JACKSON, Tenn. — Oct. 8, 2009 — Baptist identity stems from three understandings of faith, Timothy George said in a message delivered Oct. 7 at 51社区.
George is founding dean at Beeson Divinity School at Samford University in Birmingham, Ala. George鈥檚 message was part of the 鈥淪outhern Baptists, Evangelicals, and the Future of Denominationalism鈥� conference at Union Oct. 6-9.
Pointing to the text of Jude 3, George described faith in three senses: 鈥渢he faith,鈥� 鈥渕y faith鈥� and 鈥渢he church鈥檚 faith.鈥�
鈥溾�楾he faith鈥� is the central content of the Christian (message),鈥� George said. 鈥淚t is the proclamation of Jesus Christ as Lord of lords and King of kings, the way, the truth and the life.鈥�
George recognized the value of creeds in holding to 鈥渢he faith.鈥� He said creeds are important to faith, but also said there should be no creed above the Bible. Furthermore, creeds should be open to revision and should not be imposed by civil sanction.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 want to elevate any human-constructed statement, however venerable or wonderful it may be, on an equal level 鈥� much less above 鈥� the written word of God in holy Scripture,鈥� George said.
George told a story of driving through the Alps with his family to compare 鈥渢he faith鈥� to the guardrails that keep vehicles from sliding off mountain roads.
鈥淐onfessions of faith are like those guardrails,鈥� George said. 鈥淣ow, you don鈥檛 want to confuse the road with the guardrails and start driving on the guardrails. Then danger is imminent. Stay on the road. The road is Jesus Christ. 鈥� The guardrails keep us on the road, guided on by the light of the holy Scriptures.鈥�
George said 鈥渢he faith鈥� is important because it is the foundation of 鈥渕y faith,鈥� the personal faith proclaimed by evangelicals. He used the story of Nicodemus to describe the importance of doctrine-based faith becoming personal.
鈥淎s long as 鈥榯he faith鈥� is simply a system of doctrine codified by systematic theology 鈥� as long as 鈥榯he faith鈥� is kept at arm鈥檚 length 鈥� then we鈥檙e like Nicodemus,鈥� George said. 鈥淲hen Nicodemus came to Jesus at night 鈥� Jesus said to him, 鈥楴icodemus, you must be born again.鈥欌��
The church cannot separate the confessed and personal faiths, or emphasize one over the other, George said. The two must work together.
鈥溾�楾he faith鈥� without 鈥榤y faith鈥� will issue in arid scholasticism, a joyless rationalism and a dead orthodoxy,鈥� George said. 鈥淚t has done so and will do so. On the other hand, 鈥榤y faith鈥� without 鈥榯he faith鈥� ends up in a sloppy sentimentalism and a groundless subjectivism. This is at the root of so much of the theology that has corroded the church of Jesus Christ over the past 150 years.鈥�
George pulled 鈥渢he church鈥檚 faith鈥� into the mix. He discussed the history of catechisms in the Baptist tradition, and described the importance of the local and universal church in sharing the Gospel.
鈥淭he church has both a local and universal dimension, both a congregational and associational form, both a covenantal and ecumenical thrust,鈥� George said. 鈥淎lways, ever-grounded on our profession in the one God, who is forever Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And the church鈥檚 faith is meant to be sung as well as said, and prayed as well as proclaimed.鈥�
Audio from George鈥檚 address is available at .