From Mark Edwards man who came back the dvd
The Qld Baptists are proposing this motion…
“The new ‘Interim Registration Guidelines’ for Queensland Baptists were sent out by e-mail today to pastors and a shock was in store for those who read all the way through. They discovered in Section 11 ‘General Guidelines’, the following:
11.5 Registered Ministers should be total abstainers from the use of alcohol”
What the?…
All I can say is that I am glad I don’t live in Queensland! I think I would be jumping ship pretty quickly, partly on practical grounds and partly on theological.
I share much of Mark’s sentiment so check his blog for more thoughts.
Funnily enough while on alcohol… here we are in Port Hedland and I stopped in today to grab a cask of red, but because of the severe alcohol issues in this part of the world you can’t buy wine in casks until 2pm. So while recognising the social damage that alcohol does, I think the book of Galatians would have something to say to those in Qld who formed the document in question.
Even more I reckon Jesus would be very cheesed off.
What would that say of his first miracle? boomerang download free prescription zetia free stop loss movie download
Re QL – do they give a reason, or is it expected that pastors would know the reasons? I know a few Southern Cross / AOG churches have a similar position in WA.
If it’s theological, I’m with you Hamo – a bad idea!
But there are other reasons it might be there… not that any/many of them would be good reasons (IMHO) but there you go.
EG – could be:
– they don’t want to support the liquor industry because of other associated issues.
– they want to protect their pastorate from a perception of ‘falleness’.
– they know the pressures of the job, and know that a quick tipple could end up being a significant slurp after a Monday night elders meeting!
– they are wowsers.
I dunno – I’m about to sit and watch Freo thump Wet Toast in the derby with a couple of mates, and there will be a frothy or 2 headed for the bottom of my belly.
GO FREO!!
Well as a man who enjoys his homebrew and does so with thankfulness to God that springs from the doctrine of creation (see Ps.104:14,15), you couldn’t expect me to see any sense in these legalistic attempts at regulation from on high.
As to what these people would make of Jesus first miracle, they’d probably pull the old stunt that Jesus created non-alcoholic wine, of course.
While I would glady give up alcohol if I was in a ministry context where doing so would futher the Gospel, I would not join a denomination which required teetotalling, out of principle. Because who knows what they’ll be asking for next?! They’d probably tell me to stop riding my motorcycle, to stop listening to rock music, to stop… the list is pretty long!
Yeah – if it starts here who knows where it will end… I reckon the morality police could have a field day! Btw agree with your comment re how it affects the spread of the gospel
I had to (was ‘requested to’) give up my lip ring so that ‘my message’ wouldn’t be affected. Not many people listened anyway, and the ones that did couldn’t care less about a lip ring.
Man, they getting more and more like the Southern Baptists here in the US of A huh. It is frustrating when well meaning leaders devote their time and observation to things of a non-critical nature. When the church again starts to dictate and control all the aspects of their leaders they are skewing wildly from the course Christ set for us all. I find it hard to reconcile over-reaching regulation with the freedom of salvation. When there is no biblical justification for a law or principle then we are over stepping our authority. Christ did not give his life so we could dominate and control our people, he gave it so we could be free. Regulation along the lines of punishment or reprimand in cases of serious abuse may have their place, perhaps, but the way the Christian (?) church has managed its affairs and refused to deal with real sin in its leaders for so long makes me think this type of approach is and easy win for them with little effort and little risk.
When pastors commit serious breaches of law or morals the church is too fast to soften up and “love them” instead of firm responses. Dictating such a petty issue in the complex world we live and worship seems like nothing more than powerplays and diversion from hard decisions and efforts that would perhaps further the work of Christ.
Vent over, sorry folks. I am living in a country where it’s illegal to even have a beer open in the car, even as a passenger… 😉
Adam it raises an interesting qn about where we allow others to control our lives
There r some things I will happily let go for the greater cause but they may be very different things to someone else
It’s the problem with trying to be the HS to others!
It allows the ‘professional weaker brother’ to act as the lowest common denominator and the dictator of accetable Christian conduct.
Some of these people are actually complete nobs and need to have their prejudices challenged! Knowing what to go to battle over (and why) is the key I reckon
The Salvation Army began in a setting where alcoholism was causing a lot of trouble, and Salvos have always been required not to drink, even if they’re not in a scene where it’s a problem. I wonder if the Qld bappos have more contact in areas where alcohol is a problem.
Or maybe someone wants to stick it to the liquor industry.
Or just wants to check whether people read the guidelines.
Hi Andrew, I will send you another case of cab merlot via TNT or Aussie post for your birthday.
Glad you are having a great time. Also send me the address as it will help.
Steve
hey hamo, hope you’re enjoying yr trip…wow!Seems like a few people out there can justify the drinking of booze without reading the whole book and studying what the bible’s view is i.e. the big picture .to think that our lord jesus who died for the sins of the world would condone the drinking of alcohol is anathema. If you study the origins of “wine” vinos ond oinos, Jesus would never have condoned or taken part in making alcoholic beverages for anyone as it would have gone against his sinless and pure example that he represented ,i’m no wowser ,having done my share of indulging in thailand and ‘nam …check these verses out and theres more where that came from…..proverbs 20:1,21:17,23:29-35,isa 5:22,luke 21:34,rom 13:11-14,ephesians 5:18. Of course the bottom line is you can justify anything and have a reason for it ,and I’ve been guilty of that too in my early days of being a new xtian …god bless .pepz
Pepz do I know you?
I think if you check those passages you will see that they refer to drukenness and losing the plot.
On that logic we should then stop eating as it could lead to gluttony!
Jesus was called a drunkard and a glutton – chances are very good he enjoyed a drink. And what do you make of his first miracle?!!! Please don’t tell me it was grape juice – there are way too many scholars who would argue it was wine
“What would that say of his first miracle?”
Chapter and verse of the Lord Jesus actually drinking any alcohol? would Jesus controdict his word when he tells us not to take any position of authority in the Church if we are partakers of wine? Is God a God of confusion? would he controdict himself? Is the church full of lukewarm people ignoring Gods word? Wont he spew you out of his mouth?