Session notes available here: https://humble-sidecar-837.notion.site/Southern-Baptist-Convention-23bb35a87d63807d8ce6c21207c4addd?source=copy_link

THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION

SERIES: WHAT THEY BELIEVE AND WHY IT MATTERS | DR. RANDY WHITE

A NOTE ON THE SERIES

• Purpose of the theological review series:

• Examine Christian denominations through a literal and rightly divided biblical perspective.

• Focus of this installment:

• Analysis of Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) and its official doctrinal statement: THE BAPTIST FAITH AND MESSAGE (2000).

• Importance of doctrinal statements:

• Function as theological contracts and creeds.

• Dictate allowable beliefs, teachings, and preaching within the denomination.

• Methodology of this review:

• Compare each doctrinal article directly with Scripture.

• Identify careful wording, careless phrasing, traditions, ambiguity, and hidden implications.

• Intent of this review:

• Not to judge salvation or sincerity of individuals.

• To test doctrinal clarity, biblical fidelity, and coherence.

• Encourage believers to develop discernment and scriptural examination skills.

• Follow the Berean principle (Acts 17:11).

INTRODUCTION TO THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION

• Historical background:

• Founded in 1845 in Augusta, Georgia.

• Largest Protestant denomination in North America.

• Organizational model:

• Cooperative, voluntary partnership of autonomous churches.

• Unified by doctrine and cooperation rather than hierarchical control.

• Doctrinal identity:

• Conservative, evangelical, confessional stance.

• Based on THE BAPTIST FAITH AND MESSAGE (BF&M).

• Historical revisions: 1925, 1963, most recently 2000 (currently in force).

• Practical implications of BF&M (2000):

• Functionally binding for seminary professors, missionaries, denominational leaders.

• Practically expected alignment by local churches.

• Internal denominational tensions:

• Autonomy vs. cooperation.

• Tradition vs. innovation.

• Calvinist vs. non-Calvinist theology.

• Cultural engagement vs. doctrinal conservatism.

• Result of these tensions:

• Doctrinal compromises and imprecise wording.

• Historical strengths of SBC:

• Commitment to biblical inerrancy.

• Salvation exclusivity in Christ.

• Believer’s baptism by immersion.

• Influential seminaries, missions, evangelical discourse.

• Necessity of scriptural evaluation rather than relying on sentiment or reputation.

FIRST, A DISCLAIMER

• Nature of doctrinal statements:

• Human, uninspired summaries.

• Incomplete and selective.

• Reflect historical context, authors’ priorities, and biases.

• Evaluation method:

• Compare the confession strictly against the Bible.

• Reject denominational tradition or other creeds as standards.

• Seek a plain, rightly divided reading of Scripture.

• Weaknesses of BF&M (2000):

• Contains theological compromises.

• Avoids clear definitions.

• Ambiguous language allowing multiple interpretations.

• Claims conservative safety, but often lacks necessary precision.

A CONCERN

• Personal background of the author:

• Present at the 2000 SBC Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida.

• Historical intent of BF&M (2000):

• Presented as clarification against theological liberalism.

• Not intended as a creed requiring signatures.

• Initial objections to BF&M (2000):

• Concern about its trajectory becoming creedal.

• Current reality (25 years later):

• BF&M (2000) is now effectively a creed.

• Annual required signatures from SBC leadership, professors, denominational staff.

• Job postings for pastors frequently mandate adherence.

• Resulting outcomes:

1. Instrument of conformity:

• Used as enforcement rather than clarification.

• Prescriptive rather than descriptive.

3. Failure to prevent denominational drift:

• SBC becoming increasingly centrist (“moderate”).

• Shifts in gender roles, social justice, hermeneutics.

• Original intent (preventing liberal drift) not realized.

• Overall concern:

• The document’s inability to fulfill its protective purpose.

• Questions wisdom of treating man-made statements as authoritative.

THE HOLY SCRIPTURES

• SBC’s opening doctrinal article:

• Affirms Scriptures as divinely inspired, trustworthy, and authoritative.

• Positive points:

• Strong affirmation of Scripture’s truth, authority, usefulness.

• Significant issues identified:

1. Lack of canon definition (no explicit identification of 66 books).
2. Ambiguity in inspiration (“men divinely inspired” vs. “words inspired”).
3. Avoidance of explicit inerrancy (uses “without error” phrase but omits “inerrancy”).
4. Vagueness of “perfect treasure” (weakens authority).
5. Christological hermeneutic imposed:

• Forces every passage into allegorical interpretation.

• Neglects context, grammar, genre, and original intent.

• Missing doctrinal clarifications:

• Canon definition (66 books).

• Doctrine of preservation of Scriptures.

• Doctrine of Scripture’s sufficiency.

• Literal, grammatical, historical interpretive method.

GOD

• Summary of SBC’s doctrine of God:

• Affirms monotheism, sovereignty, and Trinitarian identity.

• Issues identified:

1. Contradiction of human freedom and divine foreknowledge:

• Philosophically inconsistent.

• Election and free choice inherently conflict.

3. Ambiguous Trinitarian formulation (“reveals Himself as” vs. eternally existing as):

• Opens door for modalism.

• Fails to affirm distinct, eternal personhood explicitly.

GOD THE FATHER

• Positive point:

• Distinct articulation of God the Father.

• Issues identified:

1. Vague language on God’s providence (“flow of stream of human history”):

• Unclear about determinism or human freedom.

2. Restrictive Fatherhood (Father only to believers, “fatherly” toward others):

• Biblically problematic (Acts 17:28–29).

• Unnecessary theological bifurcation.

GOD THE SON

• Strengths noted:

• Clear statements on eternal deity, incarnation, substitutionary death, resurrection.

• Issues identified:

1. Vague “divine law” (imprecise reference to Torah or general moral law).

2. Unclear wording on bodily resurrection.
3. Ambiguous statement of reconciliation.
4. Undefined phrase “consummate His redemptive mission”.
5. Problematic Kingdom Now language (“dwells in believers as Lord”).

GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT

• Strength:

• Affirms the Holy Spirit’s deity.

• Issues identified:

1. Ambiguous inspiration of Scripture (men vs. words).
2. Mystical view of illumination:

• Suggests unbelievers cannot understand truth.

• Undermines objective accessibility of Scripture.

4. Vague “call to salvation”:

• No clarification on nature or extent.

• Possible Calvinistic implications.

6. Unclear baptism into Body of Christ:

• Not distinguishing spiritual vs. water baptism.

8. Undefined spiritual gifts.
9. Contradiction regarding believer’s completeness:

• SBC suggests believers progressively attain completeness (contradicts Col. 2:10).

11. Unmeasurable empowerment claim.

MAN

• Strength:

• Affirms special creation and imago Dei.

• Issues identified:

1. Weak statement on gender (insufficient clarity in current cultural context).
2. Problematic view of free choice (inconsistent with God’s foreknowledge).
3. Ambiguous phrase “inclined toward sin” (possible denial of original sin).
4. Unclear doctrine of moral accountability:

• Vague “capable of moral action” standard.

• Unclear mechanism of becoming sinners.

SALVATION

• Major issues identified:

1. Implicit limited atonement (redemption “for believers” only).
2. Confusion of repentance and faith:

• Treats repentance as inseparable from faith.

• Redefines faith as works-based “commitment”.

4. Weak assurance of salvation:

• Salvation tied to vague personal commitment.

• Outcome:

• Turns grace-based salvation into performance-based justification.

GOD’S PURPOSE OF GRACE

Issues identified:

1. Undefined scope of election.
2. Contradiction of sovereign election and free agency.
3. Ambiguous perseverance (“true believers endure”):

• Assurance based on performance.

• Undermines present certainty of salvation.

• Overall outcome:

• SBC’s statement creates theological confusion rather than clarity or security.