Let’s Talk About Being Baptist…

I spent a large part of this past fall traveling around Texas to different cities, listening to what young adults had to say about being Baptist. I was encouraged in many ways with what they had to say about being Baptist, about engaging the world for Christ.

I am sold on being Baptist. For me, the freedom which we hold dear, which we early on fought for both for ourselves and equally for others, is what continues to connect me to Baptist life. We are a messy, dissenting bunch. But it is because we value each person’s voice (ideally), knowing that God may be speaking through them. I like congregational church governance. I can’t see any other way of ‘doing’ church- committees, messiness and all.

So it pains me when I see Baptists, young and old, trying to ‘pretend’ they aren’t really Baptist. Or they down play it. The debate over whether to include ‘Baptist’ in the church name may seem nominal, but I think it gets at the core of the principles of church- in Baptist life, our polity reflects our theology. Institutional memory is very short, and I can see it taking less than a generation for a church to forget ‘where it came from’ once Baptist is removed from the name. The distinctive of voluntary cooperation among churches is brilliant- there is so much power, and yet freedom, in joining together to put resources to use more effectively for the Kingdom. And b/c we have local church autonomy, we can therefor

Phillip Wise, pastor of Second Baptist Church in Lubbock, eloquently gets to the heart of the ethics of having Baptist in the name of your church, and what that represents, in the most recent issue of the Baptist Standard. The question posed was:

Our church is talking seriously about sponsoring a new congregation in our area. But we seem headed for a meltdown. Several folks insist “Baptist” must be kept out of the name of the new church. Surely there are moral grounds for requiring a Baptist church to include “Baptist” in its name.

An excerpt from Rev. Wise’s response:

However, there are some ethical issues connected with a church’s name and its denominational identity. First, it is unethical to have “Baptist” in your name and not really be a Baptist church. Of course, there are many issues about which Baptists disagree. However, there are some issues that are non-negotiable. You cannot claim to be a Baptist and not believe in and practice these fundamental Baptist tenets. For example, if a church does not allow all members to participate in decision-making, then it cannot be a Baptist church—regardless of its name.

But the paragraph that really struck me, given the uncertainty with which many in my generation approach being Baptist:

Third, it is embarrassing and sad that many Baptists now feel the name “Baptist” has been soiled. There are many kinds of Baptists, and no church can agree with every stripe of Baptist. Nevertheless, “Baptist” is an honorable name, and I am happy and proud the church I serve kept “Baptist” in its name. I believe true Baptists should live in ways that will help redeem the name.

So, lets talk about being Baptist- what are your thoughts? Is your church struggling with this issue?  Should they be?

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