That being said, this is why the SBC frustrates me to no end. This is why statements like "voodoo ecumenism" drive me insane (read this post for further explanation). Now, I don't have a problem with being conservative. In fact, I would say that it's necessary for growth that there be a tension between 'conservative' and 'liberal' within the church. Disagreement on how to follow Jesus can be very helpful. Disagreement helps us to think outside of ourselves. Disagreement helps us to see another point of view. Disagreement forces us to dig deeper and deeper into the meaning of true discipleship. BUT, when disagreement causes us to shove others away, when disagreement causes us to excommunicate a brother or sister outside of our community without regard to redemption and love, then we have gone too far. And whether you like it or not, that's exactly what the SBC has done. They have demonized even moderate baptists as "liberals" and kicked them out. They have fired professors and theologians who, even though they are thoroughly baptist, do not hold to the exact beliefs that the SBC holds. Apparently, the "liberals" aren't good enough to carry the gospel along with them. I'm not saying that everyone who sits on the "liberal" side of the fence is innocent, but I am saying that they have been wronged.
Now, I believe that Jesus calls us to pursue peace with everything we have. In the previous post on this issue, 'Voodoo Ecumenism,' I had a friend comment and say that it's not the right time for a movement to unite baptists. I responded by saying that maybe he was right, maybe the issues are too fresh in people's minds. Well, after thinking about my response, I recant. No, now is always the right time to pursue peace. Whether we disagree doctrinally or not, Jesus calls us to the cross. That means that we have to die to ourselves and our own agendas and pursue the cause of Christ. We have to cooperate with the Church body in order to pursue such peace. We have to be reconciled to one another. There is no excuse for labeling one another. There is no excuse for demonizing an effort of cooperation. Such action is inherently antithetical to the gospel.
Dr. Hulitt Gloer, in As You Go... An Honest Look at the First Followers of Jesus, says it better than I would ever be able to:
... no relationship exists that cannot be reconciled in and by the power of the love of Christ. This love binds people of the most diverse backgrounds into a new community in which they become one. It unites people with widely varying views and lifestyles and, therefore, becomes an incarnation in the world of the reconciling love of Christ.
As disciples we must ask ourselves if we are open to those who may be different from us - socially, racially, economically, politically, even religiously. Would people with as diverse views as those reflected by Simon [the zealot] and Matthew [the tax collector] find room in our fellowship? What about those situations where we find ourselves disagreeing over doctrinal matters? Do we rush ahead in our zeal to exclude those with whom we disagree? Are we open to discovering the authenticity of their relationship to Christ and their commitment to Christ's lordship? Are we willing to allow our relationships to be controlled by the love of Christ?
With everything I have, I think that God calls us to pursue peace within baptist life and beyond. That's why it makes me sick to my stomach that we can describe with all accuracy the recent baptist conflicts as 'war.' The issues that were fought over were hardly worth such harsh actions and terminology. And the fact that Paige Patterson himself says that he would do it all over again despite the hurt that it has caused people on both sides makes me sick to my stomach. That's why I will continue to search for peace and reconciliation, even with as small a voice as I have.
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"Above all, the conviction that the continued drift of the Southern Baptist Convention could spell eternal doom for hundreds of thousands of people was the principal compelling motivation, Patterson writes.
In the end, Patterson writes, the election of conservative leaders was a result of the intervention of God."
- what a world? why does this have to be said...that the continued drift of change would spell out eternal doom for hundreds of thousands of people simply because more than one way of thinking is introduced. These people are condemning others who all love the same Sovereign God as they do...Is all this conflict really necessary? This cannot be what God had in mind for His people, His followers, His Beloved. Whether we agree on every single doctorine, practice, or idea or not, we are still called to lead a life of love. We are called to lead a life that is transparent of who Jesus Christ is, and this arguing and attitude of condemnation is not that life. This article really bothered me, particularly that the comments were said by the President that is in charge of equipping people to go out and be God's hands and feet as ministers.
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