Should VBS material be used that help support Baptist Missions?
Question:
The elders at the church where I worship are asking us to do something that I have never been asked to do in the church. They have bought Southern Baptist VBS material. The proceeds from the sale of this material go to Baptist missionary work. Please give me some direction on how to approach the elders about this.
Answer:
Before we tackle your issue, I would like you to read Would it be wrong to be buried in a denominational graveyard? The basic principles are covered in detail in that answer.
It may be alright to use material that happens to be written by a denominational author. Care would have to be taken, and the material would have to be examined closely to ensure that the author has not made any errors. If the author decides to use his royalties to support a denominational cause, that is his decision and you are not connected to it. However, when material is advertised that the purchase will fund false teaching, then it becomes a problem. Your purchase is a statement that you think the false teaching is acceptable. "If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting; for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds" (II John 10-11). The purchase becomes a form of a greeting.
