Those who know my past are aware that I grew up in the Baptist church. The church I was reared in was of the Independent, Fundamentalist flavor. In our hard-line way of thinking, even the Southern Baptists were considered liberal. And to be sure, the Southern Baptist Convention once was the most liberal of denominations. Their leadership ranks was infiltrated with men who did not hold to the inerrancy of Scripture as well as other core doctrinal truths. The Convention’s colleges and seminaries were overrun with professors of the same mind and moderate-to-liberal pastors were being turned out in droves. In the late 70′s everything changed. A conservative resurgence happened in the convention, turning the control of the Southern Baptist life and direction over to those architects that designed the takeover. For the last 27 years these aging ‘rebels’ have held tight control of the SBC.
I had the opportunity to be employed by an SBC mega-church in Dallas for several years, ending in 2004. This same church ordained me… interestingly enough it all happened during the time when this church’s pastor was the President of the Southern Baptist Convention. Since this time I’ve followed both the Convention and its cast of characters. When I can’t attend a convention I watch the sessions by streaming video.
This week, at the Convention’s meeting in South Carolina, everything changed again.
For 27 years the President’s of the Convention, as well as most of its other leaders, have been hand-picked by a small group of people (mostly led by the leaders of the resurgence in the 70s). Time magazine said, â??The succession process was usually about as exciting as the Kremlin�s used to be: someone was anointed, and he won, unopposed. â? And that is true of every election except one, a decade ago, when Jim Henry of First Baptist Orlando took office.
This year, bloggers chose a President. Ronnie Floyd of First Baptist Springdale was the anointed candidate destined to win the Presidency… except he didn’t. Dr. Floyd ran into early trouble, over an SBC policy calling for members of the leadership to earmark more of their churches’ budgets, perhaps 10 percent, to the SBC’s Cooperative Program, through which member churches contribute to the Convention and its programs, especially missions. Floyd�s church gave about .27% last year!
Bloggers concerned with this fact, as well as the increasing exclusionary tendencies of the Convention’s leadership and elitists called for changes and new leadership. One from amongst their ranks, Wade Burleson, orchestrated another nomination in the form of an unknown Pastor from South Carolina, Frank Page. The grassroots groundswell quickly ignited a new fervor among young (under 40) Southern Baptists. And, in a huge upset victory, Frank Page actually won the Presidency.
Frank Page said â??There is a serious disconnect between the leaders of our Southern Baptist Convention and the rank-and-file layperson and pastor. Some perceive that there is a well-oiled machine, filled with power-hungry politicians, running the show, while the vast majority of loyal, supportive people are left without any voice and/or influence. While this observation may or may not be true, there is a serious perception of disconnect and distrust.â? He called for a â??truly democratic convention. Let us have two or more conservative, solid candidates run each year,â? he said, without â??calling into question anyone�s integrity or veiled threats regarding suicide of political futures.â?
â??Many of us are tired of seeing the same names on committees year after year,â? he continued. â??Many of us are losing patience with the perception that a few people control everything in the Southern Baptist Convention.â?
Page can hardly be called a youngster, at age 53. Yet the bloggers and young Baptists clearly saw him as the most attractive candidate. Says Bob Allen, a veteran Baptist journalist and now the managing editor of Ethicsdaily.com, part of a more moderate Baptist group that pays close attention to the SBC scene, â??Without the bloggers Page wouldn’t have been elected. He was a relative unknown, and the bloggers really have created the whole conversation. It’s very much a generation shift.â?
Whether it indicates a true political or theological shift remains to be seen. Page did tell reporters after the election that â??I do not want anyone to think I am out to undo a conservative movement.â? But he added, â??[But for] too long Baptists have been known for what we are against. Please let us tell you what we are for.â? To that I have to say AMEN!
I’m glad to see some shake-up going on in the Convention. I really am. Though I have a huge amount of respect for the doctrinal stands and exegesis capabilities of the Kingmakers… I am less than impressed with them in other regards. Having seen the behind-the-scenes lives of many of these men, as well as their interactions with those who disagree with them on non-doctrinal issues I am glad to see things beginning to change and new leadership coming into place. I think its better for the Convention, better for the local church, and better for these leaders personally. I love these men with a great love… and see God’s hands on their lives and ministries. But in some cases, power and fear has served to corrupt their better judgement. It’s time for change.
To men like Wade Burleson, Frank Page, Morris Chapman, and others who have held their heads high and not slung mud… to you I send my best! It is men like you that give me great hope for the days ahead in the Southern Baptist Convention.
Time Magazine says, â??Even the most liberal of the young [bloggers], of course, are probably a good deal more conservative than the thousands of moderate Baptists who were pushed out of the SBC over the last few decades. But it is a landmark of sorts. After all, nobody came out of last year’s papal conclave saying that bloggers had helped the Holy Spirit choose a new Pope.â?