Patterson stands by BWA comments made at SBC meeting

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Responding to charges that he has defamed the Baptist World Alliance, Paige Patterson issued a statement June 22 saying he stands by comments he made at the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting.

Patterson was responding to a statement by Baptist World Alliance General Secretary Denton Lotz, who said the BWA was “slandered” and “maligned” during the annual meeting June 15. While not referencing Patterson by name, Lotz alludes to statements made solely by Patterson.

Patterson, president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, served on the committee that recommended that the SBC withdraw from the Baptist World Alliance. Speaking to messengers prior to the BWA vote June 15, Patterson lamented what he called a “leftward drift” in the BWA and said the American Baptist Churches USA tolerates churches friendly to the homosexual movement. The ABC denomination is a member of the Baptist World Alliance.

Patterson referred to the Evergreen Baptist Association, a group of 31 churches that joined ABC last year. Based in Washington state, the association has two churches that condone homosexuality and support same-sex “marriage.”

“We can no longer afford in this particular day, when the press for gay marriage is on, to be in an alliance of any kind with those denominations which support in any form or fashion gay marriage,” Patterson told messengers.

The SBC and the ABC approach the issue of homosexuality differently. While the Southern Baptist Convention withdraws fellowship from churches condoning homosexuality, the American Baptist Churches USA leaves the issue of homosexuality up to each church.

Lotz criticized Patterson’s statement, saying that there “is not one BWA member body that affirms, promotes or approves of gay marriage!” He quoted a resolution adopted at the BWA meeting in 1994, which states that the organization “proclaims the biblical definition of the family, a permanent, monogamous, heterosexual union, as the original divine plan for family life which must continue to serve as the foundation and ideal for an ordered and effective society.”

Patterson, though, said in his June 22 statement that some BWA members do accept homosexuality.

“Southern Baptists have not said that the BWA promotes gay marriage or homosexuality,” he wrote. “We have said, based on a press release from one of those unions, that some unions now tolerate churches which welcome practitioners of homosexual behavior. We have also said that if the BWA tolerates a convention or union which is accepting of churches with this anti-biblical agenda, then we can no longer lend our name or resources to that alliance.

“Worthy of note is that there has been no denial from the American Baptist Convention about the Evergreen Association and its two ‘gay-friendly’ churches. Neither has the BWA denied the existence of these churches in good standing with the ABC, which in turn provides much of the leadership for the BWA.”

Patterson’s comments at the SBC led to both the ABC and the Evergreen Association issuing statements addressing his charges. An Evergreen Association statement said that while two of their churches are Welcoming and Affirming, the association remains united with the goal of spreading “God’s love and peace.”

Meanwhile, an ABC official, Richard W. Schramm, pointed to the denomination’s statements on marriage and heterosexuality, which he said support traditional, orthodox teachings. Nevertheless, some ABC churches do stray from biblical teachings on the issue of homosexuality. Nearly 50 of its churches are aligned with the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists –- a group of churches that supports homosexual, “bisexual” and “transgender” rights. One of those is First Baptist Church in Seattle, an ABC church that is a member of the Evergreen Association that Patterson criticized.

On Mother’s Day, the church’s coordinating pastor, Stephen D. Jones, preached a sermon on “inclusive sexuality” in which he said that “being gay is good” and “being bisexual is good.” Using 1 Corinthians 6:20 as his text, Jones told those present that if “you’re a lesbian ... you glorify God in your sexuality” and that “if you are a questioning 14-year-old ... you glorify God in your emerging sexuality.”

One week later one of the pastors, a practicing homosexual, told members, “[A]s a gay man, I say: Give us the right to marry.” Another pastor subsequently told the congregation that the church would work to overturn Washington’s defense of marriage act, which bans same-sex “marriage” in the state.

But current and former ABC officials assert that the reason the SBC withdrew from the BWA is not because of homosexuality, but rather because the Baptist World Alliance accepted the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship into its membership. Lotz previously had made a similar assertion.

Patterson, though, disagreed.

“While that was the smallest and least significant piece of the puzzle, there is something to be learned here,” Patterson wrote. “The CBF admits that it severed ties with the SBC because the CBF wished to have a ‘more moderate’ -- read neo-orthodox -- position than the SBC. The CBF openly rejects the inerrancy of Scripture. Now, the SBC is criticized for leaving the BWA, but no word of criticism is offered by the BWA for the ‘schism,’ to use their favorite word, in Southern Baptist life brought about by the CBF departure.

“Not only does this strike us highly inconsistent, but also it makes crystal clear that whatever it is that Dr. Lotz means by ‘conservative evangelical,’ it is clearly quite different from what is usually understood by the term.”

In his statement Lotz said that the BWA is not a “liberal organization” and that it neither promotes nor condemns the issue of women as pastors.

“Since we affirm the autonomy of Baptist bodies, it is the prerogative of local churches and their member bodies to make decisions on ordination,” Lotz wrote.

Patterson said while the BWA does not advocate the role of female pastors, “neither does it call for a biblical position on the matter.”

“In ways sometimes subtle, sometimes overt, some leadership in the BWA has, in fact, sanctioned such practices,” Patterson wrote. “Again, that is their right and privilege -- just as it is our right and mandate to hold to a biblical position and not lend name and resources to the promotion of views that we honestly view as antithetical to biblical truth.”

Although not included in his statement, Lotz was quoted in the media as saying the BWA was a “conservative, evangelical” fellowship. Patterson said that if that is so, a statement of faith should be developed.

“[A]re we expected simply to take his word for it, especially when our ears have repeatedly heard the contrary?” Patterson wrote. “If Dr. Lotz is right, where is the confession of faith? Even if such were minimal, surely the BWA could ‘officially declare’ that people are saved only through conscious faith in Christ, that the church is a fellowship of twice-born individuals who have witnessed that faith by immersion, and that the Bible is the flawless and absolutely truthful Word of God!”

In countering the liberal label, Lotz had pointed to a statement adopted by the BWA Executive Committee in March of this year stating, “We wish to affirm again for all to know our adherence to the historic doctrines of our faith ... and our joyful affirmation of faith in the mediation of Jesus Christ as solely and entirely sufficient for salvation, ‘for there is salvation in no one else.’”

Patterson said while some members of the Baptist World Alliance affirm biblical orthodox teachings, others do not.

“We gratefully acknowledge that many, perhaps even most, participants in the BWA are godly, conservative, Christ-loving, Bible-honoring people,” Patterson said. “But, freedom of faith also includes the freedom to associate in ways which do not compromise cherished convictions. Freedom of faith recognizes the right, and, yes, even the necessity of a group or an individual to determine alliances or to choose not to affiliate with a group on the basis of conviction. This has always been a critical plank in the free-church history of convictional dissent.”

The full statements by Paige Patterson and Denton Lotz follow:

Paige Patterson:

“The Southern Baptist Convention is a convention of 40,000 plus churches, which, like most mainline denominations, began a leftward drift into liberal theology and neo-orthodoxy -- a less strident but more damaging form of liberalism. At great cost, the vast majority determined to return to the faith of the Bible and of our fathers as an act of gratitude to God and a stewardship of His mercies. As a part of this stewardship, the SBC determined that it would no longer lend its name or its resources to groups or alliances which to the best of our ability to discern, were not fully faithful to the Word of God.

“Over the past 15 years, Southern Baptist representatives have made repeated appeals to the BWA leadership to cease giving platforms to neo-orthodox and liberal leaders, Baptist or otherwise. Some leaders ignored our pleas while other promised imminent change which never materialized. These pleas were both oral and written, all to no avail.

“Southern Baptists believe that all should be free to practice their faith as they wish. We gratefully acknowledge that many, perhaps even most, participants in the BWA are godly, conservative, Christ-loving, Bible-honoring people. But, freedom of faith also includes the freedom to associate in ways which do not compromise cherished convictions. Freedom of faith recognizes the right, and, yes, even the necessity of a group or an individual to determine alliances or to choose not to affiliate with a group on the basis of conviction. This has always been a critical plank in the free-church history of convictional dissent.

“Under no circumstances do Southern Baptists seek to isolate themselves from the world, let alone from our Baptist brothers and sisters of common conviction throughout the world. We will continue to have co-operation and fellowship with any of these Baptist friends who so desire. We will simply elect to sustain this fellowship in a forum other than the BWA.

“Neither have we ‘slandered’ Baptists anywhere, including the BWA. What we have said is exactly what Dr. Lotz has essentially admitted. Liberal and neo-orthodox presenters such as Desmond Tutu, Jimmy Carter, Tony Campolo, Paul Fiddes, and Eric Geldbach, etc., are frequent speakers at BWA events. We are prepared to hazard our lives to protect their freedom to do so, but we are no longer desiring to lend our name and resources. The freedom to choose not to support what is to us unconscionable is just as important as the freedom of the BWA.

“Southern Baptists have not said that the BWA promotes gay marriage or homosexuality. We have said, based on a press release from one of those unions, that some unions now tolerate churches which welcome practitioners of homosexual behavior. We have also said that if the BWA tolerates a convention or union which is accepting of churches with this anti-biblical agenda, then we can no longer lend our name or resources to that alliance. Worthy of note is that there has been no denial from the American Baptist Convention about the Evergreen Association and its two ‘gay-friendly’ churches. Neither has the BWA denied the existence of these churches in good standing with the ABC, which in turn provides much of the leadership for the BWA.

“The BWA says that it does not advocate the role of female pastors. But neither does it call for a biblical position on the matter. In ways sometimes subtle, sometimes overt, some leadership in the BWA has, in fact, sanctioned such practices. Again, that is their right and privilege -- just as it is our right and mandate to hold to a biblical position and not lend name and resources to the promotion of views that we honestly view as antithetical to biblical truth. In the end, I suspect others will join us, but if not, we, like all our Baptist and Anabaptists forefathers, must stand true to our consciences.

“No charge has been made that the BWA is anti-American or anti-Southern Baptist. Those sentiments are not infrequently stated, but we are all big boys here and can handle criticism. That to which we have objected is that when these charges come, no effort has been made in those same forums for participants to hear the other side or receive an answer that might put matters in a different light.

“Finally, Dr. Lotz insists that the BWA is a ‘conservative, evangelical fellowship.’ Maybe so. Doubtless, many member bodies fit this description. But, are we expected simply to take his word for it, especially when our ears have repeatedly heard the contrary? If Dr. Lotz is right, where is the confession of faith? Even if such were minimal, surely the BWA could “officially declare” that people are saved only through conscious faith in Christ, that the church is a fellowship of twice-born individuals who have witnessed that faith by immersion, and that the Bible is the flawless and absolutely truthful Word of God!

“Dr. Lotz insists that the real issue is the admission of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship into the BWA. While that was the smallest and least significant piece of the puzzle, there is something to be learned here. The CBF admits that it severed ties with the SBC because the CBF wished to have a “more moderate” -- read neo-orthodox -- position than the SBC. The CBF openly rejects the inerrancy of Scripture. Now, the SBC is criticized for leaving the BWA, but no word of criticism is offered by the BWA for the ‘schism,’ to use their favorite word, in Southern Baptist life brought about by the CBF departure. Not only does this strike us highly inconsistent, but also it makes crystal clear that whatever it is that Dr. Lotz means by “conservative evangelical,” it is clearly quite different from what is usually understood by the term.

“Southern Baptists have no intention of engaging in any further tit for tat with BWA leadership. That leadership knows through both written and oral sources exactly the nature of the problem. They apparently intend no change. That is their privilege. We in turn exercise our privilege as Americans and as free-churchmen to lend our name and resources only to what we can support with conviction. There is a world to reach for Christ. Southern Baptists shall now turn our attention to that. We would risk the suggestion that the BWA do the same.”

Denton Lotz:

“When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we try to conciliate....” (I Corinthians 4:12-13)

“NOTE: Because of enquiries from around the world due to misrepresentations and misunderstandings printed in the press, it is necessary that the BWA issue the following statement clarifying our stand on critical issues of faith and practice. (Denton Lotz)

“On Tuesday, June 15th in Indianapolis, Indiana, Baptists of the world, and the Baptist World Alliance in particular were slandered by statements made to messengers at the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) which resulted in the withdrawal of the SBC from membership in the BWA. Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary defines slander as: ‘the utterance of false charges or misrepresentations which defame and damage another’s reputation.’

“The good name of the Baptist World Alliance, and Baptists generally, has been maligned. But more than that, the evangelistic potential of Baptist churches worldwide has been severely harmed. Most of all, the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ has been tarnished and the body of Christ brought into schism. How can we reclaim the good name of Baptist? That is the challenge for millions of committed and dedicated believers in the Southern part of the USA, in North America, and worldwide!

“The Washington Post on June 16th wrote an article that began, ‘The Southern Baptist Convention voted to pull out of the Baptist World Alliance, accusing the worldwide organization of a drift toward liberalism that included growing tolerance of homosexuality, support for women in the clergy and ‘anti-American’ pronouncements.’ This statement summarizes, unfortunately, the false accusations that have been sent around the world and have appeared in newspapers all over the USA and the world.

“The Apostle Paul endured slander and yet said that we must try to reconcile. This is indeed what the BWA attempted to do on April 20th when we met with SBC leaders. We had agreed that we would not make false or accusatory statements against one another. Therefore, the blast from Indianapolis was like a bombshell in a crowded building. Millions of Baptists have been spiritually hurt, their witness maimed and our good name besmirched.

“The tragedy of misrepresentation and slander is that there is no way to inform the secular or religious public or media of the truth. The secular and religious press tends to accept statements made by religious leaders and print them as the final truth. We have seen for example that accusations are made and then printed in newspapers without any commentary or checking out of the facts, or opportunity to correct erroneous statements.

“BWA president Billy Kim, pastor of Central Baptist Church in Suwon, Korea, one of the largest Baptist churches in the world, has had to respond to letters from all over the world and has made a crystal clear statement: ‘The Baptist World Alliance does not sanction or promote homosexuality!’

“How sad that the BWA has been defamed and our strongly Biblical and evangelical stance has been irreparably hurt by innuendos, false accusations, and guilt by association. Scripture reminds us to make a defense of the hope that is within us. (I Peter 3:15) Therefore, we affirm the following so that the word might go forth very clearly where we in the BWA stand:

“1. The BWA is not a liberal organization! It strongly affirms the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith as proclaimed in Holy Scripture which we accept as the authoritative Word of God! The BWA Executive Committee, meeting in March, 2004, made the following clear statement on March 10th: ‘We wish to affirm again for all to know our adherence to the historic doctrines of our faith….and our joyful affirmation of faith in the mediation of Jesus Christ as solely and entirely sufficient for salvation, ‘for there is salvation in no one else.’’ (Acts 4:12)

“2. The BWA does not promote women as pastors of churches nor does it argue against that practice. Since we affirm the autonomy of Baptist bodies, it is the prerogative of local churches and their member bodies to make decisions on ordination.

“3. The BWA is not anti-American. The fact that Archbishop Tutu, the chair of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, addressed the BWA General Council in Durban, South Africa was a testimony to Baptist concern worldwide against racism and the tragedy of apartheid. It is absurd to consider his invitation by South African Baptists as anti-American!

“We are citizens of the Kingdom of God and loyal citizens of our own nations. As Baptists who believe in the authority of the Word of God we believe that all of us must be open to the prophetic voice from God as it applies to our nations and to the world! We believe that Baptists should be good and patriotic citizens of their countries, but patriotism must always be limited to and judged by the Bible’s call for ultimate loyalty to Christ who is above all!

“4. The BWA does not support homosexuality as an acceptable life-style, believing it to be incompatible with the teachings of Scripture! It affirms without reservation that marriage is a holy state and only between a man and a woman forever.

“There is not one BWA member body that affirms, promotes or approves of gay marriage! On the contrary, at the BWA meeting July, 1994 in Uppsala, Sweden, the BWA General Council passed the following resolution confirming that the BWA ‘proclaims the biblical definition of the family, a permanent, monogamous, heterosexual union, as the original divine plan for family life which must continue to serve as the foundation and ideal for an ordered and effective society.’

“Baptists worldwide look forward to a glorious BWA centenary celebration in England next year with the sure confidence that Christ will complete the work He began in us! We invite Baptists worldwide to come to Birmingham, England July 27-31, 2005 and celebrate with us. By God’s grace the Baptist World Alliance represents the most widespread movement of Baptist believers all over the world.

“We are a democratic movement respecting the autonomy of national bodies and local churches, representing the rich and poor, the educated and uneducated, those in the North and South, the East and West. Indeed, we belong together because we belong to Christ!

“We do believe that God is the judge and he will justify. We have been encouraged by hundreds of telephone calls, e-mails, letters and statements of support. A young Southern Baptist seminarian wrote: ‘For whatever reason, God has allowed these events to take place. I know that He is sovereign over our times and is using these current circumstances for His glory that more will come to know Him. He is my comfort and my hope. I know that He will continue to bless the BWA.’

“As we have stated before, the Baptist World Alliance hopes for and will work for reconciliation with our Southern Baptist brothers and sisters and prays for their return to the historic and international Baptist world family. To God be the glory!"