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The New York Times
Religion Today
By AP from the
nytimes.com on the Web, June 28, 2007
They're America's other Baptists --
the ones who appoint women pastors, work with theological liberals and line up
more closely with President Carter than with President George W. Bush.
Over the last 25 years, they have watched with growing concern as their
conservative Southern Baptist brethren came to define the religious tradition
for the general public.
Now, these other Baptists, who are spread among many different denominations,
are slowly pooling resources on humanitarian work and evangelism, hoping they
can have a bigger impact.
This Friday in Washington, two of the larger groups -- the American Baptist
Churches and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship -- will worship together for the
first time. They plan to commission two missionary couples who will
represent both groups, and will organize a national Islamic-Baptist dialogue to
improve relations with Muslims.
''It is an effort to celebrate our common heritages as Baptist Christians and to
affirm our commitment to work together more collaboratively,'' said the Rev.
Daniel Vestal, national coordinator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.
''The Baptist witness is much richer and more nuanced than is characterized so
often in the public square now.''
In January, an even broader group of Baptists will host an Atlanta meeting ''to
speak and work together to create an authentic and genuine prophetic Baptist
voice in these complex times,'' according to a joint document they issued called
a ''North American Baptist Covenant.''
The covenant grew out of meetings of Baptist leaders organized by Carter, a
longtime Bible teacher who severed ties in 2000 with the Southern Baptist
Convention because of what he called its ''increasingly rigid'' creed.
At 16.3 million members, the Southern Baptist Convention is the largest
Protestant denomination in the country. However, millions of other
Baptists have churches nationwide that are either independent or affiliated with
smaller groups.
The Rev. Frank Page, the Southern Baptist president, has accused the covenant's
drafters of promoting a ''left-wing liberal agenda that seeks to deny the
greatest need in our world, that being that the lost be shown the way to eternal
life through Jesus Christ.''
But organizers insist they do not want to create a new denomination or a
political platform. Bill Underwood, president of Mercer University in
Atlanta, and one of the main organizers of next year's meeting, said he hasn't
heard ''any discussion one way or another'' about whether any presidential
candidates will be allowed to speak at the assembly. President Clinton,
also a Southern Baptist, is a supporter of the meeting.
The religious leaders who endorsed the covenant say their churches span a wide
range of beliefs on issues both theological and political, and have diverse
styles of worship. Many oppose abortion and gay marriage, but believe that
the Bible's social justice teachings are just as important. The unity
meetings also aim to bridge the divide between historically African-American and
white Baptists.
''We really haven't seen this kind of unity in Baptist life since the early 19th
century,'' Underwood said. ''The more we talk to one another, the more we
realize that despite some differences we have on matters of theology, we can
focus on the common ground.''
The National Baptist Convention USA, Inc., and the Progressive National Baptist
Convention -- both predominantly black and heavily involved in the civil rights
movement -- are among the participants.
''I think it is possible for denominations not to be predominantly one racial
ethnic group or another, but it's always hard work,'' said the Rev. Roy Medley,
general secretary for the American Baptists, one of the rare U.S. denominations
that aren't dominated by a single ethnic group. ''Race is still the
underlying great divide in our country.''
The American Baptist Church, with about 1.2 million members, has about 5,500
congregations nationwide, concentrated more in northern states. The
denomination has lost some churches and donors, due partly to differences over
the Bible and homosexuality. The American Baptists have trimmed their
national staff, and plan to sell their national office in Pennsylvania.
The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, based in Atlanta, was formed in 1991 by
moderate and liberal Southern Baptists who opposed the conservative Southern
Baptist leadership. The fellowship, with churches mainly in the South, has
about 1,900 congregations and a ministry budget of $16 million.
Their joint worship Friday is on the day that each of their national meetings
overlap.
Nancy Ammerman, a Boston University sociologist of religion who has written
about Baptist battles, said that creating any kind of unified Baptist movement
is difficult because local churches cherish their independence.
But boosting cooperation among the different groups, she said, is a more
realistic goal.
''Maybe they could be seen as a united front,'' Ammerman said, ''so that people
would think, 'Oh, this is one of those non-Southern Baptist groups.' ''
On the Net: North American Baptist Covenant:
http://www.newbaptistcovenant.org/
Southern Baptist Convention:
http://www.sbc.net/
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