Pittsfield, Massachusetts Council Responses
(April 9, 2005)
- What values do we hold in common that inform our capacity to live with profound differences in interpretation of Scripture?
Comments:
- Deep commitment to Jesus
- Hospitality
- Love for one another
- Soul Liberty
- Historical Baptist understanding of Biblical authority
- Trust in the Living Word of God and the Written Word of God
- What do you have to say to the Senators about the Proposed amendment?
Comments:
- I do not like restrictions that exclude people
- Use a written ballot
- Exclude all sexual sins
- How will Executive Committee insure that Senators meet qualifications?
- Put apostrophe at the end of Ministers’
- Include Paul’s whole sin list.
- How will this decision impact the next seven generations?
- A Higher expectation for leadership
- Consider descriptions of leadership that are in the Bible
- Proposal should be normative for leadership
- There is no “policy,” there is a “resolution.”
- Why does a problem for only 3 or 4 % of people take up so much time and resources?
- I agree with the statement, but it should be decided on a regional level.
- If God were to show us a way forward together, what would it look like?
Comments:
- Keep talking
- Small groups
- Do not generalize, categorize, characterize or label people
- Put the resolution on dialogue in effect
- Broader resources
- Define our identity
- What do we not want to lose?
- Continue to provide safe spaces where we can remain in relationship
- Let’s get serious about dialogue
- Proposal on backburner; dialogue continue
- Put energy on people – loving and reaching out to
- Learn to act out of trust not fear
- Unity without uniformity
