From the Pastor's Desk, No.1                                                     

                                                                                                                    Vol. XIV, No. 1, January 2001   
 

[Introduction: It has been pointed out previously in The Banner that every church must decide with which Virginia state Baptist convention to be associated, and that it is a decision you cannot avoid. Doing nothing is a decision to remain where you are. This article is the uncut reprint (by permission) of the pastor's column in the November 2000 issue of The Matoaca Messenger, the newsletter of Matoaca Baptist Church. TCP]

I was planning on writing this column anyway, but it was good to have someone actually ask the questions that I want to answer. It is my hope that the issue of whom we associate with and where we send God's mission money is something that we all believe to be important.

So, why did I stand up that Sunday morning in October and announce that I believed that the time had come for us to uniquely affiliate with the SBCV? To begin, I have always been involved in the SBCV (Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia).  Well before there was an SBCV I attended the 1990 BGAV (Baptist General Association of Virginia) annual meeting. I had just come to Virginia from North Carolina and was thrilled to be "home".  I knew that the theology I had encountered at Southeastern Seminary would not be dominant in Virginia. I cannot remember ever being more wrong.  In the next several years, as I attended more annual meetings and then the "reaction" gatherings in the Norfolk area that led (along with other efforts throughout the state) directly to the SBCV, I became more and more certain that I had little in common with those who led (and lead) the BGAV.  You can phrase it any way you wish or cloud the issue with other phrases which mean different things to different hearers but the main issue boils down to this.  Is the Bible (ALL of it) the perfect, inerrant revelation of God to man OR does the Bible merely contain (among errors which must be corrected) the Word of God?

My answer (and the official answer of Matoaca Baptist Church) is that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God. Where God has spoken I will believe and obey. Period. I know that sounds harsh. I know that we are not perfect as individuals or as a church in our obedience. But that is where we stand. Let me give you some examples that may seem simple but they illustrate the point.

[a] I believe that Adam and Eve were a historical, human couple created by God and physically placed in the Garden.

[b] I believe Noah built an ark and there was a flood that covered the entire earth.

[c] I believe that Mary was a virgin when Jesus was born.

[d] I believe that Jesus, fully human and fully God, literally died on a cross for my sins, rose on the third day and stands at the right hand of the Father.

You say, "So what, doesn't every Christian believe these things?" Well, actually no, they don't. I will not attempt to speak for every "moderate" (and certainly not every church in the BGAV is pastored or peopled by "moderates"), but I have personal knowledge (no, I cannot produce recordings etc) of pastors and other leaders who have denied one or more of these doctrines. And these are the simple ones. When you begin to examine what the Word says about marriage, ordination, the Second Coming of Christ, the differences become even sharper. So, what's the point? Very simply, it has become depressingly clear to me that the BGAV has, as an institution, passed the point where human beings will be able to call it back into being the organization that its' founders created it to be. The leadership has made it very clear that their allegiance lies not in line with the God-breathed Word of God but rather with the "interpretations" that have become so popular at academic institutions and in such pseudo-denominations as the Co-operative Baptist Fellowship. I really do not intend to concentrate on the "differences" so let me make my main point.

We are known by those we associate ourselves with.  I must confess that I have gotten to the point where it is a pleasure to watch people squirm when I identify myself as a Southern Baptist pastor.  They want to know if I am a "intelligent, thoughtful, modern man" or if I am a "right-wing, fundamentalist, fire breathing, hell-fire conservative"?  It is fun to tell them that I model myself after Christ and that I believe what He said He believes about God's Word (which makes me the conservative!). Therefore-- when I choose to belong to the Southern Baptist Convention (which I proudly claim!) then I identify myself as a Bible-believing, conservative Christian who approves of the theology (inerrancy) taught by it's leaders. When I chose to belong to the SBCV (I was there before it was a convention and have led both churches I have pastored in the SBCV direction) it is because I believe that God would be pleased by our joining together with other Christians who believe God's Word is inerrant and are committed to following Him.

I have chosen to distance myself from the BGAV in recent years for many reasons, but the outstanding one occurred several years ago in Roanoke (and actually "sparked" the dismay that led to the declaration of the "official" SBCV).  Without going into great detail, the BGAV refused to condemn the idea of homosexuality as a "normal" lifestyle.  While they may split linguistic hairs over the actions of the convention that year, the flavor was clear.  The official Baptist position in Virginia was ambiguous ... it was possible to be actively homosexual and not be considered "outside" of the will and Word of God as far as the BGAV was concerned!  I did not and do not wish to be known as one who can look at what God clearly condemns and be wishy-washy.  Please understand that this is just one of MANY issues which the BGAV and I differ over.

Fair question -- "What took you so long?" If you look at our recent budgets you will notice that we (as a percentage) basically stopped giving to the BGAV in the first budget cycle after I arrived. The fact is that, after forwarding most of our contribution to the SBC, funding my retirement contribution and sending us various mailings there is no Matoaca money left for the BGAV to use.  What we did not do was publicly renounce our ties to the BGAV. Why? First, I did not wish to plunge the church into the debate so soon in my pastorate. Second, we were already voting with our giving. Third, I did not sense any urging from God to make official that which was already obvious. From my perspective, that third reason has been altered by God. God always seems to provide at least one person in the church to speak up when His time is right. In the last few months several of you (one man in particular) have asked me "when are we going to stand up and be counted and vote to leave the BGAV?" Then we attended the SBCV Annual Meeting and Bible Conference. For me God spoke loudly and clearly. The time is now.

So, what's next? It is my hope that the Deacons will bring a recommendation to our November business meeting that we will do two things. First, that we will instruct our treasurer to immediately cease all contributions to the BGAV and second, that we apply for unique affiliation with the SBCV. Remember... we are NOT a part of the SBC or BGAV or SBCV or the Petersburg Baptist Association because of what they can do for us. Rather we are a part because of what we can accomplish (in obedience to God) through each organization. The question IS "choose you this day. Who is on the Lord's side?"