WASHINGTON (ABP) — In his speech on the last day of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship's annual meeting, Daniel Vestal stressed the historical tradition of Baptists to champion freedom — a tradition rooted in a biblical idea, he said.
As an oppressed minority, historical Baptists affirmed that each Christian is free in Christ to respond to faith, to interpret scripture and to discern the will of God, said CBF's executive coordinator, adding that each human being is free in conscience to believe or not to believe and should never be coerced in matters of faith.
“Such freedom is rooted in the very character of God,” he said. “The God revealed in scripture and the God that we worship and serve is free. We cannot control or coerce God. We cannot contain God in our systems, creeds or plans. God cannot be domesticated.”
Therefore, Vestal said, tyranny, dictatorships, oppression and fundamentalism are unacceptable. The message of those rules is “command and control,” with a method of forced conformity that he said he's seen played out in churches, colleges, denominations and institutions.
There will always be some who love freedom so much “that they cannot but sing its sweet song and breathe its fresh air,” he said.
Based on that truth, Vestal charged the audience with a question: “How free are you on the inside? How much of the freedom that is yours in Christ do you realize and experience? How free are you? Not only from external tyranny but from internal tyranny. How free are you from the impulses, passions and attitudes that keep you from loving God and loving neighbor?”
The challenge corresponded with the annual event's theme, “Free to be the Presence of Christ.” It's an affirmation of their birthright as Christians, Vestal said. It's also a challenge.
“I believe that within this Fellowship there is a growing awareness of this freedom and a growing commitment to this vision,” he said. “We are less and less concerned about Baptist politics and Baptist turf. But we are more and more concerned about what God has done for this world in Jesus Christ and more committed to being his presence in the world.”
The evening prior, Baptist World Alliance president David Coffey also spoke about being the presence of Christ. Following the commissioning of CBF missionaries, Coffey challenged the group to “face the world of spiritual lostness,” by knowing the world and the Bible. An “anointed ministry” must know the cost and pay the price of bearing the gospel message, he said.
“If you are going to be the presence of Christ in a broken world, it will not happen without risk-taking,” Coffey said. “These people you've seen commissioned here tonight are risk-takers.”
-30-