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Baptist Bishops

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Many white Baptists take to calling themselves "Doctor" after getting a freebie degree from a backhills preacher factory.

Jim Remsen, The Philadelphia Inquirer:

Over the last decade, an unknown number of black Baptist clergymen around the country have made waves in their non-hierarchical tradition by assuming the title, and often special vestments, of bishop. It is a move that some fellow Baptists consider scripturally defensible, but that others term "unbaptistic" and even "bizarre." ...

Riggins Earl, a theology professor at the Interdenominational Theological Center, which studies African American churches, believes many are caught up in "the celebrity culture" and aspire to be like televangelist-bishops such as T.D. Jakes and Eddie Long. ...

Baptist tradition holds that an elevated hierarchy, or episcopacy, is not true to early Christianity. The New Directory for Baptist Churches, a standard reference by Edward Hiscox, states that bishops and elders in the early church "were identical in office and authority... . Consequently, bishops are not a superior order of the clergy."

More black Baptist pastors draw criticism by taking the title

Richard Evans Lee
September 29, 2003 •
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I think that they must be understanding of the phenom called the Baptist Bishop. The last ten to fifteen years in the [African-American Baptist] church, there has been a return to the government of the church that has been considered more theocratic instead of democratic. when i say theocratic i speak in the sense that as the Bible demonstrates i.e., Moses [the deliverer] and the Kings of Israel where government was more God centered. Because of a failure of clergy to teach effectively and congregations of the Baptist Denomination to understand their role in the Biblical scheme, the Baptist church has turned into the third political party in America. The move of God has been aborted for the secular workplace ethics of the power hungry and unspiritual. The Baptist church as a whole has lost appeal in the eyes of the unchurched and is seen as a money-hungry, self-centered, self-religious group of higher than thous and non-powerful church [sounds to me like the same type of problems that Jesus faced from the religious leaders of his day] certainly out of touch with the Bible on many issues today. I am not without solution though. Return to the Bible for the original design of church government and the there will be no need to have children running away from the church but running to the Baptist church and every other church for salvation.

Posted by: a former Ordained Baptist Pastor now a Non-denominational Bishop | March 6, 2004 8:57 AM

How do you feel?

Feel free to share your feelings about Baptist Bishops. Please stick to the theme of the entry. Disagreement is fine. Homophobia, racism, and kindred expressions of hatred will be deleted. This site is one of my hobbies. I genuinely enjoy hearing from people and hate moderating or killing comments. Forthright disagreement is fine as long as it is civil.
My thanks,
Richard

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