The Southern Baptist Convention Part 5

I originally posted this on Friday afternoon. After a night to think about it I have come in on Saturday morning to edit it. So if you read it on Friday I hope you will give me a little grace and reread it. No one contacted me about the first posting, I was just not completely comfortable with how it came across after I reflected on it for awhile.

With a little time to reflect and SLEEP, I wanted to write a “wrap-up” post. Denominational happenings is not the chief message that I share as pastor, but the church did allow me to go and I wanted to record my thoughts and accounts. This may not be the last blog of the summer, so stay tuned.

I had failed to mention that the so-called “Law Amendment” did not get the necessary 2/3 majority and so did not pass. That means there will not be an amendment to constitution saying that any church who has a woman serving as a “pastor” of any kind would be consider not in good fellowship with the convention. There were various reasons to have voted against this amendment, see an article here from Dr. Todd Fisher, President of Oklahoma Baptists.

My reasons were different as well and I will try to briefly outline them here, please contact me for more clarification or to discuss this or anything else further. UBC is a place where questions can be asked and I hope you will ask them being open to the example of Christ, the words of Scripture, and the work of the Holy Spirit to provide answers.

I voted against this amendment because for me the issue of women as pastors is an interpretive issue. Many will point to 1 Timothy 3:1-7 as the definitive passage on this issue and support it with a few others. Others would look at examples in Scripture and other texts and come to a different conclusion. Certainly when it comes to giftedness, the Holy Spirit is in charge of handing those out and I am not to keen on making that decision for the Spirit, only prayerfully recognizing it. At UBC we have women usinhg their gifts as deacons, Sunday school teachers, missions leaders, worship leaders and in preaching and teaching. The women who currently serve on staff have asked for the title of “director” because that goes along with their since of call and function. Our local church has affirmed their distinctions and honored their preferences.

I think the variance of interpretations is healthy and do not see this particular isssue as a first tier, uber important issue of fellowship. Furthermore, the Baptist Faith and Message is a confessional statement that we voluntarily align with and uniform acceptance does not seem to be necessary. If we come to a point that uniform acceptance is necessary it would seem to need to cover all the articles not just one. But we are not there and I would rather us not go there. Different, local Baptist churches while using the Baptist Faith and Message as a guide function according to their convictional interpretation. Some might even use a different edition of the BFM. Employees of Baptist institutions have to make their personal choice on what that institution may ask of them in this matter.

We differ with each other at UBC, and we differ with other's who support the work of the SBC and I think that’s okay. Let us rest in and on Jesus, let us preach Jesus, let us embody Jesus, and let us be Jesus, together.

The Southern Baptist Convention part 4

We ended the convention today. Amidst entity reports and a variety of motions, I want to address one of the resolutions that was approved today concerning reproductive technologies. You can read the full resolution here, and I would encourage you to do so. What I realized as we left Indianapolis is that many of the headlines did not give the full story. The resolution is not speaking completely against IVF but asking for careful, ethical considerations. That should be noted. However, after the resolution was presented , there was an amendment made that added language at various spots making the resolution considerably more empathetic and understanding of parents who would choose IVF. Another person spoke in favor of the amendment, saying simply, “I have a son because of IVF.” I felt that the amendment was necessary in making the resolution more sensitive and fair. I voted in favor of the amendment but it did not pass. Because it lacked the language that I thought it made it more kind and understanding I voted no on the resolution. It should be noted that resolutions made at the SBC are not binding on churches. The headlines that you may have read were not completely accurate and that is unfortunate. But the fact that the resolution as passed could have shamed caring, loving, life affirming parents is also unfortunate.

The Southern Baptist Convention Part 3

Tuesday was a full day of business. The highlight was the Commissioning of International missionaries who will go all over the world sharing Christ in tangible ways. It puts faces and voices to the offerings we give. President Bart Barber’s sermon on Romans 15 was a poignant, pointed message about the necessity for humility in gaining unity. President Barber was forthcoming and honest about his own mistakes and missteps in this area with a resolve to love one another and keep the love of Christ prominent.

Many things were debated, amended and presented, some of which I am sure got headlines. Please feel free to email me or text me about any specifics if you have questions. Though I am here and still have questions a good conversation can go a long way.

One decision that was voted on and approved was to accept the recommendation of the credentials committee that FBC Alexandria, VA be found “not in friendly cooperation with the Southern Baptist Convention.” The church was reported to the SBC for practices contrary to the faith and practice of the SBC in 2022. They were then questioned by the committee and were honest that they have long ordained women as pastors and will continue in that practice. This was brought to the floor of the convention. The pastor of FBC Alexandria spoke with conviction, calm, and clarity about his church, their convictions on the ordination of women, and their desire to continue in cooperation with the SBC in the work of the church. Ultimately, the question before messengers was if the church’s practice violated the requirement from Article III of the SBC Constitution that a church “closely identify with” the “faith and practice” of the confessional statement, the Baptist Faith and Message (2000) in order to remain in friendly cooperation. Though I personally voted against this recommendation (i.e., against excluding FBC Alexandria from the SBC), the vast majority of messengers (over 91%) voted in favor.

The Southern Baptist Convention Part 2

We spent the drive up listening to interviews with the six candidates for SBC President. We got to Indianapolis in the evening and attended a Presidential forum with all six together. The major points discussed both in the interviews and the forum were the Law Amendment mentioned in the first post, the Abuse Response Task Force, financial transparency, and the priority of the Gospel.

One moment stuck out to me in the forum when they were discussing sexual abuse and appropriate response. One of the candidates and pastor of FBC Lawton, Mike Keahbone, took a moment to address the crowd and recognize that there were probably abuse survivors, he spoke with empathy and compassion. He also expressed heartfelt apologies to survivors on behalf of everyone on stage. It reminded me that in all this business, the church and the Kingdom is always about people. It is about God’s love and the people who need, all of us.

The candidates were respectful and gave space for some diverse opinions on a few of the topics. I hope that spirit continues through Wednesday. Please join me in prayer for just that.

The Southern Baptist Convention part 1

I was asked a great question recently that is pertinent to this blog posting and future postings. “Why are you going to the Southern Baptist Convention?” This is a great question because church resources are being used, I have not gone the previous five years I have been pastor at UBC, and in Baptist principle our church direction is not necessarily dictated by the decisions of the convention. We do what we do out of conviction.

The answer is of course nuanced, but I will try to lay out the simple reasons I gave when asked directly. They are both practical and convictional. First, though it is a lengthy drive, (Brent has to put up with me in a car for 11 hours, ONE WAY!!) it is a reasonable distance and easy to get to in a short amount of time. Secondly, we do support the Southern Baptist Convention as part of our church giving, and this is an opportunity to see that giving in action through agency reports, informational presentations and exhibits. Thirdly, is the Law Amendment. You can a read mostly unbiased explanation here and a particular viewpoint here. This amendment was introduced last year and passed the first vote. It has to be approved this year to become part of the SBC constitution. I want to represent my own convictions and the interests of those of you who have talked to me about this. I plan to vote “No” on the amendment. Finally, I am going to be able to give an account beyond what might be released in social media exchanges or end up as headlines in news reports. Brent Newsom is the other UBC messenger, and he will be able to offer his perspective as well.

Brent and I plan to arrive in Indianapolis on Monday evening. I will try to post with some regularity. I have turned the comments “off” so that conversation and questions can be handled in a contextually clear way. Please feel free to email me at jdunnok@gmail.com or text me with any specific questions or opinions.