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Steve McCoy Takes on the Southern Baptist Convention
Resistance to the religious right is growing, especially since the 2004 election. This growth can be detected in secular and moderate to liberal religious movements. Not as widely reported, but perhaps more significant, is the growth of this resistance within conservative religious communities. Bob Allen of Ethics Daily reports that Southern Baptist pastor Steve McCoy has recently used his blog to send a strong criticism aimed at the leadership of the Southern Baptist Convention. |
Voices such as McCoy's should be publicized and encouraged. With inside critics like McCoy, the influence of the religious right can only diminish. Some excerpts from McCoy's blog post:
I say this to say that I've lived and breathed SBC for more almost a decade, and I have never been so frustrated with who WE are.
I believe this is a crucial time for our convention that will determine whether we will ever have a good reputation with outsiders (1 Tim 3:7) and a real impact on our culture (Mt 28:18-20, Acts 17:6). And I believe the most crucial group of SBC'rs right now are not those in power, nor those serving on trustee boards or important committees. The most important group of SBC'rs right now are our seminary students. Those who have the chance to get this Titanic steered clear of disaster.
I ask you as a seminary student to consider the greatest poison in our convention, fundamentalism/legalism. If you don't like me, or think that my use of "fundamentalism" or "legalism" is misguided, please think about what's been happening. The IMB policy issues and the continued push for alcohol abstinence by SBTS leadership and Jack Graham (to name two) are symptoms of a convention concerned with power, control, and extra-biblical rules and righteousness. We are structuring ourselves to avoid "sinners" rather than eating and drinking with them (Lk 7:34-35, Mt 9:9-13). We are looking less like Jesus and more like Pharisees with every decision and direction. [ ]
We need to be better evangelists who aren't looking to repackage for the Gospel but rather looking to better understand and live the Gospel. I think we need to remember that we are to truly be in culture, not looking down on it, and not avoiding it. I think we need to remember that working for justice is a biblical idea, not a liberal one. [ ]
I think we need better seminaries that aren't just telling us what we should think, but rather are teaching us how to think through Scripture and know The Spirit. [ ]
I ask you my brothers and sisters in Christ to consider whether now is the time that we need to break the mold so that our next generation of churches won't merely reflect an older SBC culture. We need to be His people today, in this age, to this culture with an eternal Gospel that never changes. Culture war thinking won't get us there. Extra-biblical rules won't get us there. It's going to take a generation of God-seekers who infiltrate the culture with the love of Christ and fight spiritual battles rather than tongue-lashing those who need redemption.
I would love to dialogue with you here about this, and please pass this on to your seminary friends as well. I won't be popular with many people because of this letter, but I feel like it's necessary for my conscience and for our convention. |
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