Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Southern Baptists and Tongues
I haven't commented much on the recent news that the SBC has asked it's missionaries not to practice tongues. (HT: Adrian Warnock) Largely, I have not done so because, like Jeremy at Parableman, it's what I would expect from a cessasionist denomination. But, Jeremy has set me to thinking enough that I have a couple of comments.
In one sense, I find the SBC's stance admirable, they at least have the strength of their convictions. My denonmination is historically cessasionist, but I attended a prayer meeting at the PCUSA General Assembly one time that was so charismatic, I thought I stumbled into the Foursquare convention. I started looking around for the "church cops" to bust the thing. But no, that would be out of character for a denomination that values "diversity" as much as the PCUSA does. So, while I disagree with the SBC's stance, I admire their committment to doctrinal purity.
But having said that, I think in it may lie the roots of the death of the SBC. It's no secret that the church is growing throughout the non-western world at an astonishing rate. What's less well known is that the growth is largely Penecostal, especially in the third world. The SBC is, I think, largely limiting the effectiveness of their missionaries.
As we have seen in the blogospheric discussion on charisma/cessasion, most cessasionists have room for some sort of phenomena. If that's the case, and that's what the people want, don't you think it makes sense to give it to them? SBC seems to fall into this trap a lot -- they're dogmatic when they should be a little more flexible. That's been a strength here at home, but the future is out there. I wonder?
In one sense, I find the SBC's stance admirable, they at least have the strength of their convictions. My denonmination is historically cessasionist, but I attended a prayer meeting at the PCUSA General Assembly one time that was so charismatic, I thought I stumbled into the Foursquare convention. I started looking around for the "church cops" to bust the thing. But no, that would be out of character for a denomination that values "diversity" as much as the PCUSA does. So, while I disagree with the SBC's stance, I admire their committment to doctrinal purity.
But having said that, I think in it may lie the roots of the death of the SBC. It's no secret that the church is growing throughout the non-western world at an astonishing rate. What's less well known is that the growth is largely Penecostal, especially in the third world. The SBC is, I think, largely limiting the effectiveness of their missionaries.
As we have seen in the blogospheric discussion on charisma/cessasion, most cessasionists have room for some sort of phenomena. If that's the case, and that's what the people want, don't you think it makes sense to give it to them? SBC seems to fall into this trap a lot -- they're dogmatic when they should be a little more flexible. That's been a strength here at home, but the future is out there. I wonder?
