Editorial: CBF leans into founding principle toward confounding decision

The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship is taking on the most contentious issue in its history by adhering to one of its founding principles.

Marv KnoxThe CBF governing board has adopted a process—called the “illumination project”—to help the 1,800-church organization “provide more light, less heat” as it seeks to maintain unity while facing issues and situations that could divide the 25-year-old organization.

“We are introducing a process not for a single problem and not for one single moment,” CBF Executive Coordinator Suzii Paynter told the governing board. “The illumination project is designed to create models of dialogue and decision-making for a cooperative body. The goal, often sacrificially enabled—to seek intentional community in spite of differences—has been a strong witness of CBF.

“We believe that our commitment to Scripture, reliance on foundational faith tenets and the lessons from our history can be used to enable new clarity regarding the process of cooperative Christian community for the Fellowship.”

New process, first test

The first issue on deck is CBF’s 16-year-old stand against hiring LGBTQ people.

That policy, adopted in 2000, states in part: “… the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship does not allow for the expenditure of funds for organizations or causes that condone, advocate or affirm homosexual practice. Neither does the CBF organizational value allow for the purposeful hiring of a staff person or the sending of a missionary who is a practicing homosexual.”

That is not a consensus opinion among CBF adherents in 2016.

Many CBFers still affirm the 2000 statement, which also says: “As Baptist Christians, we believe that the foundation of a Christian sexual ethic is faithfulness in marriage between a man and a woman and celibacy in singleness. We also believe in the love and grace of God for all people, both of those who live by this understanding of the biblical standard and those who do not.”

But others’ churches welcome and affirm LGBTQ members and believe CBF’s policies should mirror their congregations’.

Talk it out

Paynter urged CBF to talk it out. “We will establish a purposeful dialogue process and will use foundational principles and operational practices under the Lordship of Christ,” she said. “There is no process or project like this. We actually have to use the process of facilitation to be consistent in the manner in which we’d like to speak.”

The first challenging issue—the degree to which CBF will accept and include gays and lesbians—aside, even the process is challenging. Some believe the organization should have taken on the topic at least two years ago and lament the slow, deliberative process, which could take another couple of years. Others express concern it will take CBF beyond the comfort zones and biblical beliefs of many churches that now are either wholeheartedly or tangentially affiliated, leading to an erosion of members and support.

Founding principle, confounding decision

Still, at the very least, the Fellowship is leaning into one of its founding principles in order to guide it to its most confounding decision yet.

The Baptists who founded CBF in the early 1990s saw themselves as exiles from the Southern Baptist Convention, which they believed embraced fundamentalism during a denominational “holy war.” They felt cast out by new SBC leaders who demanded rigid adherence to narrow principles of theology and practice.

In those sad-yet-expectant times, CBF founders sought to imbed historic Baptist DNA into the embryonic organization. They valued the priesthood of all believers, autonomy of local congregations, acceptance of disagreement and toleration for dissent. They didn’t want to impose their will on others, and they certainly didn’t want anybody demanding they kowtow to anyone.

That has made for sometimes sloppy decision-making and messy governance across the past quarter-century. But it’s also kept CBF loyalists from violating each others’ consciences.

Now, CBF faces the toughest test—both for those principles and for the Fellowship itself. Response to homosexuality has been a denomination-divider. Several major mainline groups continue to grapple with it and with each other.

So, CBF will test its ability to remain a Baptist “denominetwork,” as Paynter likes to say, that can agree to disagree on points of theology and practice yet unite for mission and ministry.

The world—at least those who pay attention to the health and future of religious movements—will be watching. Many will doubt CBF can succeed. And no doubt, many hope it will not succeed.

But if any group possesses the DNA to work it out, it’s the Fellowship. God bless ’em as they try.

Follow Marv on Twitter: @marvknoxbs