LOUISVILLE, Ky. (ABP) — Baptists of the world are more interested in unity and ministry than in denominational squabbles like the one dividing Baptists in the southern United States, said Denton Lotz, general secretary of the Baptist World Alliance.
“It's a lot better to hand out Bibles than to fight about the Bible,” said Lotz, citing BWA's Scripture distribution efforts in Cuba and other ministry projects around the globe. “Baptists of the world don't want to get involved in all of our national conflicts. They want to concentrate on missions. They want to concentrate on Jesus Christ.”
Lotz spoke to a May 9 luncheon in Louisville, Ky., which celebrated the upcoming 100th anniversary of the global Baptist fellowship and highlighted Kentucky Baptists' historic ties to the alliance.
“The Baptist World Alliance exists to show the essential oneness of Baptist people in the Lord Jesus Christ,” Lotz added. “Christ is the center. Christ is who brings us together.”
That sense of global Baptist unity was challenged last year when the Southern Baptist Convention, a founding member of BWA in 1905, withdrew its funding and membership from the organization. SBC leaders claimed BWA tolerates theological liberalism within some member bodies, a charge BWA leaders adamantly deny.
Last November, Kentucky Baptists rejected a proposal that could have led to direct ties with BWA and perhaps state convention funding of the group. Some Kentucky Baptist churches continue to support BWA, however, including St. Matthews Baptist Church, which hosted the recent celebration.
During the luncheon, Lotz said world cultural clashes, AIDS and diversity are among the challenges facing Baptists and Christians in general.
“One of the great things about being a Baptists is that we have … 211 Baptist conventions around the world,” Lotz said. But amid such diversity, unity can be a challenge, he conceded.
“We really are your network to the world, and sometimes you might not like some of the things you hear,” he added. Swedish, Russian and Indian Baptists “all have different views and must operate in different contexts,” he said.
Lotz noted many Baptists in America are not familiar with the work of Baptist World Alliance. “There [are] so many Baptists in America that we don't think we need one another,” said Lotz, whose organization is based in Virginia. “For many American Baptists, BWA sounds like a new airline. It doesn't mean anything to them.”
But BWA is an advocate and source of encouragement to many Baptists suffering in countries where totalitarian governments or religious majorities repress their freedom to worship, Lotz added. “This is the reality of our minority brothers and sisters around the world.”
Among other challenges facing Baptists and Christians, Lotz noted:
— The charismatic movement. Christians must not let the fringe leaders of the charismatic movement keep them from embracing the Holy Spirit, he said. “We as Baptists are going to hurt ourselves if we become Binitarian” rather than Trinitarian.
— AIDS/HIV. The disease has killed 40 million people in Africa and left 6 million children orphaned, Lotz noted. “Who's going to take care of their children?”
— Laity involvement. Many churches have become too pastor focused, Lotz said. “We don't want bishops or cardinals, but we've got a 100,000 little popes we call pastors.”