Well, I’m back from San Francisco. Great city; dark city. How sad! We had good fellowship as family and I was able to visit with a brother at Solano State Prison in Vacaville. He gets out in 2011. Many of us are hoping that he gets an early release if the governor goes through with his early-release program. This is a brother shedding light in a very dark place. Some of us are ambivalent here. Should he stay and save lives, or should he get out early and be restored to us? God’s will be done!
Just got an email from a friend wanting to know if I had any information on the upcoming convocation called for by the advocates of the New Baptist Covenant in late January. Presidents Carter and Clinton will be there. Does the appearance of these august persons imply a liberal, humanistic bent? In follow-up research, I find that implication to be a fact. Apparently the initial motivation of the upcoming event and even the initiation of the covenant itself seem to be generated by a desire to heal the racial divisions causing a split amongst Baptists during the mid nineteenth century. Further, it is the desire of the convocation to bring about an inner healing amongst fellow Baptists before they can generate the “healing of the nation and the healing of the world…” Here are some comments contained in the above article:
We are looking for ways to put feet to our faith, said Dewitt Smith, president of the Progressive National Baptist Convention, the African-American body founded by Martin Luther King and others. It is possible to be together and to differ on our opinions. When it comes to the things that will help humanity, we must take a prophetic stance – we must take a strong social-action agenda and make it work.
Daniel Vestal…said the Carter initiative fills a need for ‘a broader Baptist witness that is committed to social justice as well as evangelism.’
The 2008 convocation will connect participants with ministries and resources on such topics as prophetic preaching, ecology, sexual trafficking, racism, religious liberty, poverty, HIV/AIDS, religious diversity, public policy, youth issues, evangelism with integrity, stewardship and the spiritual disciplines.
Let’s not be mentally lazy here. Is Isaiah 58 mandated upon all believers? Yes, but of course it is. We are to cloth the naked, take the homeless poor into our homes, divide our bread with the hungry, and satisfy the needs of the afflicted. Such an ethos is fruit bearing within a believer. It is the inner nature of every true Christian. My question to the participants at this convocation would be to address a most profound danger, namely, AT WHAT PRICE will you be doing such things? The danger derives from substituting goodness for biblical confrontation, etc, etc. Many more questions arise:
What is this prophetic stance? Is it eschatological, or is it designed to help humanity?
Big difference – No?
Will your social resources also include abortion?
How far are you willing to embrace and take religious diversity?
Well, obviously many, many, many more questions beg to be asked. It seems to me that the man-made visible church is rapidly drifting away from a light-shining, soul-saving, biblical confrontation as evidenced above. Where does John 15:18-20 stand here?
If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.
To the participants above, I would suggest that you take care that your good works do not substitute for the substance of the biblical message. You are in danger of being a Laodicean-like religious entity that is whoring after the approval of a world system that hates you and the Church that you belong to. You are in danger of becoming useful idiots to that same system.
To the remnant of Christ, the called-out elect, I suggest diligence here. Do not get caught up in the religious success of such movements as Purpose Driven, Seeker Friendly, The Conversation, New Baptist Covenants, etc, etc, - especially when such religious success substitutes good works for substance.
What is going to heal the World? Good works, or the second coming of the Lord in power and might? Is He going to return and negotiate, or is He going to return with a sword? It’s more than important that we all decide.
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2 comments:
The Baptist Center for Ethics states that Luke 4:14-28 is the "focal text" for the convention. I, personally, do not think they have interpreted Luke 4:14-28 correctly. I do not think Jesus was issuing a command to feed the poor in that sermon, but was letting the pharisees know that He was the messiah noted in Isaiah 61 and that through Him hope is found for the captive, prisoner, poor, etc. (which we all are, in some way). Go to ethics daily or the "new baptist covenant" website and see if you agree with their interpretation of that passage.
cb
I agree with you. They certainly did not become enraged and want to throw Him over the cliff because He wanted to feed the poor. Perhaps the NBC could have chosen a more appropriate passage, but that is not what is worrying me. It is a noble task to attempt to heal our community and seemingly attempt to heal the ills of the World - but at what price? What exactly is evangelism "with integrity", and how far are they prepared to take "religious diversity"? This will be more than interesting, will it not?
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