Baptist ID: Personal Reflections

Yesterday, I shared with you the joy I had in meeting several people including pastors, professors, bloggers, and students.  Today I thought I provide some personal reflections on the messages.  I will try to be brief (click on their names to download audio of their messages).

Dr. Frank Page:

I have grown to really like Dr. Page.  I confess that when I first heard of him, I was quite skeptical.  Yet over the past year or so, I have found in Dr. Page not only a man who believes in the Cooperative Program but in cooperation with those whom he has differences.  Personally, while I have serious soteriological differences than Dr. Page, I share his passion for the lost, for gospel mission, and for the Church.  I will say that I was a bit disappointed when I quickly noticed that his message was the exact same one delivered last semester at SBTS chapel.  Indeed, I cannot imagine the demands and pressures of being a SBC president, but such a conference as this, in my mind, deserves a fresh perspective and more personal investment–especially coming from the figurehead of our Convention.  Be that as it may, I am encouraged see the effects throughout our Convention who practices what he preaches when it comes to the CP. 

Dr. Thom Rainer:

I was pleasantly surprised with Dr. Rainer’s message.  This is because I was expecting to either hear a lot of statistics followed up with some generic leadership principles (e.g. John Maxwell-ish) or a “status-quo” defense of the Convention.  From the start, I realized that Dr. Rainer came with a burdened heart and a passion to see genuine reform take place.  I really appreciate his emphasis on regenerate church membership and a clarion call for humility–a humility that begins with pointing the finger at ourselves and not one another.  We must take ownership over our failures, our lethargy in witness, our compromise in ecclesiology, our complacency with status-quo thinking, and our commitment to think more highly of ourselves than we ought.  Since the Convention, Dr. Rainer has written an excellent article which I would commend to you.  I agree with him 100%.  He says, “I am a part of a denomination that has many tracks but few bridges. And if we don’t start building some bridges quickly, God’s hand of blessing may move beyond us.”  Dr. Rainer, I am with you brother.

Dr. Mike Day:

Before the conference, I had no idea who Mike Day was.  Half way through his message, I was thinking, “Where did they find this guy?  He is nailing it!”  Dr. Day’s message reflected a man who was not content to bring mere description; rather, he came with profound prescription.  It is one thing to talk about the current state of affairs in the SBC; it is altogether another thing to offer clear and concise directives to bring about the change we need.  Here is a man who has a vision which propels him above the problems and transcends the trenches.  We would do well to listen to his message and think creatively how we can help make our Convention more missional and less bloated by bureaucracy.  I hope this conference serves as a springboard for Dr. Day to be heard by man more Southern Baptists in the future.

Dr. Paige Patterson:

I had a hard time following Dr. Patterson mainly because he spoke directly from a manuscript at a brisk pace.  Over the past years, Dr. Patterson has become a polarizing figure in Southern Baptist life, and the issue of the Anabaptist tradition is becoming just as controversial.  Some have alluded to the idea that Dr. Patterson is making a big push for the Anabaptist tradition in the SBC, and if that is the case, I have a hard time finding that it would be well-received.  In any case, I enjoyed the history lesson as I clearly came away with the realization that I do not know as much about the Anabaptists as I would like.

Dr. David Dockery:

Dr. Dockery clearly has one of the best historical and theological perspectives on the SBC.  His message was balanced and very attractive.  Dr. Dockery made some important observations which made for compelling evidence for the need of a renewed Baptist identity.  For example, my generation knows very little of Baptist history or what the Baptist Faith and Message says (I presume this could be said about the elder generation to an extent as well).  He rightly asserted that the problems threatening Southern Baptists today are at the first-order level, such as religious pluralism, liberalism, neo-paganism, and postmodernism.  Two things which stuck out in my mind was, 1), we have failed to take seriously Christ’s call for unity, and 2), many younger Southern Baptists have found heroes and models of the faith outside the SBC (such as Piper, Mahaney, MacArthur, etc.).  An exception to this reality for many of us is the Dr. Dockery himself–a man who is quickly becoming the foremost leader and highest respected Southern Baptist among my generation. 

Dr. Greg Thornbury:

Probably the most anticipated message of the conference was delivered by Dr. Greg Thornbury.  Much like the call for a new attitude of humility, a new emphasis for gospel consensus, and a renewed commitment to the Baptist distinctive of regenerate church membership, the new generation of leadership in the SBC gained quite a bit of attention at the conference.  I believe many who have labored so hard in the Conservative Resurgence realize that they are quickly fading off into the horizon of yesteryear, and it is time to start listening to the concerns, frustrations, and questions among the younger Southern Baptists.  Many of these leaders are also Southern Baptist bloggers–the principle subject matter in Dr. Thornbury’s message.  Unlike some who love to lob criticisms and attempt to delegitimize the blogosphere, Dr. Thornbury has adopted another approach, one which involves being a part of the conversation and seeking to understand what it is that is burning in the hearts and minds of bloggers and those who read them.  He was right to explain (as Stetzer did later) that the younger generation are looking elsewhere for networking, partnerships, cooperation, and encouragement than the SBC.  I hope that the jaded feelings of disillusionment could be dispelled with the positive and constructive tone of this conference, and in particular, Dr. Thornbury’s message.  He is right.  Baptist programs have expired, and we are tired of Baptist battles.  If Southern Baptists want to keep the younger generation dialed in, there must be a reason to keep them from changing the channel.  This conference, I hope, is a commercial for future SBC programming.

Dr. Jim Shaddix:

There has been some buzz over Dr. Shaddix’s message, and in particular, my summary.  By the time I began blogging his message, I was tired and did not intend to carry my notes all the way through the message.  I did, however, provide some quotes which he made early on about “non-traditional” churches.  I generally agree with Dr. Shaddix and believe there is great promise for the traditional church.  But there were several questions which came to my mind.  For instance, what defines a traditional church?  What does it look like?  In rural Alabama?  In urban Seattle?  In tropical Africa?  Furthermore, Dr. Shaddix clearly made the claim with certainty that “every non-traditional philosophy will expire,” and concluded that the question comes when they come back to the traditional church what they will find.  This premise carries a huge assumption, namely that only the traditional church will sustain interest in this younger generation.  I am not pomo or in the ECM, but I can tell you that there are some aspects of the Christian life they are offering which the traditional church would do well to learn form and listen to.  For instance, some are leaving because they find genuine Christian community and expression of their faith outside a highly programmatic and pragmatic church; they also are looking for opportunities to develop a healthy orthopraxy which seeks to couple a passion for evangelism with a passion for social reform, including a serious commitment for caring for the poor and engaging in health crises such as AIDS.  If Dr. Shaddix’s premise can be disproved, then the rest of his message would prove to have shorter shelf live than the non-traditional churches who have married the spirit of the age.  

Dr. Ed Stetzer:

This was the first time I heard Stetzer in person, and I kind of knew what to expect after talking with Joe and Steve.  Nevertheless, Stetzer brought it, and I bought it.  There will be, of course, many who will criticize Stetzer and his forward thinking about gospel, culture, and mission, but I have not seen any viable alternative from his critics.  Furthermore, “contextualization” has become about as misunderstood as “Calvinism” in the SBC, and some having concluded that any attempt to communicate the gospel in a given context is inherently compromising.  Stetzer is someone we desperately need in the SBC, and I pray he sticks around.  If you have a passion to reach your world with the gospel, to communicate Christ effectively, and plant churches which are “on mission,” then you would do well to pour through the messages and books by Stetzer.  He is right.  We cannot fiddle and fuss while Nashville burns.  On a lighter note, he did have the funniest quote of the conference when he expressed his delight in attending the annual meeting of the SBC because it was the only place he could go where he looks young and thin.  Hey Joe, where’s that gluttony resolution you typed up?

Dr. Timothy George:

As Dr. Dockery put it, he saved the best for last.  Now, Dr. Dockery has a little bias here, being so tight with Dr. George, but he is not far off.  Dr. Timothy George’s message was incredibly refreshing.  When he concluded, I was thinking, “Why can’t we hear more from Dr. George about Southern Baptist life?”  I will try to work on that.  Dr. George is so political-free and outside the inner circle that he is in just the right place to say the things he said in his message.  For instance, he mentioned that is was a “contrarian word” to have a conference theme which is so narcissistic (which he calls “baptistcentricity”), talking about “Baptist Identity” and all.  Dr. George serves as a faithful reminder that God is working outside the SBC and can do without us if he wishes.  After all, we are but donkey’s at the use of our Savior.  He can dismount this bucking ass anytime he wants.  But then again, he can do the Balaam thing as well.  Either way, Dr. George’s message helped me see that I needed to be historically and confessionally grounded while seeking for unity in witness and love in everything I do.  I don’t know if Dr. George is right to say that we needed to get rid of the word “Calvinist” simply because it has become the “n” word in the SBC.  I tend to think that if we can rightly define the terms and cordially discuss the doctrines therein, there can be a healthy dialogue about the sovereignty of God in salvation. 

Conference in General

I earnestly hope that this Baptist Identity Conference will help us move past condescension and controversy to cooperation and consensus.  Speaker after speaker, whether quoting Andrew Fuller on secondary matters (Thornbury), speaking the truth in love (George), or cultivating a spirit of mutual respect (Dockery), the emphasis was to get back to the gospel of Jesus Christ.  The emphasis on the integrity of the local church through church discipline and regenerate church membership hopefully will aid in getting Tom Ascol’s resolution passed in San Antonio; but more than that, I pray it will revive our commitment to the local church over our convention, to principle over politics, to love over legalism.  I have sufficient reason to bear such optimism in light of the messages delivered, the conversations shared, and the spirit of humility which was apparent in speakers and attendees alike.  May the Lord be pleased to use such donkeys to carry Him who carried our sins to the cross for His glory and building of His Church.