Mystery solved
Lots of folks scrambled to the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center this morning to find out the vote on Rick Garner’s motion that was essentially a call to reaffirm the “suffiency” of the Baptist Faith and Message of 2007 as the Southern Baptist Convention’s statement of doctrinal beliefs.
Convention leaders announced that the motion was approved.
What does all this mean? Maybe nothing to people outside the denomination, but plenty to those who call themselves Southern Baptists.
Two Oklahoma pastors on opposite ends of the issue had much to say about it today. It turns out interpretation is everything, darrrlllliiiinnnngggg.
The Rev. Wade Burleson, pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church of Enid, said it was the convention’s most significant vote in the last 10 years.
He said messengers reaffirmation of the BF&M, as they have nicknamed it, sends a clear message to convention entities and institutions that they must not make decisions based on doctrine not mentioned in the denomination’s doctrinal statement.
“In other words don’t restrict what is and isn’t Baptist beyond the BF&M,” Burleson said.
At the heart of the matter is glossolalia also called private prayer language or speaking in tongues. Burleson and many of his fellow trustees on the convention’s International Mission Board have disagreed on a policy — now “guideline” — barring people with a private prayer language from becoming missionaries.
Burleson has said he doesn’t speak in tongues. He does, however, believe that what people do in their prayer closet is their business. Period.
The Rev. Robin Foster, pastor of, Immanuel Baptist Church (Foster says the similar names of his church and Burleson “is kind of a weird twist of fate” in Perkins, disagrees with Burleson on this issue. Both men have been blogging about this issue for over a year.
Foster told me today that he agreed with the reaffirmation of the Baptist Faith and Message, but he takes issue with Burleson’s interpretation of it.
“I would disagree with the spin that’s being put on it. To say that trustees can not go beyond that — I think that’s ridiculous,” he said.
“It handcuffs our trustees from being able to fully perform their duties.”
Foster said he loves and respects Burleson and believes he has a say in the convention, “but so do I. We just have differences of opinion.”
Look for both men’s blogs — Burleson’s at www.wadeburleson.com and Foster’s at www.fromthehill@wordpress.com.
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