Carter forsakes Southern Baptists

An article from the Melbourne Age, 25 October 2000, reads in
part along these lines.

"Former US president Jimmy Carter left America's largest
Protestant denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention, this week in disgust
at what he called its "rigid" interpretation of the Bible regarding the role
of women.

He accused the organisation of being run by conservatives and
of adopting such untenable position as opposing women pastors and ordering women
to be submissive to their husbands.

Mr Carter said: "My grandfather, my father and I have
always been Southern Baptists... This is a torturous decision to make. I do it
with anguish and not with any pleasure."

As president from 1976 to 1980, Mr Carter introduced
evangelical Christianity to America's political mainstream. His deep faith has
helped make him one of the most popular former presidents in history.

His departure from the Southern Baptist Convention is the
hardest blow in an ideological and doctrinal battle that has left a once mighty
institution in tatters.

It leaves other Southern Baptist politicians, including
President Bill Clinton and Vice-President Al Gore, having to decide whether they
should remain members of a denomination at odds with their beliefs.

Mr Carter's defection follows a denominational statement in
June which prohibited women from being pastors; said wives should be submissive
to their husbands; and handed increased doctrinal authority to church
authorities." End Quote.

I found the whole article distressing to read and was
concerned that a man standing as President Carter should make these statements.
There is no doubt that in America women have taken over positions that should by
right be controlled by men. The Scriptures give women a wonderful role and many
duties for which they are divinely suited and yet the prophet Isaiah 3:12 makes
a prophetic statement about the latter times. "As for my people, children are
their oppressors, and women rule over them."

If Hillary Clinton continues on with her aim for the White
House and is appointed President of the USA, 2004, remember this particular
verse regarding the role of men and women so that readers will not only use
their intellect to decide what God is really saying, but understand the spirit
in which He said it.

It is clear that God in no way puts women down, but clearly
states their role in Genesis 2:18 "And the Lord God said, It is not good that
the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him."

We praise the Lord, that in no way is God woolly in His
thinking, even though we sometimes are.