The Local community speaks out against Gardendale's Micah Davidson
Old vs. new
As a church member of another Baptist church, I disagreed with a decision that was made by my church, and left that church of my own volition. I can understand a person or a group of persons taking that action. What I do not understand is a leader of the church making that decision for 165 members.
This is supposed to be a House of God, not a political playground. Could the solution have been as simple as having a traditional service on Wednesday and Sunday nights?
It seems that a great number of the members voted out were older members. Who made this church what it was when some of the current members were not yet born? I am so deeply disappointed in the unloving and seemingly political move by the supposed leadership of this Baptist church that we will be visiting other denominations of churches.
If I am going to follow a Christian leader, I think that I want to be sure he is on the right path to Heaven. I am positive that I can find the other path without any help.
No, I am not painting all Baptists with the same paintbrush. I know many loving, working, generous Christian Baptists. Shame on you supposed leaders of Gardendale Baptist Church for causing me to judge you. You have now caused me to be judged also.
Zelma Champion
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All lose
I have been reading of all the happenings at Gardendale Baptist Church. If any of them think they are winners, they are wrong - everyone is a loser.
As I follow the recent happenings in the Baptist and Catholic churches, what a shame. It's OK for them to be losers, but they have hurt the Gospel of Christ and that is not acceptable. Shame on them.
Kenneth Wilson
(Ingleside)
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Unfair expulsion
I would like to thank the Caller-Times for your article (July 20) about the expulsion of 165 members of the Gardendale Baptist Church.
On the whole, your article was balanced and reflected the division accurately. One group (the one that was expelled) requested procedural oversight of budgetary decisions. The other group saw those requests as somehow hindering the church's mission.
However, your article omitted several important points. First, the vote to expel the 165 members was taken without debate. That is, the expelled members had no chance to present a defense or make a statement on their own behalf. Second, members were given only one week's notice of the vote. Third, no formal charges detailing specific violations of church doctrine were filed against the accused.
The lesson here for anyone who belongs to any organization is to make sure that specific written procedures are included in the bylaws for expulsion of members. These procedures should include basic protections for the accused.
It is a sad witness for a church when it denies its own members the basic human dignity of defending oneself.
Michael A. Piatt
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Top-down rule?
I was appalled and amazed at the article in Tuesday's paper (July 20) about the ousting of 165 members of Gardendale church. I assume that since the church no longer uses the word "Baptist" in its name it is no longer affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention or any other of the established Baptist conventions.
I did some research on what amounts to the "shunning" of this many members at one time. Most religions have a method by which individual members may be removed. The Catholics have excommunication, the Scientologists have "disconnection," Jehovah's Witnesses use the word "disfellowship," Judaism has "Cherem" and the Mormons, the Amish and Quakers refer to the removal as "shunning." In none of these cases are 165 people "shunned" at one time.
Nowhere in the Baptist Church is there a provision for removing members of the congregation: once a member, always a member; once a deacon, always a deacon. Not only the minister, but also a board of congregants oversees church business.
It would appear that the Gardendale Church is now run by an autonomous minister, answerable to no one. Disagree and you're gone. Sounds like a dictatorship to me.
Ann C. Couser
*********************************************************************************
Church cleaning
I am not sure why the Caller-Times has chosen to hang out to dry the dirty laundry of one good church, but chosen you have, and equal time you must give to all.
There are oxymorons and then there are oxymorons. A couple that I'm reminded of are "good loser" and "religious tolerance."
When I think of this last one and read your comments about Gardendale Baptist Church, I feel there must have been a mistake. Writer Venessa Santos-Garza must have missed the point and not interviewed everyone. At least she didn't talk to me or others who have been all but forced to leave because of the actions and/or lack of church leadership.
You see, I was once a member of Gardendale. When it came time for church discipline back when I was all but forced to leave my church family behind, where were the chosen 165 then? No one asked to help me stay.
So, in all that I've read that the Caller-Times has printed these past few days, the biggest oxymoron of all that has been a big part of Gardendale: "friend against friend."
Power to you, Brother Micah. May bygones be bygones. You're not the only one who has cleaned house. And the Lord knows who should stay and who should go. Get on with being a church. Help those who want to be helped. Continue to pray for those who would dissent.
Jim Robbins
********************************************************************************
As a church member of another Baptist church, I disagreed with a decision that was made by my church, and left that church of my own volition. I can understand a person or a group of persons taking that action. What I do not understand is a leader of the church making that decision for 165 members.
This is supposed to be a House of God, not a political playground. Could the solution have been as simple as having a traditional service on Wednesday and Sunday nights?
It seems that a great number of the members voted out were older members. Who made this church what it was when some of the current members were not yet born? I am so deeply disappointed in the unloving and seemingly political move by the supposed leadership of this Baptist church that we will be visiting other denominations of churches.
If I am going to follow a Christian leader, I think that I want to be sure he is on the right path to Heaven. I am positive that I can find the other path without any help.
No, I am not painting all Baptists with the same paintbrush. I know many loving, working, generous Christian Baptists. Shame on you supposed leaders of Gardendale Baptist Church for causing me to judge you. You have now caused me to be judged also.
Zelma Champion
*******************************************************************************
All lose
I have been reading of all the happenings at Gardendale Baptist Church. If any of them think they are winners, they are wrong - everyone is a loser.
As I follow the recent happenings in the Baptist and Catholic churches, what a shame. It's OK for them to be losers, but they have hurt the Gospel of Christ and that is not acceptable. Shame on them.
Kenneth Wilson
(Ingleside)
********************************************************************************
Unfair expulsion
I would like to thank the Caller-Times for your article (July 20) about the expulsion of 165 members of the Gardendale Baptist Church.
On the whole, your article was balanced and reflected the division accurately. One group (the one that was expelled) requested procedural oversight of budgetary decisions. The other group saw those requests as somehow hindering the church's mission.
However, your article omitted several important points. First, the vote to expel the 165 members was taken without debate. That is, the expelled members had no chance to present a defense or make a statement on their own behalf. Second, members were given only one week's notice of the vote. Third, no formal charges detailing specific violations of church doctrine were filed against the accused.
The lesson here for anyone who belongs to any organization is to make sure that specific written procedures are included in the bylaws for expulsion of members. These procedures should include basic protections for the accused.
It is a sad witness for a church when it denies its own members the basic human dignity of defending oneself.
Michael A. Piatt
********************************************************************************
Top-down rule?
I was appalled and amazed at the article in Tuesday's paper (July 20) about the ousting of 165 members of Gardendale church. I assume that since the church no longer uses the word "Baptist" in its name it is no longer affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention or any other of the established Baptist conventions.
I did some research on what amounts to the "shunning" of this many members at one time. Most religions have a method by which individual members may be removed. The Catholics have excommunication, the Scientologists have "disconnection," Jehovah's Witnesses use the word "disfellowship," Judaism has "Cherem" and the Mormons, the Amish and Quakers refer to the removal as "shunning." In none of these cases are 165 people "shunned" at one time.
Nowhere in the Baptist Church is there a provision for removing members of the congregation: once a member, always a member; once a deacon, always a deacon. Not only the minister, but also a board of congregants oversees church business.
It would appear that the Gardendale Church is now run by an autonomous minister, answerable to no one. Disagree and you're gone. Sounds like a dictatorship to me.
Ann C. Couser
*********************************************************************************
Church cleaning
I am not sure why the Caller-Times has chosen to hang out to dry the dirty laundry of one good church, but chosen you have, and equal time you must give to all.
There are oxymorons and then there are oxymorons. A couple that I'm reminded of are "good loser" and "religious tolerance."
When I think of this last one and read your comments about Gardendale Baptist Church, I feel there must have been a mistake. Writer Venessa Santos-Garza must have missed the point and not interviewed everyone. At least she didn't talk to me or others who have been all but forced to leave because of the actions and/or lack of church leadership.
You see, I was once a member of Gardendale. When it came time for church discipline back when I was all but forced to leave my church family behind, where were the chosen 165 then? No one asked to help me stay.
So, in all that I've read that the Caller-Times has printed these past few days, the biggest oxymoron of all that has been a big part of Gardendale: "friend against friend."
Power to you, Brother Micah. May bygones be bygones. You're not the only one who has cleaned house. And the Lord knows who should stay and who should go. Get on with being a church. Help those who want to be helped. Continue to pray for those who would dissent.
Jim Robbins
********************************************************************************
posted by Jeff Peterson | 4:51 PM
2 Comments:
WHO ARE ALL OF YOU TO JUDGE ONCE WAS GARDENDALE BAPTIST! you all speak of the chuch not being "religious" or "christian" enough when if fact, the people who opposed Micah were the ones not being a christ-like example.instead of shouting and cursing him,yal'l should have calmly explained the concerns you have.of coarse all humans are going to judge.WE are all sinners.instead of jumping to conclusions and saying that you got "kicked" out.you should have understood the root of the problem instead of letting the drama get to your heads.God tells us not to be people pleasers,instead,please Him.(galatians 1:10.)When i first started going to church again,one man really spoke out to me and said "god gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason,to listen twice as much as you speak" yes,micah said that.
thankyou
-17 year old daughter of God.
I am realy appalled at some of the comments and accusations made about Micah Davidson. Obviously, those who are making these claims dont know Micah at all. He isnt a dictator, or a "cowboy". Out of all the people I have come across in my lifetime, there is one who paints a picture of Christ himself and it is Micah. The caller-Times ansd the news blew what really happend at Gardendale out of proportion immensely. It upsets and hurts me deeply when I see people have said about Micah, and honestly I dont understand, AT ALL. For those of you who have sat here and posted these blogs about Micah and Gardendale obviously haven't looked at the ministry there now. yes, thats right, its called Real Life Fellowship, currently with two campuses, one here in Corpus and one in Portland. God is doing amazing things in the lives of the people at Real Life. Micah is merely a tool and God is using him in amazing ways.
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