Maybe I'm missing something, but the article about the North Carolina Baptist convention [“Gay-friendly church in N.C. invites investigation,” Feb. 22] seems to lack a detail. Does Myers Park Baptist Church encourage people with abnormal orientation to hold positions of leadership without trying to change (or letting God change) their behavior?
I don't have a problem with people having limitations being accepted in the church. Nobody is perfect. One of the Twelve was a collaborator and another of the Twelve was a terrorist. Saul of Tarsus was a persecutor. Yet John 7:53-8:11 ends with an admonition. The letters of Paul frequently stress the need for church members to follow their words of faith with actions consistent with Christian ethics. 1 Timothy includes qualifications for leadership. Verse 23 of chapter 5 does not urge Timothy to drink a lot of wine, but only a little. I would have a severe problem accepting leadership in the church from a practicing alcoholic.
Spencer L. Williams, Alexandria