I read with great disappointment the article in the Nov. 17 issue of The Baptist Courier entitled, “Missouri Baptists narrow membership, exclude CBF” (page 6).
From a doctrinal perspective, I do not know to what extent Missouri Baptists are involved in the SBC emphasis on “Thy Kingdom Come.” If they have espoused this great emphasis, it seems to me that those denominational leaders in Missouri need to first of all determine whose kingdom is involved – Missouri Baptists or God’s – and what that kingdom encompasses. Could it be that the kingdom of God includes both Cooperative Baptists and Southern Baptists, or both “moderate” and “conservative” Christians, whatever these terms mean, and to whom?
It sounds as if Missouri Baptists are seeking to dictate to the local churches what those churches may or may not do, and with whom they may be aligned. In our Baptist tradition which emphasizes the autonomy of the local church, such decisions are made solely by the local church, not by a judicatory body.
And how is it, as the article stated, that the Missouri Baptist Convention can “determine the churches with which it will cooperate”? It is my understanding that, as Baptists, the churches themselves have the right to determine the organizations with which they will cooperate, not the other way around. The emphasis must always be on the churches, and not on the denomination.
If such practice and decision-making in this one state convention are by any chance a result of teachings from our Baptist colleges and seminaries, then we need an overhaul there. It would also behoove us, as South Carolina Baptists, to ensure that we teach our people and our pastors regarding both biblical doctrine and Baptist polity.
-David Brien, Holly Hill
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