In the January 13, 2005, edition of the Baptist Message, the article “Ecumenical group” on the “World of Religion” page (Page Two) stated a well-recognized fact …
In the January 13, 2005, edition of the Baptist
Message, the article “Ecumenical group” on the “World of Religion” page
(Page Two) stated a well-recognized fact in regard to the Southern
Baptist refusal to join an ecumenical group organized under the name
“Christian Churches Together.” Martin King of the Southern Baptist
North American Mission Board was correct in saying that such an
alignment by Southern Baptists would cause it “top give up some
doctrinal beliefs.”
A more fundamental reason as to why Southern
Baptists cannot join an ecumenical group is that the convention is not
a church as other denominations view themselves. Since Baptist churches
are autonomous, the convention cannot speak for them as one voice. The
churches in their annual convention could agree to such an involvement.
In addition to the issue of the autonomy of the
local church is the basic biblical truth that our strength is not found
in numbers but in the God we serve (2 Chron. 7:14). The church has a
spiritual ministry that changes history by changing the hearts and
minds of men through the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
A. L. Palmer
Ponchatoula