What Really Unites Southern Baptists

I haven't been able to post recently because of the issues that go with the selling of a house and because of a recent death in the family.



I have been hearing more and more from the liberals in the convention that what unites us is simply a belief in Jesus Christ and all other issues should be looked over as unimportant and irrelevant. Wade Burleson suggests that the gospel message is being lost in all the debate between conservatives and liberals. And of course it is the conservatives fault for standing against them.

According to liberals somehow focusing on important details such as the inerrancy of scripture, whether or not Jesus is the only way, and if we can determine the authors intent behind scripture is just not all that important. And if we all use the same terminology with regards to the gospel then we should all just get along. What liberals like Wade fail to understand is that the gospel is the whole Bible. And the Bible as a whole represents who God is. They also fail to acknowledge that our cooperation effects more than just the great commission. The battle that occurred in the 70's through the 90"s was a result of Seminaries that were being lead by men who gave doubt and credibility to the authority of scripture. Our cooperation effects much more than telling people about Jesus it also effects every organization that is tied to and supported by the SBC.

It is untrue that the churches that make up the convention are a loose nit group and it is also untrue that so little is effected by the doctrines we hold to. Any suggestion that we are becoming a hierarchy because of doctrinal accountability is based on the notion that one must be part of the conventional leadership. After all this is where the accountability is being asserted. Every church is autonomous and should be. But when men of the convention become leaders at the associational, state, and national levels doctrinal accountability is voted on and required. Liberals do not like accountability not on our public schools, our government, our Seminaries, or in our conventional leadership.

What really unites the SBC is the mission, doctrines, and accountability that is voted on by the majority. That is our system. I am much like Wade Burleson in that I do not understand some things. One of them is, why would anyone be apart of a system that they do not want to adhere to? Just what is behind the refusal to acknowledge that these decisions the liberals do not like come from the majority vote? If they want a broad definition of terms and doctrines then maybe they should associate with the CBF. I am Sure they will not have a problem with their concerns.

In the end the claims of any transitioning to a hierarchy are baseless. What unites us is what we agree on. And if you do not like the accountability then maybe you should stay out of the conventional leadership. Diversity is not a biblical precept. When we look at John 17 we see that Jesus prayed that we would be one as He and the Father are one. In acts we see that the Holy Ghost moved as the saints were all in one accord. Diversity and doctrinal differences divide and create schisms. The liberals may not like that the convention stands on the inerrancy of scripture and that we can know the authors intent but anything less is to allow every wind of doctrine. What unites is what we agree on not what we divide over.