Associated Baptist Press - Opinion: Baptist battles and Christian graces
Serving a church dually aligned with SBC and CBF is an interesting charge, considering that in North Carolina each side is moving closer to total divorce rather than unity. However, David Gushee shares a heartfelt testimony how both responded lovingly to different crises in his life. Do SBC and CBF churches and organizations have more in common than they are willing to admit? At least the author of this article and I agree that they do - love for one another.
3 comments:
But there is a huge gap between love for "each other" and love for "one another."
That is what is missing. And above the local church level, I'm having a harder and harder time of seeing even the former in the SBC. I know the CBF has its issues too, but it is getting harder and harder to say I'm a Southern Baptist.
Oops.
In the second paragraph, make that "harder to see the latter..."
Chris,
I guess the point was that regardless of the affiliation, there are "Christ-followers" in both camps who seek to live out Christ's mandate to be known by their love.
For me, it is harder and harder to identify as "Baptist" in that search for a faith that truly follows Christ. I don't know that the denominations won't exist as we move to a post-denominational age, but that they will have less influence than they do today.
I see eventually the Calvinist and Traditional Baptists in the SBC going at it in the future. I don't see Calvinism in the CBF camp. It may be there, but CBF's emphasis on love for the whole world and justice for the world does not leave room for Calvinism.
But, I do think that at the local level, within individual communities of faith, I see really not much difference in the care given to those in need.
Thanks!
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