Baptist Statement

Re “Religious Right and Male Dominance” letter June 21.

The Southern Baptist statement on wives’ submission was entirely misinterpreted and misunderstood by the nonchurched public at large and, as usual, by the liberal left.

It is hard to explain in a few sentences what thousands of years of biblical adherence and standards really mean. A standard that calls every individual who truly submits to God to serve and know Jehovah God first, others second, yourself last.

Proper exegesis (standard traditional interpretation and application) always points to a deeper, larger principle that is consistent with the entire message of the Bible. I take issue with the idea that I am a danger to society because I hold the authority of scripture above all else.

As a member of the conservative majority, we are those who precisely do not hold to the position of emphasizing isolated verses. The liberal left consistently preaches the theme of God’s love and justice but leaves out the second half of the apple, the eternal consequences of not living up to God’s standards. I too agree that hate crimes such as the one in Texas do not spring from a vacuum. They spring from what Genesis has always told us: sin. Sin rings a terrible sound in the ears of all those who hold on first to their individual rights.

God simply becomes the nice-guy portion of our own belief systems rather than the other way around. When we truly submit, men are distinctly men and women are distinctly women, both created equal in the image of God in partnership.

My precise job as clergy and as a Christian is to deliver the time-honored, consistent message of the Bible that is always culturally relevant, not relative--that Jesus’ business is to change people’s lives.

VALERIE DE LA TORRE, Pastor, Oxnard Presbyterian Church Hispanic Ministry