Annual SBC Convention Report

by T. C. Pinckney                                                                                                Vol. VI, No. 5, June 1993

Messengers arriving in Houston for the annual SBC convention 15-17 June had several questions on their minds. In addition to the annual adoption of the budget and elections (of officers, Committee on Nominations members for the following year, and trustees to fill openings on the various SBC entities such as the Executive Committee, Sunday School Board, Foreign Mission Board, Home Mission Board and Christian Life Commission ... there are a total of 23), there were a number of potentially explosive issues: the report on Masonry, the WMU's intentions, and proposals by former Sunday School Board chairman Lloyd Elder to completely revamp the SBC structure.

In the event, Houston proved to be the most peaceful convention in years, perhaps since the conservative resurgence began in 1979 with the election of Dr. Adrian Rogers as the first president committed to using the appointive power of the presidency to return the SBC to its historical foundation of complete biblical authority, inerrancy. Perhaps ironically, that 1979 convention met in Houston, and 1993 is the first time we have returned to Houston since.

Initial estimates were that there would be between 23,500 and 25,000 messengers in ouston, but actually final registration came to approximately 17,870 ... just about 100 less than last year in Indianapolis. This in itself is probably an indication that both conservatives and moderates recognize that the battle at the national, SBC level has been won by the conservatives.

Four of the five officers were elected without opposition: president, Ed Young (his second one-year term); first vice president, Jay Strack (re-elected); recording secretary, David Atchison; and registration secretary, Lee Porter. Second vice president was the only office for which there was competition. Jay Bolejack, pastor of Kingsland Baptist Church, Richmond, nominated Rev. Randy Huckaby of Georgia, and Rev. Ike Reighard of Georgia and newly elected president of the Pastors' Conference nominated Bobby Welch of Florida. Welch was elected.

Each year the SBC president appoints the members of several committees: resolutions, tellers, credentials, and the committee on committees (C/C). This year the Virginia members of those committees were: tellers, Rev. H. Warren Rice, pastor of Staples Mill Road Baptist Church, Glen Allen; credentials, Robert Whitten, member Wayne Hills Baptist Church, Waynesboro; resolutions, Dr. Robert Reccord, pastor of First Baptist, Norfolk.

A word about the C/C; it's importance may not be self-evident. The committee is appointed by the SBC president. It consists of two members from each state convention, usually but not necessarily a denominational employee (typically a pastor) and a layman (of either gender). The committee's function is to nominate to the June convention two other individuals (also a denominational employee and a layman) to serve on the following year's Committee on Nominations (C/N). The function of the C/N is to nominate to the next year's June SBC meeting folks to fill any openings from their state on the various SBC boards, commissions, and committees. Thus you can see how the SBC constitution calls for the system to work and why who is selected at each stage of the process is critically important.

The SBC president is key because he appoints the C/C members. The C/C members are vital because they nominate C/N members (and messengers in June rarely refuse to accept the nominees). The C/N members are critically important because they nominate folks to fill openings on SBC trustee boards. And, finally, the trustees are the ones who determine policy for each board. For example, whether students have their faith strengthened or weakened by their years at seminary ultimately depends upon what policies trustees establish regarding the selection of the seminary president, staff, and faculty.

The Virginia C/C members appointed by Ed Young and who nominated the C/N members elected at this convention were Rev. James A. Bradshaw, pastor of Norview Baptist Church, Norfolk, and Mr. Floyd W. Harris, member, Jerusalem Baptist, Fairfax Station.

The C/N members elected in Houston to serve through June 1994 are: Rev. Kelly J. Burris, pastor, Kempsville Baptist, Virginia Beach, and Mrs. Lorraine Simms of Salem, member, First Baptist, Roanoke. They will have the important responsibility of choosing Virginians to be placed before the June 1994 convention in Orlando to fill openings on the trustee boards of SBC entities.

Seminary trustees serve five-year terms. Other trustees serve four years. Both are usually re-elected for a second term unless they decline to serve and if their attendance at trustee meetings is reasonably regular. (Occasionally a trustee is elected who does not attend the meetings.) The length of the terms, eight and ten years, indicates two things: (1) the importance of selecting the best people and (2) why it has taken so long for the conservative resurgence to come to fruition. Following are the Virginia trustees elected or re-elected in Houston. * indicates a layman. + indicates reelection to a second term.

Executive Committee: Robert C. Jackson +, First, Galax.

Foreign Mission Board: David P. Alexander *, Stafford, Stafford. Terry L. Harper+, Colonial Heights, Colonial Heights. J. Larry Holland +, Franklin Heights, Rocky Mount. Russell N. Snead *+, Fork Union, Columbia.

Sunday School Board: Ben McCann, Swords Creek Community, Swords Creek.

Southern Seminary: Howard A. Baldwin, evangelist, Bethany Place, Richmond (replaces Julian Pentecost).

Southeastern Seminary: Charles W. Waller, Fork, Bumpass (replaces Jerry Holcomb).

American Seminary Commission: Max E. Brand, Newport News, Newport News (replaces George Lumpkin).

Stewardship Commission: Robert L. Mobley *, Lakeside, Richmond.

Thus there were six new Virginia trustees elected in Houston and four re-elected for second terms.

The issue which gave greatest promise of divisive debate concerned the Masons. At the June 1992 convention Dr. Larry Holly of Texas had moved that the SBC president appoint a special committee to study whether Masonry is compatible with Christianity and Southern Baptist doctrine. Holly's motion was amended on the floor to charge the Home Mission Board's Interfaith Witness Department with responsibility to conduct the study.

The study was completed and reviewed by HMB trustees. The study was not presented to messengers for a vote. Rather, HMB trustees submitted a four page report which is found on pages 120-124 of this year's Book of Reports. The trustees' report (1) commends the Masonic Order for "its many charitable endeavors," (2) acknowledges that "many outstanding Christians and Southern Baptists are and... have been Masons," and recognizes that "many of the teachings of some Grand Lodges could be considered compatible with, and even supportive of, Christian faith and practice, such as the strong emphasis on honesty, integrity, and character and the insistence that every member believe in God."

The report concludes, on the other hand, "that many tenets and teachings of Freemasonry are not compatible with Christianity or Southern Baptist doctrine, including" (1) the "prevalent use of offensive concepts, titles, and terms, (2) the use of "offensive rituals" and "bloody oaths," (3) the "recommended readings, in pursuance of advanced degrees, of religions and philosophies which are undeniably pagan and/or occultic, such as the writings of Albert Pike, Albert Mackey, Manly Hall, Rex Hutchins, W. L. Wilmhurst, and other such authors," (4) "reference to the Bible placed on the altar of the lodge as the 'furniture of the lodge,' comparing it to the square and compass rather than giving it supreme place in the lodge," (5) "the prevalent use of the term' light' which some may understand as a reference to salvation rather than knowledge or truth, (6) "the implication that salvation may be attained by one's good works, implicit in the statement found in some Masonic writings that' Masonry is continually reminded of that purity of life and conduct which is necessary to obtain admittance into the Celestial Lodge above...,"' (7) "the heresy of universalism (the belief that all people will eventually be saved), which permeates the writings of many Masonic authors," and (8) "the refusal of most lodges (although not all) to admit for membership African-Americans."

The recommendation in light of the above is, "we therefore recommend that consistent with our denomination's deep convictions regarding the priesthood of the believer and the autonomy of the local church, membership in a Masonic order be a matter of personal conscience. Therefore, we exhort Southern Baptists to prayerfully and carefully evaluate Freemasonry in light of the Lordship of Christ, the teachings of Scripture, and the findings of this report, as led by the Holy Spirit of God."

Interestingly, prior to the convention both leading Masons and Dr. Holly let it be known that they could support this report. From the floor there were a few messengers who spoke to this report, some from a pro-Mason perspective, some anti-Mason. However, the report was approved unchanged by an overwhelming majority vote; my eyeball estimate was by at least 98%.

Another potentially disruptive subject was the WMU. Many conservatives feel that the January WMU statement clearly implied growing WMU support for the liberal "Cooperative Baptist Fellowship" shadow denomination. As it turned out, after the WMU report there were two questions on this topic to which WMU executive director Dellana O'Brien replied that the WMU does not support and "has no plans to support the CBF in the future." Readers will note that this is a somewhat ambiguous reply. It is one thing to have no plans today, quite another to assert that they will never support CBF in the future. Nevertheless, there were no divisive motions or debate beyond the two questions and answers.

Perhaps most significantly, secular media representatives in the newsroom were reported to be saying that the battle at the national level is over. Let us pray that for once they are right, that the SBC can in the years ahead complete its return to its theological roots, and that we can turn our attention increasingly to glorifying God by leading ever larger numbers of souls into His kingdom.