This year's BGCT annual convention prompted a swirl of ideas and issues for Texas Baptists. Most noteworthy is the beginning of another Baptist state convention to rival the BGCT. The creation of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention (SBTC) with several hundred churches pulling out is a splinter group compared to over 5,000 churches remaining.

Mary Humphries of San Marcos led the convention in prayer for the SBTC as we met in Houston. To the fundamentalist's credit, their physical departure was not disruptive. One fine young pastor told me how this impressed him. However, if one read the comments by some of the SBTC leadership about the BGCT in newspapers across Texas, then leaving quietly was not what was taking place.

The San Antonio Express-News reported one pastor as saying that the BGCT leaders interpret the Bible in ways inconsistent with Baptist beliefs. The pastor allegedly accused moderates of questioning the validity of the Virgin Birth.

The San Angelo Standard-Times said "Among their complaints, conservatives claim the convention hasn't taken strong enough stands against abortion and homosexuality."

The Tyler Morning Telegraph article quotes a pastor saying, "It goes without saying that when God says homosexuality's an abomination, that's an abomination to God. We don't hate no one.(sic) We hate the sin...We've got to start living for Christ, in faith, believing his word is true."

Sometimes reporters do not always give the full story. A quote can be twisted to stir up controversy. So it could be that those seeking to strongly follow and support the SBC by withdrawing from the BGCT have not been accurately represented by the press. An article published and edited by those with the same view points would be more accurate and more fairly representative of the fundamentalists' position.

This is found in Jerry Falwell's National Liberty Journal. If you think all of this is just a big "misunderstanding" then consider the Religion Briefs in its December ‘98 issue where it reports,

"The Southern Baptists of Texas, a group that severed ties to the ‘moderate' (read: liberal) BGCT last year, conducted its first convention in the city's Woodforest Baptist Church. The SBT organized in opposition to the BGCT's growing tolerance toward homosexuality and abortion. ‘We've got to get away from this thing of getting away from God's Word.,' said Miles Seaborn, SBT president...‘Those of us who still believe the Bible is the Word of God have been frustrated that our money has been going to these things,' said the Rev. Ron Eldred, pastor of Hitchcock Baptist Chapel."

The tactics used in the report of the National News Journal are obvious. Use the word "liberal" to cast a shadow of doubt across BGCT leadership. Follow this with an unsubstantiated pronouncement of "growing tolerance" as a way of undermining trust. Then stake out a position that claims to believe the Bible so that anyone who disagrees with your opinion appears to be one who does not believe the Bible. These tactics should be familiar, the cry of "liberals" and "we still believe the Bible" implying others do not believe the Bible, are the same reasons used to take over the SBC.

In Baptist life we have found that misinformation and misleading innuendo can be believed and trust broken, unless some will stand to say these allegations are false. To say nothing implies that what is being said about the BGCT is true. The dilemma is that to respond risks our becoming like those who speak ill of us. How does one respond in Christ-honoring ways to those who claim the Bible but do not speak the truth about the BGCT?

First, keep praying for those who have been a part of us. Second, defend the BGCT against misinformation. Remember that there are many Texas Baptists who remain uninformed.

Any questioning intending to create doubts about Texas Baptist pastors, BGCT employees, or TBC leaders not believing in the Virgin Birth is not only in error, but offensive. I have never heard of any Baptist in Texas that did not hold to the Virgin Birth. It is offensive for another to imply a group does not believe the Bible when that group takes scripture seriously and have sacrificially sought to follow it as a "lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path." Several letters were written to respond to the misleading comments reported by fundamentalists defend the BGCT's position on abortion and homosexuality. These types of responses are needed to correct error.

Another difficulty in this mess is wading through the genre of hyper spirituality. When one feels conviction about the direction God is leading, then God is included as the author of blessings and the source for guidance. The problem is when we make our decisions and drag God along whether He likes it or not. Sometimes it is hard for preachers to not use what I call "God talk"-- painting human conduct with a veneer of pious spiritual language. It coincides with the idea that ‘I am a preacher and I speak for God, therefore I must be right.' It is also spiritualizing every meeting by claiming God's spirit, guidance and direction for every decision that is made. Therefore if you disagree with the decision you are going against the spirit of God's movement. Maybe God does not want all the credit ascribed to Him.

Is claiming the Bible while spreading false rumors the way you want Baptists to express Christianity? I believe there is a better way.

December 1998/January 1999