Emancipation Proclamation
by Rev. Ronald N. Boswell Vol. IX, No. 6, June/July 1996
pastor, Grove Avenue Baptist Church, Richmond
I can think back in my life and ministry over several situations and events which called for extraordinary prayer, good solid thinking to find the mind of Christ, and then great courage to finally step out and act upon the light that God gave. Among those extraordinary times and events are: a call to the ministry, the direction toward a lifelong partner, the move to the mission field and then back home again, and the call to become Pastor of Grove Avenue Baptist Church. All of these marked a dramatic change of direction vision, lifestyle, and ministry. Now, something else has been occupying a great deal of my prayer time and meditation.
We are now faced with one of those choices which must be made clearly and strongly under the leadership of God. That is, whether a strong, theologically conservative church such as ours can work in full fellowship and harmony with the Baptist General Association of Virginia. For three years I have listened to others, debated with them and with myself, and spent time on my knees and on my face before God in prayer. I dislike confrontation. I abhor division. And in my heart and soul I want us to live peaceably with all men.
In September, the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia will meet in our church for their annual meeting of fellowship and business. I have no doubt at all that, in that meeting, a motion will be made that the Southern Baptist conservative churches of Virginia form a separate and distinct state convention to do the work of the Lord, to promote a strong and energetic program of evangelism and missions, and to provide some alternatives in ministry and programming where there is a lack of excitement and agreement with the ministries and programs promoted by the Baptist General Association of Virginia.
I have come to feel in my own heart and spirit, that such a convention is necessary and timely. Let me present to you the conclusions and a bit of the background that have led me to warmly endorse the step that I believe will be taken in September.
1. We do not have the same objectives and goals. I have looked very carefully at the recently adopted Executive Committee goals for the State Association. I can understand why they are a bit reactive and clearly state objectives which those who prepared them will recognize as unacceptable to strong, biblically conservative churches. While some of the objectives and goals are laudable, others are walls erected around the status quo to provide protection and comfort rather than to challenge us to aggressive warfare against the enemy.
2. We are not really wanted! Moderate and liberal Southern Baptists have been saying that for years about the Southern Baptist Convention. Here in Virginia I know how they feel and understand their pain. If this were the only reason for the formation of a separate convention, it would be poor and weak indeed. No pastor who is a man of God leaves his church at the first negative vote and no prophet of God has ever changed his message because the hearers were not receptive. We must not be petulant and childish and "take our ball and go home", but one of the great, good blessings in the Kingdom of God is that of deep, real fellowship. We have that on an individual and local level many times between neighboring pastors who love and appreciate each other, and who support and applaud the work of their colleague, but it seems that when we get together in larger meetings, the fellowship factor disappears and is replaced by suspicion, obstinacy, and a lack of communication.
3. We have been "shut out”. Recent action taken in Baptist Association of Virginia meetings has made it impossible for parliamentary proceedings to effect change in the state association. The door has been locked shut and the die cast for years to come. You will not find members of Grove Avenue Baptist Church asked to serve on strategy, budget, policy, or personnel committees on the state level.
4. We are caricatured, lumped together, mislabeled, and misnamed, but then conservatives have also done that. Even if we do form a new convention we must be very, very careful not to allow structure to impact long-held friendships and warm fellowship between fellow pastors and churches.
5. There are strong and important theological and ideological differences that separate us. Many have said that this is entirely political, or that it is personal, or that it is ego driven. There is no doubt that some of this is true, but more basic than this "sin of the flesh' is the widening gap between us on biblical and moral issues. In my first state convention a few years ago, I sat next to a young pastor and his wife who voted against a motion to name homosexuality as a deviant lifestyle. They then voted against a motion to promote a pro-life Sunday emphasis. My wife and I sat there dumbfounded and disappointed. In state convention meetings since then I have sat spellbound, wondering if I had inadvertently come to the wrong meeting as the actions of those present toward moral, ethical, and theological matters seemed so far afield from historic Baptist faith and practice that they were unrecognizable. What seems to unite the Baptist General Association of Virginia is a misinterpretation of Baptist history and doctrine. If a new conservative state convention is formed, we will immediately be accused of breaking away when, in fact, we will be moving back, historically, toward the center of who we have always been and what we have believed. This BGAV attitude is a tragic and sad misinterpretation of the great biblical doctrine of the priesthood of the believer. There is the acceptance, at least publicly and on Convention levels, of lifestyles that can in no way agree with biblical portraits of marriage and the family. There is also an unscriptural and inhumane concept of the sanctity of human life. Any appeal to Scripture as the sole authority is seen as unreal, untimely, and unacceptable. The seminary that is supported by the Baptist General Association of Virginia in Richmond seems dedicated, not to the exposition and study of the inerrant Word of God, but to a strange pursuit of its errancy, fallibility, and weakness. One of our young men preparing for the ministry was attending that seminary. He would come home, night after night, discouraged and defeated by what he heard in class. He has now shifted his theological training to Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Why should we form a new state convention at this time?
1. I state again that, for several years, it has been evident that we are growing further and further apart. The new Baptist General Association president, in a meeting of leaders, insisted that the Southern Baptist Convention leadership was composed of "Satanists." There has been a retreat and retrenchment on the part of the current Virginia Baptist leadership away from Southern Baptist Convention goals and objectives. The question has been asked by both moderates and conservatives, "How can two walk together except they be agreed?" I just don't have the time, energy, or inclination to continue to plead, disagree, wonder, hurt, or fight! I am not making a political statement; this is not a political action; we seek no office, no place of leadership, no stature for this church or its pastor. It is not a surrender, a slap in the face for anyone, or a declaration of war. It is not done in petulance; we am not pouting -- we are just disagreeing. It is a step to one side.
As Pastor, I feel no thrill, no jubilation, no joy, no relief in this. Some pray for us to step aside, to leave and to quit. I heard one pastor say of the last BGAV meeting, "This is the most peaceful convention we've had in years." It was said with a great sigh of relief and peace. That is because we were not there in force! We bussed in no groups, we ran no candidates, we mounted no platform, we fought no fight! We are unable to change the situation. We must step outside, reform, and retool for the work of the Kingdom of God.
2. I am really no longer willing to be identified with any group - be it national, state, or associational - that is ambiguous on moral, ethical, and theological beliefs and convictions. I believe we are wasting time. (The irony is that the moderate and liberal groups are saying the same things about the Southern Baptist Convention - I believe erroneously.) I am uncomfortable being part of a group that would endorse National Education Association principles, or who would stand for “Americans United for Separation of Church and State,” or who would endorse the American Civil Liberties Union in its harassment of churches and Christian youth.
3. We must not, and cannot work alone in this tremendous state. Job #1 is to take the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all who would listen - both at home and abroad. Missions is not just a program. It involves the missionaries who go and the message that they preach. Who will we send? What will they say and do when they get there? How will they evangelize with an ambiguous Gospel and an edited Bible? When churches are started, what kind of churches will they be? Will we export death to other cities, to other states, to other countries? We must not! When our young people go on camps and retreats, what kind of counsel will they receive when the Spirit of God convicts them of sin, righteousness, and judgment?
4. We need a place to stand and the people to stand with - a fellowship of like-minded believers. Many believe that there must be a way to pray to the Lord God in the school system. We believe that God is the giver of life and no man has the right to take it, whether it be the life of an abortion clinic worker or the life of an unborn child. We must not give condoms to children at school. They must be taught that sex is reserved for the sanctity of marriage. While it is true that many, many of those who will not join us believe these same things, they are unwilling or unable, as a group to voice these convictions. I believe we can no longer serve expediency and promote a false union with a "don't rock the boat" attitude.
We have also wanted to avoid anything that would cause our church to stop, stall, be detoured or distracted from its main task, but if we are to grow, it must be with people who hold the same convictions. It must be that same flight attendant who said long ago, "This plane is bound for Atlanta. If you are on board this aircraft and not bound for Atlanta, you need to exit immediately." We must let those who join our fellowship know where we are going. Thirty years ago, you could visit almost any Southern Baptist church anywhere and not find two degrees worth of difference. Today that is not so - within two miles of our church are other Southern Baptist churches who carry the same name, have the same look about them, sing from the same hymnals, read the same Bibles, but they are distinctly different. I believe that that is the way it ought to be - there ought to be a place for all of us. I pray for those pastors and churches and applaud their ministries. I wish them success, prosperity, growth, and spiritual vitality.
Then, what will the new state convention do? Lee Iococca used a phrase, "Lead, follow, or get out of the way!"
1. We must not reproduce the bureaucracy, the waste, or the lost motion of the current denominational system.
2. We must build a new fellowship based on the twin peaks of historical Baptist belief and biblical fellowship.
3. We must do whatever we do without rancor, anger, recrimination, competition, or division. "By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, because you love one another."
What will Grove Avenue do?
1. We will make it job #1 to know the mind of Christ, to "listen to the wind", the Spirit of God.
2. We will evaluate every program, partnership, and ministry on every level for its biblical distinctive, and its practical efficiency and effectiveness.
3. We will grow - because the hand of God is upon us! We will tell the old story in new ways, and we will face new frontiers. Faith will grow as we exercise it and love will grow as we live it. We will worship, we will witness, and we will wonder at the power of God among us. At Grove Avenue, the pastor does not speak "ex cathedra." What I have said comes from my heart and will be the direction in which I will guide this church.
I believe that when we meet in September, we will decide to gently, lovingly, but courageously take a step to the side and form a new fellowship around the perfect Word of God. We will be an imperfect people and we will disagree from time to time, but we will agree that there is one faith, one Lord, one baptism, and we will move together for the glory of God!