Worldwide criticism from religious leaders of all faiths has been rampant regarding comments made by Southern Baptist icon Jerry Vines.
However, Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) leaders ranging from pastors to seminary presidents have continued to express support of Vines in the wake of a national media uproar.
Vines’ controversial statements were made during the Pastors Conference sermon he delivered June 10 prior to the SBC annual meeting in St. Louis, Mo.
His message, which denounced religious pluralism, contained the statement that Mohammed was “a demon-possessed pedophile who had 12 wives, and his last one was a 9-year-old girl.” (He married the girl at age 6 and consummated the union when she was 9.)
Islamic reactions
Although Southern Baptist leaders have defended Vines, other denominations and religious leaders have voiced differing opinions.
Omar Ahmad of the Washington, D.C.-based Council on American-Islamic Relations responded to Vines’ remarks by saying, “This type of deeply offensive, bigoted and inaccurate rhetoric hands a victory to those who wish to drive a wedge between Muslims, Christians and Jews. Reckless Islamophobic statements from individuals regarded as leaders in their faith community will harm America’s image and interests worldwide and will serve to divide Americans at this time of national crisis.”
A Muslim leader from Jacksonville, Fla., where Vines is pastor of First Baptist Church, told the Florida Times Union that Vines’ statements were an inaccurate representation of American Muslims. Shakur Bolden, president of the Islamic Center of Northeast Florida, said, “We don’t let the bad eggs describe our way of life, just as he would not want the Ku Klux Klan or the IRA [Irish Republican Army] or other fanatic Christian organizations to define mainstream Christianity.”
In response to Vines’ remarks, Bob Edgar, general secretary for the National Council of Churches said, “Hostility and name-calling do not represent the spirit of Jesus, who always showed respect for others and treated them with grace and dignity. Jesus was far kinder to those who disagreed with His views — even those whom His society held in contempt — than with the self-righteous within His own religious community,” Edgar said. “When overzealous Christians characterize Islam only as a bloody religion, they also imply that there were no times when the Christian faith has been misused to advance values far from the heart and will of Christ. Yet history reminds us of the Crusades, the Inquisition, the trafficking in human slavery, the Ku Klux Klan and other sinful activities of Christians who lost their way and betrayed the teachings of their faith,” Edgar said.
Edgar said the National Council of Churches is encouraging churches all across the nation to open their doors in friendship and hospitality to Muslims as a spiritual response to the anniversary of the tragic events of last September.
White House response
The controversial statements were even discussed during a White House press briefing. Spokesman Ari Fleischer was questioned about the president’s response to Vines’ comments.
Fleischer said, “You’ve heard … the president say numerous times that Islam is a religion of peace. And that’s what the president believes. I think you can go to any organization in this country, of any size, and find one individual or two individuals who will say something that is not representative of the organization,” he said.
Among the many supporters of Vines’ statements is Morris H. Chapman, president and chief executive officer of the SBC Executive Committee.
“Dr. Vines’ remarks about Mohammed’s history and character would have been made only after thorough reflection on the Islamic sources. Those who have attacked him and his statements have yet to answer that documentation. The evidence is overwhelming and consistent — leading to only one conclusion: Dr. Vines is right in his assertions.”
Phil Roberts, president of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Mo., and former director of the North American Mission Board’s interfaith witness team, told Baptist Press, “I have no hesitation to believe that Jerry Vines has the most sincere and Christlike motivations here. I know that he loves lost people, Muslims and non-Muslims alike.”
R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., also voiced his support for Vines and defended the SBC pastor in a commentary in The Florida Times-Union. “The controversy surrounding Dr. Jerry Vines is further evidence of our cultural confusion,” Mohler said. “Too many Americans think that compassion and tolerance require us to hide our deepest convictions. Jerry Vines is an honest man in dishonest times.”
James Merritt, the immediate past president of the SBC, called Vines one of his dearest friends in a June 18 commentary in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“I know Vines as a dear friend, a godly pastor and a genuine Christian who desires to see all people come to a knowledge of the truth of Jesus Christ and place their faith in Him,” Merritt said.
“It is important to note he certainly did not question the rights of Muslims to believe what they believe, nor would he ever by force coerce anyone else to become a Christian. He simply spoke what he felt was the truth in love.”
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