BGCT PRESIDENT JEROLD McBRIDE RESPONDS TO RICHARD LAND

I am disappointed but not surprised by the attack on Texas Baptists made by Richard Land, president of the SBC Christian Life Commission. On June 21, Jim Jones of the Fort Worth Star Telegram quoted him as saying, “It seems to me that Texas Baptists can’t expect for the national convention to move anything to Texas as long as the Baptist General Convention of Texas is adopting the positions it has.” To be quite frank, Texas Baptists are not the kind of people to “expect” anything from the national convention. Texas Baptists are givers, not takers. The 41 million dollars Texas Baptists gave to the Southern Baptist Convention this past year is ample testimony to that fact.

Mr. Land was correct in labeling Texas Baptists as “independent.” In fact any true Baptist is independent. That is part of our age old belief in “soul liberty.” Governor Clements’ former staff member expressed a pork barrel mentality when he stated that national officials might have been influenced some (in their decision to move the Radio-TV Commission out of Texas) by their displeasure with the independent Baptist state convention. This kind of raw politics that seeks to punish those who do not fall in line may be acceptable in the secular world but it has no place in Baptist circles.

Texas Baptists expressed their “independence” this past year by giving more than 20 million dollars to the Southern Baptist Convention’s Cooperative Program for worldwide causes. Furthermore, Texas Baptists’ gifts represented 33% of the total increase in SBC Cooperative Program gifts in 1994. This is the Texas way of expressing cooperation and independence. The two terms are not mutually exclusive. Some of us may be labeled “independent” because we think for ourselves and practice what we preach about soul liberty. In Texas each church and each member is free to give their gifts in cooperation with others as God leads them. This is the Texas spirit! This is the Baptist spirit!

Mr. Land would do well to remember that Texas Baptists averaged giving his Christian Life Commission better than $3,940.00 every week throughout 1994. Instead of biting the hand that feeds him, he should thank the good Lord for us “independent” Texas Baptists.

Jerold R. McBride
President
Baptist General Convention of Texas
First Baptist Church
San Angelo, Texas

August/September 1995