by: Dr. Bruce Goddard
When I was a child in school, one was considered a sissy if he cried about some little thing happening to him. No one beat him up for it, he was just shunned and thought of as being wimpy, soft and without strength or perhaps immature. We probably quit playing with him.
Have you ever noticed how the “new generation” of Fundamental Baptists cry about everything? They criticize anyone who differs from them, but if one comment is made about them, they cry like sissies on the playground. They write entire articles criticizing the tie-wearing conservative, who pushes Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night church going. But if one word is said about their 7/11 music (seven words repeated eleven times), they cry like sissies. They have the little brother complex (I know, I was one). The little brother picks and provokes and attacks the big brother until he gets slapped then he yells really loud, “STOP IT!” I think that is it – the sissy, little brother complex.
If these “new generation” Baptists had listened at all to the older men who built THEIR foundations in the faith, they would remember John R. Rice writing about Bob Jones in the Sword of the Lord paper, and of Bob Jones’ criticizing John R. Rice. No one complained; it was every man’s right to say what he wanted. Then there was Billy Graham’s leaving the board of the Sword; by choice or force, I do not know. Billy Graham was no sissy, he just went about doing his thing and so did the others. Or how about Lester Roloff’s preaching on the radio about Southern Baptists renting a building out to a liquor store, or of the Southern Baptist Convention kicking him out of their building where their radio station was. Roloff went on his way rejoicing, not crying. But this generation of folks who never heard, ”Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” cannot handle a challenge. With even one threat to their tiny cult of worldliness, they panic as though they were part of a class action lawsuit to defend the right to be a compromiser.
Around thirty-five years ago, this “new generation” had already started making noise in my town, only they were called Calvary Chapel. They were also the followers of John MacArthur in the 80’s. They preached against invitations, night services and standards. This new generation has nothing new, except for their crying. Calvary Chapel and I coexisted. They did their thing and I did mine. I did not need to attack them, and they did not need to attack me; we were big boys, and we could take some difference without being sissy crybabies. If perhaps a few comments were made here and there it didn’t matter, we were Americans and we were independent churches.
The basic differences among believers has always been the same then as well as now:
1) Soul winning, 2) Standards, and 3) Scriptures (truly believing the Book in our hands is the Word of God — word for word). You are what you are, and I’ve yet to see anyone run to worldliness who didn’t leave these three sooner or later. These three things were true over generations, be it the Southern Baptists, New Evangelicals, Neo-Orthodox, Charismatics, seeker sensitives or contemporary believers of today.
But what is new? The crying, the whining, the poor me, why-is-everybody-picking-on-me mentality? Maybe this “new generation” of fundamental Baptists were brought up in homes without dads, in homes with dominant mothers, or in homes with working mothers, or (pardon me for stepping this sacred cow) in homes with homeschool mothers who ran the home in perfect justice and female leadership. I don’t know.
Perhaps it was that children were left to themselves to play video games instead of outside playing football with friends facing criticism or injustice, or maybe they never got a job where they had to do what they were told, like it or not. Maybe they have a reason to act like sissies. Maybe they are spiritual sissies – a little immature, a little behind things. Give them another decade and maybe they will find out that Christians can differ and still serve God without whining. Want to criticize me, come on with it, “Sticks and stones…” I’ve got too much to do to whine and cry because someone said mean things. As Nehemiah said, “I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down…” and cry with you.
Let’s all grow up and get busy winning souls and stop the crybaby act.
Dr. Bruce Goddard
Pastor
Faith Baptist Church
Wildomar, CA
http://thepreachersfriend.com