"
Hmmmm. How true! For several reasons:
1. My job is a lot more complicated. We are trying to pull off a $45 million expansion of our ministry and it takes an enormous amount of time.
2. Nothing like deep grief to provoke the spilling of much ink. Three years after the fact, my grieving over leaving the ABC is largely over and Trans Min is doing GREAT! As of last month, 148 congregations have signed the Transformation Ministries covenant and as treasurer of the organization, I can vouch for the fact that our finances are in better shape than they have been in years. [Full discolosure: the volitile market has impacted us pretty hard this year. However, if you back out those dollars, we are actually doing rather well in my opinion]
So, why pick on Ole Roy? He recently preached at an AWAB church and evidently lauded them lavishly. The pastor of the church commented:
“During the luncheon following worship, Dr. Medley spoke to a number of issues within our denomination, beginning with the 'recent unpleasantness' on matters surrounding the issue of sexual orientation. He upheld the twin historic Baptist emphases upon the 'authority of scripture' as well as the final role of the 'local congregation' in scripture’s interpretation. He recognized that standing for these principles cost the denomination the loss of one region but added that we could not surrender these convictions of conscience. Dr. Medley’s assertion of the primacy of these principles in the ongoing life of our denomination was deeply reassuring.
“Dr. Medley went on to share some other observations about our life together. He spoke of the 'catholicity' of the American Baptist family, recognizing we are the broadest and most inclusive band of Baptists in the country, spanning a greater diversity of theological belief, race and culture than any other national gathering of Baptists. He encouraged us to reclaim the joy of living together, out of this diversity, as we simply share in the work of God. He also celebrated the many relationships that are growing between us and other Baptists as seen in both the Alliance of Baptists and the New Baptist Covenant. He added, 'Excluding different views is not how we conduct our life.'
“Finally, I was keenly impressed by the leadership and initiative Dr. Medley is taking in building an 'ecology of relationship' between our denomination and the Islamic Society of America. He is particularly emphasizing dialogue on how we can work together to insure peace and dignity for all, a prophetic stance in this time of growing anti-Islamic prejudice.
There is no denying that the withdrawal from the ABC was a very painful separation for me. More than 50 years in an organization and lots of hours of committee service makes a divorce like that pretty wrenching. But, the decision of the other regions to stick with the ABC was something that I was emotionally unprepared to face. Knowing what some of these executives believe (hey, they sent me e-mails professing it) made their subsequent public "loyalty" incomprehensible to me. And, when the pastoral leaders around the country also fell into line with VF, that was more than I could take. If an "ecology of relationship" with gay advocacy and the Islamic Society of America is what "conservatives" in the ABC want, they are entitled to enjoy it in peace (at least from this barking dog).
So, like some other former critics of things at VF, I have moved on to other issues. A barking dog with a principled objection is one thing, a cranky old coot with a tiresome and repetitious complaint is another. All of the insider information, devastating budgetary trends, personal immorality, and heterodox teaching can be identified. But, ultimately it doesn't matter. People stay in the ABC for reasons of "family," and all of the arguments, evidence, and the like are, in the final analysis, beside the point. Hey, I fought VF and VF won. Even a barking dog can read the score board.
