Guilt by Association?
By Terry Cosby,
Pastor, FBC Hereford

I don’t understand my teenage sons. They have short hair. They tuck their shirttails in before leaving the house. Their music isn’t too loud or even too raunchy. I remember when I was a teenager, we had long hair (any hair), listened to loud music, any good concert set something or someone on fire and then the lead singer would smash his guitar. Ah, for the good ole’ days.

My kids do not understand. They are very different from each other and extremely different from me. Following the lead of some Southern Baptist I will have to disassociate myself from them and form a new family. I am sure they will be relieved. O, shucks! We’re family! I guess there are more things which unite us than separate us. Who knows? Maybe that is one of the points Jesus would have us learn in our families. Maybe even in our churches.

I guess it’s time I came out of the closet. I am writing this article as a “test article.” If one believed what the Southern Baptists of Texas say about CBF folks then I’m not sure the moderates will accept me after this disclosure. According to some, all CBF folks are liberal, sin-loving, Bible-disbelieving perverts.

Well, here goes. I believe every word of the Bible from Genesis to Genuine Leather as the old preacher would say. I believe abortion in 99% of the cases is wrong. I do not think churches should ordain homosexuals to ministry or as deacons. I believe that is their business but I think it is wrong if they do. I think churches should minister to all self-interest sin groups whether they are homosexual, adulterers, murderers, liars, gossips, angry, or self-righteous and judgmental.

I still believe a sinner needs to repent and trust Jesus as his only hope for salvation. And from what I understand I must be free in my own heart discover the will of God, accept that will of God, and obey that will of God as it is revealed to me by Scripture and the Holy Spirit.

Because I am a sinner, I will mess up. As a free-moral agent, I will not always see things as you do. Sometimes I will be wrong. Sometimes you will. That is one of the reasons we need each other. I will need your experience, understanding of scripture, your correction, your forgiveness, your hope, your encouragement and your help. That’s a big part of what churches are about, at least I thought so. If we can only associate with perfect folks and perfect churches we will be awfully lonely or in heaven. I don’t think I’m in heaven yet cause I’m still misspelling words on this blasted computer.

So I’ve been really curious about TBC, CBF, BGCT, and even Amarillo Baptist Association folks who have been put under scrutiny by some of their brothers in Christ. One of our churches in the Amarillo Baptist Association, Chaparrall Hills, withdrew because they felt BGCT was too supportive of the CBF which, in their opinion, didn’t believe in the authority of scripture.

In a similar pattern the Southern Baptists of Texas are starting their own state convention. Is this the “guilt by association” I have heard about? They cite some folks associated with CBF who espouse views very different from theirs. They espouse views different from mine too. I frankly would not have invited some of those people to speak at my convention (if I had my own). But I don’t have my own convention. I work with many people with whom I have disagreement in order to build the Kingdom. I thought that was the “Baptist Way.”

The Southern Baptist of Texas and some of the leadership in the Southern Baptist Convention seem to believe it is important to identify people we should not work with. And they identify these people by to whom they are linked. It is an interesting approach.

In the Plumbline, James Dunn, Daniel Vestal, Foy Valentine, David Currie, and many others are scandalized because they serve on some boards of organizations that have other members who hold positions many of us Baptists are not comfortable with.

Guilt by association must work like this:

Foy Valentine and David Currie serve on the Interfaith Alliance Board of Directors. Others on the board supposedly support same sex marriage; the former executive director previously worked for an abortion rights agency. Therefore Valentine and Currie must, by association, support same sex marriages and abortion. Logical? Hardly! And certainly not accurate.

I tend to agree with Judge Paul Pressler who wrote in response to a state paper editorial that he thought attacked him for “guilt by association” that such tactics are “unfair and ridiculous.”

The Judge wrote in 1988 defending his membership in a group called the Council for National Policy:

“It is an organization like another group to which I have been elected — the Texas Philosophical Society. Both groups have speakers and hear varying opinions expressed… The fact that I am a member of the TPS with liberal publisher Ronnie Dugger and liberal former Senator Ralph Yarborough does not mean that we are in agreement on politics. The fact that I am a member of the TPS with Abner McCall and Herb Reynolds of Baylor does not mean that I share their agenda for the Southern Baptist Convention. This would be an unfair and ridiculous allegation. Likewise, it is unfair and ridiculous to say that just because another person is a member of the CNP, I am aligned with him on a political or religious matter.”

You are so right, Judge! I urge everyone to use your words before making “unfair and ridiculous allegations” about a church’s, a pastor’s or a convention’s fitness for Kingdom work based on their association with others. I seem to remember reading that Jesus was branded by the Pharisees because of some of the people he hung out with.

Now, I have really gone and done it! I’m out of the closet!

I may actually be linked to Bible-believing, Bible-preaching, people-loving, mission-supporting, church-building, disciple- developing people like Daniel Vestal, Charles Wade, Russell Dilday, Bob Campbell and David Currie.

March 1998