The Debate: The Truth and Authority of God's Word

The debate, of course, is not about one behavior, no matter how severely it is damaging the ABCUSA. It’s about the Bible.

Did God make mistakes when He inspired the Bible?
Was God unaware of scientific reality when He inspired it?
Did God purposely give us error when He inspired it?
Was God a sin-a-phobe (to coin a term) when He inspired it?
Did God have the right to say what He said about certain behaviors when He inspired it?
Has God changed His mind since He inspired it?
Are we more sensitive than God was when He inspired it?
Are we smarter than God was when He inspired it?
Was God, Himself, sinning when He inspired it?
Did God, when He inspired it, give us the right to reject His Word, and still consider ourselves being obedient to its authority?

My answer to all 10 of these questions is “No!”

I am a traditional Baptist. I believe that the Bible is inspired, authoritative, and inerrant.
I believe when it calls something a sin, that it is a sin, even if I like that sin or have friends who are living in that sin. I will continue to love those friends, but must be honest in telling them that according to God’s Word they are living in sin. And I will, while continuing to love them, tell them that it is not appropriate to claim to be traditional (American) Baptists while rejecting the clear teaching of scripture.

If the denominational leadership had been following such a straightforward course of action over the years we would not be standing on the precipice that we are. Maybe it’s still not too late for ABCUSA if the leadership will change direction. Maybe.

Kansas, New Jersey, or Oz

A recent letter (dated 10/28/05) from the Office of the General Secretary rhapsodizes over that very office. “This ministry stands at the center of all we do. What the hub is to the wheel, what the heart is to the body, what the sun is to the solar system, the Office of the General Secretary is to American Baptist ministry and mission.”

I hope that was written by the public relations firm and not someone who is giving leadership to the denomination. It sounds like the Wizard of Oz ruling over the Emerald City.

I believe that the Office of the General Secretary, because it gets its life from the local churches, is supposed to be leading the denomination in the way the local churches wish it to lead the denomination. The local churches should not be revolving around the Office of the General Secretary, rather the orbit of the OGS should be set by the spiritual gravitational pull of the local church (or as the October 28 letter refers to your church “the fundamental unit of mission”).

The large majority of our churches want the denomination to endorse the teaching of the Bible, and expect all ABC churches to follow that teaching. The large majority of our churches want the denomination to preach a clear call to transformational faith in Jesus as savior and Lord. The large majority of our churches want the denomination to be cooperative with other Christian bodies in doing significant social action, but stand out among them as unashamedly willing to make our biblical commitment public as the heart which pumps the life of our social sensitivities and efforts. The large majority of our churches want the denomination to have the spiritual backbone to challenge and censure those churches calling themselves ABC who will not join us in this traditional Baptist ministry style. And the large majority of our churches want the Office of the General Secretary to be outspoken in supporting these principles, and leading churches that do not endorse the Bible’s teaching to repentance, reformation, or as a last resort – relocation.

The Office of the General Secretary may still have significant influence in the churches that are troubling ABCUSA by their appreciation of behaviors the Bible calls sin. If the General Secretary were to take the courageous step of announcing that he will follow the teaching of scripture, work to make it truly authoritative in all ABCUSA deliberations, and call the churches that are affirming what the scriptures do not affirm to return to full obedience to God’s revelation in the Bible - the denomination might be restored. I pray that he will.

But, except for those ABC churches in Kansas, we’re not in Kansas any more, and it may be that it is time to follow the suggestion of one ABC Region that the Office of the General Secretary be discontinued. Perhaps, it is time for all regions to separate themselves from the current denominational structure and remain united in a very loose confederacy, or perhaps, ABCUSA should divide into two denominations one for those who adhere to the teaching of scripture and one for those who reject its teaching.

A Letter to Young ABC Pastors

Our mutual appreciation, respect, and Christian love for one another notwithstanding, what needs to be said about ABCUSA needs to be said.

Will the 59% majority of delegates who lost the vote in North Shore Association (NJ) to censure a church that had gone Welcoming & Affirming keep other association churches from becoming W&A? No. The practical reality is because of that vote North Shore is a Welcoming & Affirming Association.

Will the “smooth things over” amendment adopted the day after the Minister’s Council rejected biblical teaching dissuade any area from selecting a Senator whose lifestyle violates the plain interpretation of New Testament teaching? No. This amendment appears to be a standard political ploy to calm criticism of the Minister’s Council. “Well, after all, we did do something.”

Will the General Secretary’s words at the Denver Biennial (‘05) serve to call Welcoming & Affirming churches to repentance concerning their rejection of the teaching of the New Testament? No.

Will the vote of ABC West Virginia delegates to remain in ABCUSA have an impact on ABCUSA that will cause it to forthrightly expect ABC churches to follow the unembellished teaching of the New Testament re: non-natural sexual behavior? No. It is more likely to embolden those who endorse such sin to believe that Bible believing churches will stick around, and send money, no matter how far off course the denomination goes.

If denominational leadership wishes to endorse the sin that has so disrupted our ABC, so be it, but let’s at least see them honorably admit it. They can’t have it both ways. “Oh, we’re not denying the Bible, both beliefs are legitimate even though diametrically opposed. Can’t we just act as if what the Bible literally says doesn’t matter? After all we’re just reinterpreting it for our modern times because the unembellished interpretation is so outside the box when compared to up to date thinking.”

Sorrowfully, the actions of North Shore Association, the Minister’s Council, the Office of the General Secretary, and the delegates to the West Virginia Baptist Convention seem to speak far louder than the “simple” majority of American Baptists nationwide who want all our churches to be obedient to God’s Word.

My young friends, you, and young pastors like yourself, can turn the tide, but you have to step up and speak up, and, if necessary, get up (and leave). I would urge you, at the very least, to leave the Minister’s Council as an unambiguous statement of your belief in biblical integrity.

Don’t miss your opportunity to try to reform our denomination. If you do, I think you’ll regret it down the road. Let me repeat, it’s that important. Don’t miss your opportunity to try to reform our denomination. If you do, I think you’ll regret it down the road.

Blessings in Jesus, your friend,
Dr. K