Letters to the Editor 

Do Unto Others ...

I have not responded in the timeliest manner to Tara Servatius' attack on Myers Park Baptist Church (Citizen Servatius: "A World-Class Jesus," Nov. 21) because unlike Ms. Servatius, I felt compelled to be accurate in my facts regarding this very difficult issue.

I am a proud member of Myers Park Baptist Church, and I am gay. The ministerial staff, gay membership and supportive heterosexual membership of MPBC could be very bitter about the incredulous misrepresentation by Ms. Servatius of our church and concerted efforts we have made to be welcoming, accepting and affirming to all people. Yet, we wish only to share pertinent information that Ms. Servatius missed and welcome any desire for further dialogue.

Ms. Servatius skewed several important facts, such as an accurate understanding of Baptist theology as well as the heartwarming actions of MPBC members regarding the Christian right of all people to rejoice in God's love.

First, our congregation. Whom exactly did Ms. Servatius interview before writing her column? How many times did she visit our church? In which activities did she participate, outside of Sunday services, that would make her an "expert" on who attends MPBC?

I as well as many, many others are not:

... a religious subsidiary of the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce and Myers Park Country ...

... a club all rolled into one ...

... moneyed, old-Charlotte blue bloods; upper-mid-level bureaucrats; politicians; and businesspeople whose names perpetually turn up in all the right places.

Third, just a quick question: In terms of civil rights movements, when hasn't the press been involved? Did not the great Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. encourage press coverage for his vision of social justice and equality: a vision that should we not all share? For Ms. Servatius to denounce MPBC's use of the media during the past several months is not only blatantly hypocritical on her part (as a member of the media herself), but is a slap in the face of all civil rights battles. If the church cannot put forth its argument in a public forum, where would she suggest we call out for further discussion and action?

Finally on a personal note, Ms. Servatius, you do not speak for me as a proud, gay member of MPBC. You note in your article all the missteps MPBC made in the past year, but you did not mention the changes that have been made since the 1970s. You did not mention MPBC's new membership in the national Association for Welcoming and Affirming Baptists, nor our continued conversations with brethren of different faith families such as Temple Beth El or, on a larger scale, the United Church of Christ. You never sat down with me and asked about the strength and hope that the church shares with my partner and I, both as individuals and as a family. After years of looking for a church where we could just be accepted without bias, we found something infinitely more rewarding: a church that celebrates our partnership, that invites us to worship God's sacraments, teachings and love with them, and friendships (yes, even among the "blue-bloods") that we could never have anticipated experiencing in a Baptist church in the South. The sincerity of our experience and our friendships was never mentioned in your column because you chose not to be informed of your subject matter prior to writing about it.

We are truly a diverse congregation, as diverse as any other in Charlotte. If Ms. Servatius had taken some time to get to know the people of our church, rather than just rely on a list of names or a myriad of faces of people whom she seems to abhor, she would meet people from every walk of life: from the financially or otherwise downtrodden to, yes, some successful and recognizable Charlotteans. The strength and beauty of MPBC is that such diversity can come together to move our church ahead in the direction of Christ's example.

Second, Ms. Servatius needs to research fundamental Baptist teachings, including the autonomy of the church. Biblical and historical readings will show the Baptist tradition of debate, not for debate's sake as Ms. Servatius implies, "... it [MPBC] finally succeeded in getting itself kicked out of the convention ...," but for the exploration of spiritual meaning in Jesus' teachings. The discussion of the many facets of gay and lesbian inclusion began for MPBC in 1979. Critical changes of policies, of wording in our most important church documents, and of overall philosophy have occurred -- much too many to be mentioned here. Ms. Servatius might want to research some of those changes before she remarks, "If the leaders of Myers Park Baptist really cared about gay people ..."

To offer you what our Board of Deacons generously offered the North Carolina Convention, I, "... write this letter of personal invitation in the hope that you will wish to become better acquainted with us ... 'Come, let us reason together,' as the prophet said, and seek the Spirit of Christ in these matters."

-- Beth A. Loring, Charlotte