Baptist Exclusivity Divides Fellowship and Dilutes Resources For Ministry
By William Neal,
The Christian Index

Just how conservative and exclusive can Southern Baptists afford to become? That is the question being raised in many circles as a result of years of wrangling for power within our denominational structure. What started off as a movement to reaffirm Southern Baptists’ commitment to the Bible as the authoritative Word of God has become a power contest over who will decide the “official” Baptist position on issues where differing biblical interpretations were once allowed.

I speak as the voice of one life-long, loyal Southern Baptist who loves this denomination but is concerned about what appears to be less tolerance for diversity and a move toward isolationism from other Christian traditions. Southern Baptists of all stripes have always been united on such issues as the authority of God’s Word, the special nature of Christ as both God and man, and His exclusive claim to be the only way to salvation. We have our own denominational traditions of believer’s baptism, autonomy of the local church and priesthood of the believer, without rejecting the legitimacy of other Christian traditions that disagree with us on these points.

When you get beyond the basics, we have allowed for great diversity of beliefs and practices among our independent minded congregations and individuals. Despite our diversity and our lack of central authority, we have forged a denomination of cooperating churches that has accomplished some amazing things, and we have done it without the force of conformity!

There is a need to remain focused on the basics and there are times when they need to be reaffirmed less we drift away from what is essential to Christian belief. But if the freedom that has attracted so many to the Southern Baptist way is greatly diminished, we could see a mass exodus of freedom-loving Christians.

Theological Freedom. A great debate within the denomination at present concerns the degree to which we embrace Calvinism, and specifically Calvin’s idea of limited atonement. While much of Calvinism has been adopted in Baptist tradition, we are a people divided over the extent to which people are predestined to heaven or hell. To push this point either way is going to alienate a lot of people, all of whom agree that we are saved by God’s all sufficient grace. Let the debate and discussion continue but don’t allow one point of view to become the “official” doctrine.

The concern: There is a perception that at least some of our Baptist seminaries are becoming indoctrination centers for a more stringent form of Calvinism.

Church Polity. Southern Baptists are united in their belief that deacons should be servants within the church and set a good example for the rest of the congregation. We are divided over whether women should hold this office and both sides utilize scriptures to prove their point of view. Women are a powerful force of good influence in every Southern Baptist church, so we should not allow differences over titles and positions to detract from our unity in diversity. The concern: churches with women deacons are often labeled as “liberal” and out of the mainstream, even though they are often some of our largest and most active congregations and among the strongest supporters of missions.

Missions Giving. Since the 1920s Southern Baptists have supported their various missions efforts through the Cooperative Program, a uniform giving plan that has worked well for us. Denominational loyalty has long been tied to support for the Cooperative Program, but local congregations have always had the freedom to give to other missions causes as well. Representation on the boards of agencies and institutions supported by the Cooperative Program should be given to the churches that give to CP, but churches that give generously to CP while also supporting other missions causes should not be penalized for such.

The concern: Cooperating churches that support the Cooperative Program are being blackballed for representation on our boards and agencies because they allow members to designate gifts to the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. How does this differ from having dually aligned congregations as are many of our black churches that give to more than one convention, or churches that budget gifts for other missions organizations and para-church ministries? There is a lack of consistency in determining denominational loyalty and representation!

Cooperation. Baptists have traditionally cooperated with each other as well as other Christian groups where and when we could, without compromising our own beliefs and traditions.

The Concern: Southern Baptist denominational workers have been discouraged from attending ecumenical meetings where Catholics and other Christian groups were present for fear of diluting our theological purity; Southern Baptists have already withdrawn from the Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs, composed of most other American Baptist bodies, preferring to go it alone in our Washington lobbying efforts; and now we are told that the SBC Executive Committee is studying our historic relationship with the Baptist World Alliance out of doctrinal concerns. Surely there is more benefit in Baptist groups of various cultures working together than there is in withdrawing cooperation for fear that diversity will somehow dilute one group’s orthodoxy or mission.

When McCarthyism was at its height of influence in this country, it was easy to label those who challenged the political conservative movement of the day by yelling “Communist!” Many loyal Americans thus had their careers and lives ruined by a movement that had gotten out of hand.

Today it is easy to label those who challenge or differ with aspects of the conservative movement within the Southern Baptist Convention as “liberals.” Loyal Southern Baptist ministers have had their careers ruined and the Convention itself has lost some good people who grew tired of the strife.

It is time to take stock of the consequences of our infighting and the jockeying to see who can outdo the other in taking the “most conservative” position on any issue. I once thought I would be able to survive and support the conservative movement within our beloved Convention because I have always considered myself very conservative in my own theology. But now I am no longer sure if I am conservative enough.

Some will say it is naive to want to see all Southern Baptists stay together as one big family. The old joke goes that wherever two Baptists are gathered together there will be at least three opinions! I support that tradition of diversity and I will continue to embrace all stripes of Baptists as brothers and sisters in Christ. Personally, my support lies with those leaders who are legitimately trying to bring us together rather than tearing us apart.

Our God is big enough to accept us as His children with all our imperfections and disagreements and limited understanding. Our denomination ought to be big enough to accept all churches that embrace the basic tenets of our great Baptist tradition, without demanding rigid uniformity.

Editorial from October 9, 1997 issue of The Christian Index. Used with permission.

March 1998