I was swamped all weekend and wanted to get to the “Memphis Declaration and Me” post, personalizing the Memphis Declaration. Unfortunately, I was so busy, that I just couldn’t get to it in time. Besides the weekend is a good time to have a good post ignored.
Here is my blow by blow personalization of the Memphis Declaration. All words, descriptions and explanations are mine and are not to be taken as expressing anything on behalf of any other participant in the Memphis Summit nor any other signatory of the Memphis Declaration.
PREAMBLE
I am a Southern Baptist by choice. I really believe that we, as a denominational culture, are more accurate in our understanding of who God is and what His Word says than any other group of Christians on the planet. Not that I believe we are perfect. That would be arrogant. Also, anyone parsing our words to mean that we are anything other than conservatives who fully endorse the authority of the Bible as God’s revelation of Himself without any mixture of error, is eisegeting our words.
I am deeply troubled by the narrowing of cooperation within our denomination. We seem to be striving for uniformity instead of unity. Throwing around epithets like “liberal” for anyone who doesn’t believe as you do on the slightest point of theology or interpretation is destructive. Together we can reach the lost for Christ much better than we can individually. Frankly, we must do both. Still, since we are a group of autonomous churches, the whole point of cooperation is missions. There is no other reason for us to work together. And don’t say “Lifeway,” either. Literature is important, but the BSSB was born to facilitate Sunday Schools – which were evangelistic in nature. Mission oriented. (What they have morphed into being is a different story – I hear they are “coming back to Sunday School.” I hope that means they are focusing intensely on evangelism. I think Rainer is a good replacement for Draper.)
BODY
1. Triumphalism – I repent of taking pride and joy at being the biggest, oldest and best in various things at various times. I have dropped little nuggets of pride in ministry on people. It is narcissistic at best. Blasphemy is a better word for it. How can I take credit for God’s work? Somebody should tear their clothes when this happens. I repent.
2. Arrogance in Cooperation – There are those within my own Association with whom we have broken cooperation in our Associational Mission Trip because we did not see eye to eye on things that were not essential. How many are lost because I did not want to stretch more? I repent.
3. Condemning the Lost – We’ve all done this. While I often look at lost folks from afar with compassionate eyes, when they get close – when their presence costs me personally – I can get uncomfortable. I hear myself saying, “God loves them,” but at times it is a distant voice. I can’t expect lost people to act like the Holy Spirit resides in them. I need to win them and let the Holy Spirit change them from the inside rather than demanding that they act like me when they have no chance of God’s perspective on the world. I repent.
4. Not Reasoning with other Christians – There are a couple of ministers in my town who are different denominations and with whom I disagree on various points of orthodoxy. I rarely talk to them about our differing viewpoints. Mostly I go on doing my thing, without trying to make myself understood in a palatable way and certainly without trying to understand them. This is not ecuminicism, but the willingness to be brotherly.
This takes on an entirely new depth when applied to those within my denomination. I have been the object of some head shaking and ear scratching in our Association. I have shaken my head at others as well. Our differences are in background and in practical approach in winning the lost. While we come from different perspectives, we are all trying to win our county to the Lord. I should have sat with some of these men, long ago, and talked through our approaches to get to our one passion. I repent.
5. Turning a blind eye on wickedness in the SBC – This one cuts deep for me. I watched people abuse one another in the name of the Lord since I was saved. When I finished Seminary, and I was finally capable of addressing some of these issues, I walked away. I feared that I would be hurt as well, and preferred safety over righteousness. I repented privately of this in January, and began to speak out against what I perceived to be this very thing – the accusation of a brother with no proffered evidence to substantiate the charge. Again, I repent.
6. Building institutions instead of the church – Our church is guilty of giving money to missions, but not doing missions. We send 15% to the CP ($60,000), plus $5,000 to the Christmas Offering, $2,500 to the Easter Offering, and $1,500 to the State Offering. We are constantly listed among the top per capita givers in the state, even though our attendance is a mere fraction of the membership role. In fact, we rank in the top givers of total dollars to the CP in the state. In spite of this, we have a nearly impossible time filling a church-wide mission trip. As a leader in the church, I take responsibility for not leading us to a better understanding of what it means to be a Christian – that we must take the Gospel through every open door and that giving money, while valuable, is no substitute for actually sharing Christ with our lost world. I repent.
7. Uniformity – This is less me than maybe some others, but I can’t say that it is not me at all. My frustration with those who do not see it my way is sinful. I repent.
8. Inattentiveness – Echoing my thoughts on point 5, I have allowed others to do the work, or not do it, with out my support or guidance. Obviously, I have taken this point very seriously. I repent.
CONCLUSION
This blog is the beginning of my personal conversation with others in the convention on all of these issues. I promise to listen as well as vocalize.
Thanks for reading.
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Kevin Bussey
on May 15th, 2006
@ 11:46 am:
Good stuff Art!
I can relate. If more of us repent for what we have control of, God may bring true revival. That is my prayer.
PS. RF from AR called me today too! :) I didn’t fall for it!
Chuck Warnock
on May 15th, 2006
@ 12:01 pm:
You guys now understand the problem that began with this same group of SBC leaders 20+ years ago. It was inevitable that the exclusionist policies begun in the 1970s would continue. In my estimation, the conversation is no longer about denominations and their politics. There is another conversation other than the conservative/moderate dichotomy. There are some of us who have determined to be a new kind of Baptist.
Kevin Bussey
on May 15th, 2006
@ 12:15 pm:
Chuck,
Yes, I think we understand to a point. But we can’t repent for something we had no control over. We are just trying to start from today. Glad to have you around–don’t be a stranger.
tim rogers
on May 15th, 2006
@ 2:20 pm:
Brother Art,
As I was reading your post something stuck out at me like a red flag. You said; “Also, anyone parsing our words to mean that we are anything other than conservatives who fully endorse the authority of the Bible as God’s revelation of Himself without any mixture of error, is eisegeting our words.”
I believe that you know what my next question will be. While “inerrant” and “infallible” have been used as political terms, they still mean something to me. You chose to use the ’63 BFM wording to describe yourself and then accused anyone who may ask as of eisegesis. I do not want be eisegete your words, so therefore could you tell me what that terminology means concerning biblical translations? When you say “without any mixture of error” are you referring to the words being without error or the thoughts being without error?
art rogers
on May 15th, 2006
@ 3:50 pm:
Tim,
Thanks for not eisegeting my words. In Memphis, we took note of the BFM2000′s avoidance of those terms – because they were politicized and carried so much baggage.
For me, absolutely inerrant, infallable and inspired to the word. Obviously, I am not referring to the english translations, etc., but the autographs.
I hope that satisfies. If not, email me.
Wes Kenney
on May 15th, 2006
@ 3:56 pm:
WHAT? Doest thou denie the abilitie of the Sovereign God supernaturalie to preserue euery iot ande title?
Sorry; serious post and here I am being whimsical…
Mack Nauman
on May 16th, 2006
@ 10:32 am:
Art, I think you are on the right track. However, the second sentence in your preamble refects what I think is wrong with SBC. i.e.”I really believe that we, as a denominational culture, are more accurate in our understanding of who God is and what His Word says than any other group of Christians on the planet, is arrogant. Southern Baptists very much need a “reformation”.
Bob Pratico
on May 16th, 2006
@ 10:39 am:
As an elder currently serving in a SBC, I offer this:
With respect to the SBC, there is much I feel unqualified to offer an opinion on, not having grown up in it, having almost no practical experience with the SBC and this being my first SBC church. Ps 131:1 come to mind (“O LORD, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty; Nor do I involve myself in great matters, Or in things too difficult for me.”) My perspective an “outsider” is akin to Art Rogers – the SBC seems “to be striving for uniformity instead of unity”.
With each passing year, I more deeply appreciate the experience God has given me the past 30 years of fellowshipping with such diverse churches as we moved around the world with the military: i.e., United Methodist, 2 different independent charismatic churches, 2 different Assembly of God churches, an informal bible study (on an isolated tactical site in Korea), Presbyterian, military Protestant chapel program, and now Southern Baptist. In size, these all varied from a megachurch numbering in the thousands down to very small congregations numbering only a handful of believers … even fellowshipping one-on-one with a single other believer in Saudi Arabia. These wonderful experiences opened my eyes to the wonderful unity AND diversity all true believers share in following Christ. No wonder Paul uses the beautiful analogy of a “body” to describe the body – diverse members working in unity. I refer to myself as an “evangelical Protestant Christian” – not a Southern Baptist, Assembly of God, Methodist, Presbyterian, “independent”, etc.
In Italy, we had a wonderful chapel program with all kinds of evangelical Protestants worshipping and serving in unity. (I went into this fellowship thinking that it was “watered-down” Christianity and would stagnate my spiritual growth. Ironically, it was where the greatest spiritual growth occurred in my life as I was mentored by a very godly, mature Christian – and privileged to serve alongside some very committed believers.) A Sergeant Major was newly assigned into our command. He was a strong Southern Baptist. Sadly though, he was unable to fellowship with us and went off and started his own house church. Why? Because the fellowship did not clearly articulate & agree every point in the SBC Faith & Message. His focus was on the nonessentials instead of the essentials.
As a relative “outsider” to the SBC, I offer this humble (and it may be incorrect) observation: Southern Baptists seem to increasingly be moving toward isolationism. Perhaps the Memphis Declaration is an attempt to reverse course. If so, I applaud it.
in Christ,
Bob Pratico
CB Scott
on May 16th, 2006
@ 12:03 pm:
Art,
LifeWay!! There. I said it:-)
cb
art rogers
on May 16th, 2006
@ 2:56 pm:
Mack,
I understand where you are coming from, but maybe I can help you understand my statement by asking you this question, “Do you know many people who think they are wrong?”
We all think we are right. I hope I expressed ample humility as well in expressing a desire to communicate with others with whom I disagree.
We are in need of reform, but in the area of Scriptural Authority, I think we are sound. Interpretation of Scripture that forces uniformity is a different story.
I hope we cans seperate the two.
art rogers
on May 16th, 2006
@ 6:00 pm:
CB,
Since you brought it up – Lifeway is also self sustaining. The only self sustaining entity that we have in the SBC. At this point, we don’t give to Lifeway – and so is not a need for cooperation.
The evangelistic witness of the Gospel to people who are lost and without hope, is the need for cooperation.
Thanks for the opportunity to flesh out this thought. I couldn’t give the time to it in the post as it convoluted and diversified the point of my paragraph.
Anonymous
on Jun 19th, 2006
@ 1:37 am:
bottom line..can it be agreed upon that this all started not as an issue regarding the Bible but as an plan and effort to take controll?
art rogers
on Jun 19th, 2006
@ 11:52 am:
Bottom line? NO. For some, there was no question that they were using the battle to advance themselves politically. I agree that it was true for some.
For the vast majority, though, I believe that they were sincere in their efforts to solidify the authority of God’s Word.