It Is Time ...                                                                                 

by T. C. Pinckney                                                                                         Vol. IX, No. 7, August 1996

          As was written by “the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem”,

1. To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

2. A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

3. A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

4. A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

5. A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

6. A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

7. A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

8. A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)

          The journey of conservative Southern Baptists within the Baptist General Association of Virginia has reached one of these times, a definitive moment which in retrospect may seem inevitable but in prospect was anything but.

          For years conservatives sensed it was a time to keep silence. Oh, there were occasional motions or resolutions offered at the annual state meeting, uniformly sidelined or overwhelmingly voted down. Nevertheless, those years were characterized primarily by resounding conservative silence, disorganization, discouragement, and little conservative participation in the affairs of the BGAV. For example, at the 1986 annual BGAV convention there were only approximately 50 messengers willing to be seen or heard voting for conservative motions. Most conservatives stayed home or, if they came, would vote their convictions on ballot votes but not on voice, hand, or standing votes where their position would be public. For Virginia “moderates” these years were a time of peace, when ridicule, ostracism, or manipulation kept conservatives in their places.

          Then for conservatives came a time to gather stones together: to organize, to inform people on issues, to encourage conservative messengers to participate in BGAV affairs. We were convinced (1) that the great majority of people in the pews of Virginia Baptist churches believed the Word of God to be without error, (2) that many of them had been misinformed, misled, and/or uninformed as to what was happening in the SBC and the state, and (3) that if they could be brought to understand the relationship of biblical principles to decisions within Baptist life, they would come in their thousands and effect positive change within the Baptist General Association of Virginia, turning it back to its true roots in biblical inerrancy so characteristic of its great leaders of the nineteenth century. Much was accomplished, though not enough to attain the great end sought.

          As a result, conservative representation at BGAV annual meetings rose steadily over several years to some 870. But there, unfortunately, it plateaued. For three years it remained the same. Apparently, as new pastors and churches became convinced and began to attend, other long-time participants grew weary and dropped out.

          Without attempting the impossible task of recounting every “moderate” affront to conservatives, two must be mentioned. First, in November 1990 a drastically revised budget was voted by the BGAV annual meeting. Always before, all Cooperative Program money not retained in the state budget was sent to the Southern Baptist Convention budget. But in November 1990 the “default” or automatic budget plan was changed to one under which only half the money going out of state was sent to the SBC budget with the remainder allocated to a series of causes chosen by the BGAV. Churches could OPT OUT of the new arrangement, but unless they specifically instructed the BGAV treasurer, they were automatically placed in the new, anti-SBC plan, now called WM-2. This plan was later supplemented by a third track, WM-3, in which ALL the money not kept by the BGAV goes to the CBF.

          Second, at the November 1994 BGAV meeting the state constitution was amended to change the basis upon which messengers from churches to the state convention are computed. Always previously all the money contributed by a church counted toward messengers. But now only the money going to the state budget counts. This amendment resulted from the fact that by 1994 growing numbers of conservative churches (approximately 202) had instructed the state to retain smaller percentages of their gifts and send larger percentages to the SBC. Under the change no moderate or liberal church (that I know of) lost messengers, but the 202 most active and committed conservative messengers each lost representation. My church, for example, had always been authorized the maximum 15 messengers, but we were now reduced to four or five. Taken all together, conservatives lost on the order of 1,800 to 2,000 potential messengers as a result of that amendment. The effect was to make it impossible for conservatives ever to effect change in the BGAV by voting. The Baptist General Association was in that one fell stroke transformed from a democracy to an autocracy.

          Because their voice and vote were clearly not valued in the BGAV, conservatives began to look in new directions. Conservatives had earlier (28 January 1993) formed a new fellowship, the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia, largely under the stimulus of the November 1992 BGAV vote rejecting an amendment to a resolution which amendment proposed the exact wording previously passed by the Virginia General Board, “that homosexuality is a biblical sin and homosexuals are not acceptable in positions of leadership.” After the BGAV amendment cutting conservative representation, conservatives began to debate and deal with the question of whether they should form a separate state convention. It is important to keep in mind that this was not something sought or desired by conservatives but was rather forced upon them by the BGAV action.

          For conservatives the period since the November 1994 BGAV amendment has been a time to mourn the passing of what once was; to plant the early seeds of what is to come; to speak, discuss, consider what form our future should take. Now it is a time to put an end to the time of struggle with the BGAV. Conservatives disagree with the increasingly liberal theology of the BGAV leadership. The BGAV constitution has been manipulated to remove from conservatives the opportunity ever to bring about biblical change in the BGAV. The BGAV is moving as rapidly as its leadership dares away from the re-invigorated SBC: To the CBF? To the American Baptists? To some independent stance? One does not know. But the direction is set. The course is fixed. The BGAV is rapidly departing from orthodox Christianity.

          Reformation of the BGAV has been made impossible. Trying to remain a member while choosing to support only certain BGAV programs is impractical, awkward, and in the long run impossible because where the root is poisoned the fruit soon follows.

          It is time to get our eyes off the past and look to God’s future promise.

          It is time to cease bowing before a golden organizational image and undertake the effort to forge something theologically biblical, organizationally innovative, bureaucratically minimal, evangelistically focussed, and mission centered.

          It is time for laymen and pastors to stop tap dancing around the issues, or refusing to even acknowledge that there are issues.

          It is time to put into practice our belief that the Lord is our shepherd, not a state convention, local association, SBC, or any other manmade device. He will guide us, sustain us, and direct us.

          It is time to come out from among them, declare ourselves a new state convention, and be about the Lord’s business.

          It is time!