CBF Coordinator on CBF                                                                                        

by   T. C. Pinckney                                                                                                                                    Vol. XIV, No. 1, January 2001

The entire front page and more of the 21 September 2000 Religious Herald was devoted to an interview with Dan Vestal, CBF's chief executive officer. While friendly, it was a helpful interview in that it led Vestal to address several issues frequently discussed within churches faced with decisions about which Baptist organization to support, the SBC or CBF, the CBF-friendly Baptist General Association of Virginia or the SBC-friendly Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia. Here are the three most salient sections of that interview with some brief comments of my own.

"Your critics say you are a denomination or shadow denomination. You send missionaries, endorse chaplains, give financial support to theological seminaries, a press service, ethics center and host an annual meeting. Are you a denomination?

"I'm not afraid of the 'D' word to describe us. But that word itself has so much baggage and so many different connotations that I shy away from it. It means so many things to so many people. Having said all that, let me speak directly to your question. We are clearly an association of churches and individuals that provides denominational services for Baptists. [Italics added.]

"CBF is not a convention for one compelling reason: We believe a network model is better suited for the new realities of the 21st century than a convention. ..."

Comment: Note the italicized sentence. Whatever the semantics, Vestal, the top CBF executive, agrees that CBF does what denominations do, though through somewhat different arrangements.

"Is it fair to say CBF has broken away from the SBC?

"Yes, I think it is fair, although I would like to add that it is more accurate to say CBF exists because churches have broken away from the SBC either partially or completely."

Comment: In its early days CBF claimed to be just an alternate route to fund SBC missions. However, in its June 1994 meeting the SBC directed its entities not to receive further funds channeled through CBF and so made it impossible for CBF to continue that misleading claim. Now Vestal admits that CBF has broken from the SBC. It is also noteworthy that at the CBF annual meeting last summer there were numerous calls for CBF to forthrightly declare itself a national convention.

"Critics of CBF attack you for the company CBF keeps. How can a Baptist organization relate to groups who take different positions on issues like homosexual behavior? Does financial support imply endorsement of another group's stance on issues?

"CBF has never expended funds to endorse, support, or promote the gay/lesbian lifestyle. My predecessor, Cecil Sherman, and I have expressed our personal convictions about this issue. CBF's practice from the beginning is that we will not appoint a missionary that practices a homosexual lifestyle.

"Having said that, it is a mistake to say that CBF will not associate and cooperate with organizations that may hold different positions than ours on some issues. Surely in the Baptist family and the larger body of Christ we can fellowship with and learn from and work alongside those with whom we are in disagreement on different issues. ... "

Comment: Since this interview the November 2000 issue of fellowship! reports that the CBF Coordinating Council "has adopted a stance on the issue of homosexuality described by leaders as 'welcoming but not affirming' of gays." The council's statement says, inter alia, "CBF does not allow for the expenditure of funds for organizations that condone, advocate or affirm homosexual practice", and it prohibits the "purposeful" hiring of homosexuals as CBF staff or missionaries.

And yet, the new CBF budget includes $9,900 to the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America, a very actively pro-homosexual organization, "for three resources for congregations dealing with the topics of church conflicts and reconciliation, restorative justice, and issues of peace and justice." The official CBF cover for that action is that it is not an outright gift to the BPFNA but is instead payment for specific projects. But that is a distinction without a difference.

Comments by the immediate past resident of Baptist Women in Ministry are also creating problems for CBF. Becca Gurney is quoted in the same BP story as saying, "Who am I to say who God can call and gift for ministry? In terms of God calling gays and lesbians, when we start limiting God's call, we're in dangerous territory."

Baptist Women in Ministry receives $30,000 from CBF. Again, critics point to a link between pro- homosexual statements and CBF funding. Perhaps CBF leaders should re-read Amos 3:3 and II Corinthians 6:14.