Will Southern Baptist 'fault lines' lead to division or unity?

Anglicans are not the only divided body of Christians

Steve Lemke, provost at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, examined various points of divergence among Southern Baptists in a recent four-part series for the blog SBC Today (http://sbctoday.com). He then offered two possible solutions for fostering increased unity in the convention.

Using the term "fault lines," Lemke wrote that the SBC landscape includes such points of contention as greater Baptist identity vs. lesser Baptist identity; smaller churches vs. larger churches; anti-Great Commission Resurgence (GCR) vs. pro-GCR; majority Baptist theology vs. Reformed theology; association and convention advocates vs. association and convention detractors; and those who place a higher value on the Cooperative Program (CP) vs. those who place a lower value on the CP.

"These fault lines are not identical, though they may parallel and converge at times," Lemke wrote. "But an eruption in one of the fault lines sets off shockwaves in each of these other fault lines, and hence a great deal of disagreement within the larger Southern Baptist fellowship."

Lemke pointed to the recent blog "Young, Southern Baptist, ... and Irrelevant?" as an example of the Baptist identity fault line. Brad Whitt, pastor of a traditional SBC church in South Carolina, expressed concern that traditional churches are being labeled "irrelevant" in some SBC circles. The blog created a stir on the Internet, with many comments on both sides of the issue. Some thanked him for voicing their common concerns; others criticized his concerns as unfounded. Eventually Whitt's article was published by seven state Baptist papers and in a Baptist Press point-counterpoint-type setting.

In light of the tensions stemming from the various SBC fault lines, Lemke offered two ways to resolve the issues and find unity.

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