Baptist Pastor Political Endorsements - Neither Biblical nor Baptist

After some sort of endorsement of Mitt Romney, Don Wilton has withdrawn that original endorsement. Don, bless his heart, is pastor of the mega-First Baptist Church in Spartanburg, South Carolina and former president of the South Carolina Baptist Convention.

I fully support brother Wilton's right to choose whatever candidate that he chooses to support. I believe that the Bible expects us, as Christians, to be a part of the civil process that forms and maintains our government. I resent very much the fact that brother Wilton (and any other pastor) uses his position of popularity and influence to PUBLICLY announce who he will/might/won't support. I am pretty sure that brother Wilson is well informed of the polity of Baptist life. Baptist churches function without a ruling organization to mandate how they function and that each Baptist church is autonomous. To even imply that one speaks with such authority, particularly when it comes to politics, is akin to heresy within the historical context of Baptist autonomy...and that is exactly what a public endorsement does.

I consider it naive to think that the endorsement by any Southern Baptist or Tennessee Baptist (ad nauseum Baptist) is somehow an endorsement by the individual church members who make up our individual churches, but that is exactly what is happening. The press does not make a distinction between your endorsement as a high profile leader in your city/state/region and what your denominational brothers and sisters may endorse.

And get this shocker: every Baptist isn't a republican or conservative or democrat or liberal. Efforts to pigeon-hole all Baptists as some sort of mindless zombies who vote en masse for whoever some high profile leader endorses are sadly misguided. Granted, as a denomination Baptists tend to lean more toward conservatism...but there are actually classical liberal Baptists and libertarians (gasp) around (just don't tell the fundamentalist among us).

If there is one thing that I believe ISN'T Baptist, it is one Baptist attempting to speak for other Baptists. Baptists are an independent-minded (and often ornery) yet cooperative bunch of folks who do not need any leader to tell us who to vote for. My advice to any Baptist minister who is contemplating an endorsement: Get on with your ministry. Shut Up when it comes to public endorsements of candidates. Don't do it. It is an abuse of power and authority. It is neither Biblical nor Baptist.

Jeff Wright summed it up much more concisely.

Pass the mash potatoes please. All this screaming has made me hungry.

Churches Building Sends 'Gospel' Message?

I read the Baptist Standard (TX) article by Greg Warner, The Spirit in Stone, that talks about a resurgence in architectural design that is bringing back aesthetics to church buildings. It is a thought provoking read that includes a reference to the lack of designated church buildings among the Pennsylvania Amish. There was one sentence in the article that bothered me:

"Whether they speak with bold clarity or subdued elegance, our church buildings are often the most prominent and persistent gospel message their non-Christian neighbors encounter."

I do not want to take lightly the impact that the image of a church property has on an individual's perception of "church", however, I perceive the "often the most prominent and persistent gospel message" part of that quote to be cause for concern. If that truly is the case, then 'the church' (defined as the body of believers) needs to re-evaluate the persistence of our Gospel message. I have serious doubts that a church building can deliver the Gospel message...that job rests in the hands of the church, not the building. The Amish might be on to something worth emulating...perhaps the absence of a church building might deliver a more persistent, Biblically accurate, Gospel message.

Absent from the article is any reference to Lifeway's Church Architecture Department. I would like to think that Lifeway would be taking a lead in this design resurgence...but then again, the article features Baptist churches and not Lifeway churches *snark*.

Do the Amish do fellowship suppers in the same barns where they have community worship??...can you image the aroma of freshly baked bread wafting across a barn full of worshipers. Think break bread together with that vision in-mind. "Taste and see" (Psalm 34:8 KJV) Yumm!

Just My Opinion on Baptists

I read a lot of Baptist blogs (see list on the right-hand side of this page). The tone of discussion has mellowed a little in recent years and I believe that is a good sign. There are still pockets of denominational politicking that irritate me, particularly when those politics involve lines that people choose to draw, effectively reducing the level of cooperation between Baptist churches. The cartoon below isn't completely original and I would love to give proper attribution to the originator, but sadly, I cannot locate that information (if you happen to know, drop me a comment or email). All that to say, this is how I feel about the overall situation:




Thanks, Steven, for your help with the cartoon! I owe you lunch.