By Robert Dilday
The Baptist World Alliance marked its 100th anniversary by unveiling a new identity statement which BWA leaders hope will be used to clarify Baptist beliefs for other Christians, as well as non-believers.
The “Message from the Centenary Congress” is the first statement of faith created by world Baptist leaders since one adopted in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1923, according to Keith Jones, who chaired a committee of Baptist theologians and scholars which formulated the statement.
“We, recognizing that this is a partial and incomplete confession of faith, boldly declare that we believe the truth is found in Jesus Christ as revealed in the Holy Scriptures,” the statement says. “Because we have faith and trust in him, so we resolve to proclaim and demonstrate that faith to all the world.”
“This is a strong message to send to our Baptist family in this [centennial] year,” said Jones, a Briton who is rector of the International Baptist Theological Seminary in Prague, the Czech Republic. “We hope it will be used to declare to the world who we are.”
Jones said the statement is Christocentric and “places the Trinity at its heart.” It also is evangelistic, Baptist in ecclesiology, “puts the accent on mission and the coming reign of God” and stresses the need to be good stewards of creation and to take strong stands for the poor and needy and for religious liberty.
The statement was adopted July 27 by the BWA's General Council, the world fellowship's decision-making body. It was “received” by the BWA's Congress on July 30, when a printed copy of the statement was distributed to delegates as they entered Birmingham's International Conference Center for morning Bible study. In keeping with the BWA's procedural guidelines, delegates did not vote on or discuss the statement during a plenary session.
However, Jones said the statement is the result of work by theologians from around the world, and that preliminary copies were sent to leaders of each Baptist union during the past year.
The statement is structured around eight categories, each one representing an affirmation of “those assembled.” The categories are eschatology, the Trinity, Scripture, the church and the kingdom, the work of Christ, stewardship of creation, mission, and religious freedom and justice
The statement describes Jesus Christ as “fully God and fully human,” confessing “the atoning sacrifice of Christ on the cross, dying in our place, paying the price of sin and defeating evil, who by this love reconciles believers with our loving God.”
The Scriptures “have supreme authority as the written Word of God and are fully trustworthy for faith and conduct.”
The statement also affirms believers' baptism by immersion as “the biblical way to publicly declare discipleship for those who have repented of sin and come to personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.”
Although the statement comes not long after the withdrawal from the BWA of the Southern Baptist Convention, which charged the world organization with liberal theology, leaders said it should not be regarded as a response to allegations.
“This was on the stocks long before those recent events,” said David Coffey, the new BWA president. “The time to present it was always to be at this centenary meeting. … I think for historical reasons people felt this would be a good time to present it.”
“I'm glad it's there,” he added. “If someone wants to join, we have this statement to help them understand us. We don't ask people to sign up for every item, but as a summary of Baptists, it is a good statement.”
BWA General Secretary Denton Lotz said it is “not a response to anyone.”
“This is not a creedal statement,” he said. “It's a statement of who we are and where we are.”
During his report to the Congress, Lotz called on the BWA to continue its role as a “drum major for justice” and “drum major for evangelism,” particularly in light of religious oppression and warfare around the world. He also urged the BWA to remain steadfast in defending the separation of church and state, work to alleviate suffering through relief and sustainable development and enhance opportunities for theological education in the Two-Thirds World.
In an indirect allusion to the SBC's allegations, Lotz stressed the international fellowship must not allow others to define it.
“We believe in Jesus Christ, the sole Savior sufficient for salvation,” he said. “To accuse the BWA of not believing the Bible is comparable to accusing a mother of not loving her child.”
Baptists also must be forthright in issuing a call to holiness, particularly regarding human sexuality, he said. “We are opposed to premarital sex, extramarital sex and homosexual behavior,” Lotz said. “We believe marriage is a monogamous relationship between a man and woman.”
Associated Baptist Press
Robert Dilday is associate editor of the Religious Herald. Contributing to this story was Ken Camp.