mohler of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and appreciative of Dr. Mohler spending time with me during my visit to SBTS.

In full disclosure, I love Dr. Patterson very much and I miss his impact in my life. However, I am now a prodigal son, a castaway and wayward son of the Southern Baptist Convention. This breaks my heart and I want to come home.

After graduating at the top of my class from the undergraduate program at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, I became a graduate student at Princeton where I have studied political philosophy at Princeton University and theological studies at Princeton Theological Seminary.

Being an Evangelical Christian and Southern Baptist student at Princeton who believes in inerrancy and all the doctrines of historic Christianity has certainly been a challenge since these schools and community largely maintain presuppositions’ and beliefs that are entirely incongruent with historic Christianity.

Recently, Dr. Russell Moore of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Religious Liberty Commission was invited to speak here at Princeton and during the “question and answer” segment, televised by C-SPAN, I asked Dr. Moore why free speech is being suppressed on Southern Baptist campuses. He replied rather glibly that private religious institutions have the right to determine what should be distributed amongst the student body. I agree, but openly question if censorship of a free press is the best philosophy of education.

I believe the suppression of free speech on Southern Baptist seminary and college campuses is a grave issue and violates the principle of religious liberty that Southern Baptists have stood forever since the Danbury Baptists petitioned President Thomas Jefferson for religious liberty in the face of persecution in their home state of Connecticut in 1801.

Thomas Jefferson eloquently and benevolently responded in part to our Baptist forefathers of Danbury in part with the following eloquent words that helped establish religious liberty in the United States. Jefferson said:

“I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between Church & State.”

I also learned the importance of free speech historically in a graduate class in political philosophy at Princeton University last semester that in ancient Greek civilization, democracy was characterized by the principles of Isonomia (ἰσονομία) "Equality of political rights, Isegoria (ἰσηγορία) “Equality of all in freedom of speech,” and, Parrhēsía (παρρησία) “The ability to speak freely and candidly”

There have been recent news reports making the rounds lately Baptist schools like Cedarville College and Liberty University have been censoring their student population and do not allow free speech or a free press.

This is troubling since Southern Baptists, at least since the time of Thomas Jefferson, have always stood for religious liberty and “Soul Competency,” The basic concept of individual soul liberty, is that, in matters of religion, each person has the liberty to choose what his/her conscience or soul dictates is right, and is responsible to no one but God for the decision that is made.

I would like to humbly ask Dr. Thomas White, president of Cedarville College and Jerry Falwell Jr., President of Liberty University if free speech is being repressed at their academic institutions.

While I believe we should submit to our elders as God’s inerrant Scriptures declare (Hebrews 13:17), I also believe we should obey we should be able to express ourselves freely without fear of recrimination or reprisal.

As a Christian, I am also aware that there could be non-believers who might read this post and want to communicate to you that the Bible is Word of God and communicates that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who died on the cross for sin and rose again from the dead. According to the Bible, if we turn from our sins and place our faith in Jesus Christ, we can obtain the gift of eternal life. “For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

I am also a staunch advocate of the First Amendment which says,

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

Are Southern Baptists now suppressing free speech and religious liberty on their seminary and college campuses?

_________________________

About Lee Enochs: (B.A., Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary), is a Southern Baptist theologian and apologist who is currently a graduate student in Princeton, New Jersey. Lee also studied at Biola University, the Moody Bible Institute, and the Master's Seminary. Lee is an ordained Southern Baptist minister who is also the author of the books, "A Biblical Defense of Capitalism," and, "The Case for Rand Paul." Lee Enochs is also a conservative media pundit with Libertarian views in the tradition of Ron Paul and Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky and regularly blogs on his "Libertarian Shaman website" Since studying at Princeton, over one million people have read Lee's op-ed articles and political videos. Lee has also appeared on Fox News, NBC and several different radio broadcasts across the country. One may watch Lee Enochs' passionate defense of Free Speech in the SBC. and visit Lee Enoch's page on Amazon.com.

The Greatest Showman, PT Barnum, and True Joy

Last night, Rachelle and I watched The Greatest Showman.

We loved it. 

I'm not a musical kind of guy. I lost all my front teeth playing football, separated my shoulder three times playing softball, and still comprehend manhood through athletic competition.

But oh how I wish I could sing like Hugh Jackman (aka. Wolverine).

As I listened to Hugh sing From Now On, the joy within my heart was almost unspeakable. Rachelle and I could literally feel the music, but the words primarily moved me:

I drank champagne with kings and queens
The politicians praised my name
But those are someone else's dreams
The pitfalls of the man I became
For years and years
I chased their cheers
The crazy speed of always needing more
But when I stop
And see you here
I remember who all this was for

And from now on
These eyes will not be blinded by the lights
From now on
What's waited till tomorrow starts tonight
It starts tonight
And let this promise in me start
Like an anthem in my heart
From now on
From now on
From now on

And we will come back home

We will come back home.

One of the blessings (and periodic curse) of being an avocational historian is that you know the real history of people. As I watched The Greatest Showman, I couldn't help but think of the real Phineas Taylor (P.T.) Barnum.

Like my friend, Paul Young, P.T. Barnum was a hopeful Christian universalist.

Paul Young believes, and P.T. Barnum believed, that a loving God will at some point save all sinners through the Person and work of Jesus Christ.

P.T. Barnum even wrote a book entitled Why I Am a Universalist.

In his book, P.T. Barnum wrote this:

"I shall assume, without giving my reasons, the being of God, the authority of Jesus, the truth of the trend of Scripture, and the immortality of all Souls."

P.T. Barnum goes on to give more specifics of what he believes:

(I) believe that the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments contain a revelation of the character of God and of the duty, interest, and destination of mankind.

(I) believe there is one God, whose nature is love, revealed in one Lord Jesus Christ, by one Holy Spirit of grace, who will finally restore the whole family of mankind to holiness and happiness.

(I) believe that holiness and true happiness are inseparably connected, and that believers ought to be careful to maintain order and practice good works; for these things are good and profitable unto men.

P.T. Barnum was not a heretic.

He was a man who loved the unlovely, rescued the perishing, and served the less fortunate (despite what the agnostics will tell you about him).

The movie The Greatest Showman, based loosely on the life of P.T. Barnum, is an uplifting, inspiring, and hopeful movie about finding value and fulfillment in a life that is lived for others.

I am not a Christian universalist. I believe the God of love will eventually destroy those who live selfish lives, those who've rejected the selfless Savior who died in place of sinners, the One who gives the power to live an unselfish life.

But I'm not writing this post to debate universalism.

I write this because the film The Greatest Showman reveals that life is meant to be lived full of inexpressible joy, focusing on loving deeply the people God places right in front of us.

When you are more concerned with disciplining and correcting a woman who is divorcing her husband over his use of pornography than you are the wounded woman, you've missed the joy of Christianity.

When you focus more on a glass of wine than you do the woman who comes to Christ while enjoying a glass of wine, then you've missed the joy of true Christianity.

When you can't live, sing, dance, and be full of joy like the circus performers in the bar with their ringmaster in the climactic scene of The Greatest Showman, then you've missed the true joy of genuine Christianity.

The Christian life is all about the joy of bringing happiness to this world.

The Creator, in love for you and His world, has placed you in a specific arena of life so that you may demonstrate His love to those in need of Him - those right in front of you.

The real P.T. Barnum said:

"The noblest art is that of making others happy."

I agree. But those with the art of making others happy have come home to the true joy found in Christ, finding the well-spring of their joy in Him. Happiness within bubbles up as the fountain of happiness for others.

You may not be able to sing like Hugh Jackman.

But you sure can love people the way God loves you.

Anything less is Never Enough.

Political Correctness Is a Loss of Individual Liberty

During October and November of 2015, something happened on the campus of Yale University that few Americans living in the midwest even know occurred.

What happened at Yale a little over two years ago serves as a microcosm of the problems we are facing in the United States today.

Individual liberties are being removed. Americans are being coerced to accept specific cultural ideologies and forcibly silenced from speaking opposing views. 

The land of liberty is becoming a tributary of totalitarianism.

The 2015 controversy at Yale started with an email from the administration to students.  Halloween was approaching, and school administrators encouraged students to refrain from wearing insensitive costumes on Halloween. 

Rather than focus on finances, or pay attention to enrollment numbers, or even work harder to better the curriculum, Yale administrators chose to spend their time policing the Halloween costumes of Yale's students. Administrators wrote: 

"Halloween is, unfortunately, a time when the normal thoughtfulness and sensitivity of most Yale students can sometimes be forgotten and some poor decisions can be made including wearing feathered headdresses, turbans, wearing ‘war paint’ or modifying skin tone or wearing blackface or redface.."

In other words, don't dress up as an Indian, an Arab, a person of color, or wear any other ethnic costume on Halloween. Those costumes might offend someone or hurt peoples' feelings, wrote the Yale administration. 

Yale professor Erika Christakis, a childhood education specialist and published author, wrote an email in response to administration. Erika questioned the wisdom of attempting to police Halloween costumes of Yale students. Listen to her argument:  

"What happens when one person’s offense is another person’s pride? Should a costume-wearer’s intent or context matter? Can we always tell the difference between a mocking costume and one that satirizes ignorance? In what circumstances should we allow — or punish — youthful transgression?

Dr. Christakis - remember she is a childhood education specialist - has long taught that adults deprive children and young people of learning experiences by over-policing their behaviors. In fact, Dr. Christakis actually believes that such micromanaging behavior to avoid potential offense leads to problem children and problematic educational cultures.

Thus, her email of counter-opinion.

Erika's husband, Yale Professor Nicholas Christakis, lived with his wife in a Yale dormitory during the fall of 2015. They taught courses on the campus, and also served as dorm parents. When his wife's email began to be shared among the students at Yale, both Nicholas and his wife Erika became the targets of personal attacks. 

Watch the video of Yale students coming after Dr. Nicholas Christakis as he seeks to defend his wife's views. Watch the cursing, bullying, and intimidation of one young Yale female student and see if the same chills go up your spine as they did mine when I saw it.

Every liberty-loving American should be aware of what happened at Yale in 2015. It's happening on all our college campuses. Our liberty is being lost in the laboratory of learning. 

Professor Erika Christakis was forced to resign. 

Soon, her husband, Professor Nicholas Christakis, was also out at Yale. 

The victims in today's politically correct climate are lovers of individual liberty.

Did the husband and wife professors at Yale have any support from Yale faculty?

Sure. Numerous professors, including those at Yale’s top-rated law school, contacted them personally to offer personal support, but they all said it was too risky to speak their minds publicly. 

And lest we think political correctness is only on the coasts, Oklahoma City is fast becoming a place where one must conform to group think or lose one's job. 

It's time we Americans stopped worrying about feelings and started fretting about whether or not we are thinking. 

Internal Strength to Break Free of Spiritual Abuse

I have written in the past about church and religious leaders using their so-called spiritual authority to control people in their churches. Attempts to control others is the number one problem of leaders in religious organizations. It's called spiritual abuse.

Spiritual abuse isn't pretty. The abuse is done "in the name of the Lord,." This kind of abuse has subtle but enormous power. The religious abuser who controls and manipulates others for personal or institutional advantage proclaims his words and actions are "the will of God."

Spiritual abuse, regardless of the religion where it occurs, is a profound problem. So how does one break free? Whether you are the spiritual abuser or the spiritually abused, how do you stop it?

Imitate Jesus.

Jesus never pressured anyone to follow Him. His words, "Come, follow Me" (Mark 10:21) form a selfless invitation, not a strategic manipulation. Followers of Christ always benefit when they accept the invitation to follow, but Christ is unaffected and unchanged whether the call is received or not.

There is no need for Jesus to coerce, manipulate or control others to follow Him because Jesus doesn't need people to follow Him to feel worthy, significant and valued. Jesus is worthy, significant and valuable in Himself.

Our Lord knows and feels His worth and significance. He doesn't need others to follow Him to feel worthy. He doesn't He doesn't need to know that other people value His words to feel significant.

He does what He does for others, not Himself. 

That's why Jesus never manipulates or controls anyone. He is purely selfless because He is without internal need. 

Jesus wins us over by His love and inner strength. He finds fulfillment in who He is, not what others think of Him. Our rejection of Jesus' call to follow Him does not reduce His worth.  Jesus does not manipulate or coerce others because He has nothing to gain for Himself. 

We need that same kind of internal strength to break free of spiritual abuse. 

Christ can give us the internal strength needed to live life His way (John 10:10). He came to give us our value, our significance and our worth through a demonstration of His love for us and the depositing of real life within us.

When Jesus becomes our primary Source of life, we do not need alternative sources of life. When we are complete in Him, we don't need anything from others. 

When the love of Christ becomes my primary source of love, then my life is not threatened by the absence or withdrawal of another person's love.

When the significance I feel in life comes from knowing how much Christ values me, then I don't need to manipulate my circumstances or control my environment to ensure other people value me. 

When I begin to understand that what makes me honorable as a person is the honor I have in God coming and dying for me, then I don't worry too much whether or not people around me see me as honorable. 

When I begin to see that my reputation is all about what He thinks of me (and what He thinks of me must be pretty doggone good to do what He's done for me), then I don't care what others think of me.

When He is my Source, I don't panic at the lack of alternative sources.

So next time you find yourself being manipulated, controlled, or bullied, ask yourself, "What does that person need?"  Answer: The internal life and strength that only Christ can give. As long as the abuser, manipulator, or controller thinks I can do something to make him more fulfilled, then he will continue to squeeze the life he needs out of me. The most loving thing I can do for the abuser is to say no to his demands for his sake. 

Likewise, if I find myself getting angry with an unexpected response from others, or feeling worried about what others are doing, or fearful and depressed that people aren't responding properly, then I must ask myself: What am I needing? Answer: I wrongly believe I need something from someone else; something that God already has provided for me. "My God shall supply ALL your needs according to His riches" (Philippians 4:19).

I can almost know hear the objections from Christian leaders: "But what I'm saying and doing is for the good of the people I am trying to help!"

 Are you sure? There's one way to know. You love other people whatever they decide to do.

Controllers and manipulators always need something. 

And, no matter how good and godly anybody tries to make it sound, controlling and manipulating other people to say, do, feel and behave a certain way is evidence that there is a great void in the inner life of the manipulator and controller.

That inner void can only be filled with the life and strength that comes from Jesus Christ.

For this reason, to give in to abusive behavior in a religious environment - even if the abuse is in the name of God - is to enable the manipulator to continue finding his life in secondary sources rather than Christ.

God needs nothing from me and neither should the preacher. 

To give in to the abuse or to give up over the abuse is the most unloving thing you could ever do for the abuser in your life.

Say "No way" to the spiritual abuser for the glory of God and the good of the abuser. 

______________

My friend Jeff VanVonderen once told me that his and David Johnson's book The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse is by far the best-selling book of all the books they've written.  I highly encourage the reader to purchase this book. Also, it is our privilege at Emmanuel Enid to host both David Johnson and Jeff VanVonderen, November 11-14, 2018, for a conference entitled Too Good to Be True...But It Is. If you are anywhere near Enid, you will want to hear these two each evening from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm (2 sessions each night).