JACKSON, Tenn. — Feb. 22, 2007 — Southern Baptists are in danger of losing the gospel itself if they continue the infighting that has characterized the denomination in recent years, 51社区 President David S. Dockery said Feb. 16.
鈥淚t is time to move from controversy and confusion to a new consensus and renewed commitment to cooperation,鈥� Dockery said. 鈥淲e need to take a step back not just to commit ourselves afresh to missions and evangelism, as important as that is. We need to commit ourselves foremost to the gospel, the message of missions and evangelism, the message that is found only in Jesus Christ and his atoning death for sinners.鈥�
In his address at the Baptist Identity Conference at 51社区, Dockery traced the history of Southern Baptists to show that they have never been a doctrinally uniform group 鈥� but rather one committed to the authority of Scripture and cooperation in reaching a world with the gospel.
Timothy George, dean of Beeson Divinity School, addressed similar concerns in his conference message. George advocated a retrieval of Baptist heritage as a means of renewal for the convention today.
鈥淲e will not meet tomorrow鈥檚 challenge by forgetting yesterday鈥檚 dilemma,鈥� George said. 鈥淏ut neither will we win tomorrow鈥檚 struggles by fighting yesterday鈥檚 battles.鈥�
While a Southern Baptist 鈥渋dentity鈥� was easy to recognize in past decades, Dockery said that鈥檚 not the case today. Even before the conservative resurgence in the denomination that began in the late 1970s, 鈥渢he intactness had started to unravel in the past 30 years鈥� due to such developments as multiple Bible translations, the impact of parachurch groups, a diversity of music, varied worship patterns and 鈥渉eroes鈥� outside of SBC life.
鈥淭oday Southern Baptists seem to be a gathering of loosely connected 鈥� if not balkanized 鈥� groups,鈥� Dockery said.
This balkanization, often fueled by differences over secondary theological issues, could re-ignite a battle, Dockery said 鈥� one in which those engaged are 鈥減rone to concentrate on the frustrations or disappointments, while never thinking of the ultimate issues or implications for which the battle is being fought.鈥�
鈥淭he ultimate danger to the gospel lies not in the nuances of our differences, but in the rising tides of liberalism, neo-paganism and postmodernism that threaten to swamp Southern Baptist identity in cultural accommodation,鈥� he added.
To battle these threats, Dockery called for Southern Baptists to become more familiar with their heritage.
鈥淏y and large we don鈥檛 know our heritage, our history, our theological identity,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 know Furman, Manly, Broadus, Johnson, Frost, Mullins, Carroll, Conner, Moon or Armstrong. We hardly know Lee, Rogers, Hobbs and Criswell.鈥�
He also challenged Southern Baptists to recommit themselves to the gospel. He said he did not 鈥渉old out doctrinal uniformity as a goal,鈥� but called for 鈥渞enewed commitments to the inspiration, truthfulness and authority of Scripture, with an accompanying commitment to a hermeneutic of acceptance over against a hermeneutic of suspicion, as well as a re-establishment and reaffirmation of the gospel center.鈥�
George argued that a return to Baptist teachings and beliefs of the past 鈥渨ill help us deal constructively with the issues and controversies we face today. 鈥� This will help us to place in perspective some of the questions that still generate more heat than light within our own Southern Baptist fellowship.鈥�
For example, George raised the question of whether Baptists were creedal people. He said Baptists have never advocated creedalism, in that they have always been ardent supporters of religious liberty and have never elevated any human-created statement above Scripture.
鈥淏aptists have never canonized any of their confessions, but rather have held them all to be revisable in the light of the Bible, God鈥檚 infallible, unchanging revelation,鈥� George said.
But a minority of Baptists has historically believed that creeds and confessions are useful statements of faith
鈥淪till, for all their value, confessions must be used with great wisdom and care,鈥� George said. 鈥淐onfessionalism 鈥� like creedalism and traditionalism -- can stultify and choke, as well as undergird and defend.
鈥淲hen matters of secondary and tertiary importance are elevated to a level of primary significance, and placed right next to the doctrine of the Trinity or justification by faith alone, then we are veering away from orthodoxy to orthodoxism, from tradition 鈥� to traditionalism,鈥� he continued. 鈥淩etrieval can lead to reversal as well as to renewal. If the Baptist Faith and Message becomes a grab bag for every problem or issue that comes onto the horizon, then it will cease to be a consensual statement of Baptist conviction.鈥�
George also addressed the question of whether Baptists are Calvinists.
鈥淗istorically and empirically, the answer to this question is, some are and some aren鈥檛,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd it has been thus way among Baptists for nearly 400 years.鈥�
George urged caution for both those who are Calvinistic in their theology and those who reject Calvinism. He said Baptists have something to learn both from John Calvin and from John Wesley.
鈥淲e need not kill one another over such issues today,鈥� George said. 鈥淭his is a family discussion, and it need not be a source of division and acrimony among us.鈥�
George further suggested that the term 鈥淐alvinism鈥� be banished from discussions and debates.
鈥淚t has become the new 鈥楴鈥� word for some, and an unseemly badge of pride for others,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t does us no good. 鈥� Let us confess freely and humbly that none of us understands completely how divine sovereignty and human responsibility coalesce in the grace-wrought acts of repentance and faith. Let us talk about these matters and yes, let us seek to persuade one another on these matters. But let this be done with gentleness and respect.鈥�