'Baptist Faith and Message' revisions take center stage at state conventions 
By Bob Allen, ABP 

Baptist state conventions in Alabama and Tennessee are the latest to give qualified support to more conservative theology expressed in recent revisions to the Southern Baptist Convention's official faith statement. 

The last time Southern Baptists reviewed the "Baptist Faith and Message," in 1963, the presidents of the various state conventions affiliated with the denomination formed the drafting committee in an effort to honor regional diversity. 

Following a 20-year movement aimed at returning the nation's largest Protestant faith group to its "conservative roots," however, the SBC president handpicked a committee for revisions approved this summer. The group sought to eliminate loopholes that allegedly allowed liberals to infiltrate seminaries and agencies during the 1960s and 1970s. 

Changes in the faith statement included limiting the office of pastor to men, calling for wives to submit to their husbands and eliminating references to Jesus as the criterion for interpreting the Bible. Not surprisingly, they became in effect a referendum in several state conventions this fall on what has been coined the "conservative resurgence" that gained control of the national body in the 1980s. 

The Baptist General Convention of Texas, the SBC's largest affiliate, cited changes in the faith statement in reducing support to six SBC seminaries and two other agencies by more than $5 million. 

Another moderate stronghold, the Baptist General Association of Virginia, voted to create a committee to determine whether its national mission partners are consistent with its own approach, without specifically naming the SBC. 

In contrast, Louisiana Baptists, who in recent years have sought reconciliation between conservative and moderate factions, voted to make the 2000 "Baptist Faith and Message" the state convention's official statement of belief. It marked the first time that Louisiana Baptists have approved a confession of faith. 

Georgia Baptists approved by about a two-thirds margin a resolution affirming "approval and appreciation" for the new faith statement. Colorado Baptists also voted to make the 2000 "Baptist Faith and Message" their official faith statement, defeating an amendment that would have broadened constitutional language to include any of the three SBC statements. 

Oklahoma Baptists overwhelmingly adopted a resolution affirming the 2000 statement, defeating two amendments proposed from the floor. 

Several state conventions, meanwhile, sought a middle road, affirming ties with the SBC by recognizing the revised faith statement while carefully avoiding language that might exclude churches that disagree. 

The Alabama Baptist Convention approved a resolution affirming the 2000 "Baptist Faith and Message," but also earlier versions in 1963 and 1925, as non-binding "guides for better understanding doctrinal practices of faith." The resolution urged the state's Baptists to "utilize the 'Baptist Faith and Message' as a resource" and affirmed commitment to the Bible as the "sole authority for faith and practice." 

The Tennessee Baptist Convention passed a resolution acknowledging the "Baptist Faith and Message" as "a source of information in assisting believers to express their faith" while affirming the Bible as "the final authority for faith and practice." 

Florida Baptists updated their constitution to make the 2000 version of the faith statement, rather than the 1963 edition, their official statement of faith, declaring solidarity with the SBC. They declined, however, to make the new statement a litmus test for leadership, allowing a nominating committee to consider trustees from churches that embrace any similar statement of historic Baptist principles. 

New Mexico Baptists approved a recommendation making fidelity to the Bible and support for the Cooperative Program criteria for convention leaders. In New Mexico, gifts to the unified budget are divided between New Mexico and Southern Baptist causes, unless a church designates otherwise. 

Mississippi Baptists affirmed the Bible as their "final authority for faith and practice," noting that it is up to churches to choose what faith statement they use. Kentucky Baptists voted Nov. 14 to appoint a committee to study changes to the document and report back next year. 

In other states, a majority of messengers approved adding the 2000 statement to their constitution and bylaws but were thwarted because votes fell short of a required two-thirds majority. 

Arkansas Baptists voted just short of a two-thirds majority to make the 2000 "Baptist Faith and Message" their doctrinal guideline. As a result, the 1963 statement will remain the convention's faith statement. Later, they passed resolutions supporting the Southern Baptist Convention and against the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, a moderate group based in Atlanta. 

Illinois Baptists didn't get a two-thirds vote to add a 1998 family amendment, which is retained in the most recent "Baptist Faith and Message" revision, to their constitution. They later adopted a non-binding resolution, however, affirming the family statement. 

While the "Baptist Faith and Message" drew the most attention in state meetings this year, some conventions featured hotly contested elections for president and other officers, pitting candidates backed by conservatives and moderates vying for control of state organizations. 

North Carolina moderates, after losing key elections for several years, elected two vice presidents this year. President Mike Cummings, who won a second term unopposed, is a conservative but is well-liked by both sides. 

Kentucky Baptists elected former missionary Jim McKinney as president. Backed by moderates, he defeated conservative candidate Kevin Ezell, pastor of Highview Baptist Church in Louisville, 1,091-978. 

Louisiana Baptists re-elected Tommy French, a conservative, to a second term as president. South Carolina Baptists elected a conservative president, Wendell Estep, pastor of First Baptist Church in Columbia, by acclamation. 

Missouri conservatives swept elected offices in for the third straight year, buoyed by a record attendance credited to get-out-the-vote efforts by competing conservative and moderate organizations. 

January 2001