Replies

["From the SBC site"] Approval of sex education is conditional so as to limit the sex education teachers to only the very ugly.

Sad but necessary. Sometimes we're just forced to roll with the times. When I was a teenager I would have been ever so glad that none of my teachers then looked anything like the ones getting arrested every five minutes today. Those were good wholesome times. Sigh.

But I found this very interesting [from the SBC site]: Autonomy - We affirm the autonomy of the local church. Each church is free to determine its own membership and to set its own course under the headship of Jesus.

I take this to mean that any church can do whatever it pleases and that the 16 million members of the SBC are not held to any of the principles or resolutions of the SBC. Would you please confirm that for me? If true, then the claim that all churches under the SBC hold all the positions of the SBC is not valid.

The wording IS a little tricky but the general idea is that while the SBC does not claim authority over any church to dictate beliefs to it, if one wants to be a voting member of the SBC then one has to be in general agreement with the goals and aims of the SBC. The following is from the SBC Constitution (pdf). When you see "messenger" think "voting delegate":

Article III. Membership: The Convention shall consist of messengers who are members of missionary Baptist churches cooperating with the Convention as follows:

1. One (1) messenger from each church which: (1) Is in friendly cooperation with the Convention and sympathetic with its purposes and work. Among churches not in cooperation with the Convention are churches which act to affirm, approve, or endorse homosexual behavior. And, (2) Has been a bona fide contributor to the Convention’s work during the fiscal year preceding.

2. One (1) additional messenger from each such church for every two hundred and fifty (250) members; or for each $250.00 paid to the work of the Convention during the fiscal year preceding the annual meeting.

3. The messengers shall be appointed and certified by the churches to the Convention, but no church may appoint more than ten (10).

4. Each messenger shall be a member of the church by which he is appointed.

Article IV. Authority: While independent and sovereign in its own sphere, the Convention does not claim and will never attempt to exercise any authority over any other Baptist body, whether church, auxiliary organizations, associations, or convention.

So as you can see, the key phrase is "friendly cooperation with the Convention and sympathetic with its purposes and work". Off hand, I'm not aware of any church ever being thrown out over this but it could have happened. I take it to mean that if a church is right there on the main stuff and close enough on the secondary stuff (Arminians and Calvinists ARE welcome) then the church can be in. There is not any sort of litmus test on a church by church basis for agreeing to ALL of the resolutions that come out of the Conventions. It's basically the overall "friendly cooperation".

Therefore I cannot claim that all SBC churches agree on every issue on which the SBC gives a position, but I can say that there is very substantial agreement on the major issues, including social issues like homosexuality, abortion, women clergy, etc.

INDEED.

And, most of the So Baps I’ve been close to have been various degrees of Calvinist.

So as you can see, the key phrase is "friendly cooperation with the Convention and sympathetic with its purposes and work". Off hand, I'm not aware of any church ever being thrown out over this but it could have happened. I take it to mean that if a church is right there on the main stuff and close enough on the secondary stuff (Arminians and Calvinists ARE welcome) then the church can be in. There is not any sort of litmus test on a church by church basis for agreeing to ALL of the resolutions that come out of the Conventions. It's basically the overall "friendly cooperation".

Therefore I cannot claim that all SBC churches agree on every issue on which the SBC gives a position, but I can say that there is very substantial agreement on the major issues, including social issues like homosexuality, abortion, women clergy, etc.

I see. So it's not quite as definite or binding as the Catechism. In the instance where a female pastor would be hired, what would the SBC do?