EDITORIAL: There’s no place like home (in the BWA)

Posted: 8/05/05

EDITORIAL:
There's no place like home (in the BWA)

You can't sing “To God be the Glory” and cry at the same time. Well, maybe you can sing and cry simultaneously, but I can't.

That fact became clear during the opening moments of the Baptist World Centenary Congress. Baptists from around the globe stood to sing that grand old hymn. Instantly, 13,000 voices reverberated off the walls of the arena in Birmingham, England. We intoned adoration of our God.

But I didn't do my part. I tried earnestly. “To God, be the glory; great things he hath … ,” I started. Then my throat felt like I swallowed a tennis ball.

Through a blur of tears, I scanned the cavernous room, taking in the sight of sisters and brothers who share our legacy of faith. We speak a cacophony of languages. We reflect a palette of skin tones. We worship in enough styles to make the apostles' heads spin. And yet we share one Lord, one faith, one baptism.

Soon, I gave up singing and simply enjoyed the moment–my first Baptist World Alliance congress. The character of all those faces. The passion of all those voices. The blessing of their sacrificial journey to celebrate the 100th anniversary of global unity in diversity.

Later, a friend confirmed I wasn't alone in tears. We practically finished each other's sentences as we described our reaction to singing with that lovely Baptist throng.

We're the same age–late 40s. We're from the United States. We feel cast out by the Southern Baptist Convention, which was our spiritual home when we were children, seminary students and young ministers.

For us–and for many other Americans–the Baptist World Alliance congress in England presented a wonderful new experience. For the first time, we attended a Baptist meeting of such size in which we felt wanted, needed and loved. To be sure, many of us have served in warm-spirited state Baptist conventions. And some have found a new home in the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. But every other time we've been with 13,000 Baptists, we experienced rancor, strife and division.

You might say we're refugees of a denominational civil war. Or maybe theological-political orphans. But, thank God, we have found a home in the Baptist World Alliance.

The problem with describing this situation this way is it sounds as if we have embraced the BWA only because we've been forced out of one home and we're desperately seeking another. That's probably true to some extent. Baptists from the southern United States–even (shock!) Texas–are hard-headed. So, maybe we had to endure a quarter-century of strife in order to see a 100-year-old beauty right before our eyes. More likely, Romans 8:28 really is true: God is with us, working to bring good out of even the most horrific and painful experiences.

Actually, Texas Baptists are not new to the BWA. One of our revered forebears, George Truett, helped found the alliance in 1905. Many Texans have been involved through the decades. But this year, something bigger happened. The BWA accepted the Baptist General Convention of Texas and the Baptist General Association of Virginia into full membership. What an honor.

We share a rich heritage with world Baptists. The BWA represents our legacy. Also, the BWA advances the concerns General Secretary Denton Lotz articulated in Birming-ham–evangelism, relief and sustainable development, religious freedom and human rights, theological education and fellowship–the backbone of our Christian mission.

Of course, we know the BWA is not perfect; no organization is. And differences do exist. World Baptists are not agreed on such issues as women in ministry, the gift of speaking in tongues and the roles of their native governments in global affairs. But the BWA evidences a tremendous unity in diversity that may give us all our nearest taste of heaven on earth.

Moreover, the Baptist World Alliance offers Texas Baptists an identity we desperately need. Like my friend and me, the BGCT has been identified for a quarter-century by the conflicts and controversies that have plagued Baptists in the southern United States. BWA membership reminds Texas Baptists that God has more, much more, in store. We're part of a movement much larger than our “Baptist battles.” God has given us a global mission, and now we have a direct opportunity to join with Baptist sisters and brothers in more than 200 countries to fulfill our global calling and mission.

Someday, I will sing “To God be the Glory” without crying. Still, I will remember my trip to Birmingham and how it changed my life. I pray it will change the BGCT. Forever.