Decisions, Divisions. You MUST decide
by T. C. Pinckney Vol. XII, No. 4, April 1999
Readers of either The Religious Herald and/or The Baptist Banner will readily understand that RH editor Mike Clingenpeel and I disagree on many topics. It is a pleasure, therefore, to point out one where we do agree. In his editorial in the 19 November '98 Religious Herald, "BGAV at 175 -- hold or sell?" he writes, "Finally, churches are being forced by many circumstances to clarify their identities, and as the BGAV begins its 176th year, its identity is never clearer. The existence of another Baptist state convention in Virginia is forcing Virginia Baptist congregations to do some self-assessment and decide which of the two more nearly matches their values. This is an especially painful process for congregations which have made no effort over the past two decades to stay informed about denominational matters. It is, however, inevitable, and churches are wise to get on with it." Right on, Mike!
Editor Clingenpeel has hit several nails on the head in that paragraph both in what he addresses specifically and in what his statements imply. Note that he writes, "...churches are being forced by many circumstances to clarify their identities..." He is right. Circumstances make it unavoidable that Virginia churches make far-reaching decisions ... and THERE IS NO WAY A CHURCH CAN AVOID DOING SO. The basic organizational decision is whether your church will align with the SBCV or remain with the BGAV. But if your church does not inform itself and take a vote, it has by default decided to stay in the BGAV. So face it, you make a decision either way. And it is a lot better to make important decisions consciously, having thought and prayed them through, rather than unconsciously or by inertia.
Mike continues, "The existence of another Baptist state convention in Virginia is forcing Virginia Baptist congregations to do some self-assessment and decide which of the two more nearly matches their values."
Let me suggest that he could have phrased that better. For Christians the real questions should not be my values or your values, not BGAV values or SBCV values; the critically and eternally important matter is God's values as expressed in His inerrant Word. My suggestion for every church facing this decision is to study what the Bible says about issues of the day (such as abortion, female pastors, homosexuality, divorce, et cetera) and compare biblical guidance with the words and especially the actions of each state convention.
How do you do that? Follow the money. Matthew 6:21 and Luke 12:34 quote Jesus as saying, " For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." This is true in our personal finances and in our denominational finances. For example, the SBCV sends 50% of its undesignated receipts to the Southern Baptist Convention whereas the BGAV sends the SBC only 12.5% from the default WM-2 budget track. Do you think those percentages accurately reflect the differing loyalties of the two conventions to the SBC and what the SBC stands for? Similarly, in the WM-2 default track of its current budget the BGAV commits only 1.08% of the 30% that goes out of state to all six SBC seminaries combined, whereas it gives 9% of the 30% to the extremely liberal seminary in Richmond. Check into the policies of organizations each convention supports: for the BGAV, organizations like the Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs, and the Baptist Center for Ethics. Follow the money; its trail tells you a lot about theology.
The remainder of Mike's statement is, I believe, correct: "This is an especially painful process for congregations which have made no effort over the past two decades to stay informed about denominational matters. It is, however, inevitable, and churches are wise to get on with it." Agreed. Each congregation should inform itself and make a knowledgeable decision. If I can be of help, call or fax me at 703-780-1566, e-mail me at thebaptistbanner@cox.net or write me at 8601 Buckboard Drive, Alexandria 22308. Obviously I cannot promise to have the answer to every question, but I will share what information I have.