Bible as authority

The disaffiliation of Hillcrest Baptist Church from the Mobile Baptist Association (MBA) made the front page of the Nov. 2 issue of The Alabama Baptist. I do suppose we like to stir controversy when we can. Or maybe it is meant to serve as a warning to all who would trespass the Baptist Faith & Message (BF&M). Don’t get me wrong. I totally agree with the BF&M. In fact, it didn’t go far enough in that it stopped short of saying that women are as equally prevented from holding the office of a deacon. I believe the MBA did the right thing, and according to the article, they did all they could to remedy the situation.

What bothers me is that the impression is given that the BF&M is held in higher authority than the Word of God. The Bible should have been the authority of MBA’s action; yet, in the article, not one time was the Bible mentioned. A better headline may have been “Mobile church disciplined because of anti-biblical practice.” The headlines imply that it was Mrs. Sims fault, which is to make her the scapegoat. Again the emphasis ought to be put on the Bible, not documents and persons.

Bylaws, resolutions and the BF&M are man-written documents interpreting God’s Word. They are great for putting our beliefs into a concise statement of faith, but our actions should never be directed by them — only by God’s Word. It would be like a preacher finding his text and sermon content out of “Matthew Henry’s Commentary” without ever opening his Bible. He is simply taking the word of a man’s interpretation of God’s Word.

Larry E. Beauchamp
Deer Park, Ala.