THE PEACEMAKERS: "Mercy and Truth Are Met Together; Righteousness (Justice) and Peace Have Kissed Each Other."

THE PEACEMAKERS: 

"Mercy and Truth Are Met Together; 

Righteousness (Justice) and Peace 

Have Kissed Each Other."  

______________________

Marie writes:

Love is not merely an attribute of God.

Indeed, Love is God's nature, His essence, the totality of His Being.

Even so, to be complete, Love (Loving Kindness or Compassion) must embody, incorporate, and integrate Justice (Righteousness), by bringing Love into bodily form, making Love a material substance, a reality in a real world.

The psalmist speaks a point to ponder when he said:

Mercy and Truth are met together; Righteousness and Peace have kissed each other.      

                                 Psalm 85:10 (KJV)

Does it stretch the metaphor to say that the mystery of such a union gives birth to Peace?

Please read these stories presented by the Associated Baptist Press this week on the subject of forgiveness.

______________________

Opinion: Forgiveness is an unmistakable mark of character 

Associated Baptist Press

Monday, February 01, 2010

An Excerpt:  ... So, if Christians model our lives after Jesus, then this truth should be beyond debate: Forgiveness is the indelible mark of Christian character.

As noted in the set of stories also published by Associated Baptist Press today on the subject, forgiveness is not the same as blind denial of wrong-doing or timid acquiescence to bullying, intimidation or evil.

Forgiveness does not accommodate transgressions, nor does it ignore consequences of wrongdoing. Forgiveness does not move the vulnerable and innocent back into harm’s way. And it is not weak sentiment.

Forgiveness opens oneself and others to possibilities not bound by fights, failures and foibles of the past. Christian forgiveness counter-intuitively extends divine love to the unloving and, humanly speaking, unlovable.

The power of forgiveness is infinite.  ... (Read entire story here).

______________________

Forgive Us: Christians struggle with radical forgiveness
Associated Baptist Press 
Monday, February 01, 2010

An Excerpt: 
At age 8, Chris Carrier was abducted, stabbed multiple times with an ice pick, shot in the left temple at pointblank range and abandoned in the Florida Everglades. Miraculously, he survived (although blinded in one eye). But what happened two decades later may be even more miraculous.

God’s forgiveness of sinners is not based on anything humans do but on what God already has done, said Randall O’Brien, author of Set Free by Forgiveness.

“Contrary to popular opinion, forgiveness precedes repentance,” said O’Brien, president of Carson-Newman College, a Baptist school in Jefferson City, Tenn. “Repentance is the result of God’s forgiveness -- not the cause of it. God does not love and forgive us because we repent. We repent because God loves and forgives us. That’s the radical gospel of the cross.”

Jesus demonstrated unconditional love on the cross when he prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Nobody had repented of his involvement in his crucifixion before Jesus freely forgave, O’Brien noted. But God’s universal forgiveness of sinners does not mean universal salvation, redemption and reconciliation, he explained.

“Forgiveness is a necessary but insufficient condition for reconciliation,” said O’Brien. “Reconciliation is always conditioned upon the response of the forgiven.”

What’s true in the relationship between God and sinful people also holds true in human relationships, he explained.

“Forgiveness is a one-way street. Reconciliation is a two-way street,” he said.  ...

No excuse for offense
Forgiveness does not “look the other way” and pretend no harm as been done, O’Brien added. It does not minimize the damage caused or the offense committed.

“Forgiveness is not a substitute for judgment. Forgiveness is judgment. It is saying, ‘I judge you guilty, but I forgive you anyway,’” he said.

Forgiveness involves choice -- choosing not to punish an offense, Denison observed.

“It is not pretending that the person was not harmed or excusing harmful behavior. When a governor pardons a criminal, she does not deny the reality of the crime, but rather chooses not to inflict the punishment prescribed by the law. God forgives our sin in the same way and calls us to treat others as he treats us,” Denison said.

Forgiveness does not mean enabling future bad behavior or imperiling innocent people. O’Brien cited the example of a woman who has been physically abused by a spouse. Forgiveness does not mean placing oneself -- or others who are vulnerable -- in a position that facilitates future abuse."  (Read entire story here).

______________________

Forgive Us: Is forgiveness always appropriate for Christians? Associated Baptist Press 
Monday, February 01, 2010

An Excerpt:

Accountability and idolatry
Justice requires accountability, Rosell insisted. Ministers and their congregations sometimes act as though the only requirement for forgiveness is to change the victim’s attitude and to simply say: “We forgive you.”

“Sometimes what’s counted as forgiveness is the unwillingness to hold a brother accountable.... That is a sin,” he said.

Part of the problem in churches also stems from “pastor idolatry,” he added. “We make a god of the pastor, and when he sins, we often can’t recognize it because of our idolatry.”

Often clergy abusers aren’t held accountable because some church members will pressure the rest to “forgive” him or her. Lack of accountability opens opportunities for further abuse, he said.

An act of obedience
Christians must forgive in obedience to God, said Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission.

... Land emphasized that lack of forgiveness “will hinder growth and your spiritual relationship.” Believers should hold those who hurt them accountable, and in cases such as abuse, should remove themselves from the situation. But in every case, Christians must forgive.  ...  (read entire story here).

______________________

______________________

JUSTICE DELAYED and DENIED?: MBC Exec. Board to Address the Misconduct of Southwest Baptist University and MBC Personnel and SBU Accreditation Complaint During their April 2010 Meeting

Tuesday, February 2, 2010
 

 
From the Desk of Marie O’Hara
Mailing Address
Bolivar, MO 65613

Dr. David Tolliver,
Missouri Baptist Convention Executive Director
% Missouri Baptist Convention
400 East High Street
Jefferson City, MO 65101 

Fax: (573)-635-0904

Dear Dr. David Tolliver:

In regard to my previous letter dated Friday, January 15, 2010 (see here), please consider this letter a formal request that the issues identified in the January 15 letter regarding the misconduct of Southwest Baptist University and Missouri Baptist Convention officials and personnel be added to the agenda of the forthcoming April 2010 meeting of the Missouri Baptist Convention Executive Board on April 12 and 13, 2010.

If my complaint with the Higher Education Commission of the North Central Association, Southwest Baptist University's accreditation agency, has not been addressed by that time, I further request that this issue be placed on the April 2010 agenda, as well.

I am concerned for my personal health, well-being and safety (and that of my friends and family) if these issues are not addressed by that time.

Next week, you will be receiving more information about these concerns during the Southwest Baptist University Board of Trustee meeting on Monday and Tuesday, February 8 and 9, 2010.

Thank you for you assistance and attention to these matters.

In His Love and His Justice,

 
Marie O'Hara

ONE PAINFUL STEP FORWARD: Marie's Letter to the First Baptist Church of Bolivar, MO (and the Missouri Baptist Convention)

Since mid-August 2009, Marie has been contending with injuries from a fall -- which resulted in a severe sprain, torn ligaments, damaged tendons, painful swelling and tenderness, and "kaleidoscopic" bruising. 

The symptoms of her organophosphate-induced neuropathy and immune damage have hindered and complicated her recovery, but she is finally able to take some tentative steps and is now making steady progress.

Most discouraging for her was the postponement of her planned relocation and enrollment in her new university, which had been scheduled for this past Fall Semester (2009).

Marie is again looking forward to relocating out-of-state, as soon as safely possible.

With that goal in mind, the following letters are being sent today.

  ___________

Monday, January 25, 2010

                            From the Desk of Marie O’Hara
                                   Mailing Address

                                          Bolivar, MO  65613

Pastor Billy Russell, Former Pastor Ray Leininger, and Former Interim Pastor Rodney Reeves and the Staff, Trustees, and Deacons of the First Baptist Church of Bolivar
316 North Main
Bolivar, MO 65613
Office Phone: 417-326-2431   Office Fax: 417-326-4706

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

The enclosed letter is being sent to Missouri Baptist Convention Executive Director Dr, David Tolliver and the members of the Missouri Baptist Executive Board.

Over the next ten days, I will be mailing additional information to your current pastor, Rev. Billy Russell.

Praying, as Always, for Your Integrity,

Marie O’Hara

  ___________

Monday, January 25, 2010

                            From the Desk of Marie O’Hara
                                   Mailing Address

                                          Bolivar, MO  65613

Dr. David Tolliver, 

Missouri Baptist Convention Executive Director
% Missouri Baptist Convention
400 East High Street  
Jefferson City, MO 65101     Fax: (573)-635-0904
           
Dear Dr. David Tolliver:
                               
I am writing to request your presence at the next regular meeting of the Southwest Baptist University (SBU) Board of Trustees, which will convene on the campus of Southwest Baptist University on Monday and Tuesday, February 8 and 9.

As you know through your own recent term as a member of the Southwest Baptist University Board of Trustees, I have some outstanding claims against the university and, consequently, the cooperation asserting ownership and governance of the university, that is, the Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC).

As the Missouri Baptist Convention affirms a controlling interest in SBU, I am looking to the Missouri Baptist Convention Executive Board to oversee, execute, and enforce judicious disciplinary action against those who have perpetrated these injuries and injustices.

To avoid confusion as to my intent, I will provide a brief summation of my concerns and indicate the remedy by which these issues may be resolved.

Specifically, my concerns involve the harm done to me, my family, and my friends by the employees, administrative and governing officials, and supporters of Southwest Baptist University and the Missouri Baptist Convention, who willfully aided, abetted, counseled, and induced the commission of acts resulting in: 
•    slander, defamation and the malevolent and formulated provocation of hostility, ill-will, and hatred;
•    sexual harassment, molestation, humiliation, and discrimination; 
•    physical injury, intimidation, and abuse;
•    multiple instances of actual and threatened retaliation;
•    the fallacious invasion of privacy and violation of confidentiality;
•    forgery or tampering with academic, medical and other records;
•    subornation of perjury and witness tampering;
•    obstruction of justice and abuse of/denial of due process;
•    financial duplicity, extortion, and insurance fraud,
•    and the abuse and negligence of administrative, executive, pastoral, and ministerial functions, privilege and authority.

Additionally, these claims regard the actions of the employees, administrative and governing officials, and supporters of Southwest Baptist University and the Missouri Baptist Convention, who permitted, facilitated, encouraged, and rewarded others in: 
•    the deliberate and repeated infliction of physical damage, pain, and suffering;
•    the calculated pattern and practice of the imposition of social, psychological, and spiritual distress, anguish and suffering;
•    the coordinated conspiracy to defraud, slander, and cause physical, financial, or other harm in collaboration with officials of the Southern Baptist Convention, and other church officials (both SBC churches and others),
•    and the ongoing conspiracy to defraud, slander, and cause discriminatory abuse and physical, financial, and other harm based on disability, religious belief, and/or gender in collaboration with local business persons, community members, politicians, and city, county, and state officials.
Obviously, Dr. Tolliver, I am not unaware of the possibility of your own tacit cooperation in these activities. 

Nonetheless, I am willing to work with you and the Missouri Baptist Convention Executive Board in crafting a redemptive and Christ-honoring resolution to this conundrum.

You may question how this is to be done, since so much of this malfeasance falls into the category of grave breech of professional ethics and criminality. 

I have no doubt the law of the land has been broken – continuously and purposely so.

Nevertheless, I have a higher concept of the Law.  The secular law, though it is to be honored and observed, is not my primary moral compass.

What, then, is my true claim against you?

Before Jesus Christ and His angels, hear me:  This is my testimony against Southwest Baptist University and the Missouri Baptist Convention:
    ‘For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,    
 
    I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
          (Matthew 25:42,43 NIV)
                      
Though I am created in the image of the Lord Most High, you have treated me with slanderous contempt and derision. 

You have cheated me, cast me aside and left me to die, judging me to be of little worth, to be less than ... to be the least. 

Yet, I will not judge you.

There is but one Judge.  His verdict has already been rendered in the words of Jesus Christ:  
    He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
                              (Matthew 25:45 NIV)                           

You may call upon the lawyers of the secular law, political allies, and wealthy friends, but none will be able to prevail against this Judge and His verdict. 

Throughout time and eternity, this Justice will stand.

For in the eyes of this Judge, there is only one Law -- the Law of Love, which you have broken, shattered, shattered like glass. 

That, sir, is your crime.                 

And, that is the true crime of Southwest Baptist University and the Missouri Baptist Convention.

Therefore, Dr. Tolliver, I ask that you act in Love.  Attend the Southwest Baptist University Trustee meeting on February 8 and 9. 

In preparation for the meeting, I will be in communication with the current and former pastors of First Baptist Church of Bolivar, Missouri – Dr. Ray Leininger, Dr. Rodney Reeves, and Rev. Billy Russell.  They will be contacting you with additional details.

In His Love and His Justice,

Marie O’Hara

An Invitation to His Love and His Justice: Marie's Letter to Dr. David Tolliver, the Missouri Baptist Convention Executive Director

Friday, January 15, 2009

Marie O'Hara
Bolivar, MO 65613                       

Dr. David Tolliver,
Missouri Baptist Convention Executive Director           
% Missouri Baptist Convention
400 East High Street
Jefferson City, MO 65101
Phone:  (573) 636-0400/ (800) 736-6227

Dear Dr. David Tolliver:
                               
I am writing to request your presence at the next regular meeting of the Southwest Baptist University (SBU) Board of Trustees, which will convene on the campus of Southwest Baptist University on Monday and Tuesday, February 8 and 9.

As you know through your own recent term as a member of the Southwest Baptist University Board of Trustees, I have some outstanding claims against the university and, consequently, the cooperation asserting ownership and governance of the university, that is, the Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC).

As the Missouri Baptist Convention affirms a controlling interest in SBU, I am looking to the Missouri Baptist Convention Executive Board to oversee, execute, and enforce judicious disciplinary action against those who have perpetrated these injuries and injustices.

To avoid confusion as to my intent, I will provide a brief summation of my concerns and indicate the remedy by which these issues may be resolved.

Specifically, my concerns involve the harm done to me, my family, and my friends by the employees, administrative and governing officials, and supporters of Southwest Baptist University and the Missouri Baptist Convention, who willfully aided, abetted, counseled, and induced the commission of acts resulting in: 
•    slander, defamation and the malevolent and formulated provocation of hostility, ill-will, and hatred;
•    sexual harassment, molestation, humiliation, and discrimination; 
•    physical injury, intimidation and abuse;
•    multiple instances of actual and threatened retaliation;
•    the fallacious invasion of privacy and violation of confidentiality;
•    forgery or tampering with academic, medical and other records;
•    subornation of perjury and witness tampering;
•    obstruction of justice and abuse of/denial of due process;
•    financial duplicity, extortion, and insurance fraud,
•    and the abuse and negligence of administrative, executive, pastoral, and ministerial functions, privilege and authority.

Additionally, these claims regard the actions of the employees, administrative and governing officials, and supporters of Southwest Baptist University and the Missouri Baptist Convention, who permitted, facilitated, encouraged, and rewarded others in: 
•    the deliberate and repeated infliction of physical damage, pain, and suffering;
•    the calculated pattern and practice of the imposition of social, psychological, and spiritual distress, anguish and suffering;
•    the coordinated conspiracy to defraud, slander, and cause physical, financial, or other harm in collaboration with officials of the Southern Baptist Convention and other church officials (both SBC churches and others),
•    and the ongoing conspiracy to defraud, slander, and cause discriminatory abuse and physical, financial, and other harm based on disability, religious belief, and/or gender in collaboration with local business persons, community members, politicians, and city, county, and state officials.
 
Obviously, Dr. Tolliver, I am not unaware of the possibility of your own tacit cooperation in these activities. 

Nonetheless, I am willing to work with you and the Missouri Baptist Convention Executive Board in crafting a redemptive and Christ-honoring resolution to this conundrum.

You may question how this is to be done, since so much of this malfeasance falls into the category of grave breech of professional ethics and criminality. 

I have no doubt the law of the land has been broken – continuously and purposely so.

Nevertheless, I have a higher concept of the Law.  The secular law, though it is to be honored and observed, is not my primary moral compass.

What, then, is my true claim against you?

Before Jesus Christ and His angels, hear me:  This is my testimony against Southwest Baptist University and the Missouri Baptist Convention:
    'For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,
    I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'
                       (Matthew 25:42, 42 NIV)
  
Though I am created in the image of the Lord Most High, you have treated me with slanderous contempt and derision.
  
You have cheated me, cast me aside and left me to die, judging me to be of little worth, to be less than ... to be the least. 

Yet, I will not judge you.

There is but one Judge.  His verdict has already been rendered in the words of Jesus Christ:  
    He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
                         (Matthew 25:45 NIV)                           

You may call upon the lawyers of the secular law, political allies, and wealthy friends, but none will be able to prevail against this Judge and His verdict. 

Throughout time and eternity, this Justice will stand.

For in the eyes of this Judge, there is only one Law -- the Law of Love, which you have broken, shattered, shattered like glass. 

That, sir, is your crime. 

And, that is the true crime of Southwest Baptist University and the Missouri Baptist Convention.

Therefore, Dr. Tolliver, I ask that you act in Love.  Attend the Southwest Baptist University Trustee meeting on February 8 and 9. 

In preparation for the meeting, I will be in communication with the current and former pastors of First Baptist Church of Bolivar, Missouri – Dr. Ray Leininger, Dr. Rodney Reeves, and Rev. Billy Russell.  They will be contacting you with additional details.

In His Love and His Justice,


Marie O'Hara

Posting this Afternoon (Friday, Jan. 15): Letter to Dr. David Tolliver, the Missouri Baptist Convention Executive Director

 Already posted about 3:00 pm ...


LATEST POST: Friday, January 15, 2010 about 3:00 pm
 

AN INVITATION TO HIS LOVE AND HIS JUSTICE: Marie's Letter to Dr. David Tolliver, the Missouri Baptist Convention Executive Director (read here).

Individual parties to these proceedings will be notified by mail on January 19, 20, and 21 AND January 22- 25.

Details to follow Sunday, January 24, and Monday, January 25.

.

Evening of Jan. 14 (Thursday) UPDATE!: Always Winter, Never Christmas: The Resignation of SBU Pres. Dr. C. Pat Taylor and the Southwest Baptist University Board of Trustees

______________________________ 

UPDATE!
______________________________

Thursday, January 14, 2010 about 8:00 pm

Individual parties to these proceedings will be notified by mail
on January 19, 20, and 21.

Details to follow this weekend. 

 _______ 


Monday, January 11, 2010

An extraordinary bout of extreme cold and snow caused innumerable 
hardships last week. 

The forecast for this week, the second week of January, is much milder.  

_______

Monday, January 4, 2010: 

Welcome back, returning SBU Students! 

Although not posted publicly due to safety and privacy concerns, 
 the December CONVOCARE was fruitful.  

Details this week, the first week of January 2010.

_______

This morning (Tuesday, Dec. 15), Marie is examining 
an unexpected opportunity from an extraordinary source.

Details to follow shortly.

Congratulations to SBU graduates! 

Merry Christmas to SBU students leaving for the holidays!

______________________________

A CALL TO ACTION

Always Winter, Never Christmas:  

The Resignation of SBU Pres. Dr. C. Taylor and 

the Southwest Baptist University Board of Trustees 

These letters to the Missouri Baptist Convention 
Executive Board, 
who are meeting today and tomorrow (Dec. 14 -15),

AND
the Higher Learning Commission of the 

North Central Association, 

Southwest Baptist University's accreditation agency,

will be posted in their entirety 

on Monday and Tuesday December 14-15, 2009 (suspended until after New Year, 
the second week of January 2010).
 ______________________________

"This Is About Whether We Value One Another": New Hate Crimes Law Increases Protections for Disabled Persons, Permits Federal Intervention

"This Is About Whether We Value One Another":
New Hate Crimes Law Increases Protections
for Disabled Persons,
Permits Federal Intervention

... And It's Relationship to Southwest Baptist University
and the Missouri Baptist Convention,
who Claim Ownership of the University
~*~

From Disability Scoop:

President Barack Obama signed an expanded hate crimes bill into law Wednesday making it a federal offense to commit a crime against a person based on their disability.

Under the new law, hate crimes protections hearkening back to 1968 will be widened to include crimes committed based on a person’s gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. Already federal law includes protections for crimes committed based on race, color, religion or national origin.

The new law also gives federal authorities more leeway to investigate and prosecute suspected hate crimes. Altogether the bill marks the largest expansion of civil rights protections in decades. (see Article here.)

From President Obama's speech at the signing:

You [all who toiled for years to reach this day] understood that we must stand against crimes that are meant not only to break bones, but to break spirits -- not only to inflict harm, but to instill fear.

You understand that the rights afforded every citizen under our Constitution mean nothing if we do not protect those rights -- both from unjust laws and violent acts. And you understand how necessary this law continues to be. ...

And that's why, through this law, we will strengthen the protections against crimes based on the color of your skin, the faith in your heart, or the place of your birth.

We will finally add federal protections against crimes based on gender, disability, gender identity, or sexual orientation.

And prosecutors will have new tools to work with states in order to prosecute to the fullest those who would perpetrate such crimes.

Because no one in America should ever be afraid to walk down the street holding the hands of the person they love. No one in America should be forced to look over their shoulder because of who they are or because they live with a disability.

At root, this isn't just about our laws; this is about who we are as a people. This is about whether we value one another -- whether we embrace our differences, rather than allowing them to become a source of animus. ...

But we sense where such cruelty begins: the moment we fail to see in another our common humanity -- the very moment when we fail to recognize in a person the same fears and hopes, the same passions and imperfections, the same dreams that we all share. ... (see Transcript here.)


The Hate Crimes legislation applies to "violent acts" (assaults or acts that cause physical injury) "motivated by actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability of a victim."

An individual may be held criminally liable who "aids, abets, counsels, commands or induces or procures in the commission of a federal crime" -- which sounds uncomfortably like Southwest Baptist University's TO-DO LIST in dealing with Marie's disability, which resulted from the pesticide poisonings on their campus.

SBU's SOUL SAVAGING: Will Legal Complexities Require the Resignation of Southwest Baptist University Officials & Trustees -- En Masse?

SBU's SOUL SAVAGING:
Will Legal Complexities Require the Resignation of
Southwest Baptist University Officials
and Trustees -- En Masse?

~*~
UPDATED BELOW
on Wednesday, October 14, 2009 about 3:00 pm
and Friday, October 16, 2009 about 8:00 am and 11:00 am
and Sunday, October 18, 2009 about 11:00 am and 4:40 pm
~*~

Over the long Columbus Day weekend, several colleagues raised legal issues regarding the accreditation complaint against Southwest Baptist University and the conduct of SBU officials.

Without the dismissal of a considerable number of Southwest Baptist University officials and Trustees en masse, the legal complexities of undertaking a joint resolution seem insurmountable.

So many SBU officials and others are culpable that to require such resignations would result in mayhem -- thoroughly rupturing the thin veneer of civility that cloaks the Missouri Baptist Convention and Southwest Baptist University communities.

The delay of the last few weeks is an endeavor to avert that needless abuse and savaging of souls -- with Marie likely one of the first casualties.

There has been progress and we will be posting the details on SHORTLY.

*UPDATES - NEXT POSTS*

~*~

SHORTLY

AMAZING LOVE or ASTONISHING HATRED: Marie's Letter to Southwest Baptist Trustee, WAYNE GOTT and Missouri Baptist Convention Executive Board member, JODY SHELENHAMER, who is a Bolivar businessman and deacon at First Baptist Church Bolivar (see here) -- and running for president of the Missouri Baptist Convention (see here)

AND
SHORTLY

Of Wheat and Tares and Sheep and Goats: The Coming Harvest at Southwest Baptist University and the Missouri Baptist Convention

~*~

AND

SHORTLY

Final Exam: Christian Ethics and Moral Vision 101 Final Examination for the Southwest Baptist University Trustees and the Missouri Baptist Convention Executive Board ... to be Graded by the Students of Southwest Baptist University

Baal-Loving Baptists, Canaanite Christianity: Why Restorative Justice is Incompatible with Southwest Baptist University & Mo. Baptist Social Ethics

Baal-Loving Baptists, Canaanite Christianity:
Why Restorative Justice is Incompatible with
Southwest Baptist University and
Missouri Baptist Convention
Social, Political, and Cultural Ethics

The question Marie has been asked is: Why does she now feel that First Baptist Church of Bolivar, Southwest Baptist University, and the Missouri Baptist Convention are incapable of participating in the Restorative Justice Process?

The short answer: Because the ethical and social systems in general (and of repentance and forgiveness, specifically) of these organizations (and many, though certainly not all, of the individual members) more closely resemble the social, political, and cultural ethics of the Canaanites and those early Israelites, who -- in defiance of the warnings of the prophets -- continued to worship within the phallocentric fertility/sex and war cult of the Ba'als.

Marie cited the the story of the clan of Benjamin, which is recorded in a troubling, tragic and perhaps even sordid passage in JUDGES 19:1- 21:25.

Here are the links for this passage in: the New International Version, the King James Version, and the New Living Translation. (Over a dozen other English translations are also available at this excellent site by selecting the alternative translation from the menu.)

Marie makes extensive use of this passage when outlining THE CHOICE for the past and present pastors of First Baptist Church of Bolivar (see here).

As the scripture records: "In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit." The individuals at First Baptist Church of Bolivar, Southwest Baptist University, and the Missouri Baptist Convention (who are associated with this conflict) act in much the same manner.

Their religion is entirely egocentric: It is about them -- always and in all ways. The Restorative Justice Process requires too much reflection, contemplation and empathy, too much time, patience, maturity, and tolerance.

When thwarted or frustrated, these individuals become abusive. Not one of their leaders disciplines them or regulates their conduct. In fact, the governance provides support and encouragement for their outrages.

If given the opportunity, they can and will brutalize, destroy family and friends, thieve, pillage, rape, and plunder, and eventually murder anyone who defies them.

People who get in their way get hurt.

After much prayer, Marie believes the best that she can do is offer a resolution that is brief and simple, endeavoring to stay as far away from them as possible during the process ... and hastening, when it is resolved, to run as far away as she can safely manage.

THE CHOICE LETTER is to be posted SHORTLY, to be followed by the introductory complaint to Southwest Baptist University's accreditation agency.

Canaanite Christianity, Baal-Loving Baptists: Why Restorative Justice is Incompatible with Southwest Baptist University & Missouri Baptist Convention

Canaanite Christianity and Baal-Loving Baptists:
Why Restorative Justice is Incompatible
with Southwest Baptist University
and
Missouri Baptist Convention Ethics


This was posted MONDAY, October 5, 2009 about 2:30 pm
(see here).

Additional posts to follow shortly.

A DECISION, PREACHER'S CHOICE: Missouri Baptist Convention Investigative Committee or THE JUBILEE COMMISSION

A DECISION, PREACHERS' CHOICE:
Missouri Baptist Convention Investigative Committee
or THE JUBILEE COMMISSION

____________________________

UPDATE: 11:20 am SUNDAY: Yes, we are aware that Dr. Ray Leinginger is on a mission trip in Russia today. Dr. Leininger's physical presence in Bolivar is not necessary in order to make the choice, nor for the commencement of either the MBC Investigative Committee or THE JUBILEE COMMISSION.

____________________________

Marie will leave the decision to the preachers of First Baptist Church of Bolivar, Missouri.

Rev. Billy Russell, Dr. Rodney Reeves, Dr. Ray Leininger, and Dr. Harlan Spurgeon will be asked to make a choice -- a choice which will require immediate action, personal investment and sacrifice on their parts.

THE CHOICE: a Missouri Baptist Convention Investigative Committee or THE JUBILEE COMMISSION, which will it be?

Marie will outline both choices in a letter to be posted between SUNDAY, October 25, 2009 and WEDNESDAY, October 28, 2009 (see here), to be followed shortly by the introductory complaint to Southwest Baptist University's accreditation agency.

Satanic Miracles: Twenty-One Years of "Christian" Hatred, Apathy and Deceit at Southwest Baptist University

Satanic Miracles:
Twenty-One Years of "Christian" Hatred, Apathy and Deceit
at Southwest Baptist University

We pause to mark this moment on September 26, 2009.

As of noon today, this is the 21st (yes, twenty-first) year since Marie O'Hara was poisoned with illegally-applied organophospate pesticides (and their solvents), while attending Dr. Roslyn Snellen's Anatomy and Physiology class at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Missouri.

In all of those years no church or Christian organization has ever stepped forward to assist Marie -- in spite of numerous requests to over one hundred churches and organizations.

In fact, many local churches and church organizations -- to this day -- strenuously (and illegally) resist any effort aimed at obtaining asssistance for her.

For details on this, scroll (far) down to see:
Documents and Previous Website (1994 - 2008) Archives on this website.

Satan must be proud of those who minister his truth and serve his spirit.

We will be launching a new site shortly.