Is CBF a Denomination?

by T. C. Pinckney                                                                                         Vol. XV, No. 6, Jun/Jul 2002

Baptists Today bills itself as “An autonomous national Baptist news journal.” And although it is not organizationally part of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, a few glances at its pages leave no doubt that Baptists Today is thoroughly in agreement with CBF and just as thoroughly anti-SBC.

The June 2002 issue of Baptists Today carries an article titled, “CBF and the D-Word”, D standing for denomination. Most of the article consists of a series of quotes from church historian Walter Shurden who is very active among liberal Southern Baptists. In the last section of the piece the following appears:

“So from a historical perspective, is CBF already a denomination?

“‘Of course it is,’ said Shurden. ‘You may not want it to be. You may say that it is not. But it is, despite the nay-sayers. It is one form – and a legitimate form – of Baptist denominational life in America. It is not the ONLY form or the RIGHT form or the form that all other Baptists use, but it is one form of Baptist denominational life.

“‘CBF sends out missionaries. CBF has a foundation. CBF endorses chaplains. CBF starts churches. CBF affords annuity for ministers. CBF supports other independent ‘societies.’ It ‘partners’ with 12 theological schools, The Center for Baptist Ethics, Women in Ministry, The Baptist Joint Committee, Baptists Today, Smyth & Helwys Publishing Company, The William H. Whitsitt Baptist Heritage Society, Passport, and others too many to name. All of these are independent and autonomous agencies, but they have overlapping memberships.’

“And all of these, Shurden said, have an awareness of belonging together. ‘There is a CBF consciousness among its followers, as surely as there is an ABC, an SBC or a PNBC consciousness among their respective followers.’”

So there you have it, folks, direct from the words of one of CBF’s most active and well-known supporters. There should be no further debate on this point, at least. CBF is a denomination.

The logical follow-on questions remain unanswered: Since CBF is a denomination, why do CBF churches remain participants in national, state, and local associational entities? And why do individual CBF-ers remain – in many instances – members of Southern Baptist churches? Wouldn’t the honorable thing be for CBF churches to cooperate with each other and withdraw from SBC entities? Likewise, wouldn’t the honorable thing be for CBF individuals to leave SBC churches and join a CBF church?