The poet, Robert Frost wrote, "I have miles to travel and promises to keep." Texas Baptists Committed’s mission is far from done. We too, "have miles to travel and promises to keep."

It has been suggested that now the Fundamentalists have formed their own state convention, Texas Baptists Committed has no need to continue its work. How naive can a person be? Rather than the BGCT now being safe it is threatened even more.

Fundamentalists now have a structure from which to launch new charges and efforts aimed at destroying the BGCT. If this group had said they would no longer be a part of the BGCT or attend its conventions, one might conclude the mission of TBC had been accomplished. Even then they would be mistaken.

We can never let down our guard against these people who have proven their determination and skill for invading and taking over a larger structure. The loss of the SBC is living proof of that fact. The only hope we have for keeping Texas secure and free from the bloodshed and destruction experienced in the SBC is for TBC to be a strong and active organization. To do otherwise would be tantamount to our nation’s doing away with the military simply because a number of terrorist nations form a pack. These people are remaining dually aligned for the purpose of being able to attend and vote at our state conventions while, at the same time, doing everything possible to destroy it. But more than the preservation of Texas Baptists freedom are the many other tasks that are yet to be accomplished.

Our educational purpose is far from over. There are thousands of churches which affiliate with the BCGT in which the majority, if not all, of the church members still do not understand what has happened in Baptist life over the past 20 years. Most of these churches could be led into fundamentalism if they called a strong fundamentalist pastor. With all six SBC seminaries having fundamentalist presidents, as Jerry Falwell recently acknowledged, there is the increasing danger that many churches will call fundamentalist pastors.

The BGCT path for the future is far from set. Most BGCT affiliated churches are still using SBC literature, sending their money to SBC agencies and programs, and think of themselves as an SBC church. The BGCT will not be safe until the majority of churches in Texas know what has happened and is happening and no longer feel an emotional connection nor have a strong financial tie to the SBC. We are years from getting to this point.

The BGCT still must make many critical decisions. How are we going to fund the Bible college, the lay theological education program, etc.? What kind of literature program are we going to have? Supplemental literature is not enough. We need a full alternative literature program to replace the SBC Sunday School Board literature. In what kind of mission partnerships are we going to be involved? Which seminaries are we as the BGCT going to support? These are all decisions that will have to be made by messengers to the convention each year. These are important questions that influence the spreading of the Kingdom.

Yes, as Texas Baptists Committed, we do "have miles to travel and promises to keep." And to make the journey we must keep TBC strong and active.

September 1998