After meeting with the Baptist director today...(Baptists dig their own grave Pt. 2)

So we (a group of concerned students) met with James Porch, the Executive Director for the TBC today. Maybe you saw me on the news. (I sure hope not.)


Anyway, here are my afterthoughts expressed in an email to a TBC staffer:

Thanks,

It would be great to meet next Tuesday. I'll clear the time. Essentially, I would just like to discuss questions that were related to the heart issues behind the matters, questions on philosophy of action, biblical connections, questions on how the parties were communicating or not communicating, etc (which is really all students are concerned about anyway). James wouldn't go into any of that and in fact said it was irrelevant.

He was very hospitable, but not in the areas that mattered. We wanted him to be candid and prove that there was more to this than a shouting match and cold legality, but he wouldn't discuss any of it and was patronizing on top of it. He also divorced himself from responsibility and from the ethical and mission based questions, basically saying that his hands were tied, and that there were no choices but what was happening, cause effect, cause effect, etc, and that it's all in Belmont's hands and that there's no other reason we're here today except for Belmont's supposed betrayal of their trust. In fact, in response to questions raised regarding Paul's instruction in 1 Corinthians 6:1-8 he said, "I am well aware that Scripture says we should not sue. But sometimes circumstances and other parties leave no alternative." Scripture can just be sooo inconvenient sometimes, can't it Dr. Porch?

Now I understand that he's just the public voice to it and that the issues are mostly being decided by a consortium of pastors, but what disturbs me most is that individual courage and allegiance to scripture and mission seems to be so easily separated from "just business." Everything was directed as "this is just business"...issues driven business mind you, but still just business. He simply equated it to defaulting on a mortgage! And that's that! He went so far as to say in response to a student's question, that if we're concerned about the future of the university and its students we should take that up with Belmont and not them, b/c it won't be their fault if there are casualties.

I tell you, I realize the TBC has legitimate concerns and that some of our administration at Belmont is unfairly playing the victim and that both sides need to strive for reconciliation equally. However, based on what I've seen and heard in legal circles an in documents, I don't think you have a winnable legal case [http://www.tnbaptist.org/BRArticle.asp?ID=1486]& [http://forum.belmont.edu/umac/archives/005880.html](to cite a few), but I can't emphasize enough how much that is besides the point. There seems to be a bunch of religiosity divorced from the gospel; hearts held hostage by shallow compartmentalized faith that only reaches so deep. I want to hear your thoughts on these matters, the heart matters. Assuage my doubts. Let me know that a bunch of old men are not playing chess with other people's lives. Let me know that they're pondering both grace and justice in light of God's Word alone and not secular wisdom. Let me know that there is hope in joining the world of adults and not just more of which to despair. Since James Porch won't try to do this, are you up for giving the conversation a go?

thanks,
matt

"When I was a child, I thought like a child; I played like a child; I was a child. And now, thanks to the adults, I've had to join the world of adults, and I am appalled-- by how easy they thought it was to bribe me." - Frederick the Wise (play on 1 Cor. 13:11)
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Just wanted to let you all know how I was feeling in retrospect. I'll be emailing Dr. Porch next week after a few meetings and time to get my head around things. I'll keep anyone interested posted (and since you read this far you must be interested).

grace and peace (two things very much so needed),
matt