MEMPHIS, Tenn. (BP) – Expressing displeasure over what they call a “narrowing of cooperation through exclusionary theological and political agendas” in the Southern Baptist Convention, a group of Southern Baptist conservatives issued a document May 3 calling on the convention to repent of such behavior.
By Don Hinkle
The (Missouri) Pathway
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (BP) – Expressing displeasure over
what they call a “narrowing of cooperation through exclusionary
theological and political agendas” in the Southern Baptist Convention,
a group of Southern Baptist conservatives issued a document May 3
calling on the convention to repent of such behavior.
Called the “Memphis Declaration,” the 990-word
document is the culmination of two days of discussions involving about
31 Southern Baptists from a variety of perspectives. Much of the
concern expressed by participants was motivated by recent developments
at the SBC’s International Mission Board and with other SBC entities
and leaders.
“We gathered together in Memphis to share our
concerns and articulate our hopes and dreams for the future of the
Southern Baptist Convention,” said Benjamin Cole, pastor of Parkview
Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas, and facilitator of the meeting.
“Quite frankly, the era of Southern Baptist isolationism is over, and
our dialogue helped to begin the process of repentance and reformation
in the SBC.”
The document, signed by attendees, contains a
preamble stating that the group is united in confessing “Jesus Christ
as the one Lord to whom we must reckon an account for our words and
motivations in this gathering. We further acknowledge that the Word of
God is the sole basis of our confession and cooperation, and we are
confident that God has sufficiently revealed in it all that is needed
to direct Southern Baptists in fruitful cooperation toward Kingdom ends
that bring glory to Jesus Christ.”
Also contained in the declaration are specific
points dealing with a variety of issues ranging from repentance of
triumphalism about SBC causes to an inattentiveness to convention
governance:
The eight points:
“1. We publicly repent of triumphalism about
Southern Baptist causes and narcissism about Southern Baptist
ministries which have corrupted our integrity in assessing our
denomination bureaucracy, our churches, and our personal witness in
light of the sobering exhortations of Scripture.
“Therefore, we commit ourselves to a renewed pledge
to integrity demonstrated by accountability in our denomination, both
before God and each other, lest in preaching the meekness of our Lord
to others we ourselves will be found guilty of wicked, sinful pride.
“2. We publicly repent of an arrogant spirit that
has infected our partnership with fellow Christians in the advance of
the gospel of Jesus Christ, without the hearing of which men are
incapable of conversion.
“Therefore, we commit ourselves to a renewed pledge
to partner with Great Commission Christians for the glory of Jesus
Christ, who is proclaimed with power when his disciples are at peace
with one another.
“3. We publicly repent of having condemned those
without Christ before we have loved them, and that we have acted as
judge of those for whom Christ died by failing to live with a
redemptive spirit toward them.
“Therefore, we commit ourselves to engage culture
actively at every level by living redemptively as the Body of Christ in
the world.
“4. We publicly repent of having forsaken
opportunities to reason together with those who share our commitment to
gospel proclamation yet differ with us on articles of the faith that
are not essential to Christian orthodoxy.
“Therefore, we commit ourselves to building bridges
where there have been none, in listening more and talking less, and in
extending the hand of fellowship to all who share our confession of
Christ and our commitment to extend His Kingdom.
“5. We publicly repent of having turned a blind eye
to wickedness in our convention, especially when that evil has taken
the form of slanderous, unsubstantiated accusations and malicious
character assassination against our Christian brothers.
“Therefore, we commit ourselves to confront lovingly
any person in our denomination, regardless of the office or title that
person holds, who disparages the name of our Lord by appropriating
venomous epithets against our brothers and sisters in Christ, and thus
divides our fellowship by careless and unchaste speech.
“6. We publicly repent of having misplaced our
priorities on the building and sustaining of institutions of secondary
and far inferior importance than the local church.
“Therefore, we renew our pledge to the local church
as the primary focus of our ministry and service to advance the Kingdom
of God and bring glory to his Son.
“7. We publicly repent of having disrespected the
sovereign grace of our Lord Jesus Christ by falsely presuming that our
strength as a people of God is found in uniformity rather than unity
within the parameters of Scriptural authority.
“Therefore, we commit ourselves to honor our
identity as people of one Lord, one faith, and one baptism, whose
affirmation of biblical authority does not necessitate absolute
uniformity on all matters of doctrine or practice.
“8. We publicly repent of our inattentiveness to
convention governance by not seeking to hold trustees accountable to
the body which elects them to preserve our sacred trust and direct our
entities with the guidance, counsel, and correction necessary to
maintain the integrity of those entities.
“Therefore, we covenant with one another to assist
in the preservation of our convention’s sacred trust and fulfill our
biblical responsibility to hold those trustees elected to serve our
entities accountable, and to pray for them as they seek to fulfill
their fiduciary responsibilities.”
The declaration concludes:
“Finally, we believe the conversations that have
begun in these days express our desire to preserve the Southern Baptist
Convention should God, in his providence, so choose to sustain our
witness and strengthen our commitment to these ends. We pledge,
therefore, to one another that we will continue this dialogue by
inviting others in our respective spheres of influence to participate
with us by seeking to renew our commitment to denominational
accountability, institutional openness, moral and ethical integrity,
and properly prioritized Kingdom efforts.”
Among those in attendance was Wade Burleson, an
Oklahoma pastor, IMB trustee and two-time president of the Baptist
General Convention of Oklahoma.
Burleson criticized IMB policy decisions on his
webblog, or blog, prompting the board to recommend his dismissal in
January.
That action, however, was rescinded in April.
Among the other attendees were Tom Ascol, pastor of
Grace Baptist Church in Cape Coral, Fla., and executive director of The
Founders’ Conference, a prominent Southern Baptist organization that
advocates reformed theology; Wiley Drake, pastor of First Baptist
Chruch in Buena Park, Calif., Marty Duren, pastor of New Bethany
Baptist Church, Buford, Ga., and editor of an Internet blog;
Steve Hardy, missions pastor at Calvary Baptist Church in
Winston-Salem, N.C., editor of The Conservative Record,
a North Carolina Southern Baptist publication; and former IMB trustee
Pam Blume, a member of Mt. Vernon Baptist Church in Boone, N.C.
There had been rumors that the group might nominate
a candidate for president of the SBC and that motions or resolutions
might be forthcoming. No such actions took place, though some attendees
have submitted resolutions for consideration by the SBC Resolutions
Committee.
“We coalesced around no candidate and we drafted no resolution and crafted no motion,” Cole said.
Plans call for the group to meet again during the SBC’s June 13-14 annual meeting in Greensboro, N.C.