Thursday, July 31, 2008

Tell me who you admire

Back when I was in school, one of my teachers would say, "Tell me who you admire, and you're telling me who you are and who you want to be." Of course, this was in an attempt to get us to think about whether or not we should really be admiring rebellious rock and roll singers who died untimely deaths of drug overdoses. This teacher's statement only served me as a catchy way of stating a lesson my parents had worked to instill in me.

It came to mind on a recent visit to the Bayly brother's blog, where I read this. Apparently David Bayly believes that this guy belongs in his "pantheon of Midwestern heroes":


And what heroic act did this man commit? He shot his lawnmower with a shotgun. Not surprisingly, neighbors said he appeared to have been drinking at the time.

But, at least in Mr. Bayly's mind, all it takes to be a hero is to be so childish and lacking in self-control that, while under the influence of alcohol, you shoot your lawnmower because it doesn't start.

At least if you're a man. Mr. Bayly loves to go on and on about his views regarding Biblical roles for men and women. Somehow I doubt he'd be as admiring of a woman who looked like a homeless vagrant, drank too much, lost her temper, and shot the lawnmower. But I could be wrong.

What I do know is that Mr. Bayly's choice of heroes has certainly given me a deeper understanding in where he is coming from, who he is, and who he wants to be.

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3 comments:

  1. thatmomThursday, July 31, 2008 9:31:00 AM

    Rebecca,

    Thank you for sharing this story. I have been fasting from the Bayly blog for a while and it is articles like this one that remind me why.

    Compare pastor Bayly's admiration for this kook to his loathing of Carolyn Custis James and it all adds up to a picture that is a pock mark on the face.

    I agree, this man as Midwestern hero explain a lot. I live in the Midwest and thankfully there are some of us that have more discernment.

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  2. simplegifts3Wednesday, August 06, 2008 7:42:00 PM

    If you like what Rebecca posted from the Baylys, check out their latest blog post about the man who is taking of the presidency of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.

    If you have low blood pressure, this latest article should help cure it.

    I looked up some about this man and his wife, and they have two grown daughters, and one of the man's favorite things to do is have good discussions with his family around the dinner table.

    When you read the Baylys' post, just keep that little fact about his family in mind.

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  3. RebeccaThursday, August 07, 2008 9:27:00 AM

    Thanks for the link to the article. I found it especially interesting in light of how Tim Bayly chose to describe himself on his church's website:

    Tim Bayly is a PCA pastor serving Church of the Good Shepherd in Bloomington, Indiana. Bayly received the B.A. in History from University of Wisconsin (Madison) and the M.Div. from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. From 1996-2000 he served as Executive Director of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, and then a council member until 2005. Bayly has contributed chapters to titles published by Crossway Books and Canon Press. He blogs at baylyblog.com. Bayly serves on the board of ClearNote Fellowship, an organization focused on training pastors and planting churches. He also serves on the faculty of ClearNote Pastors College which graduated its first class in Spring of 2008. Married to Mary Lee (Taylor) since 1976, God has blessed the Baylys with five children and five grandchildren.

    Let's hold Tim Bayly to his own standard, shall we?

    To quote Mr. Bayly: "Now, stop for a second and consider how central domestic godliness is in the qualifications listed by the Holy Spirit for church officers."

    Are we to assume that siring five children is proof of "domestic godliness" when even the heathen do so? Who has examined Mr. Bayly's "Christian character and his household and have found him above reproach according to the criteria mandated by the Holy Spirit for church officers" and why is there no mention of this?

    Tim Bayly wrote: "Curiously, although Haddon Robinson's letter tells us Mr. Hollinger has served in the pastorate, we aren't told if Mr. Hollinger has ever been set apart by the laying on of hands and prayer to serve as an officer of the church. There's no indication whether or not he's ever been ordained..."

    Curious. One could say the exact same thing about Tim Bayly's own words (or, at the list, his approved words) regarding himself on his church's website! Isn't "PCA pastor" a bit too vague, especially when the term "pastor" is used so broadly today and often refers to those without ordination?

    Quote Mr. Bayly: "So what's my point? That the two and a half pages of text announcing Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary's president-elect tell us a sad story about the things that matter today within the institutions that train our church officers, and an even sadder story about the death of female virtue among us."

    Interesting what this, and his own bio on his church's website tell us about Tim Bayly and what matters to him --- and the standard to which he holds himself versus the standard to which he holds others.

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