Churches need higher standards

Finally someone is doing something about the failing morality in America. News reports say Bill Cosby is making an attempt to stop 'profanity in public.' Praise the Lord. I'm only ashamed we Baptists did not take a public stand on this issue a long time ago. However, we did "a long time ago." I can remember when a man was "churched, " and dismissed from the fellowship of a Baptist church for cursing a stubborn mule.

These days, even deacons are permitted to curse without any sanction whatsoever. This is only one, of many, important issues to which the church must turn if we ever expect to make any impact on our society and the world. We must be different if we want to help others be different.

I call upon the SBC Christian Life Commission and every local church to tell the world that Baptists believe church members are different from the ordinary citizen and that the church will not tolerate such immorality in its members, especially for its deacons, Sunday School teachers and other officers.