The Challenge of Being Baptist: Owning a Scandalous Past and an Uncertain Future

1 Being Baptist

1 1 Being baptist Scandalous Past,Uncertain Future V On the eve of the American Revolution, Anglican parson Charles Woodmason described the carryings on among the people called Baptists in the “Carolina backcountry.” He wrote, They don’t all agree in one Tune. For one sings this Doctrine, and the next something different—So that people’s brains are turn’d and bewildered. And then again to see them Divide and Sub divide, split into parties—Rail at and excommunicate one another—Turn(members)outofonemeetingandreceive(them back) into another. And a Gang of them getting together and gabbling one after the other (and sometimes disputing against each other) on abstruse Theological Questions . . . such as the greatest Metaph[ys]icians and Learned Scholars never yet could define, or agree on—To hear Ignorant Wretches, who cannot write . . . discussing such Knotty Points for the Edification of their Auditors . . . must give High offence to all Intelligent and rational Minds.1 Parson Woodmason was as correct as he was condescending. Indeed, many contemporary observers would concur that Baptists continue to give “high offense” in the church and the public square. 2 the challenge of being Baptist In the United States, for example, when a Virginia congressman calls Americans to intensify immigration laws in order to keep out Muslims who might be elected to high office and might take the oath of office on the Qur’an, did he not just have to be a Baptist?2 When members of a stem family church in Kansas staged protests at the funerals of soldiers killed in Iraq and shouted that such deaths are the result of God’s judgment on the nation, did they not just have to be Baptists?3 And what of the preacher who prayed that God might enable the death of President Barack Obama? He was, predictably, a Baptist.4 And then there are all those internecine “Baptist battles” fought incessantly in the pew and the press. For decades Baptists in the nation and especially the South have debated issues related to the inerrancy of the biblical text, ordaining women to Christian ministry, control of Baptist-related schools, academic freedom, secularism in the public schools, private school vouchers, trips to Disney World, glossolalia (speaking in tongues), praise choruses, baptizing homosexuals, rebaptizing Presbyterians, salvation for Jews and Muslims (or not), the “rapture” (before, during, or after Christ’s second coming), drinking wine at communion or at dinner , and the gospel benefits of something called “Christian heavy metal” music. So-called worship wars divide congregations over issues related to the nature of preaching, liturgy, prayer, and praise. In other Baptist contexts schism arises out of conflicts over congregational and ministerial authority and debates over the role of clergy and laity. Such divisions are not new, by any means. Early Baptists split over theologies of Calvinism and Arminianism, Sabbath-day worship , and the laying of hands onto the newly baptized. Later on, deep rifts developed over slavery and abolition, segregation and integration, and the role of women in church and pulpit. While some of its leaders helped form the Social Gospel, others opposed it vehemently. Theological differences continue, covering a wide spectrum from liberal to conservative, creating rifts over classic Being Baptist 3 Christian doctrines from the nature of salvation to the use of the King James Version of the Bible. Cooperation becomes impossible because convictions cannot be bridged. Today, Baptists’ missionary and benevolent programs feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and preach the gospel to rich and poor across the world. Some congregations bearing the Baptist name are among the largest in America. Others reflect membership that is stagnant or in rapid decline. Nonetheless, as the largest Protestant communion in the United States, Baptists represent a significant segment of the religious population. Amid their theological and cultural diversity, Baptists churches and individuals now confront a serious identity crisis as they anticipate the future. For all the public and private bombast in their denominations and churches, an increasing number of Baptists could not care less about the label Baptist, its history, and its traditions. This book examines elements of the Baptist past as a way of informing current ecclesial dilemmas and future prospects for a Baptist future. It explores some of the most identifiable characteristics of this messy coalition of people who first claimed an identity as a believers’ church over four hundred years ago. It focuses on issues related to conscience and...