In his book In the Eye of the Storm, Max Lucado shares a story of a group of guys going on a long-awaited fishing trip. The problem starts when the weather turns ugly.
They arrive at the lake and have no choice but to stay in the camper. Day one in the tight quarters seems to go well. However, each of the fishermen had an opinion of what they needed to do next. There was a storm at the lake, but a storm was also brewing in the camper. The next few days, still confined in proximity, the guys started fighting. Lucado comes to the point: When fishermen aren’t fishing, they fight.
This principle is true for Southern Baptists.
Derek Crawford
Two thousand years ago, Christianity started when Jesus invited Peter and James to go fishing. Jesus led the early disciples to fish for people, proclaiming the kingdom of God to all who would hear while demonstrating the message through serving others in love. Matthew 28 and Acts 1 remind us of the Great Commission. We must go into the world, proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ and teach people how to live like Jesus.
This fishing trip develops a lifestyle of service to the ends of the earth.
Baptist history
History teaches us that a group of Baptists came together in 1845 in Augusta, Ga., to cast nets and fish as a convention of churches. The very first Southern Baptist messengers on May 8-12, 1845, adopted this preamble as their united purpose: “We the delegates from the Missionary Societies, churches and other religious bodies of the Baptist denomination in various parts of the United States met in convention in Augusta, Georgia, for the purpose of carrying into effect the benevolent intentions of our constituents, by organizing a plan for eliciting, combining and directing the energies of the whole denomination in one effort for the propagation of the Gospel” (emphasis added).
Cooperation is hard. The very nature of working together is challenging when everyone is on the same page. Personalities and life experiences are natural antagonists to cooperation. When a convention of churches is built on cooperation, the foundation will only be as strong as the willingness of the churches to work together.
The parameters of cooperation for Southern Baptists always have been committed to the Bible. The Great Commission is our focus because it is central to Scripture. No one argues this fact. However, biblical interpretation is another issue.
Claims of liberalism again
The battle cry of the far-right arm of the SBC has risen once again to claim liberalism is quickly spreading across agencies, institutions, state conventions, local churches and pastors. They contend liberal pastors are on the rise, leading crowds of people away from the foundational truth of Scripture while at the same time posturing churches to call women to the pulpit.
And if this isn’t true now, wait. Give the liberals in leadership enough time, and the destruction of the convention is imminent.
These same accusations could be heard through the corridors of convention halls decade after decade since the founding of the SBC. There is nothing new under the sun.
“In today’s SBC, a rising generation of pastors has only heard one side of the conservative resurgence.”
The problem is fishing takes a back seat each time another fight comes up. After all, it is hard to welcome neighbors in our home when the family is at odds with each other. Despite a call for biblical purity, fishing took a hit during the conservative resurgence years. In 1988, during the heart of the conservative resurgence fighting, the Home Mission Board (now North American Mission Board) reported almost 80% of SBC churches did not have ongoing evangelism training. Furthermore, according to Baptist Press, Sunday school enrollment (a pillar in evangelistic outreach for many churches) in the SBC dropped six times below the previous year’s enrollment — in 1977, 1978, 1979, 1986, 1987 and 1988.
But there is a difference in current SBC drama. In today’s SBC, a rising generation of pastors has only heard one side of the conservative resurgence. The present-day story in SBC circles states that the good guys won and the liberals left.
Of course, there are two sides to the story. The conservative resurgence resulted from years and years of issues that compounded and exploded in the late 1970s. But many pastors in SBC life do not know who voiced concerns against the conservative resurgence.
What reading did for me
It was not until 2012, when I read Cecil Sherman’s autobiography, that I met a moderate voice in Southern Baptist circles. My heart grieved for the journey Sherman undertook. As a result, I committed to rotating books as I read about the conservative resurgence. I would read a moderate perspective, then a conservative account.
Through these books, I recognized that relationships are messy. Family relationships are the messiest. Anyone who has led in the local church realizes nothing is clear-cut and navigating relationships requires skill.
“I have yet to find a Southern Baptist minister who is not a conservative Christian.”
I have yet to find a Southern Baptist minister who is not a conservative Christian. The problem is not liberalism in the convention or the issue of following Scripture. Southern Baptists believe the Bible is God’s revelation and authority. The issue is the freedom of local congregations and believers to interpret Scripture for themselves.
Many Southern Baptists are concerned that rank-and-file members may believe the false claims of so-called liberalism and overcorrect to strict legalism.
The Law Amendment
A major issue before the convention this summer is the Law Amendment. Some proponents are the mouthpiece of the fundamentalists these days. They speak with an exclusive claim to the Bible; they alone have the correct understanding of Scripture. They can define a “pastor” regardless of the person’s role and responsibility in the local church. To disagree with them is to disagree with God’s word because they have the correct answers.
Furthermore, Mike Law makes the direct assertion that if you disagree with his position (and amendment), you are being divisive to the fabric of Southern Baptist life. Yet, based on form and function, it is evident that individual churches across the convention believe they have the freedom to call their leaders by whatever title they choose.
A growing number of present-day ministers are analyzing the culture of the SBC and concluding that if things continue down this path, this may not be their home in the years to come. It is a scary feeling.
“The fishing poles have given way to boxing gloves.”
The fishing poles have given way to boxing gloves. The willingness to stand for historic Baptist principles, such as the priesthood of the believer, leads one to be labeled as a liberal by the far-right faction when it could not be further from the truth.
Few safe spaces exist for pastors and church leaders to ask questions without being labeled in a particular camp. Many pastors desire obedience to Scripture and have questions beyond traditional conservative resurgence talking points.
As a result, a new generation of pastors and church leaders need to hear the stories and testimonies of those who wrestled with similar issues in the past. Many leaders who came before us were labeled because they were willing to ask tough questions amid political and social pressure. However, Baptist history teaches us we are a people of non-conformity. The Baptists gathered in Augusta 179 years ago disagreed on many things. Yet they agreed to come together to fish for people in the name of Jesus Christ.
Seeking common ground
Our former president, Jimmy Carter, always has been one to seek common ground for the greater good. In 1992, President Carter delivered the commencement address at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. This was toward the end of the conservative resurgence and battle lines remained clearly drawn.
Toward the end of his speech, President Carter made this observation: “I don’t think we are going to heal the rift among Baptists by semantical or philosophical or theological debates … but I think all Baptists regardless of ultra-conservativism or extreme liberalism or fundamentalist or moderates can find a common ground in dealing church by church, believe by believer, minister by minister with the poorest among us who we now rarely know.”
When we stop fishing, the good news and ministry of the gospel of Jesus Christ falls by the wayside. It becomes more about being right than caring for the least among us.
We learn from those who came before us. I humbly ask former Southern Baptists to share your stories with readers of Baptists News Global. Consider a few questions: What was your upbringing in the SBC? What are your fondest memories of Southern Baptist life? When did you know it was time for you to move on? What wisdom do you have for those in the SBC attempting to navigate the waters of emerging fundamentalism?
Your story can guide those on this journey today. I desire that we all keep fellowship to advance the gospel. However, we must listen and learn from one another when disagreements arise.
It is less about changing someone’s mind and more about sharing life together. When Christians share life together in Jesus’ name, fishing is usually close by.
Derek Crawford serves as director of missions for Enon Baptist Association in South-Central Oklahoma. When he’s not in a local church or hanging out with pastors, he can be found watching his wife coach softball at Murray State College in Tishomingo.