From the Mail Box

…. Please tell me what gives Dr. Kidd the right to judge people by their appearance and characteristics. I am extremely offended… I was raised to believe that only the good Lord was to judge anyone. I wonder what God would think about this man’s feelings about women being “headstrong, loud, and bossy”. … I personally could not worship a God who put me on earth to be “under a man’s thumb”. … At least these hip swinging, weak handshaking, eye fluttering men are in church…. That is more than I can say for these men who to busy abusing their wives to make it to church. - Mrs. Robbie Robinson On a recent Sunday morning, we visited Cottondale Baptist Church in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The pastor, Dan Arsenault, preached on Hebrews 11:6 from his NKJV. His theme was that we ought to diligently seek God and seek to present him correctly to others. During the sermon, he referenced several new evangelical authors whose books he had read or was reading. In all cases, his point was that these men had seen the problems within fundamentalism and had moved on to the more reasonable 'new evangelical' position. He said that independent Baptists have often misrepresented God to others. He said that we seem to have a God who says: "If it tastes good, spit it out." But here is the statement that really got my goat. He said: "We've projected to the world that God is unhappy, as opposed to being excited, enthusiastic, adventurous....even unpredictable!....God has the heart of a child." Christians ought to reflect those attributes of God, he said. He said that Christians ought to quit wringing their hands about hanging out with sinners, because that is what Jesus did. He criticized those who wouldn't go to an office party or a wedding because of the presence of alcohol and dancing." "The world needs to know that God loves them, and that God is a happy God."

The invitation was very much in keeping with the easy-going, judge not, happy-go-lucky God that was presented during the message. In inviting people to be saved, he said: "You don't have to make him any promises. YOU DON'T HAVE TO CHANGE YOUR WAY OF LIVING (I'm sure that sounded good to any fornicators or drunks that might have been present) you don't have to turn over a new leaf...you don't have to go to church or join a church ... Repentance for sin was never mentioned once.

I caught up with the pastor after the service and told him that the God he had presented was very different than the God of scripture, who is 'angry with the wicked every day.' I reminded him that Jesus will return one day soon, "In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:" He was unmoved. -- ‘Way of Life’ Reader– May 2002

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