Southern Baptists will meet for their annual convention session and other meetings. Several have asked me if anything is on the horizon that we should be watching for as part of the convention business and issues. Interpreted that means is anything controversial coming up. With Baptists one never knows for sure.
 
While it might not be talked about in official business there is a meeting coming up in Atlanta in 2008 that has the attention of many. It is the New Baptist Covenant Convocation being hosted by former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. The meeting is said to be an effort to unite Baptists in the United States for a positive voice rather than a negative one. Others have said it is nothing more than a get-out-the-vote rally for Democrats as the 2008 election year kicks off. Southern Baptist leaders have shied away from the meeting.
 
The recent press about the New Baptist Covenant meeting brought to mind a message I preached in November of 2000 in the Olive pulpit. The title was, “Why Jimmy Carter is not a Southern Baptist.” The sermon followed the letter and video Mr. Carter sent to 75,000 people announcing he was resigning from the Southern Baptist Convention to join the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. In reality an individual does not belong to the SBC. Only churches belong and people belong to churches that make up the convention. But I understand what he meant in that letter. He said the more dramatic miracles in the Bible might not be true. He also said he could not imagine innocent people who had not heard the Gospel being left out of heaven. He took exception with churches not allowing women to be pastors. And finally he criticized the SBC for seeking to convert Mormons, stating they were Christians. It became apparent the former President did not need to resign SBC life. He had already left us.
 
A big issue in days to come will be, “What is a Baptist?”  Where is the edge of the Baptist tent? Can you believe anything and be a Baptist? I want you to remember that Southern Baptists are not defined by what a convention says. Baptists are highly independent autonomous churches. We must continue to define Olive according to Scripture. We will then have no trouble finding likeminded churches to covenant with in a convention for the cause of missions around the world.

Pastor Ted Traylor

Posted on Tuesday, June 5th, 2007 at 9:25 am.
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