In my own fleshly, cynical take, I suppose that all future sbc employees will have employment contracts submitting to binding arbitration in the event of a dispute. I would also guess the arbitrator will be selected by the sbc entity and under a favorable choice of laws clause. The end result being that the school will always win.

I don’t presume to have any authoritative take on Corinthians, but I do seem a difference in these two things.

1. Floyd supports blue carpet in the auditorium. The rennovation committee picks green carpet without a full vote of the congregation. Floyd probably shouldn’t file suit to bring the matter to a vote.

2. Floyd is beaten by deacons armed with tire tools in the parking lot after church. I would think that filing a complaint with the prosecutor would be proper.

The trouble here is that we are somewhere in the middle. In the first year of law school, students are taught that if an injury is preventable, but the injury isn’t likely and the costs of fixing it are high, then it doesn’t make sense to fix the problem. Instead, pay damages as the injuries occur and still save money in the long run. In effect, some accidents are “good” accidents. If Christians absolutely fail to file suit in every case, then every Christian injury becomes a “good” injury that isn’t cost effective to fix.

As a side note, there is probably going to be a future in SBC litigation for some enterprising young defense attorneys. I need to see that my business card gets passed around :)

then, after all this is settled, dr. p and the bot’s at swbts need to make it a policy that women should not be teaching men in pastoral classes. :)

david

In this you and I are very close to total agreement. A fair settlement with Dr. Klouda is the only righteous thing. One thing should be added. Dr. Klouda should be given a public apology by those that have committed this wrongful and rude behavior toward her. They should also assure the entire SBC that conduct of such a despicable nature shall not happen again.

cb

That is exactly what I was requesting from SWBTS administration for Dr. Klouda.

My post tomorrow will illustrate that sometimes the right thing is not done until a higher authority steps in to require it.

i’m sorry that church treated yall that way. your story can be repeated over and over again by many others. it’s sad.

i agree with you about this issue as well. lets buy the ladies house. give her some severance pay. lets keep this out of the courts and move on.

david

My family and our entire staff was done wrong by a previous church. There were a group that decided to cut the entire staff’s salary. Our music minister was cut by $15K and I was cut by $9K.

I had a very Godly man tell me to sue the church. I couldn’t because of 1 Corinthians 6:1-8.

Did it hurt us? Yes! It drained our savings. But it would have brought no glory to God to drag our church through the courts.

It is time for the the SBC to step in and do Dr. Klouda right and settle out of court. Dragging this through the courts will just give us one more black eye.

An absolutely wonderful post and comment section. You’ve done well in response, guidance and fairness. I do think the various opinions are an illustration of the somewhat vague nature of this whole thing of christians suing christians in scripture. There is no doubt whatsoever that we ARE to work out personal problems as christians and, even in bigger relational issues, whatever those kinds of things are, ask/allow the church to settle such issues. We may even need to rethink how this principle fits into our litigation prone culture as a denomination.

But the kind of organizational monster we’ve created in the present day asks quesions that are not easily answered. It would seem imperative to me therefore, that we are to walk in the light we do have and that certainly entails owing no one anything except to love them. That would include the one suing, the one sued, those defending the suing and those opposed to the suing. If we can’t present a united SBC front in the right or wrong in suing, perhaps our society can be overwhelmed with our love for each other. It has happened before.

Obviously, I’m not advocating a syrupy, sloppy kind of thing, which is foreign to scripture, but a vigorous, thoughtful discussion that offers opinions, ideas, and interpretations that differ without the condescending, shaming, kind of thing that tears down the very thing we have the opportunity to present to anyone watching and listening.

I’m speaking to myself first as usual and then anyone who cares to hear it. You are helping in THAT and I’m appreciative.

Maybe we all should assume the lawyerly statement.

Blessings,
Tim

ps. Brother Art, I must agree with Brother Marty. Congratulations, it is not many comment streams that go this long and stay on the original thought.