The Southern Baptist Convention

The Southern Baptist Convention

A friend called today and told me that he was ready to lead his church to depart from the Southern Baptist Convention. He had watched some of the Convention proceedings this morning and heard some discouraging words.I encouraged him to hang in there a while longer. Some of my reasons included:

1. The Convention has a rich history of biblical fidelity. Though it is true that a number of liberals hijacked the convention for a period of years--their views were not representative of the views of the founders of our convention nor are they of the folks that make up the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention today. The Bible often calls upon us to look back at those who have gone before us and to learn both the positive and negative lessons of history (see Psalm 78). The SBC was founded by a people of the book who held to a high view of God and a passion for missions and evangelism. Today the battle is not so much over the inerrancy of Scripture but over the sufficiency of Scripture. This is a battle worth fighting and I remain confident that it is a battle that can be won in a Convention that historically has been devoted to Scripture. That being said--let us be warned that we might boast of our allegiance to the inerrancy of Scripture and yet in reality not trust its sufficiency. The emphasis on the integration of psychology and Scripture is but one of the fronts of the battle for the sufficiency of Scripture. We must also fight the good fight on the front of not exalting the moral preferences of individuals to the place of Bible. In essence this is what troubled my friend and troubles me. We may personally choose not to drink wine for example. But to mandate that preference to a level of Scriptural requirement is dangerous and ungodly.

2. There is evidence of reform in the SBC. I think that the Bible calls Christians to have a long range view of things. It is tempting to abandon the SBC ship when we hear ridiculous remarks from SBC leaders or when we hear bad teaching. We are also dismayed by questionable examples that we see among some celebrated Pastors within the SBC. That being said--there is evidence that there has been genuine reform over the past 25 years. I think that the impact of groups like Founders Ministries is significant. Visit them at www.founders.org. Also check out www.9marks.org. There are men who are battle scarred and bloodied in the battle of reformation in the Convention. They are wise and godly leaders. There have been times that the only reason I have remained in the SBC is because of the blood, sweat and tears of men like Dr. Tom Ascol. I look at his commitment and leadership and am encouraged to carry on and be faithful to the work of reform in the SBC.

3. There is the need for local church accountability. Any denomination or church will have problems. Sometimes the problems may be so significant that one should leave. I don't think that is yet the case with the SBC. The SBC gives Baptist churches the opportunity to cooperate in accountable relationships with other churches who are like minded in at least some key areas. These days anyone who wants to hang up a sign and start a church can do so with no accountability at all. Bank accounts are established and donors are raised up and a church is on the scene. Some of these enterprises prove to be legitimate. I think it wise to be a part of a larger group that encourages cooperation and accountability.

4. A vision for what can be. Standing on the shoulders of the faithful who have gone before us, embracing our present generation, and looking to the future we can seek to build a denomination that will be a blessing to our grandchildren. In my view we have come too far to turn back now. The Lord is not dependent on the SBC for His kingdom to march on. But I envision a denomination that will be faithful to engage in His kingdom work. Today there are many churches and denominations that have no real sense of the importance of history. Nor do they have any real commitment, it seems, to future generations. Everything is about the here and now---and there is so much focus on present success. I think it wise to look back and look forward. I want my children and my church and my denomination to live with a rich sense of history and a vision for the future. One of the reasons for that is so that we will stop thinking of our present generation as the center of the universe. The main reason is because God calls us to look back and to look ahead and see His glory. (Psalm 78).

Let us pray for the SBC. Let us labor for her well-being. Let us lead her and join her in repenting of pride. Let us call on her to not only proclaim the inerrancy of the Bible but to stand on its sufficiency.

Ray