Last week former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton announced they were joining forces with 40 Baptist organizations to hold a gathering in January 2008. The meeting is called the “Celebration of a New Baptist Covenant.” The dates are January 30 - February 1, 2008. The event is tentatively scheduled for Atlanta. The announced idea is for Baptist leaders to reaffirm their commitments to Baptist values including evangelism, helping the needy and promoting religious freedom.  

While Southern Baptist leaders were not invited to the announcement ceremony, if these three items are the agenda, you can count me in. However, if other agenda items are some kind of political push for a candidate, you can count me out. These stated three items need a recommitment from all of us.    

1. Evangelism - If this is the sharing of Christ as the only sufficient means for salvation and calling men to a decision for Christ, I am in. If Jesus is only preached as one of the ways to God, count me out.   

2. Helping the Needy - Matthew 25 tells that helping others is on the final exam for Christians. If this is a call to help others and use it as a means to share Christ, count me in. If a social agenda with no Gospel is the call, then count me out.   

3. Religious Freedom - Giving every man the right to believe and practice religion as his heart dictates has been a Baptist hallmark. If that is the goal, then count me in. However, if the radical idea of separation of church and state that seeks to silence the Gospel in any public arena is the agenda, then count me out.   

I will be eager to see what the 2008 New Covenant for Baptists is all about. Until then count on me to continue to do work toward these three vital goals. I pray and hope many others will join the team.   

Pastor Ted Traylor        

Posted on Friday, January 19th, 2007 at 1:35 am.
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