Thesis #2 - "Baptist Tradition" Is Broadly Diverse

The Baptist Faith and Message is (still) a wide umbrella. It broadly encompasses many “traditions,” including those about which a local congregation might declare “we’ve never done that before!” When changes are proposed to a local congregation, resistant individuals all too often invoke the BF&M, mistakenly assuming that only their Baptist experience is supported by this great SBC statement of faith. We must realize that the BF&M declares only the baseline of beliefs common to the collective of churches within the Southern Baptist Convention. This confession of faith declares Baptist distinctives, such as baptism of regenerate believers by immersion, and thus has a narrowing, confining effect upon the range of beliefs that its institutions (and some would say its member churches) may express. The degree of theological constraint induced by the BF&M, however, is not so restrictive as to produce cookie-cutter churches. Each church is autonomous, and out of that freedom arises diversity. Even while celebrating the resurgence of Bible-centeredness in SBC churches, the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force acknowledged theological diversity within the convention. In part of their 2009 Pre-Progress Report, Ronnie Floyd, et. al. called upon SBC churches to commit to a “healthy confessional center.” Yet, describing that bible-centered confession, they wrote, “Like the best of confessions, the BF&M 2000 speaks most clearly to those doctrines wherein we enjoy greatest agreement and speaks more generally concerning areas where some differing opinions exist.” In other words, while we are all striving towards biblical excellence, we do have differing interpretations in areas that are not quite as essential to the gospel—nevertheless, we agree to cooperate.
The Baptist Faith and Message allows for diversity in several theological areas including a range of views regarding eschatology, charismatic gifts, and ecclesiology. Plainly, we can’t all be right when some of our views are mutually exclusive. Grace, however, permits us to accept some degree of diversity. Thankfully, these divisions will end some day soon: “for now we know in part, and we prophecy in part. But when the perfect comes, the partial will come to an end.” (1 Corinthians 13:9-10 HCSB)

Our SBC diversity becomes more apparent when we look at how we “do church.” In the same progress report, the GCR Task Force said, “There are essential and non-negotiable components of biblical ministry like proclamation, evangelism, service to others, prayer, and corporate worship. At the same time, we are convinced there is no specific style or method ordained by our God through which we must engage in these biblical ministries.” Perhaps SBC churches once appeared as uniform in worship style as McDonald’s franchise menus are, but that is no longer true today. In fact, our denominational leadership is pushing for diversity in strategy, methodology and style.

The openness of the Baptist Faith and Message permits local congregations to dig deeper into Scripture in order to align themselves more thoroughly with biblical doctrines and practices. Not all of us are going to be on the same page because we are experiencing sanctification and the transforming renewal of our minds in different areas at different rates.

So next time someone proposes a change for your church, please don't say "That's not Baptist." Search the scriptures and see if the change will push your congregation towards a Bible-centered excellence.