As an ex-Baptist, contrarian and liberal heretic, I would like to share my reaction to the Second Opinion by David Gushee [Herald, Oct. 2]. For me the article, “Gender debate ultimately about Jesus,” misses the root of the problem, although I applaud Dr. Gushee's efforts to support women in ministry.
In my opinion, the real issue is one's view of “Scriptures,” including Dr. Gushee's view, where he states: “The Scriptures are authoritative and do not change. Any individual or group interpretation of the Scriptures is not authoritative and (it is a fact) can change.”
I have witnessed many examples of the validity of sentence No. 2. Let me share a case in point from my personal experience. I was ordained upon completion of my master of divinity from Southeastern Seminary by the Farmville (Va.) Baptist Church in 1971, where I was called to serve as their associate pastor. Regrettably, at that time, the church had a racial policy in writing that stated “no member of the Negroe [sic] race shall be admitted for attendance or membership.” Though some may have gone to their grave feeling that policy was “scriptural/biblical,” the majority of members voted to abolish that policy in 1975. (Go to their website to see the wonderful transformation that has taken place since.)
Unfortunately, it is the first sentence which, for practical purposes, is problematic.
“The Scriptures are authoritative” begs the question, “Which Scriptures?” Aside from questions regarding the Scriptures of other religions, there are questions regarding the use of the Hebrew or Christian Scriptures, as well as the “Scriptures” used by the early church, which did not make it into the canon several centuries later. The fact that the canon was closed by a convention of church politicians probably deserves no more allegiance than I gave a resolution of the Southern Baptist Convention (which are necessarily non-binding) calling for a boycott of Disney.
As for “The Scriptures … do not change,” I was raised in a church that advocated verbal plenary inspiration in their constitution, with the claim that the Scriptures were infallible “in the autographs.” How nice, since no one has any knowledge of what became of these “autographs.” And even if they do exist somewhere, since the meaning of words change over time, the reality is that the “Scriptures” change as well.
“The Bible says!” is only useful to those wishing to impose uniformity and control.
In my experience, most Baptists are good Baptists: they reserve the right to interpret their own conscience under God, which undergirds the forgotten principle that no Baptist can speak for another Baptist. For me, the ultimate reality is that a person of conscience can make no appeal to any outside source — not an infallible Pope in Rome nor an infallible paper pope bound by leather — but only to that inner voice of conviction: “Here I stand!”
Forty years ago, Dean Raymond Bryan Brown sang a chorus to us at our seminary orientation in 1968:
“I'd rather be a Christian
And know that I am right,
Than to be a Southern Baptist,
And always in a fight!”
When I concluded my pastorate at First Baptist Church in Lynchburg in 1998, I decided “I'd rather be a Christian,” and joined a Congregational church affiliated with the United Church of Christ (with a wonderful lady as pastor!) The current motto of the UCC: “God is still speaking.” Amen.
Ty Campbell, Buckingham