February 17, 2003
EDITORIAL:
Another mass-mailing attempts to sway Texas Baptists
___Once again, the leader of the Southern Baptist Convention has interfered with Texas Baptists' cooperative relationship. Again, he has used deceptive--some have called it hypocritical--misinformation to manipulate emotions and cloud the issues.
___In what appears to be an annual event, Morris Chapman, president and CEO of the SBC Executive Committee, has sent a letter and brochure to leaders of churches that cooperate with the Baptist General Convention of Texas. The materials seek support for the SBC's Cooperative Program budget. The brochure insinuates the best way to support the SBC is to join the 3-year-old Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, created to compete with the BGCT. It lauds the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention's giving plan and provides contact information. It speaks derogatorily about the BGCT--never mind that churches affiliated with the BGCT provided $16,546,215 to the SBC Cooperative Program last year. And when Chapman's brochure discusses the BGCT Cooperative Giving Plan, it suggests dividing a church's contribution 50/50 between the BGCT and the SBC, a scenario that would slash support for a range of ministries funded exclusively by Texas Baptists. The only contact information on the BGCT portion of the brochure directs callers to the SBC--where they can learn how to bypass the BGCT altogether.
___Statewide reports indicate Chapman's mail-out has been received by pastors, treasurers and deacon chairmen of Texas Baptist churches. Chapman's work is supported by the SBC Cooperative Program, to which those same BGCT-related churches contribute. So, money received from BGCT-supporting churches and processed by the BGCT Executive Board is being used to influence churches to abandon the BGCT. Never mind that the BGCT funneled $32,325,191 to all SBC causes last year. That's a fine way to say thanks.
_The leader of the Southern Baptist Convention has issued a partisan appeal designed to hurt the Baptist General Convention of Texas and bolster a convention set up to undermine BGCT support.
___As with his 2002 letter, Chapman makes an emotional appeal that, at the very least, skews extremely important facts.
___This year, Chapman says: "As I write we are still grieving the murders of our three missionaries in Yemen. They served in a dangerous place because they believed God called them there. As we mourn their loss, we rejoice in their faithfulness. Our mission board leaders have testified that the courage of these three martyrs is not an isolated phenomenon. ..." Of course, we all grieve. What Chapman doesn't say is that on the day they were killed, the SBC's International Mission Board was in the process of turning over Jibla Baptist Hospital, where they served, to Muslim leadership. At the time, the IMB was going to hand the hospital over to a Muslim charity. Eventually, the mission board gave control to Yemen's Islamic government. While IMB and SBC leaders no doubt mourn these missionaries' deaths, they already had downplayed the importance of their ministries. Yet Chapman appeals to their image for financial support.
___Last year, Chapman's letter waved the banner of Southern Baptists' post-9/11 ministry at Ground Zero. What he didn't point out then was that the response primarily came from state conventions, such as Texas Baptist Men volunteers who left their homes to serve victims of terrorism. It was the state conventions, such as the BGCT, that did the lion's share of the work for which Chapman took credit and to which he appealed for help.
___So, the leader of the Southern Baptist Convention has issued a partisan appeal designed to hurt the Baptist General Convention of Texas and bolster a convention set up to undermine BGCT support. He has done this in part with money provided by churches loyal to the BGCT. And he has taken two emotionally wrenching events, twisted their impact and appealed for support.
___That's just what he's done. What he's not done is describe what will go unfunded if churches follow his suggestion. Unlike the SBC budget, which is funded from conventions nationwide and to which the vast majority of BGCT-related churches still contribute, the BGCT budget is funded solely by its own churches. So, any money diverted away from the BGCT will directly diminish its missions and ministry endeavors.
___If you take Chapman's most-favorable suggestion, a 50/50 SBC/BGCT split, he would have you reduce BGCT ministry support by 36.7 percent. If you take his other suggestions, abandon the BGCT for the new state convention or bypass the BGCT and go directly to the SBC, he would have you reduce BGCT ministry support by 100 percent.
___Here's a sample of some of the ministry reductions that would be implemented if churches followed Chapman's 50/50 proposal:
___$4,571,674 less for Texas Baptists' eight universities and academy.
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___This is but a partial list. And the cuts to these ministries would be even more drastic if churches follow Chapman's encouragement to leave the BGCT for the new convention or to bypass the BGCT and give directly to the SBC.
___Raise your hand if you're tired of such reports and editorials about such reports. I know; me too. But as long as Chapman keeps this up, you need to know about it.
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--Marv Knox
E-mail the editor at marvknox@baptiststandard.com
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