12 Witnesses

Today is Memorial Day. Memorial Day started as wives and mothers decorated the graves of fallen Civil War soldiers. Shortly thereafter, it was adopted by the President and has become what it is today.

I appreciate Memorial Day because it gives me the chance to remember all of those who have given so much for my freedoms here in America. This is personal to me. I have a friend in my church who was in the famous WW II battle of Iwo Jima. He rarely talks about those things. The only significant thing I have ever heard him say on the subject is that the Flame Thrower is one of the most devastating weapons ever invented. Knowing from history how that particular weapon was used at Iwo Jima, I can only imagine his personal experiences with it. His silence on the topic is more telling to me than many words.

I am grateful to him personally; to his comrades through the years who have returned from war with battle scars of the body, mind and soul; and to those who never returned. They have provided a place of liberty and safety for me and my family.

I have been receiving some email from Missionaries overseas. I hear from folks who are in places where their safety, and the safety of the children, are in constant danger. They represent Christ, me and all Southern Baptists. They are there because not all of us can be. They lay their lives on the line as well.

Today I also remember those who have given for Christ and His body in foreign lands. I give money and they give their lives.

It is unconscienable for me to sit idly by while their lives are pulled, stretched and squeezed in a political tug of war within the SBC. Some say that the solution is that I not pull the rope so that they are left in peace.

In fact, I do not have that rope. The tug of war is between the commission of Scripture and the politics of uniformity. My voice is the one on the side saying to those who prefer uniformity to effectiveness, “Lay down that rope!”

By speaking out, however, we all become the target of unwanted negative attention. We now become involved in what we were arguing against in the first place. Nevertheless, if we walk away, we leave our Missionaries with no allies back home.

It is time to stand and call for freedom. It will cost us. It has cost several of us personally already. If it costs me something, then I am willing to pay.

Last night, in a special called business meeting, my wife and I were elected to serve as Messengers to the SBC in Greensboro. I go there with one thought on my mind: To ask that the SBC cease and desist playing politics with our MISSION - on foreign fields and at home.

Whatever the cost may be for us personally, it is nothing compared to those who risk so much for the sake of the Gospel. For them, I am compelled to stand.

So are you.

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