Gospel Coalition Conference Pastor Warns Against ‘Legalism’ in the Church, ‘Dishonorable Vessels’

A pastor who serves as president of the Texas Southern Baptist Convention has warned evangelicals against the dangers of “legalism” in the church.

Juan Sanchez, who also serves as senior pastor of High Pointe Baptist Church in Austin, Texas, gave a speech at The Gospel Coalition’s West Coast Conference on Wednesday. When discussing 2 Timothy 3:1-9, Sanchez spoke about the temptation for church leaders to engage in legalism, tying it to the early church and how some back then demanded that new believers be circumcised.

“We look at that and we think how ridiculous that is, but in our own churches there’s a temptation to say ‘unless you fill-in-the-blank, you cannot be saved.’ Now we don’t say ‘you cannot be saved,’ but we have a tendency to look down on people,” said Sanchez.

“Unless you vote Republican, you can’t really be saved. Unless you vote Democratic, you really cannot be saved. Unless you homeschool your children, unless you private educate your children, unless you public educate your…