OFFICIAL RESPONSE OF TEXAS BAPTISTS COMMITTED TO SBC DECISION TO INSTRUCT SBC AGENCIES TO ACCEPT NO FUNDS FROM CBF

This is another sad day for all Baptists, and especially Texas Baptists. The SBC has made a very divisive decision. In Texas, we believe in and practice our historic principles. We respect local church autonomy and the priesthood of the believer. This is evidence of a “My Way Or The Highway” mentality, unfortunately very consistent with fundamentalist practice for over 15 years.

The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship is a part of the Southern Baptist family. Many Texas churches give to CBF missions and through CBF to SBC missions. Many have been giving over 50% of their Cooperative Mission gifts to SBC agencies and ministries. Now the SBC is telling Texas Baptists our money must be given “through a proper channel” or they do not want our money. This is the height of elitism and is not how Baptists do things. It is similar to the thoughts of the Southwestern trustees who said, “we have the votes and we will do what we want.” Take it or leave it.

This is an effort on the part of the SBC to tell local churches to choose either SBC or CBF. We believe Texas Baptists will not appreciate this attempt to force a “top down control” on the local church. We say to Texas Baptists, “You do not have to choose one or the other.” Exercise your autonomy, and design your own budgets. Support what you want to support within the SBC, the CBF, or other organizations. The local church is the headquarters in Baptist life and we urge Texas Baptists to remember our heritage and our polity. We also urge Texas Baptists to remember to respect one another.

We also wonder how much money the churches pastored by SBC leaders like O.S. Hawkins, Jack Graham, Jerry Vines, Charles Stanley, and Adrian Rogers, gave non-SBC agencies like Criswell College, Liberty University, Mid-America Seminary, Moody Seminary, and Luther Rice Seminary over the last year? Are these churches disloyal for giving to these “Competing Institutions” which they started and have supported for years? Of course not!

Texas Baptists will not be very impressed with this example of exclusiveness and narrow mindedness. We pray Texas Baptists will always respect everyone’s choices in giving. This year in Amarillo, we in Texas can set the example of respect and inclusiveness in adopting a giving plan that respects the local church and our Baptist polity and encourages people to cooperate rather than divide.

We pledge our efforts to work toward this Baptist form of unity within diversity.

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