PASTORS:

"I believe that Dr. Lewis has compromised what Baptists believe by signing this [ECT] document." Pastor Tommy French, Jefferson Baptist Church, Baton Rouge, Louisiana (April 5, 1994)

"The editor of the Louisiana Baptist paper has characterized Dr. Lewis' signing of the [ECT] statement as "bravery." Since when is agreement with error bravery; it is rather betrayal of the biblical doctrine of salvation.... My desire is to see Dr. Lewis withdraw his support and distance himself from this statement. If not, a man of compromise has no place in leading the SBC agency which spearheads evangelism in our homeland." Pastor Gary Hanberry, First Baptist Church, Larose, Louisiana (May 10, 1994)

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FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH

March 2, 1995

Dear Home Mission Board Director:

On March 1, 1995, the First Baptist Church of Wichita Falls, Texas, voted to send this letter to each of you. We would like to commend the Home Mission Board for their efforts to enable every person in this country to hear and respond to the gospel of Christ by the year 2000. We rejoice that a mission force of nearly five thousand has shared the gospel across this country, Canada, and the Caribbean in 102 different languages and dialects.

Nevertheless, we have strong disagreement with the following. Your president's signing of the document EVANGELICALS AND CATHOLICS TOGETHER, and your affirmation of his action is totally unacceptable to our church body. Believing that the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ is hindered by this document, we adopt the following position regarding EVANGELICALS AND CATHOLICS TOGETHER, THE CHRISTIAN MISSION IN THE THIRD MILLENNIUM:

* WE REJECT THIS DOCUMENT AND ANY ASSOCIATION WITH IT
* WE BELIEVE THAT IT DENIES THE GRACE OF GOD AS REVEALED IN THE BIBLE
CONCERNING HOW A PERSON IS JUSTIFIED BEFORE GOD
* WE SUPPORT THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN PERSECUTED BECAUSE OF THEIR STAND AGAINST
THE DOCUMENT
* WE SUPPORT THOSE WHOSE WITNESS HAS BEEN HINDERED BY THE ROMAN CATHOLIC
CHURCH'S USE OF THE DOCUMENT
* WE REJECT ANY FORM OF DISCIPLESHIP NOT IN CONFORMITY WITH THE BIBLE
* WE EXPRESS OUR LOVE FOR ROMAN CATHOLICS, LOVE WHICH COMPELS US TO TELL THEM
THE TRUTH
* WE WILL ACT UPON OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO SEPARATE OURSELVES FROM "FALSE
DOCTRINE"
* WE REFUTE THE NOTION THAT WE ARE ON THE SAME MISSION AS ROMAN CATHOLICISM
OR ANY OTHER GROUP CLAIMING JUSTIFICATION BY WORKS

Our Church has historically supported the Home Mission Board through the Cooperative Program because of its mission emphasis. EVANGELICALS AND CATHOLICS TOGETHER distorts that mission. Our future mission cooperation must be with those who clearly proclaim the true "Gospel," and that protect it with all their might. Given our position against the document and the Home Mission Board's position for the document, a dilemma exists which must be resolved.

We prayerfully wait for and expect a prompt response from your leadership. 

 

In Christ,

Dr. Robert Jeffress, Pastor Mr. Harold Warren, Chairman of Deacons

 

cc: Dr. Larry Lewis
Dr. Richard Land
Dr. Jim Henry		 Dr. Morris Chapman
Associated Baptist Press
Baptist Press		 Wichita/Archer/Clay Assoc.

 

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WESTSIDE BAPTIST CHURCH

1300 Bertrand Drive, Larayette. La 70506

EXALTING THE SAVlOR - EXPOUNDlNG THE SCRIPTURE - EQUIPPING THE SAlNTS

Pastor Jim Allen

November 15, 1996

To Whom it may concern:

Let it be known that the membership of Westside Baptist Church in Lafayette, Louisiana, voted unanimously at their regular monthly Business Meeting on Wednesday, November 13, 1996, to severe all relationships with the Southern Baptist Convention and with the Louisiana Baptist Convention. This decision was not made hastily but after waiting many months for Southern Baptists to repent and amend their attitude toward God's Holy Word....

We were shocked in 1993 when the SBC admitted that many tenets and teachings of Freemasonry are not compatible with Christianity, but instead of standing on the Word of God as our authority, they elevated man's personal conscience to be our highest standard. To this date, there has been no repentance. 

We have waited patiently for the leaders of the SBC to confront Dr. Larry Lewis and Dr. Richard Land for their endorsement of the heretical document "Evangelicals and Catholics Together," and to exercise biblical church discipline against them if they refused to repent. Instead, the leadership of the SBC continues to allow the appearance that Southern Baptists agree with the false gospel promoted by the ECT....

We also have been greatly offended that the Louisiana Baptist Missions Department has not come to the aid of a small Baptist Mission at Bayou DuLarge Louisiana, who, because they confronted Dr. Lewis, have had their church property taken away from them and have been denied affiliation with their local association. 

Because the numerous letters that we have written through the years on these matters to SBC leadership have been totally ignored, we feel our continued presence in the convention can do nothing to bring repentance. Therefore, we have taken this action to declare that we believe that God's Word is 100% true, and we will hereafter be an independent Bible church.

Sincerely,

Pastor Jim Allen

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FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH

LAROSE, LOUISIANA

"We, the First Baptist Church of Larose, Louisiana, disagree not only with the statement; EVANGELICALS AND CATHOLICS TOGETHER; THE CHRISTIAN MISSION IN THE THIRD MILLENNIUM, but also with the signing of the statement by Dr. Larry Lewis of the Home Mission Board, and Dr. Richard Land of the Christian Life Commission. We respectfully request that both Dr. Lewis and Dr. Land publicly withdraw their support and distance themselves from the statement as soon as possible." Motion unanimously approved by the First Baptist Church of Larose, Louisiana, in regular business session on May 4, 1994

 

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