In 1812, South Carolina’s own Sen. John C. Calhoun led a war hawk movement in Congress to deliver a declaration of war against the British to President Madison, officially beginning the War of 1812. Words cannot describe the despair that enveloped the nation as the United States slipped into another war with Great Britain just 30 years after the end of the American Revolution. But that all changed with the signing of the Treaty of Ghent, ending the war in 1814. A feeling of victory and unity swept across the nation. Even the two-party political system went away during this era of history. There was no more Federalist Party, just the single Democratic-Republican political party. This sense of national unity was so great that historians refer to this period of American history as the Era of Good Feelings. Doesn’t the “Era of Good Feelings” sound like the most pleasant time to be alive?
Reading about this period of history makes me wonder what historians will call the era of history in which we currently live. The political discourse, the racial tension, the fake news, the swelling national debt, the corruption and everything else has left the country with deep divisions and not-so-good feelings. There is a shortage on hope and significant rise in skepticism of people and institutions. Maybe historians will take requests and you can make submissions of names for this period of history. I have a few ideas; I’m sure you do, too.
If there has ever been a time in American history when the church could easily distinguish itself from the way of the world, it is right now. All this country has to offer is deep division and dramatic polarization. What if the church was recognized by those around us for our commitment to cooperation? Wouldn’t it make a difference if the church was starkly different from the world by being radically united? Instead, we have become as divided as the rest of society. Christian discourse on social media is out of control. The way that brothers and sisters in Christ talk about one another and choose camps in which to operate is a disgrace. Our witness right now is one of division and polarization. Brothers and sisters, this ought not be.
Our ability to remain united as Christian brothers and sisters should be simple because we are members of one body and citizens of one kingdom. We share a Savior: the Lord Jesus Christ. We have the same purpose: to make disciples of all nations. We are headed in the same direction: to the glorious land of Immanuel. Clearly, we have too much in common to allow ourselves to become divided.
So, with that in mind, I want to urge you to join me in seeking to strengthen cooperation among churches as South Carolina Baptists. There is a strong temptation to walk away from our cooperative efforts right now. We have a lot of challenges that make unity more complex than it should be. But that does not give us permission to loosen our ties as South Carolina Baptists. There is too much at stake to dial back our commitment to cooperation — namely, the souls of 5 million South Carolina citizens.
Two hundred years ago, a small group of South Carolina Baptist churches realized we could be more effective by working together, so they formed the South Carolina Baptist Convention. Perhaps you wonder how much longer we must work together to reach our state, nation, and world with the gospel. The answer is very simply: “Till All Have Heard.”
With the population growth in our state and the challenges that local congregations face, our churches need each other more than ever before. We need to work together to plant churches, train pastors, revitalize congregations, and send missionaries. Till all have heard, we must strengthen cooperation.