“God bless you if you do, God help you if you don’t.”
These words came as a challenge from Neville Callam, general secretary of the Baptist World Alliance during his Friday sermon at the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina’s annual assembly recently in Raleigh, N.C. Callam encouraged assembly attenders to model the same oneness of Jesus’ prayer in John 17 and similar themes dominated conversations at the assembly, which focused on issues of unity and reconciliation among Baptists as well as those of other traditions.
Alex Gallimore
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Callam is no stranger to such cooperative work. The BWA partners with more than 200 Baptist organizations worldwide working together around what Callam calls “five clusters of commitment,” which are unity and fellowship, mission and evangelism, relief and development, freedom and justice, and theological reflection. The BWA also maintains ecumenical relations with several non-Baptist bodies.
Callam claimed “a divided community of faith is out of step with the prayer of Jesus” and encouraged Baptist to find their place in the ministry of unity and reconciliation. When asked in a breakout session about the role of diversity in this endeavor, Callam responded, “There is nothing wrong with diversity so long as it is not divisive. We don't have to agree on every single issue, but we can agree to live together in peace.”
Callam’s call to fulfill Jesus’ prayer for oneness comes at a time when many in Baptist life wonder if such unity is still possible. Some fear the emergence of divisions over differing generational perspectives, various statements of faith, and of course, a national hiring policy which prevents the gainful employment of homosexuals as missionaries and in positions of leadership.
In light of such uncertainty, Callam’s return to the prayer of Jesus is nothing short of prophetic. It was Jesus after all who assembled a patchwork crew which consisted of a Zealot and a tax collector, and somehow taught them to work together. Likewise, we too must remember that such words and realities as oneness, unity and reconciliation are not synonymous with sameness, melding and syncretism. On the contrary, Baptists who seek ministries of unity and reconciliation are those who understand the importance of one’s own particular point of view and celebrate diversity. That same diversity becomes the driving force for a cooperation with others which seeks to restore friendly relations and coexist in harmony. Baptist relations have always been and must always be a complex mosaic in which every piece is unique yet must be joined together roughly in order to visualize the whole.
Baptists have a long history of multiplying by dividing. With founding principles such as freedom, diversity and dissent, such division can always be expected. While I am committed to maintaining this identity, it must not come without a continual commitment to cooperation and the seeking of unity and reconciliation with those of differing perspectives. We must bring all of ourselves to the table—our perspectives, theologies and concerns—and allow them to be made one with others just as Jesus was one with his father.
God help us if we fail to do this. God help us if we choose division over cooperation. God help us if we choose creed over unity. God help us if we fail to affirm all people, especially if that failure is because of fear of status quo or change. May such a thought drive Baptists to become a united group, a reconciled group and a group that celebrates and cooperates within the framework of diversity. May Baptists seek oneness with one another and model the kingdom of God as it already is in heaven. May God bless us if we make this our work!
Alex Gallimore ([email protected]) is associate pastor for youth at Piney Grove Baptist Church in Mount Airy, N.C., and is in his final year at the Wake Forest University School of Divinity.