Airplane Crashes, Sunken Cruise Ships, Derailed Trains and IFB Scandals

Wow. What I title, right? What do these have in common? I will do my best to answer them.

I remember the first time I ever heard of an airplane crashing. It was the plane that crashed overseas in Europe due to being hit by a missile. It didn't detour me from wanting to fly. I flew for the first time in my life in 2000 when I traveled from Virginia to Central Florida. I remember as a "grown man" being apprehensive at first and although this may make me have a scar on my reputation, I remember holding my dad's hand during take-off. Being airborne and seeing the landscape was absolutely amazing. The farthest thing from my mind was that the plane could be hijacked or that it would crash. I love flying. It is not always as spacious as I would like it to be but the view is awesome.
Why is it that the safe flights never get the news attention as does the fireball crashes? Why is it that the drama of seeing human death and destruction seem to attract us like it does? Out of the hundreds of flights each day and millions of flights in a year there is only like three in a year that are landed in an emergency fashion. The Flight Attendants are sure to go over what to do in case OF disaster but there is nothing that the passengers or flight crew can do to ensure that a disaster will not happen.

Remember the famous heroism of Captain Sully? The plane suffered a bird strike to the engine and he had no alternative than to CRASH the plane into the Hudson River. Pardon me as I remind everyone, despite his wonderful heroism, the plane crashed into the water!
 He responded to the crisis but the crisis could not be avoided. No amount of safety precautions and accredited college education or years of experience or multiple pilots in that cockpit could keep the birds from striking that engine. All of the people in the control tower couldn't have prevented the crisis from happening. Whether it ends in a fiery ball of effigy or if it ends in a plane safely CRASHING into the Lower Hudson River,  the crisis could not be avoided.

Last year we heard and saw the tragedy at sea with the sinking cruise ship in the middle of the ocean. I cannot remember the last time a cruise ship sunk other than the Titanic. There are multiple lifeboats and multiple safety regulations which were met and yet the ship was sinking. Having a list of "accountability" and safety precautions will not keep tragedy from happening. There was a captain of the ship but there were many "elders" on that vessel who also maintained the direction and normal duties needed to keep the ocean liner going. Sure enough, the cruise industry was faced with tighter sanctions and scrutiny unjustly.

Train derailments. I cannot remember specifically the last time I heard about a train derailing. I am sure they happen. The same concept applies. When tragedy strikes, the media gets everyone in an uproar about tougher train safety and accuses the engineer of all sorts of things not knowing why the train had derailed. Sure, homes are destroyed, fields are tore up, lives are taken, and money is lost. I am not minimizing that at all. What I am saying is that trains will derail, planes will crash and ocean liners will sink.

Sadly, Independent Fundamental Baptist Churches (or any organized "institution") will have scandals. I am not condoning Jack Schaap nor am I intending to crucify him. Anyone who knows me knows how I view him and some of his controversial comments and teachings as of late. I do know that upon becoming pastor at First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana that he implemented strict guidelines and checks and balances that even he himself had to face. The same principles that he initiated were the same principles and policies that he was "hung" by. Never was there to be a man and a woman alone - ever. Good check and balance. Never was there to be two men and one woman - fantastic. Never was there to be physical contact between the sexes for those on his staff - applauded! However, he violated the same principles and thus- he committed a crime and even worse; he sinned against God.

Having plural Elders or many pastors does not keep scandals from happening. They do not ensure everyone to be pure in heart and clean in conduct. The safety regulations we put on ourselves and submit ourselves to is not a deterrent to unethical behavior. Having guidelines is nothing more than a checklist of what to do in case of a "plane crash."

Having an accredited college education does not prevent someone from destroying people's lives. Shall I point out the Colorado Movie Theater Massacre or even the education AND CIA training of one Mr. Osama Bin Laden?

We are so oblivious to the thousands of IFB who never once misuse God's Word, never once act unethically, never once cause reproach to the cause of Christ but are still tossed out as the most horrendous, evil, wicked, vile, sex crazed -power hungry wolves that we are made out to be. Thousands of planes fly without problem, trains run without derailing and cruises sail without running aground but let ONE scandal or one accident take place and there is an overwhelming cry from the extremists to detour people from these individual outlets.
Whether we like it or not, the scandals in Independent Fundamental Baptist Churches will only be curbed by ones personal walk with God and a disciplined character and personal integrity. Even then, scandals will happen because we are depraved and sinful apart from the person of Jesus Christ.