Another Fellowship?

by  T. C. Pinckney                                                                                                                                   Vol. VII, No. 9, November 1994

It is always interesting to read how Mike Clingenpeel, editor of The Religious Herald, characterizes conservatives, their actions, and their organizations. I refer in this instance to his editorial in the 22 September Herald by this same name.

Mike takes conservatives to task for forming the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia (SBCV), "an honest-to-goodness clone of the moderates' Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. What CBF is to the Southern Baptist Convention, SBCV is to the Baptist General Association of Virginia." He cites "the old saying: 'If it looks like a duck, smells like a duck, waddles like a duck, and quacks like a duck – it must be a duck.' ... Already it [SBCV] vies for Virginia Baptist loyalties and dollars, because its loyalty is to the SBC first, BGAV second."

He goes on to address motivations: "Conservatives say they have not found fellowship in the BGAV. But to suggest their purpose is solely fellowship and missions is disingenuous. They also formed SBCV to promote their brand of conservative theology and denominational politics ..."

In short, Mike deals in the quoted passages with three aspects of the SBCV: its nature (Is the SBCV a CBF clone?), its loyalty, and its motivation. In each instance my judgment is that he is way off base. Let's consider each.

SBCV Nature: Superficially there is a resemblance between the CBF and SBCV. Both are distinct organizations formed and existing in the shadow of a larger, older group. Both carry out various functions, both ask for funds from participating churches. But there the resemblance stops. One must look behind surface appearances and ask what is going on and why? After all, it may look, sound, walk, and smell (actually, I don't ever recall sniffing a duck) quite a lot like a duck and really be a swan or a goose. The resemblance between the CBF and SBCV is in surface appearances, not in defining, substantive characteristics. The next two characteristics are much more germane.

SBCV Loyalty: As noted above, Mike claims SBCV loyalty "is to the SBC first, BGAV second." That is at best a misperception. SBCV members' loyalty is to the inerrant, infallible, powerful Word of God ... primarily in its personal manifestation in Jesus, our Lord and Savior and King, but also in its written manifestation, the Bible. Our organizational affinities derive from that focus of faith. The loyalty of the SBCV is NOT to the SBC, NOT to the BGAV, but rather to the Word of God. Whatever Baptist organizational entity is most true to that Word will receive our allegiance and our enthusiastic support. As we see the SBC moving back to its historic loyalty to the Word, we increasingly endorse it. Because we do not see the BGAV moving in a reforming direction but, indeed, quite the opposite, we seek to educate and convince other Virginia Baptists of the need for biblical change in Virginia. Our loyalty to God and to His Book takes precedence over any organization; were the SBC to revert to its liberal, apostate direction of some 15 to 20 years ago and persist in it, we could not adhere to it. The issue is not one organization versus another; the issue is obedience to Jesus' command, "Follow Me."

SBCV Motivation: Actually, we have largely covered motivation in our discussion of loyalty, but there are one or two points still to be made. Mike implies that we claim our only purpose is fellowship and missions, and he asserts that we "also formed the SBCV to promote their brand of conservative theology and denominational politics in Virginia churches and the BGAV." The purpose of the SBCV is not a secret and need not be guessed. It is published openly in Article II of the SBCV constitution:

"The purpose of the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia is to assist local Southern Baptist churches in Virginia to win the lost to Christ, to develop believers, and to promote missions and evangelism through a strong organization which will provide sound, biblical teaching (consistent with the Baptist Faith and Message, 1963), inspirational meetings, timely information, and mutual fellowship, undergirded by the prayers of the saints." [The bold print was added for emphasis.]

Sound, biblical teaching consistent with the Baptist Faith and Message of 1963 is what the SBCV seeks, what it is all about. This is precisely the opposite of the CBF.