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Denomination: Back To The Future
Posted by Chris Johnson in Baptist Life, Bible & Theology, Church & Missions
During my forty seven years living in the context of Baptist, this last decade has renewed my interest in the benefits of cooperation even though I have always had the natural tendency to lean toward cooperation through rebirth. Inside that cooperative narrative is a truism that has helped reveal to me the implications of recognizing the thrust of denominational separation or an intentional spirit of a cooperation in a convention. After all, they are two separate thoughts in my opinion which lead Christ followers to recognize their part in the body of Christ from two distinctive vantage points. I’ll briefly try to illustrate why.
When we expose the “Charter and Constitution” of the Southern Baptist Convention we begin to hear the intentions of those wrestling for identity, cooperation and clarity. The Charter uses the term “convention” more than thirty times, while inserting “denomination” once in the Charter and twice in the Constitution. I think this is brilliant context, since a subgroup (denomination) suggests a break away from what has already been established previously (the church). A convention of churches (by original design as revealed in Acts) on the other hand demand a more reticent and forceful understanding of cooperation born out of the faith once for all delivered to the Saints. It may be fair then to ask …is the genesis for Baptist a contemporary church “break away” (subgroup) or is it a return to the beginning of Jesus Christ’s headship in a church governed by the Holy Spirit’s application?
The question then…. is Baptist a denomination in intent or is Baptist a broad, deep, and cooperative stance on biblical doctrine that is ready to be lived out and shared in the world? I believe it should be seen as a posture that leans toward loving our brothers and sisters and obeying the great commission of Jesus Christ through the working of the Holy Spirit. After all, Baptist is the description of the abiding promise of the Holy Spirit who is the effectuator in the initial gathering of the newly commissioned assembly of Christ followers and not really a subjective separation of believers in another vein of the “Christian” church. As Christians,…we love because we have love for one another!
Romans 6:3-4 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? (4) Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
Acts 19:2-5 He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said to him, “No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” (3) And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” And they said, “Into John’s baptism.” (4) Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” (5) When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Baptist then, is not some subgroup culture making its own banner because of baptism for instance (for all in Christ obey Him in baptism),… but it should be considered that Baptist are a composition of faithful Christ followers that has been seen since the commissioning of the church as we know it through the baptism of the Holy Spirit and obedience to Christ’s commands to not forsake the assembling together. That’s the convention of Baptist’s that preach and teach the goods news of Jesus Christ to the world without fear and without reservation. That’s the Baptist I know. Not those touting a banner of subjugation, but in stark contrast it is those living out the life provided for and finished by Christ in unity of the Spirit.
I choose to move forward in Christ with a strong, yet humble, “convention” of like minded Saints. I choose a “Baptist Convention Worldwide”.
May everyone have safe travels to the convention in Louisville,… however you get there (some may opt for the flux capacitor)!
Blessings,
Chris
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Brother Andrew,
Now you have done it…gone and ask me a difficult question….
I do believe that a subgroup can be led to miss out on the intent of the gospel (whether Baptist or other),…that being if the subgroup exists primarily for the sake of the subgroup and not for Christ alone. I also consider those concepts are mutually exclusive. Yet, the natural concept, and genius of a convention is that it yields the thought of cooperation (through the power of the Holy Spirit), not in the sense that the convention convenes to prove “who we are”, but it convenes to a higher goal of demonstrating “what we are doing”. As the Apostle would echo,… “I press on” toward the goal of the high calling.
So then, a return to Jesus Christ’s headship is not limited to Baptists,…as seen merely in “name or association”….yet Baptist should not be considered anything short of obedience to the Word of God.
Not sure what is going on with the formatting you mentioned….sorry.
Blessings,
Chris