Last week someone asked me what I thought was the one sentence statement of Baptist self-definition, the golden thread that runs through our story. I struggled - and in the end said we are better at saying what we're not...
We're not related to or descended from Anabaptists (much)
We're not Arminian (much)
We're not... etc etc (much)
Today at the end of the service someone took me to task over using the word 'evangelical' in last week's sermon - assuring me that we're not evangelical, we're Baptists. Trying to explain what I think evangelical means, and that it not did preclude or supersede her Baptistness, or more importantly that of her husband, who, she was glad to note, had not heard me say the word, was not easy, she just didn't get it. Baptists defined as not evangelical - well that's a first!
So, if we were to try to say what we are, in one short, snappy phrase of the ilk of 'one true church' (which of course we are, just no one else realises it yet ;-) ) what might it be?
Somehow, typing this brought to mind the wonderful article in this week's Baptist Times (yes, those words can go in the same sentence!) about one person's experience of moving from an RC to a Baptist church. With immense grace and gentle humour, some of our less attractive attributes were laid alongside our good ones. What also struck me was the profound change in our attitude in recent years - or at least in that of the BT. When I first started reading said publication around ten years ago I cannot imagine that it would have carried an article like this; that it does is definitely a sign of growing maturity in our attitudes and outlook. For ten years I have steadfastly resisted writing a 'letter to the editor' over one or other articles or attitude that has annoyed me, this week I was very tempted to write one in praise, perhaps I should have done. (But as we all look to see has written what anyway...).
Perhaps we should describe ourselves as 'growing in grace ... albeit rather slowly'
Comments
Flip! Reading the BT for 10 years. Wow! I take my hat off to you. I cancelled my subscription after I found four or five weeks worth on my desk still in the wrapper. Unfortunately I'm obviously not growing in grace, because as things stand I have no intention of going back to receiving it Still I'll get my annual free copy in a couple of weeks, so you never know.
Annual free copy - I don't think I've ever had one of those!
One definition of Baptists I came up with after observation of certain historic outcroppings of baptistness was "not putting up with being told what to do by anybody". A "citie knitte unto itself". You can see that strand in more theologically attire in Thomas Helwys' brave/utterly daft book dedication to James the First, but it comes in all sorts of other coatings - some theologically expressed and others not.
Not sure this is our most helpful characteristic, or even our most biblical one, but it's one I come across again and again.
Incidentally, in a survey at Spring Harvest I asked a group from my sending church to say whether they would describe themselves as Evangelical. About half wanted to know what an Evangelical was. I also had to explain the term to my diaconate at D+1 during a tutor's visit. When I asked someone from another local Baptist Church, with which I have no connection, whether they did much evangelism, he thought I was talking about things people do with bricks and windows - admittedly a rather different point. I draw no conclusions other than the truism that labels are often less informative than we might think.
Well Andy, what can I say.... Dibley's building has evidently seen more evangelism in the past three years than the previous 130!
Free BT - you have to go to Assembly to get that, and as it's usually one I've already paid for... Who knows, maybe after ten years I qualify for a long readership prize - but since they don't even give out jotter pads when you renew your subscription anymore I somehow doubt it!
Graham, I'm sure you already have way more grace than I do... perhaps you don't need to read it for ten years. Btw will be there to cheer (silently of course) as you are handshaked this time.
To me, being Baptist means:
- Firm commitment to the priesthood of all believers, not just in theory but in practice too - eg how the community as a whole makes decisions, how worship is led (both in terms of services being led by people not the minister and/or services not being exclusively led from the front, eg times for open prayer), etc. Thus taking equality and non-hierarchy seriously.
- Associated with that attaching a good deal of value of the notion of community
- The emphasis on individual faith and decisions expressed in believer's baptism
- Roots in a radical non-conformist tradition
- Taking the Bible seriously - more seriously than tradition, and constantly reinterpreting its message
Few if any of those things are exclusively Baptist, and some might not happen in all Baptist churches, but it's roughly what I think of when I think "Baptist". I wouldn't say these things mitigate against evangelism, or demand it.
I do remember doing membership classes with Glen many moons ago when he did a bit on what it means to be Baptist - I can't remember what he said but I'm sure I assimilated some of it!
10 years of reading the BT... jotter pads ... all these thoughts are to scary to contemplate.
Mind you if the BT did RSS I might be more inclined to read it. Things that come in the post get lost hidden and forgotten, electronic things are so much easier to find. I expect I'd still find the content annoying though.
be careful what you wish for...!
I did write to them and suggest a new media approach. they pointed me in the direction of the rather useless electronic version.