A little blog from an upstart theologian that will do its best to exemplify Christ while sharing a thing or two along the way.
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| Preachin's Blog A little blog from an upstart theologian that will do its best to exemplify Christ while sharing a thing or two along the way. |
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Thursday, March 23, 2006 Leaving Baptist DistinctivesI, PJ, have not posted much on the International Mission Board (hereafter: IMB) and Wade Burleson because so many more of the SBC bloggers have done a far better job at addressing the issues than I could endeavor. With the reports coming in now from the recently adjourned session of the IMB, it appears that while Pastor Burleson has maintained his trustee post a far more grievous action has occurred. As the Associated Baptist Press is reporting, and backed up by other bloggers, the IMB board has taken actions to end dissent by trustees and employees. To quote Greg Warner's article "The new guidelines require trustees to "refrain from public criticism" of not only trustee policies -- like the November decisions defining a proper baptism and prohibiting use of a "private prayer language" by missionary candidates -- but all "board-approved actions." Though my current service obligations kept me from attending the Tampa Bay meeting of the IMB, I was there in spirit and prayer. Over at SBCOutpost Blog, Marty Duren has listed some one the policy revisions and additions at length. (I am indebted to my fellow SBC bloggers for their info in substantiating the issues here.) At the heart of these policy shifts are several declarations that limit the ability to either publicize current policy of the IMB or decision of that Board. Again, as the new section points out: This is simply devastating to historical Baptist distinctives which our fine convention is built upon. Had this action taken place in the late 1970s or early 1980s the Conservative Resurgence in the SBC would have never taken place. There would have been no means of communicating the doctrinal errors, or how we should properly understand some biblical passages. These are all keys to the, rightful, conservative resurgence. Outside of the historical precedent immediately found within our own Kingdom minded, God blessed convention is the Baptist distinctives which helped formulate the United States. The Baptist distinctive of (rightful) separation of church and state was bred out of an understanding of freedom of expression. It is imbedded in our fundamental doctrine of rights attatched to the Constitution of the United States of America. Our Baptist forefathers in England, the English Separatists, were condemned to death  and forced to clandestine meetings because their particular views on baptism, ecclesiology, bibliology, etc. were in direct opposition to the presiding parties of the Church of England. How many of our forefathers were hung and beaten for their opposition viewpoints we now can freely express in our pulpits and pews every week. Think of Issac Backus, the great Baptist preacher, who worked with the leading political figures of the day to ensure the right of freedom of expression to all who would be able. This not only ensured the ability of Christianity to spread widely and faithfully throughout the United States, but the ideals to spread aboard and carry out missionaries safely (in many cases) with the ideals of freedom of expression. Think of John Leland, another Baptist preacher, who too championed the cause of freedom of expression. How would they stand today if such a policy as this were to be thrust upon them?To be able to express one's affirmation is wholly human, so too it is wholly human to be able to express discontent with a policy or procedure that does nothing to aid the cause of the Kingdom. While we should endeavor not to embroil ourselves in the controversies of casual Christianity, we must also not give way to the fearfulness of freedom of expression. These recent moves by the IMB have grieved my soul dearly. I wonder how many called out young people, who with the right heart and proper convictions about their private prayer language will be turned away from God's work? How many more will suffer the slings of inability to serve because when they were a tender age they stepped into a baptismal pool in another church that thinks differently about our baptism? And what of the future decisions...will we be able to know of them. What if the representatives of our faithful churches decide that you have to be of a certain skin color to serve overseas? Or you have to preach from a particular kind of Bible? Or you have to use certain kinds of literature? Or you have to wear a tie and coat to preach? Will we know? As my brother in Christ Tim Sweatman has put it so well: Why doesn't the Board of Trustees work on creating an environment where our missionaries feel free to speak out on issues that directly affect them instead of imposing policies to shut the mouths of those trustees who would speak out about many of the concerns our missionaries have? Where might our might convention be today had such policies been in place as the framers of the resurgence met in dark back rooms to plan the strategy to renew our theological commitments? Would we be sending out so many into the field? I champion the case for a local autonomous church in many of my conversations with the nattering naysayers of evangelical Christianity. How can we be truly autonomous if each church is blind to the differing viewpoints of actions taken? May God be with us. I hope and pray that this decision will do nothing to hinder His Kingdom, and I continue to pray for and affirm those in the field of mission while I do the same for those molding that field. May our convention be strong enough to say no to these actions. May we be strong enough to say no to a loss of historical Baptist distinctives. May we be strong enough to say yes to the will of God. posted by Preachin Jesus | 1:13 PM | |
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