Identity Crisis
By David Flick

Drawing  obvious comparisons and identifying evil deeds can bring heavy criticism from those being identified. This is especially true of those being  identified in a public forum.  No one enjoys having his evil deeds exposed in the public forum. Along with several other  moderate Baptists, I  have come under fire for identifying evil deeds of Baptist Christians in the public forum known as BaptistLife.Com. Which is worse, committing an evil deed or identifying an evil deed? Which is worse in the following examples?

1) Is it worse to commit evil by lying and deceiving people? Or is it worse to identify the evil of those who committed the evil deed? 

A) Example:  Was it worse for Paul Pressler and those like him to deceive Southern Baptists about a form of liberalism that never existed? Or is it worse for people who recognized the deception and identify it in the public forum?

B) Example: Was it worse for Paul Pressler and his friends to ravage the Southern Baptist Convention by taking total control and purging the convention of all who do not share their beliefs? Or was it worse for people to identify the evil of purging good and godly people from their places of service in the convention?

2) Is it worse destroy the careers of faithful Southern Baptists? Or is it worse for people to identify the evil of destroying careers?

C) Example: Was it worse for the Southwestern Seminary trustees to fire Russell Dilday for so-called "insubordination?" Or was it worse for people to identify the evil of what occurred to him?

 D) Example: Was it worse for Albert Mohler to fire Paul Debussman for writing a letter of disagreement with Tom Elliff's chapel sermon?  Or was it worse for people to identify the evil of such action?

E) Example: Was it worse for Southern Seminary to fire Molly Marshall and Dianna Garland for being female.  Or was it worse for people to identify the evil of gender prejudice?

3) Is it worse for the Southern Baptist International Mission Board to fire missionaries for refusing to sign a man-made document? Or is it worse for people to identify the evil of forcing missionaries to compromise their convictions?

4) Is it worse for Southern Baptist fundamentalists to possess a mean-spirited attitude and commit unchristain actions to those do not share their beliefs? Or is it worse for people to identify the mean-spiritedness and unchristain actions?

In the end, which is worse?  Is it worse to commit an evil deed? Or is it worse to identify the evil deed?

 -- December 17, 2002

 (This article was written for  BaptistLife.Com Discussion Forums)