Physician, Heal Thyself

From Slice of Laodicea:

Robert Parham Update

I learned more today about the author of the guest editorial at the Atlanta Journal Constitution that blasted Southwestern Baptist Seminary’s Christian homemaking emphasis in their undergraduate program. It was written by none other than a liberal Baptist of the Jimmy Carter ilk. Not just any liberal Baptist either, but Robert Parham, Executive Director of the Baptist Center for Ethics. I had to smile when I read the sanctimonious statements on his website, EthicsDaily.com. He, unlike the whacked out religious right Baptists, believes that Christians should stop being known for what they are AGAINST. They need to be positive and proactive rather than reactive. Here’s a quote from his site:

"When we started BCE, we recognized that too often Christians have been known for what we are against. We were convinced that it was high time for thoughtful Christians to be positive and proactive. So, we seek to reframe the way Christians think, talk and work on issues. BCE challenges Christians to be pro-health, not anti-alcohol; pro-women and pro-people of color, not anti-discrimination; pro-poor people, not anti-poverty; pro-family, not anti-abortion and anti-pornography; pro-sex education, not anti-human sexuality; pro-character development, not anti-moral failure. While it is more difficult to be positive than negative, we are committed to a constructive ethics agenda."

Read it all in context here. Reading his insulting, sneering words against those Southern Baptists who actually believe what the Bible says about the model for the Christian family, I assumed that Parham was just another liberal hack journalist, chipping his teeth on conservatives for pay. Come to find out, he is a “positive, proactive” Baptist who wants to improve the tone of discourse in America and demonstrate how tolerant and creative Christians can be. Physician, heal thyself. Mr. Parham’s public potrayal of Paige Patterson and the staff and faculty of Southwestern Baptist Seminary as cultural neanderthals is disgraceful and uncouth. Why is it that his ethic of tolerance and positivity doesn’t apply when it involves a Christian conservative who believes the Bible? If he can’t manage to do that, deleting his pious statements on his website would be in order.