EDITORIAL:
Historic Baptist freedom imperiled on multiple fronts
___Baptist battles over politics and theology have raged for more than two decades. But rarely have they been waged on so many fronts as in recent months. For example:
___ The Southern Baptist Convention's North American Mission Board attempted to force one of its staff members into the No. 2 administrative position of the District of Columbia Baptist Convention. The D.C. convention historically has been triply aligned with Southern Baptists, American Baptists and National Baptists. The SBC, through the North American Mission Board, has expressed displeasure with the D.C. convention, particularly because of its ecumenical relationships and its leaders' criticism of some SBC actions. And since the mission board provides $475,000 to the D.C. convention every year, it wants to control the convention. Unfortunately, such action counters centuries of Baptist practice respecting the autonomous nature of churches and other Baptist organizations.
___ The SBC Executive Committee wants nothing to do with a new convention, the Baptist Genera
| God made us to be free and responsible before the Lord. If we relinquish these divine gifts, we trade away the likeness of God in which we were created. |
l Convention of Missouri. The new Missouri convention split from the older Missouri Baptist Convention, which now is controlled by fundamentalists closely associated with the SBC leadership. However, the new Missouri convention still wished to allow affiliated churches to support SBC causes through its cooperative budget. The SBC declined, refusing to recognize the new convention that wants to provide money. Ironically, the SBC's action directly conflicts with its open embrace of new fundamentalist conventions in Texas and Virginia, where the original conventions still provide millions of dollars to SBC causes.
___ The North American Mission Board has announced it no longer will endorse ordained female chaplains. Although ordination itself is not a biblical concept, NAMB's logic has determined ordination is reserved for pastors, who can only be males, according to the 2000 Baptist Faith & Message statement. Unfortunately, the NAMB ruling will impede ministry in organizations that require ordination of chaplains. It also ignores the fact ordination and selection of pastors historically has been considered a local-church matter.
___ NAMB has declared that all the missionaries it fully funds--59--must affirm the Baptist Faith & Message. It also has ruled that all new missionaries who will be employed jointly by NAMB and the state conventions must affirm the 2000 Baptist Faith & Message. This position denigrates the historic Baptist aversion to enforced creeds. It also ignores the fact many of the jointly-funded missionaries--the vast majority of NAMB's missions force--are primarily recruited, supervised and paid by the state conventions.
___ The SBC International Mission Board likewise has ruled that all its missionaries must sign a form declaring their affirmation of the 2000 Baptist Faith & Message or explain why they refuse--with no details about the consequences of failure to sign. This ruling comes from IMB President Jerry Rankin, with commendation and support of the board. It applies to about 3,600 veteran missionaries; the 1,500 appointed since the 2000 Baptist Faith & Message was adopted already have affirmed it. Like the NAMB policy, this counters Baptists' anti-creedal heritage. And the 2000 Baptist Faith & Message is not a consensus document, as attested twice by the Baptist General Convention of Texas' refusal to affirm it.
___ Early this year, Morris Chapman, president and chief executive officer of the SBC Executive Committee, sent a letter and brochure to lay and clergy leaders of Texas Baptist churches. He recruited them to abandon the BGCT's Adopted Budget in favor of (a) splitting Cooperative Program funds 50/50 with the SBC, even though this would mean a decline of $13 million in the BGCT's budget; (b) giving money directly to the SBC, bypassing the BGCT altogether; or (c) joining the new Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, which wishes to closely affiliate with the SBC's fundamentalist leadership and which has allowed its surrogates to recruit churches by spreading lies about the BGCT and its leadership. Regrettably, Chapman's arguments are built on deception and misinformation (Feb. 4).
___Some Baptists have been surprised by these developments. Observers with a sense of history have only been surprised by their timing. The nature of fundamentalism is to exert control. Now that the SBC is controlled by fundamentalists, its leaders are attempting to spread their absolute control to the last vestiges of denominational freedom--the state conventions and the mission fields.
___Fortunately, the Baptist General Convention of Texas is peopled by champions of Baptists' heritage of freedom before God. This is not irresponsibility and license. BGCT Baptists stand humbly before God as our sovereign Lord, and we stand upon the Bible as God's authoritative word to us. BGCT Baptists stand for soul competency, religious liberty and voluntary (not coerced) cooperation.
___In response to the International Mission Board's Baptist Faith & Message requirement, the BGCT Executive Board voted to create a transitional fund to support missionaries who in good conscience cannot affirm the creed. You may hear this action lambasted, which would be like criticizing a home for abused wives.
___In time, more abuse will demand more response. These are painful, sad days. But we must not grow weary in well-doing. And we must not fear fundamentalism's tyranny.
___God made us to be free and responsible before the Lord. If we relinquish these divine gifts, we trade away the likeness of God in which we were created.
___ —Marv Knox
E-mail the editor at marvknox@baptiststandard.com
The Baptist Standard
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