Awaking from Confessional Amnesia

Many Baptists had forgotten what it meant to be a confessional people. They fell from Nicea to Tubingen, from Chalcedon to Bultmann, from Schleithem to Schleiermacher, from the Baptist Faith and Message to Barth. Although most Baptists never fully embraced these departures, many were at least confused enough that they either lost zealous conviction or they had only a foggy idea of theological depth, most of which was based upon their small bubble of traditionalism rather than doctrinal understanding. A doctrinal statement became a nice piece of occasional interest with distant appreciation. It became a document for dust collection but not a tool of doctrinal accountability. Cooperative relationships were built mostly on pragmatism and personal relationships but not confessional agreement. There was much equivocation in many Baptist churches and denominational entities for approximately two generations. There was a sort of confessional amnesia. Some were concerned that “Israel had forgotten his Maker.” That was then. Thank God for the faithful remnant that called us back and endured great difficulty for the sake of the bride of Christ. Things are getting better and I praise God for it.

There is a great rebirth of theological study grounded upon the sufficiency of the inerrant word of God. Accompanying this rejuvenation is an awakening of doctrinal accountability among cooperating churches. I serve as a Director of a confessional association of churches throughout North Texas. All of our churches affirm the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 and as an association we affirm the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy. We are excited about the missional fervor that flows from robust doctrinal agreement. The churches of the North Texas Baptist Association are refusing to slumber in these last days. I am also a member of a church that cooperates with about 45,000 other churches through the Southern Baptist Convention including 2,500 churches in the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. There is much work to be done and Jesus has called us to do it. I am not mad at anybody. I love everybody and wish them well. Our Baptist people know what God has called us to do and we are doing it. If we will continue with great efficiency in our Great Commission work, then there are at least three things to keep in mind regarding confessional agreement and cooperative relationships.

First, confessional agreement defines us. This is no time nor place for ambiguity. We cannot settle on the lowest common denominator and wish for the best. Some groups are basing their cooperation upon the affirmation of “any Baptist statement of faith.” The vagueness is crippling. Some groups just mention “agreement with any Baptist Faith and Message.” The 2000 BFM addresses homosexuality, abortion, egalitarianism, pornography, and roles of gender. The 1925 and 1963 do not. This difference has provided a shady place for some who do not wholeheartedly affirm these issues addressed in the 2000. It is always necessary for Christians to speak doctrinal clarity to the cultural changes that face us. Nicea answered the challenges to Christ’s deity and we must answer the challenges of our day as well. This is what defines who we are to the world in which we live. Our statement of faith is exactly that, it is our expression of faith and it is our message to all.             

Second, confessional agreement defines our parameters of unity. When we make a statement of identity we are also making a statement of non-identity. Whatever is, is and whatever is not, is not. To say a pickle is a pickle is also to say that whatever is not a pickle is not a pickle. If a carrot says, “I am a pickle”, then the carrot is wrong. Pickles are united in the family of pickleness because of what it means to be a pickle. If Christians are defined by, “We believe in the deity of Jesus Christ” and someone else says, “I do not believe in the deity of Jesus Christ”, then the second person is denying an essential element of what it is to be Christian and is therefore not Christian. Our agreement on what is, that is what unites us. Unity of mission has united purpose and united purpose begins with unity of meaning. When we define our cooperative relationships we should remember there are various levels of cooperation. I personally will work with a wide variety of people regarding the sanctity of human life and the full and free expression of religious liberty across our land. However, when it comes to planting churches and training pastors I need some clear parameters of who we are and what we are doing. Confessional agreement accomplishes this need. If one person or group chooses to step outside of our previously agreed upon parameters, then we will address the situation in Christian love with the desire for restoration. If the erring one(s) come back, we have gained our brother(s). If they don’t, we will pray for their return but we will not lose definition of our identity in a world that needs Christian clarity as salt and light. We are united in our identity and we will be divided without it.

Third, confessional agreement places restrictions on our divisions. One of the symptoms of confessional amnesia is that people within the parameters fight and divide over issues that have already been settled as acceptable points of disagreement. There is no reason to divide over what is allowable in our Baptist Faith and Message. I refuse to fight over the Calvinism/Anti-Calvinism issue but if there is expression which goes beyond our statement of faith I will lovingly confront it. I will not divide over one’s millennial position so long as there is still affirmation of our agreed upon document of accountability. The exact age of the earth, plural elders, single elder, complete congregationalism, grape juice or wine, mowing one’s yard on the Lord’s Day, limited atonement, unlimited atonement, divorced pastor, tithe on gross or net income, ad infinitum. I certainly have my convictions about these beliefs and so do most of you. Moreover, these are not issues that warrant division in cooperative relationships of churches. If the cooperative community discerns a threat to their identity, then it should be addressed and if there is need for a confessional update, then that is to be decided by the community. An individual, autonomous church may have a particular position on these issues but if we will reach the world for Christ we must not squabble over things which are allowable in our doctrinal statement. Let us not waste valuable time and energy fighting about things which are already settled. May we continue to awake with the value of confessional agreement and march triumphantly toward greater Christian victory.

Finally, these words from B.H. Carroll. “The modern cry: "Less creed and more liberty," is a degeneration from the vertebrate to the jellyfish, and means less unity and less morality, and it means more heresy. Definitive truth does not create heresy - it only exposes and corrects. Shut off the creed and the Christian world would fill up with heresy unsuspected and uncorrected, but none the less deadly.”