CBF on SBC

by T. C. Pinckney                                                                                                          Vol. IX, No. 8, September 1996

           Sometimes those of us who deal with these matters daily are surprised that all Southern Baptists are not fully aware of where liberal Baptists stand, of their attitude toward the SBC. From time to time items come to my attention which clarify such points, and because many Banner readers, especially new readers, may still be hazy about liberals and the CBF, we will continue to publish these tidbits.

           The North Carolina chapter of CBF sends out a newsletter, The Fellowship Gathering. The following quotes are from an article by Cathy Hartsell in the Spring 1996 issue. “Not all moderates in North Carolina are CBF supporters, but all North Carolina Baptists who support CBF are moderates.”

           Last November conservatives in NC stunned the liberals by electing Greg Mathis as state president. Consider the implications of the following quote. “I am deeply concerned, as you should be, at the amount of ground moderates have already lost in our state since the election. We should not be surprised. The person making the nomination speech for Greg Mathis said clearly ‘a vote for Greg is a vote for the SBC.’ ... When asked what sort of relationship the BSCNC [Baptist State Convention of North Carolina] should have with the SBC Greg Mathis commented, ‘I said from the beginning that I wanted to re-emphasize our relationship with the SBC.’ What else does he need to do for moderates to understand his intentions?”

           That lays it out clearly in the words of the NC CBF newsletter itself. The obvious position of the writer and the CBF is that it is a terrible thing to support the SBC.

           CBF has hired Alfred Ayscue previously pastor of Calvary BC, Mt. Airy, and president of the BSCNC 1991-95, to be NC field representative for CBF. The same newsletter carries an interview with Ayscue. Here is one exchange from that interview.

“FG: Alfred, could you tell us what a ‘Field Representative’ does?

“AA: I will be working with CBF churches and individual supporters, offering assistance and giving encouragement. Networking with pastors, especially young pastors, will be a priority. Educating persons about CBF and telling the CBF story will be another. I will be supportive of churches in pastoral transitions.” [Bold print added.]

           Notice particularly that last sentence. Churches without a regular pastor are particularly vulnerable to bad leadership. Liberals seek to infiltrate through interim pastors who lead the church to support the CBF and away from its Southern Baptist roots. Read and heed Jude 3-4. Do not be misled by these ungodly men who try to “creep in unawares.” It is much better to have no interim pastor than to have one who will subvert the church unto another gospel. They may be “nice.” They may preach entertainingly. They may care about people. But where do they really stand theologically, and what do they really think of the SBC? Be absolutely certain before ever hiring an interim ... or, of course, a permanent pastor.