Southern Baptism
I go to a Southern Baptist church. There is something self-deprecating in even admitting to that, where I work. I teach at a state college. If I said I was a Wiccan, I would probably get more interest in my faith. My colleagues change the subject if I bring up my faith or even my church involvement. It's actually kind of funny; it's tempting to do it just to make them uncomfortable or see their reaction. Since I have no fear of losing my position--they need me desperately, as people with my credentials are hard to find--I don't shy from doing it.
I have only attended a Southern Baptist church for less than three years. Before that, it was a Presbyterian Church of America congregation, which I preferred in terms of worship but decided to leave for complicated family reasons. I miss the mini-liturgy of the PCA. Before that it was more fundamentalist fellowships, and that is a story in itself. Being an ex-fundamentalist is like being a recovering alcoholic. Maybe I never really was a fundamentalist, but I played one in real life, so all that makes me is a hypocrite, which I still probably am.
Southern Baptism is the primary religion of the Southeast and it has spread far and wide. My pastor and my particular church are good people, but I have many issues with the Southern Baptist Convention. That makes me a true Baptist, because we are people who take issue. We should be people of the book, but I think we are more likely to just disagree.
My main issue with the Southern Baptist is that they really do think they are the chosen of the chosen. There may be Methodists and Presbyterians in heaven, but it's not because they were right about what they were believing. They were just right enough to get there. The old joke about Peter touring heaven and saying, "SHHHH. We have to be quiet around the Baptists; they think they are the only ones here" is too close to truth.
By thinking they are special, they are pretty oblivious to what's going on in the greater evangelical Christian world. Especially the persecuted church; is there some doctrine about not believing in persecution if you're Southern Baptist? I never hear it. Persecution must have ended in 300s AD. And worst of all, Southern Baptists don't know anything about history. I doubt one in one hundred knows much about the history of Baptists in Europe, England, and U.S. We just are. Worse, some of them think it was started by Jesus before His death. No, that was the real church, not these little subdivisions of it. Ironically, Baptists have a lot to be proud of in their history, but we don't even know to be proud.
Finally, my issue with Baptists is the "heaven is all that matters" theology. Life is a sacrament, all of it, here and there. Being happy with this life doesn't mean the afterlife is of no importance. There is a reason we are here and weren't taken home at conversion. We do have some level of responsibility for this planet. To their credit, Southern Baptists are generous and contributed massively to the hurricane relief. But I think they feel constrained in their giving; it should all be for evangelism, or it's worthless. Thankfully, God doesn't see it that way. As such, I think the "heaven is all that matters" theology has made us too strategic; help means conversions.
Jesus died for us knowing that not all people would be converted. That doesn't seem like the maximum return on his investment, but that's not what service and sacrifice and sacrament are about.
I have only attended a Southern Baptist church for less than three years. Before that, it was a Presbyterian Church of America congregation, which I preferred in terms of worship but decided to leave for complicated family reasons. I miss the mini-liturgy of the PCA. Before that it was more fundamentalist fellowships, and that is a story in itself. Being an ex-fundamentalist is like being a recovering alcoholic. Maybe I never really was a fundamentalist, but I played one in real life, so all that makes me is a hypocrite, which I still probably am.
Southern Baptism is the primary religion of the Southeast and it has spread far and wide. My pastor and my particular church are good people, but I have many issues with the Southern Baptist Convention. That makes me a true Baptist, because we are people who take issue. We should be people of the book, but I think we are more likely to just disagree.
My main issue with the Southern Baptist is that they really do think they are the chosen of the chosen. There may be Methodists and Presbyterians in heaven, but it's not because they were right about what they were believing. They were just right enough to get there. The old joke about Peter touring heaven and saying, "SHHHH. We have to be quiet around the Baptists; they think they are the only ones here" is too close to truth.
By thinking they are special, they are pretty oblivious to what's going on in the greater evangelical Christian world. Especially the persecuted church; is there some doctrine about not believing in persecution if you're Southern Baptist? I never hear it. Persecution must have ended in 300s AD. And worst of all, Southern Baptists don't know anything about history. I doubt one in one hundred knows much about the history of Baptists in Europe, England, and U.S. We just are. Worse, some of them think it was started by Jesus before His death. No, that was the real church, not these little subdivisions of it. Ironically, Baptists have a lot to be proud of in their history, but we don't even know to be proud.
Finally, my issue with Baptists is the "heaven is all that matters" theology. Life is a sacrament, all of it, here and there. Being happy with this life doesn't mean the afterlife is of no importance. There is a reason we are here and weren't taken home at conversion. We do have some level of responsibility for this planet. To their credit, Southern Baptists are generous and contributed massively to the hurricane relief. But I think they feel constrained in their giving; it should all be for evangelism, or it's worthless. Thankfully, God doesn't see it that way. As such, I think the "heaven is all that matters" theology has made us too strategic; help means conversions.
Jesus died for us knowing that not all people would be converted. That doesn't seem like the maximum return on his investment, but that's not what service and sacrifice and sacrament are about.
Comments
Thanks for chewing.