Southern Baptist Convention To Get New Name???
SBC Considers New Name
This week, SBC President Bryant Wright announced to the convention's Executive Committee that he had appointed a task force to consider the possibility of giving the nation's largest Protestant denomination a new name.
Wright's announcement was met with both applause (mostly on Twitter) and outrage. Some were bothered that Wright formed the task force without first obtaining the approval of the convention. As the president of the SBC lacks the executive authority to do so, Wright explained that the task force was simply an unofficial advisory body - not an official SBC committee. However, the task force is clearly viewed as something much more than a toothless unofficial body.
Others such as pastor Bart Barber, a trustee at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, expressed frustration with Wright for forcing this name-change discussion considering the SBC's long history of repeatedly refusing even to STUDY the possibility of a new name.
Many Southern Baptists on Twitter - especially younger Southern Baptists - decried the "Southern" part of the SBC's name as too regional and thus a hindrance to evangelism and missions. Yet, as has been demonstrated using ARDA data, the SBC is still overwhelmingly a regional denomination.
Just a decade ago, 89% of Southern Baptists resided in the South. Additionally, only 17% of congregations affiliated with the SBC were located outside of the South. It is doubtful that the SBC has achieved much regional diversity in the last decade in light of its ongoing 20-year statistical decline.
Some Southern Baptists have speculated that perhaps the real agenda here is not to simply remove "Southern" from Southern Baptist Convention. These pastors are concerned that a movement is afoot - led by members of the denomination's elite (notably the SBC's rising generation of Posner-esque "Cooler Than Me" megachurch pastors & wannabees) - to remove "Baptist" from Southern Baptist Convention as well.
Are they Paranoid? Hardly.
After all, dropping "Baptist" from a church's name is indeed trendy these days. It's hip, bra. More than a few prominent Southern Baptist leaders - young and old - pastor churches that have chosen to drop "Baptist" for something more cool like "Cross Church" or "The Summit Church."
Ed Stetzer, a Southern Baptist leader and head of Lifeway Research, noted on his blog that Southern Baptist church planters outside of the South take issue not only with "Southern" but with "Southern Baptist." Stetzer says these planters claim "Southern Baptist" to be a barrier to their work.
Stay tuned. This is just the latest Southern Baptist controversy and its sure not to go away any time soon.
Don't Ask Don't Tell Repeal
The repeal of the United States military's policy banning gays and lesbians from serving openly went into effect this week. In response, Richard Land, the SBC's chief ethicist and lobbyist, had this to say:
It's a sad day for our men and women in the armed services and for the country. This policy, unless it is reversed, will cause significant numbers of our dedicated men and women to leave the service, particularly at the critically important non-commissioned officer level. This action will seriously degrade unit morale and will lead to a myriad of problems. Our armed forces are not the place for social experimentation. They exist to fight and win wars and defend our freedom. Their ability to perform those functions will be lessened by this policy.
Land declared that the DADT repeal will "destroy unit cohesion." In an interview with Christianity Today, Land continued:
[Chaplains are ]fearful that there will be interference to preach what they believe to be the truth of the Scripture. Will they be forced to perform homosexual commitment ceremonies or homosexual marriages? I predict you'll see a significant number of resignations in the near future. They're very concerned and pessimistic. We shouldn't do social experiments with the military as a laboratory.
Richard Land knows good and well that no chaplain would ever be forced to perform any marriage or commitment ceremony. And it is also worth pointing out that - as many historians have noted - conservatives back in the 1940s referred to racial integration of the military as an unnecessary "social experiment." Might be time to come up with a different argument, Richard...
Check out a few Baptist news items of note:
- The Christian Post profiled a North Carolina Baptist pastor who is an outspoken supporter of amending the state's constitution to ban same-sex marriages. Meanwhile, the Winston-Salem Journal quoted a Baptist pastor opposed to amending her state's constitution. Rev. Dr. Angela Yarber explains, "We don't think it is government's job to discriminate against any group of people."
- The Southern Baptist Convention's chief executive Frank Page announced the formation of a Hispanic Advisory Council. The council has the goal of "more fully integrating Hispanic Baptist churches into the total fabric of Southern Baptist life and ministry." According to Baptist Press, Hispanic leaders had requested such a council and additional ethnic advisory groups may be named later.
- Rob Boston of Americans United has detailed a church-state controversy in Tennessee. Bellevue Baptist Church, a Southern Baptist megachurch, has been accused of violating its tax-exempt status by engaging in partisan politicking in local city council races.
September 23, 2011
Reader Comments (2)
Wonder if the NC Politicans would consider amending the Pledge to th flag by ending it "with liberty and justic to all who believe like I do"?
The deal with "Southern" in the Baptist name is just another ploy to dictate national policy on a local church. Past history shows, if you want to participate in mission giving, then you are welcome.
Current activities in NC show "if you minister to gays / have a woman pastor / agree with the local association, then your gifts are not welcome!
This is the simple reason why CBF is having great growth in NC!!! The NCBSC is seeing ever reducing numbers of attendees at their annual meeting. It has become a simple "rubber stamp" for the Executive Committee's dictates---ever more influenced by SEBTS pollution into the stream of pastors available to NC churches.
Thank God for Furman / Duke / Campbell / BTSR / etc. which gives the local church choices they can live with!