Last month, The Courier published the first of this two-part series explaining the South Carolina Baptist kind of confessional cooperation. The thesis is that Baptists came confessing and Baptists came cooperating; we are a confessionally cooperative people. However, part of historic Baptist doctrine and practice emphasizes the autonomy of both local congregations and Baptist organizations. […]
The Charleston Way: The First Southern Baptist Confession of Faith
Northerners have been moving south for centuries. They come seeking a new life and new opportunities. Such was the case with a group of Baptists from Maine more than 300 years ago. Pastor William Screven and some of his congregants, looking to cash in on a strong shipbuilding economy, arrived in Charleston in 1696. As […]
How Narrow Should the Confession Be?
I did a double-take when I read the sign in front of a small white church beside a two-lane blacktop that snaked through the hills of western North Carolina. I stopped and backed up my SUV to get a second look. The weathered 12-by-18 sign read: “Welcome to Trinity Baptist Church. We are an Independent, […]
‘I Am Southern Baptist’: A Confessional People and Their Confession of Faith
“Who are you?” the criminal once asked Batman. “Who are you?” the ’70s rock band, the Who, once asked their generation. In one sense, the answer should be obvious. We ought to be able to answer as Popeye did: “I am who I am and that’s all that I am.” But, is it really? Can […]