Why Can't Baptists Get Along?
February 4th, 2008
Baptists are notorious, even among the rest of our Christian brothers and sisters, for denominational conflict, political infighting, and church splits. During the Civil War, most major American denominations split over the issue of slavery. However, out of all those groups, Baptists were the only ones who did not eventually reconcile with their Northern counterparts. We remained a Southern Baptist Convention. I once had a professor at seminary tell me that for many folks, the most important word in Southern Baptist Convention is the word Southern. I tend to agree with him.
Unfortunately, all that conflict over the years has left Baptists splintered and weak. The popular perception of Baptists in America today is that we are too caught up in political debates, too partisan, and too divisive. Again, I tend to agree. Our reputation for fighting has overshadowed the positive things we have done. And I find it sad that many of us, including myself, feel we often have to apologize for being Baptist because of that reputation.
But there is hope. This past week, I attended a conference in Atlanta called the New Baptist Covenant. It was one of the largest gatherings of Baptists anywhere at any time. It included many traditionally black Baptist denominations, as well as American Baptists, Cooperative Baptists, and others. It was intentionally cross-racial and cross-cultural. Although it frankly acknowledged our history of conflict, it also sought to bring together the many different Baptist groups and recognize our core identity around Jesus Christ. This past week, we did not try to hammer out a theological statement of conformity. We did not debate current hot topics like abortion, immigration, or homosexuality. Instead, we all agreed that salvation through faith in Jesus Christ is the most important thing and that any other issue is tangential to that one larger truth.
Does that mean we don’t care about other issues? No. After all, we are Baptists. And part of what it means to be a Baptist is that we have a right to our own opinions. We will never agree on everything. So, rather than trying to force every Baptist to agree, the New Baptist Covenant is an effort for Baptists to disagree without killing, excommunicating, shunning, or splitting with each other. It is focused on our shared beliefs instead of our divisive political convictions. The New Baptist Covenant affirms traditional Baptist teaching on local church autonomy, the priesthood of the believer, the central place of Scripture in the life of the church, and the separation of church and state. The Covenant also hopes to build partnerships among Baptists over common concerns like economic justice and environmental stewardship.
This past week was just a beginning. Years of fighting and mistrust do not mend overnight. So, you will be hearing more about how we can be involved, as individuals and as a church, in the work of the New Baptist Covenant. But I hope that you will support these efforts, not just for the sake of our denomination, but for the sake of our world. It’s time to stop fighting and get about the work of Christ.