A MATTER OF PERSPECTIVE: Learning To Get Along
By David R. Currie,
Coordinator

Bubba is one of my closest friends. His real name is Jim, but we call each other Bubba. No one else calls me Bubba and no one else calls him Bubba. It is part of our friendship.

We have been friends longer than we haven’t been friends. We met the first day of college at Howard Payne in 1971, when we were both eighteen. We ran track together, played guitar together, even did a youth revival together.

Bubba is an interesting character. He is a long haired, environmentalist, prochoice, right-wing Republican. How is that for a “walking contradiction?” Richard Nixon is his hero. He loves the fact that his sister is a deacon in her Baptist church in Dallas.

He lives and works in Austin, but comes to the ranch on a regular basis to hunt, fish, work sheep and cattle, and help build barns or whatever I need. He does not like me spraying herbicide to kill prickly pear and mesquite. He once called me a poacher when I killed a turkey hen in the spring (an honest mistake) and refused to ride in the pickup with me back to the cabin. He said he did not want to be seen with someone who had so little regard for the law.

We sometime argue so forcefully over politics that we stand inches from each other while I call him a Nazi and he calls me a Socialist. Yet, we are best of friends and will be friends until one of us carries the coffin of the other to the grave. Nothing could separate us from the love we have for each other as friends. He is like a brother.

Why are we such good friends when we clearly disagree on so many things? The answer is we respect each other, enjoy being with each other, and are always honest with each other.

The same characteristics of our friendship formerly described Southern Baptists. We disagreed on many things, but respected each other and cooperated on the big things, especially the biggest thing, telling the world about Jesus.

Now if you want honest disagreement, out in the open, with mutual respect, you need to attend the CBF convocation, not the SBC annual meeting. Or you can attend the BGCT annual meeting.

I want us as Texas Baptists to always work at getting along, even when we disagree. Telling the message about Jesus is too important to be sidetracked over “local church issues.”

In this newsletter we have articles about CBF, women in ministry, homosexuality, and other important issues. As Baptists, we do not all agree on these issues. It is important that we discuss these issues openly. It is also important that they not distract us as Texas Baptists from our main focus, Texas 2000, and telling the Good News.

People have strong opinions regarding all these issues. That is good and proper. What is not correct is to label people who disagree with you as “non- Bible believers.” The genius of Baptist polity is that local churches decide controversial issues, not conventions. In truth, there is no way to kick a church out of the BGCT and still act like Baptists. All Baptist polity allows is to refuse to seat a church’s messengers at an annual meeting.

When Bill Pinson spoke in February in Plainview, he said that Baptist polity is “messy.” He also encouraged us to continue to be Baptists, despite the messes our polity sometimes creates.

One reason we have division in Baptist life is there are some people who do not like Baptists acting like Baptists. They want us to have a different polity. They want to be able to define what it means to be a Baptist in more narrow terms. They want us to have a creed. We must resist this because it causes division and takes our focus off spreading the Gospel. We must leave these issues to local churches.

We must respect each other as Texas Baptists. I respect honest, sincere convictions. I respect the BGCT-related churches who are sending more money to the SBC than the BGCT since the vote in Amarillo. That is their right as local churches. That is Baptist polity. Those of us in churches which do support the BGCT need to make up the difference by giving more to Texas causes.

How can we continue to get along as Texas Baptists and reach the goals of Texas 2000?

First, we must keep the current leadership of the BGCT. We must continue to elect officers committed to traditional Baptist polity and opposed to fundamentalism. Why? Because if fundamentalists control the BGCT, they will exclude and isolate those who do not agree with their agenda. Their track record in the SBC speaks for itself.

Second, we must continue to be fair to everyone, regardless of their position on fundamentalism, the SBC, CBF, and particular issues. We must realize the diversity among Texas Baptists and honor it.

Third, we must continue to practice Baptist polity, especially as it relates to local church autonomy and the priesthood of all believers. The key word is respect. We simply must respect each other as individual priests.

Can we continue to get along as Texas Baptists? Yes, if we will state our positions openly and honestly, be fair to everyone, and follow Baptist polity. Doing so will keep our focus on Texas 2000 and telling the Good News.

Bubba and I get alone fine. We disagree on as much as we agree on. But we are honest about what we believe and we are friends for life because we respect each other. It works for the Bubba Brothers and it will work for Texas Baptists.

August 1996