What is the best strategy for saving America?
Charles C. McLaughlin,
Associate Coordinator

It was 20 years ago when an organized political takeover of the Southern Baptist Convention began with Paige Patterson and Paul Pressler leading the way.

It should also be remembered that it was 20 years ago when fundamentalist pastor Jerry Falwell founded the Moral Majority, an organization that thrust the Religious Right into a self-proclaimed political force.

The takeover of the SBC was successful. Moral Majority folded in 1989. In 1978 when the SBC was emphasizing Bold Missions Thrust, an ambitious plan for missions and evangelism, the SBC was not good enough for Jerry Falwell.

Twenty years later, the change in philosophy and emphasis of the SBC makes it a place where Falwell now encourages his followers to come.

A significant part of the difference between the SBC then and now is the change in the focus from missions to national politics. For the last 20 years the growing emphasis of the SBC has been the political concerns of the Religious Right.

For example, Baptists were told the reorganization of the SBC from nineteen organizations to twelve would result in increased funding for missions. This has not happened.

The increases went to the seminaries, the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission and the Executive Committee itself. Do SBC leaders talk about missions in order to raise money, but then give funds to other causes? Read Lynn Clayton’s article on page 10 and decide for yourself.

What is the best strategy for changing a nation?

Should the primary emphasis of a denomination be on bringing back morality to our nation through political power?

If we politically enforce our values, will it save America? The largest Protestant denomination in America can make quite a voting block. If you have not thought about it, you can be sure that Falwell and other SBC leaders have.

The strategy of the Religious Right and SBC leaders was to save America by using religious power to create political change.

This strategy may be successful in bringing political clout to a few but it will not change the heart of a nation. Relationship with God is what changes a person’s heart and behavior. Relationship with God must happen from within. It is voluntarily chosen, not forced or coerced.

Now, after 20 years some of the Religious Right’s most active proponents have concluded that the political tactic for change will not work.

Paul Weyrich, president of the Free Congress Foundation and one of the co-founders of the Moral Majority, declared in a February letter that “politics have failed.” Ed Dobson and Cal Thomas, once active promoters of the Religious Right agenda, now criticize its tactics in their new book, “Blinded by Might.”

According to Thomas, “Very little that we set out to do has gotten done. In fact, the moral landscape of America has become worse.” Dobson adds, “I believe that people, myself included, were well-intentioned, and our goals were noble, but we got caught up in the illusion that politicians really cared for us, and that political change would bring moral change.”

Historian Joel Carpenter, author of “Revive Us Again: The Reawakening of American Fundamentalism,” concurs with Thomas and Dobson. He observes, “The lesson is that these political measures don’t bring righteousness to the nation. That takes personal moral transformation and changed hearts.”

Seeking to manipulate religious power in politics creates two problems. First, it distracts the energy of a denomination away from its main purpose of cooperative missions and evangelism. Second, it can do more harm than good for reaching others for Christ.

According to Steve Rabey, Religion News Service, Dobson and Thomas say the movement’s sins far outweigh its virtues. “These sins include pride (claiming God was on their side alone), anger (demonizing ideological opponents), greed (raising money by exploiting people’s fears about homosexuality) and lust (hungering for liberals’ political power).”

Dobson says the book was inspired by “an underlying uneasiness that perhaps in our quest for moral change through the political process, we had ultimately either hurt the gospel or gotten away from the gospel.” “When ministers merge religious passion with political zealotry, the net result is hatred.”

It takes courage to rethink a position and realize the fault in your tactics. Thomas says, “We are calling for a more effective strategy.”

Unfortunately, the SBC will continue to follow the tactics practiced by the Religious Right and Falwell, who is critical of the book.

Jesus is the Best Example

Jesus is the best example for determining which tactic to choose. He refused the power of politics, the zealous conflict of violence and even persuasion through garnering the vote of a majority. Instead, He gave a powerful message of reconciliation, forgiveness and genuine relationship that can transform an individual’s life.

To follow His example, a denomination would choose the strategy of keeping the emphasis on missions, evangelism and education. It would call upon Christians to be individually active in our democratic society and involved in meeting social needs, but avoid allowing politics to distract its missions emphasis.

This is the tactic practiced by the Baptist General Convention of Texas and was emphasized by the SBC 20 years ago.

Ask which strategy is best to change the world and you will get two different answers from the BGCT and the SBC.

July 1999