Joshua Convergence launches Internet site; discusses future

WINTER PARK (FBW)-Participants in "The Joshua Convergence" met for two hours Sept. 26 at Aloma Baptist Church in Winter Park, to talk about their reasons for meeting, plans for the future and what they hope to accomplish through a new website developed to help connect them with others.

The 40 participants the evening before attended a two-hour worship service where speakers presented talks on seven principles of affirmation which addressed truth, gratitude, service, holiness, unity, identity and mission. Sept. 26 organizers unveiled an internet blog site, "The Joshua Convergence" (www.joshuaconvergence.com). On the site, two articles, each related to one of the seven affirmations, will be posted weekly by an editorial committee of the organization and those who wish to identify with the principles of affirmation may have their blog or website link listed.

Anthony George told those gathered Sept. 26 he was one of a handful of men who met in Greensboro, N.C., during the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in June to explore the possibility of organizing a loosely-formed fellowship of 'younger leaders' who support the Conservative Resurgence and the leaders who took the 16-million member Southern Baptist Convention from what some have called a liberal drift back to a more conservative course.

In the months preceding the SBC, blog sites burgeoned with criticisms of some SBC leaders and pastors. Some bloggers began "reporting" from meetings of SBC entity trustees and a small group issued the "Memphis Declaration" in May repenting for what they called "triumphalism" and "narcissism" among Southern Baptists. In June at the SBC, many bloggers also took credit for electing Frank Page as SBC president-something participants in the Joshua Convergence credited more to Page's support of the Cooperative Program than to any other reason.

"We talked about not being a reactionary group, but yet, we also were honest enough to admit that ... we were reacting by meeting," said George, pastor of Aloma Baptist. One of the things that concerned us is that there seemed to be a unique ownership, a unique trademark, on the title "young leader of the SBC." And I did not feel that those who were parading under that banner were representing where I stand and how I feel.

"My heart in getting together with the men in Greensboro was not to say that those young leaders should not be young leaders, but to say that I'd like to find those who have a kindred spirit with us here in this room," George continued.† "We are not demanding a place at the table, but we are young pastors of the next generation and we want to provide a forum for our voices to be made known and that's part of Baptist life and that's what this was born out of.

"So we don't want to be entirely reactionary, but the fact is, we are reacting just to say we believe that they should not be the only ones that are called the young leaders of the SBC," George said.

Later George said because the SBC process is political, it would be incorrect to say the group is not political-but that's part of being a Southern Baptist. George said he has been accused in person and on blogs of being a "puppet" of Paige Patterson, president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth-who was a major leader in the Conservative Resurgence.

"Dr. Patterson is not perfect, but I'm going to tell you something, I am a puppet of the Lord Jesus Christ," George said. "I want you to know that I don't do a tit-for-tat, but we are young leaders, too."

Emir Caner, a professor at SWBTS, and one of the speakers Sept. 25, told Florida Baptist Witness he is not even sure Patterson was aware of his involvement with The Joshua Convergence-and that he was the only one who spoke who is not a pastor.

"I'm not even sure Dr. Patterson knows that I'm here," Caner said. "What I love is that this is led by pastors. In terms of Dr. Patterson, yeah, you don't knock down your general or your hero, and he is my mentor. And so, if somehow there is a pejorative view because I am connected to Dr. Patterson, great. That's a badge of honor because he is, to me, the Spurgeon of the 20th and 21st centuries."

Of Patterson, Caner said, there are some Southern Baptists who are "trying to malign his character, but when history is said and done ... he will be one of the few men standing, who ... God has put his hand upon to turn around an entire convention, which is the first time in history that a convention has gone from liberalism to conservatism."

Caner told the Witness the current climate towards the Resurgence is markedly changed from what it was 20 years ago.

"It is different because there are some who think that the battle is over. I don't think it is," Caner said. "The battle for inerrancy is not over and because [some Southern Baptists] have the mindset that it's over, well then, what [Patterson] is doing in the role that he has taken is all of a sudden dispensable. I don't think it is."

Caner said the struggle continues at the associational and state convention levels in many places and that Southern Baptists will "naturally lean left" if the on-going struggle is neglected.

Stephen Rummage, preaching pastor at Hickory Grove Baptist Church in Charlotte, N.C., who was casually named coordinator of the group, said at the Sept. 26 meeting he will name a steering committee comprised of some of the speakers at the worship service and from that also name an editorial board who will be responsible for the content and tone of the articles posted to the website. He said he anticipates the blog being updated through the next 12 months.

Rummage told the Witness he does not foresee a state-by-state network with any centralization, but instead said he believes those who met will "want to enlarge the circles of people that know about what we have talked about today." The initial meeting was not widely publicized, Rummage admitted, although each person who received an invitation was told to bring other "like-minded" individuals with them and all meetings were open to guests. He also pointed out that a tape of the worship service can be viewed on Aloma's website at www.alomachurch.org/joshua.wmv.

"We let as many people know as we were able to let know," Rummage said.

During the discussion, Larry Robertson, pastor of Hilldale Baptist Church in Clarksville, Tenn., said he was interested in "to whom" a statement was being made through convening the Convergence, and with what goal in mind.

The statement is simply, "here's where we stand," Rummage said, through the affirmations presented. He said those who affirmed the principles could sign their names on the way out of the meeting if they desired, but that they did not intend any similarity to the signing of the Declaration of Independence or an important ceremony. He emphasized that registration of the participants was not expected to indicate approval or endorsement of the affirmations presented. The seven affirmations were also not meant to be an "exhaustive" listing of sentiments of those gathered, Rummage said.

Mike Madaris, pastor of Hickory Grove Baptist Church in Green Cove Springs, said he believed the affirmations were "general enough" and would help churches understand some basics about Southern Baptists and where they have struggled.

James Hilton, pastor of First Baptist Church in Orange City, said he believes there's a reason bloggers have had an influence in the past months and their discussion of the "centrality of power" through the SBC Executive Committee and the way Southern Baptists send missionaries and do missions might prompt "valid questions" about these processes.

"I'm just curious," Hilton said. "I love our convention. I love what we do. I'm a Southern Baptist and will always be a Southern Baptist, but as I look to the future there are certain things that resonate with me; how are we going to face this?"

Tim Rogers, pastor of Yadkin Baptist Church in Statesville, N.C., said there may be too few who actually are defining what it means to be a blogger. Rogers said he started blogging when issues surfaced at the SBC's International Mission Board and North American Mission Board.

"The folks who are already in the blog world are defining it and there's nobody else in the blog world to counter that definition," Rogers said. He did note that two others there, Brad Reynolds, pastor of Gravel Hill Baptist Church and professor at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C., and Bart Barber, pastor of First Baptist Church in Farmerville, Texas,† each had a blog. Rogers encouraged those at the meeting to blog in order to define themselves, because, he said, "right, wrong or indifferent, blogging is here."

Ergun Caner, dean of Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, said in his experience blogging is the way younger people communicate with each other.

"All of our students blog," Caner said. "There are a ton of these blogs -we need to have something."

David Edgell, associate pastor of Hephzibah Baptist Church in Wendell, N.C., said there are many who have graduated from colleges and seminaries identified with the Conservative Resurgence and "yet many of them have become enamored" with heroes such as Bill Hybels and Rick Warren and have said if the "IMB can't get it done" they will look elsewhere.

"And there are a lot of these guys that have been drawn because they have just not seen the innovative, creative kind of things," Edgell said. "So I think there's definitely a need for this generation ... to say, 'hey, there is a forum, there is a group that is rising up to say that we're going to stay steady to the course; be innovative, be creative, but at the same time we're gonna be strong in our theological stand [with] strong and biblical principles.'" Edgell said he believes there is a large group of pastors and leaders who will resonate with what the Joshua Convergence affirms.

"I think we will really see a resurgence of a lot of those guys, hopefully, that are starting to be enamored of that, begin to really see that," Edgell continued. "I feel like-I don't feel Jimmy Draper intended to-but in the midst of kind of starting that young leaders group, it basically got hijacked and got taken in a direction I'm not sure was his original intent, whatsoever. And let's face it; it went in a direction we were not comfortable with, whatsoever, and they have said, 'this has become a home for young leaders.'"

Identifying just who "young leaders" are also generated some discussion. Rummage said he does not prefer to be identified "generationally" and invites people of all ages to be involved.

Joe Brown, senior pastor of Hickory Baptist Church in Charlotte, N.C., joked about his vision of preserving the "Annuity Board," but said how "young" is viewed can be determined by a person's definition of age.

"Biblically, older men are men who dream dreams. They are looking at the past and telling war stories and younger men are guys who see the vision and want to start doing something for the future and have a goal," Brown said. "So you can define yourself as younger, those who believe that we have a future and want to do things now that will impact the future and preserve the biblical principles of the Southern Baptist Convention. I still have a vision."

Mike Priest, pastor of Bartlett Baptist Church near Memphis, Tenn., said he recalls a conversation where Adrian Rogers, long-time pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church near Memphis and a former SBC president during the Conservative Resurgence, expressed concern about who would assume the "mantle" of leadership in the SBC in this generation.

Of leaders of the Conservative Resurgence, Priest said, "Dr. Rogers was right. They reacted to a generation which says, 'these theological convictions aren't essential,' they failed to move to the next generation. I wish he was here to explain fully now what he meant. But somewhere, he believed, we didn't hand it off well to that generation."

It's time for this generation to say theological convictions are essential, concluded Priest. "I'm willing to stand and say, 'no, we don't want to go there.'"

Madaris, a native of South Carolina who has pastored in Florida 11 months, after the meeting told the Witness he believes the Convergence provided "a good launching point" in looking towards a positive future for the Southern Baptist Convention, recognizing the "foundation" laid by the leaders of the Conservative Resurgence.

"At the heart of this meeting was just a bunch of guys coming together to say that was a good thing that happened and God used it to bring us to where we are today," Madaris said. "We need to make sure that we protect our heritage both from that time and historically and to move forward on that foundation with the heart of reaching the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ at the forefront of everything we do."