Where Do You and Your Church Stand?

                                                                                                                   Vol. XIV, No. 1, January 2001

[Excerpted from The Conservative Record, the journal of Conservative (North) Carolina Baptists, Inc., October 2000, p 2.]

Daniel Vestal has finally admitted the obvious: the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF) must become a denomination. For several years the CBF has declared that they are not a denomination. This has seemed strange to many of us since they have a mission board, their Smith-Helwys publishing arm, their Associated Baptist Press (ABP) news agency, several colleges who claim CBF affiliation (including some North Carolina Baptist colleges), and numerous small divinity schools that have arisen from the CBF agenda. The CBF seems to be moving toward forming their own state conventions. In North Carolina there is a state [CBF] office in Winston-Salem with an executive director, and there is a search under way for a missions director. How one can have the structure of a denomination and not be a denomination is still baffling to us.

Recently Vestal [the national CBF executive director], and other CBF leadership, have started saying that CBF is a "denomination-like" group. That story now seems to be changing even more. In recent weeks there seems to be a growing alliance between CBF and the American Baptist Convention (ABC). CBF has now started their own annuity board that will be managed through the ABC annuity program. On August 29, speaking at the ABC's Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Vestal predicted that CBF will formally split from the SBC, according to a story published by ABP. The next day ABP released an updated story seeking to soften the headline and blurring (clarifying to us) the bluntness of Vestal's remarks.

In the "clarified" ABP story, Vestal is quoted as saying , "...there is this great yearning out there for a more clearly defined denominational structure that differentiates us from SBC ...I think CBF is going to have to deal with that this year. I don't think it's something that we can avoid." Clearly there seems to be a move afoot for CBF to define itself as a denomination in the coming months.

When asked by one of the students who was present about the relationship between CBF and ABC, Vestal responded, "...there's an awful lot of affinity..." between the two groups. Part of the affinity that Vestal noted was in relation to evangelistic fervor shown by the two groups. In noting that the ABC does not tend to show evangelistic fervor, he also noted about the CBF, "We're not really passionate about the gospel changing people's lives. We're ...more oriented to political correctness and relevancy."

If one adds to this the events in Texas which seem to indicate that the Baptist General Convention of Texas will soon declare themselves a denomination, it is evident that there will soon be a definitive split in the SBC. All of this has strong implications for North Carolina Baptists. It is time for our State Convention (BSCNC) leadership to declare who we are. ...

[Editorial Comment: Carefully note Vestal's words quoted above, "We're not really passionate about the gospel changing people's lives. We're ...more oriented to political correctness and relevancy."

Now this is not a conservative charge against CBF. These are the words of their point man, their most visible national leader admitting that "We're not really passionate about the gospel changing people's lives. We're ...more oriented to political correctness and relevancy."

One's first thought is, "How tragic!" Here are folks who claim to be Christians and who apparently sincerely believe themselves to be Christians but who openly state that they are more interested in "political correctness and relevancy" than in the gospel changing people's lives! How can anyone be a true Christian and not be passionately concerned with the gospel changing people's lives? The first conclusion is that we need to pray that these folks will get saved.

The second thought is that Vestal's statement contrasts sharply with the Southern Baptist Convention's adoption of a much more biblical version of the Baptist Faith & Message this past June. That contrast sets forth the choice clearly for individuals and local churches. Where do you stand? Where does your church stand? Do you and your church stand as the SBC does in the 2000 version of the BFM in affirming that "all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy", that a New Testament church seeks "to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth", and "It is the duty and privilege of every follower of Christ and of every church of the Lord Jesus Christ to endeavor to make disciples of all nations. ... The Lord Jesus Christ has commanded the preaching of the gospel to all nations. It is the duty of every child of God to seek constantly to win the lost to Christ by verbal witness undergirded by a Christian lifestyle, and by other methods in harmony with the gospel of Christ."

This is an absolutely basic difference. The choice is between obedience to Jesus and political correctness. Every individual Christian, every individual Southern Baptist church must make that decision for themselves. Where do you and your church stand? TCP]