美国国家公共电台 NPR--Southern Baptists expel 5 churches because they have female pastors

Southern Baptists expel 5 churches because they have female pastors¹

Transcript³

NPR's Leila Fadel talks to Rev⁴. Linda Barnes Popham of Fern Creek⁵ Baptist near Louisville, Ky., about her church and four others being expelled by the Southern Baptist Convention over female pastors.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

The Southern Baptist Convention recently expelled five churches because they have women pastors. And in SBC's interpretation⁶ of Scripture⁷, that position should only be held by men. Joining us now is Linda Barnes Popham. She's a pastor² at one of the expelled churches, Fern Creek Baptist in Louisville, Ky. Good morning, pastor.

LINDA BARNES POPHAM: Good morning to you.

FADEL: So I want to start with what went through your mind when you got the news that your church was expelled because you, a woman, is the pastor.

BARNES POPHAM: The first thought that came to my mind, as well as the minds of many others, was, why now?

FADEL: Yeah.

BARNES POPHAM: I have served this church for 40 years. Thirty of those years have been as pastor. As a matter of fact, today is my 40th anniversary of being at the church.

FADEL: Wow. Happy anniversary.

BARNES POPHAM: And I'm not sure who the exact folks are who've spearheaded this movement to get rid of female pastors, but I do know that an email was sent a few months ago asking pastors to sign a letter to affirm an amendment⁸ to the Southern Baptist Convention bylaws which would say that women cannot serve as pastors. Now, I received that letter, too.

FADEL: Yeah.

BARNES POPHAM: Why now? I mean, is it to divert attention away from all the sexual abuse scandals? I don't know. But I do also know that about three years ago, I received a phone call from a member of the Credentials⁹ Committee who let me know that we had been under investigation¹⁰. However, they found us in friendly cooperation with the SBC, and they assumed that because of my age, I would probably retire soon and that this would be a non-issue. But they didn't really want me to tell anyone. So our questions are, what changed and why now?

FADEL: Now, the SBC is saying, well, this is just about Scripture - interpretation of Scripture. But you think it's something else. I want to ask if you think this is signals - you know, an ultraconservative, ideological¹¹ wing of the organization now dominating, making a decision like this.

BARNES POPHAM: I, myself, and our church would be considered very conservative. So therefore, it has to be more than that. It has to be something about power, those in control. I mean, we were shocked...

FADEL: Yeah.

BARNES POPHAM: ...Our congregation, because we're all about Jesus. And that's what our goal is - for people to know Jesus. We're evangelistic.

FADEL: What has your...

BARNES POPHAM: Oh, I'm sorry.

FADEL: What has your congregation been saying? I mean, you talk about being shocked. What are you telling congregants, and what are they asking you?

BARNES POPHAM: Oh, well, they have the copy of everything that the Credentials Committee sent to us and how we responded back in October, because that's when the Credentials Committee contacted me this go-around. In October, we had to answer several questions, and we had a meeting on Zoom¹². And then they said, we're going to send a recommendation to the executive committee that you should be disfellowshipped. That meeting is going to be Monday or Tuesday. And then I thought, well, we'll receive some kind of notification after that. But the first notification I've heard of was at 4 o'clock last Tuesday from a reporter in Nashville wanting to know my reaction.

So our congregation, I mean, their questions are the same. Why us? We've been - we consider ourselves very Southern Baptist. We would be more Southern Baptist than many of the other churches - like I said, conservative, evangelistic, mission-minded. Now, of course, there are many other emotions that the congregants share with each other. Yeah, we are not happy about their decision.

FADEL: What precedent¹³ do you think it sets to expel a church like yours and others - very successful churches who are bringing people in the door, like Saddleback, at a time where a lot of people aren't coming through the door of churches? What precedent does it set in the few seconds we have left?

BARNES POPHAM: That Southern Baptists no longer adhere to the priesthood of the believers and no longer believe in the autonomy of the local church and that those in power in SBC life do not value churches who are truly doing the work of the gospel.

FADEL: Wow. Pastor Linda Barnes Popham of the Fern Creek Baptist Church, thank you so much for your time.

BARNES POPHAM: Thank you.

1 pastors   

n.（基督教的）牧师( pastor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Do we show respect to our pastors, missionaries, Sunday school teachers? 我们有没有尊敬牧师、宣教士，以及主日学的老师？ 来自互联网
• Should pastors or elders be paid, or serve as a volunteer? 牧师或长老需要付给酬劳，还是志愿的事奉呢？ 来自互联网

2 pastor   

n.牧师，牧人

参考例句：

• He was the son of a poor pastor.他是一个穷牧师的儿子。
• We have no pastor at present:the church is run by five deacons.我们目前没有牧师：教会的事是由五位执事管理的。

3 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

4 rev   

v.发动机旋转，加快速度

参考例句：

• It's his job to rev up the audience before the show starts.他要负责在表演开始前鼓动观众的热情。
• Don't rev the engine so hard.别让发动机转得太快。

5 creek   

n.小溪，小河，小湾

参考例句：

• He sprang through the creek.他跳过小河。
• People sunbathe in the nude on the rocks above the creek.人们在露出小溪的岩石上裸体晒日光浴。

6 interpretation   

n.解释，说明，描述；艺术处理

参考例句：

• His statement admits of one interpretation only.他的话只有一种解释。
• Analysis and interpretation is a very personal thing.分析与说明是个很主观的事情。

7 scripture   

n.经文，圣书，手稿；Scripture:(常用复数)《圣经》，《圣经》中的一段

参考例句：

• The scripture states that God did not want us to be alone.圣经指出上帝并不是想让我们独身一人生活。
• They invoked Hindu scripture to justify their position.他们援引印度教的经文为他们的立场辩护。

8 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

9 credentials   

n.证明，资格，证明书，证件

参考例句：

• He has long credentials of diplomatic service.他的外交工作资历很深。
• Both candidates for the job have excellent credentials.此项工作的两个求职者都非常符合资格。

10 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

11 ideological   

a.意识形态的

参考例句：

• He always tries to link his study with his ideological problems. 他总是把学习和自己的思想问题联系起来。
• He helped me enormously with advice on how to do ideological work. 他告诉我怎样做思想工作，对我有很大帮助。

12 zoom   

n.急速上升；v.突然扩大，急速上升

参考例句：

• The airplane's zoom carried it above the clouds.飞机的陡直上升使它飞到云层之上。
• I live near an airport and the zoom of passing planes can be heard night and day.我住在一个飞机场附近，昼夜都能听到飞机飞过的嗡嗡声。

13 precedent   

n.先例，前例；惯例；adj.在前的，在先的

参考例句：

• Is there a precedent for what you want me to do?你要我做的事有前例可援吗？
• This is a wonderful achievement without precedent in Chinese history.这是中国历史上亘古未有的奇绩。