This coming week, our denomination will be holding its annual Convention in Phoenix, Arizona. Thousands of messengers from churches around the country will attend this meeting, during which we’ll hear reports from our entities (such as the International Mission Board, LifeWay, and our six seminaries), encouraging and challenging messages, and the business that needs to be decided by the Convention. One of the beautiful aspects of the Southern Baptist Convention is that while we affirm autonomy of the local church (meaning that there is no organizational hierarchy above the structure and polity of the local church that imposes its will on that body of believers), we also recognize that we can do far more together than we can separately. As the culture around us continues to move in a decidedly post-Christian direction, the bonds that we have with brothers and sisters in other local churches will be all the more important in terms of encouragement, support, and accountability. In terms of that last point, we have the Baptist Faith and Message 2000, which is our confession of faith that outlines what we believe on the critical issues. Wisely, the BF&M allows room on issues where different understandings of the Biblical text can exist within the bounds of orthodoxy (such as on the end times) while standing firm on those matters where the words of Scripture are unambiguous.
One such matter that is not open for debate is what the Bible has to say about God’s design for human sexuality, but that has certainly not stopped society around us from trying to reject it and substitute its own understanding (cf. Rom. 1:18-32). Indeed, we are witnessing a redoubling of the efforts of those who are advocating for the current moral revolution. One such group, Faith in America, has announced plans to “politely disrupt” the SBC annual meeting next week. Their goal, according to their website, is to prevent people from harming LGBT children, with a special emphasis on stopping such perceived abuse from religious people and churches. The group asserts that churches and people of faith who take the Bible literally on matters of human sexuality are actually harming LGBT children by calling such behavior “sin.” Their hope is to get the SBC to reinterpret Scripture in the same way many of the mainline denominations have so that homosexuality and transgenderism are removed from the so-called “sin list” (frankly, I had no idea that any church had the authority to determine what is and is not “sin”). Something tells me that they may fall short of achieving this “reinterpretation!”
The leadership of the SBC has requested a meeting with the leadership of FIA, though not in Phoenix. Rather, they have invited them to Nashville, where the Executive Committee’s offices are, sometime after the Convention has concluded. Frank Page, president of the Executive Committee, noted that this was not in any way a capitulation to the demands of the group and did not indicate any compromise in terms of the position of the SBC on the matter. Instead, the meeting presents an opportunity for Page and others to share the Gospel with these individuals. FIA remains committed to engaging with SBC messengers at the Convention, which provides us yet more opportunities for us to present to truth of God’s Word. Please pray for those of us who will be representing our churches as messengers in Phoenix, that we might clearly and lovingly represent our Lord Jesus and the truth of His Word to them, should we have the chance to engage with them. FIA claims that telling people the truth of the Gospel is harmful; we know the exact opposite is true. Suppressing the truth of Scripture, calling evil good and good evil…that is the most harmful thing we can do to those who are lost. This coming week, we messengers will be presented with a chance to stand firm for the Gospel; in the coming weeks, months, and years, so will you. Just something to think about…
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