"It would seem that the council system could readily be adapted to address at least some of the problems related to sexual abuse."
“While a council does not have the powers of a judicatory, it could still offer public advice as to the suitability the accused pastor’s conduct.” Church Accountability and Sexual Abuse
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Brad,
We have all those policies in place. You had directly attacked Baptist polity without necessarily understanding what you were attacking - your conversation with Larry shows the same. Please refrain from attacking a position before you actually understand it.
What Dr. Bauder is arguing for is found in the following book - chapter 12:
http://books.google.com/books?id=rQZFAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=hi…
What should the church do? How about calling previous churches of any new members? How about screening anyone who works with youth, including a criminal background check? How about standards of accountability that anyone who is alone with a child will no longer with with children. When it still happens, and happen it will because no law ever stopped sinners from sinning, how about calling the police immediately?
These are things that churches ought to be doing. Nobody is suggesting that councils—or anything else—should replace these basic steps. It’s both-and, not either-or. Calls for basic sensible policies have simply not been enough in many cases.
Views expressed are always my own and not my employer's, my church's, my family's, my neighbors', or my pets'. The house plants have authorized me to speak for them, however, and they always agree with me.
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