As a 32-year bivocational school teacher/pastor, I am painfully aware of the lostness of the secular culture outside our walls. I engage it every day. I am not at all convinced that a denominational name change will aid our efforts to impact that lostness at home or around the world.
Statistics in the Dec. 22 Courier by LifeWay Research indicate an unfavorable impression of Southern Baptists, especially on the West Coast. The South and Midwest show a 58.5 percent favorable impression. Guess what? Folks who never attend church are likely to have a very unfavorable impression. Could it be that those who choose to live by worldly standards have an unfavorable impression of a church that condemns worldliness?
I wonder where the statistics are that show the feelings of the people in the pews with respect to a name change. I am afraid this is going to be a divisive issue. The powers-that-be really need to know what the people think. It is my opinion that “Southern Baptist” is offensive more because of our traditional moral positions than because of our regional identity.
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