Sherman Plea for CP Support!

                                                                                                                                                                             Vol. VI, No. 4, May 1993

[Dr. Cecil Sherman is national coordinator of the "Cooperative" Baptist Fellowship, the organization which has been referred to as the "stealth denomination" because, though it has all the components, it refuses to acknowledge it is a separate denomination. Most pertinent to the following article is the fact that in his present position, Cecil Sherman travels the country trying to get Southern Baptist churches to reduce or eliminate their giving to the SBC Cooperative Program and switch the money to the CBF. The article reprinted below was written by Sylvia Ray and printed in The Charlotte Observer newspaper, 24 October 1980. Readers will want to pay particular attention to Sherman's 1980 support for the CP and to his theological statements, such as his view of the authority of Scripture. Numbers in parentheses such as (3) will key you to comments following the article.]

The president of the North Carolina Baptist State Convention, the Rev. Dr. Cecil Sherman of Asheville, challenged biblical inerrantists who are "functioning as independents" to withdraw from the Southern Baptist denomination and proclaim themselves independent Baptists when he spoke in Conover Thursday night. (1)

That ultimatum from Sherman, a spokesman for the moderates and liberals caught up in a doctrinal dispute in the 13-million-plus member, 33-state denomination, drew "Amens" from some of the approximately 400 persons at the 25th anniversary annual meeting of the Theron Rankin Baptist association.

Speaking at Woodlawn Baptist Church, Sherman called for loyalty from Baptists as he decried numerous published criticisms of Southern Baptist policies and beliefs from fundamentalists.

"Some are thrashing our institutions, literally flailing us, but they won't get out," he claimed. "Being a Southern Baptist is not a thing to be taken for granted," he said, as he claimed the denomination is "not a ship you can absolutely try to destroy as you ride on it." (2)

Sherman, who was addressing an audience ... of both conservative and moderate doctrinal stances, admonished churches to provide more financial support in their budgets for the denomination's Cooperative Program, (3) a fund that provides for domestic and foreign mission work as well as supporting the six Southern Baptist seminaries and its colleges and universities.

The Cooperative Program has become a major target of the fundamentalists who have been vocal in opposition to some seminaries, which they charge are theologically liberal.

 The speaker ... said the friction is taking place "because trust is breaking down." He urged Baptist laymen and clergy who do not believe in inerrancy to speak up and not be afraid to face the "shouted" beliefs of the inerrantists.

Sherman told the local Baptists that, instead of "inerrant," which limits one's interpretation of the biblical parables and sometimes-conflicting accounts of historic situations, he calls the Bible "inspired." (4) He claimed literalism "leads you to a swamp you can't get out of."

Speaking in an emotionless tone but with forcefulness, Sherman called for openness, as he asserted that non-inerrantists are afraid to speak out and admonished them to "preach more Bible and let somebody else argue," trust, implying the fundamentalists are trying to force liberals and moderates from Baptist boards and commissions (5), and loyalty, saying the only test that should be applied for putting someone out of the church is whether he "believes that Jesus Christ is the son of God." (6)

He charged that moderates cannot be honest about what they believe and open in Baptist life "because of criticism from conservatives, ...

Calling for a return to traditions of tolerance and loyalty, Sherman said the denomination is in the same type situation as when Christ assumed mortality – "most religious people are on side tracks." He asserted that Baptists are becoming bogged down by minor dogma. (7)

Calling the Bible "theologically reliable," Sherman, nearing the end of his first year as state convention president, said, "If you have to be an inerrantist to be president, you've got the wrong fellow." ... (8) "Openness is more precious to me than anything you can give me," Sherman declared. ...

Charging that the current controversy is "contrary to Baptist spirit," Shennan questioned whether the division over literalism would lead to further doctrinal crises over the virgin birth of Christ, substitutionary atonement by Jesus, bodily resurrection, and the second coming. ... [End of Observer article]

(1)& (2) Today one must ask whether CBF supporters like Sherman are not "functioning as independents" much more than conservatives ever did. While conservatives had established two seminaries and a college, we never created a separate mission board, a competing press agency, an independent ethics agency, a free standing historical commission, an incorporated national organization complete with executive council, an entirely independent funding channel and budget. The "Cooperative" Baptist Fellowship has established all those formal institutions. Why doesn't Sherman lead the CBF to take his 1980 advice?

(3) How interesting that Dr. Sherman's current actions do not match his position reported in this article. Instead of loyally supporting the CP while he is in opposition to various SBC policies, he is a (perhaps the) major figure trying to seduce Southern Baptists away from the Convention.

(4) Just how believing in inerrancy could intrude upon interpretation of biblical parables is difficult, if not impossible to see, unless Sherman is denominating various historical biblical accounts as "parables." Note that he clearly states he believes the Bible contains contradictions. Finally, take careful cognizance of the cunning use of language often employed by liberals: Sherman characterizes biblical authority as "inspired." If you were on a pulpit committee seeking a man of God for your new pastor, would you realize that a man who said the Bible is inspired really means he believes it contains contradictions and that some of its straightforward accounts are actually "parabolic?"

(5) This, of course, is nonsense. You cannot "force" anyone from a Southern Baptist board or commission. Once messengers at the annual convention elect a trustee he stays for the full term. The great majority are automatically renominated for the usual second teen of four or five years (depending upon the tenure for each particular entity). And with only a small handful of exceptions, we conservatives have renominated moderates and liberals to the customary second term. In fact, that is precisely why it took us from 1979 to 1987 to achieve majorities on the trustee boards of most SBC agencies.

(6) Now wait a minute! Certainly a Southern Baptist must acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God. But is that really the ONLY necessary belief to be a Southern Baptist. What about substitutionary atonement? What if someone does not believe in salvation through faith in Christ but insists upon salvific works? What about the Judaizers? What if a pastor insists upon preaching universalism, everyone is saved? What if a Sunday School teacher is spreading the good news of reincarnation?

(7) Minor dogma? The doctrines mentioned under (6) just above are what distinguish Baptists from Mormons and other cults. Does Sherman really consider them "minor?"

(8) Yes, the Bible is "theologically reliable," but it is also completely reliable in every other realm upon which it touches and to the degree it deals with a subject.