Seeing New Light

Well, the dust is finally settling a bit in Tulia. The youth are off to camp this week, and no members are currently in the hospital. VBS fires up next Monday. And let’s not forget about going the two Sunday School cookouts in the past week. Is summer here, or what?

The Habitat for Humanity-Tulia Project is getting off the ground. The goal is to build two houses, for which we must raise $100,000 by August 25. Pray that this will be accomplished. In fact, a $50k goal is set for July 25. The leadership for this project is being handled extremely well. I’m excited about the greater opportunities in store for community renewal if the Habitat project is a big success. Although I’ve never been on a Habitat project before, this will be a tremendous introduction.

Ah…yes, Shannon is expecting! She’s having up days and down days as far as the whole morning sickness goes, but we’re told it will even out very soon. Our next doctor’s appointment is in a couple weeks, but we’ve already had the first sonogram and have seen the heartbeat! Thanks for your prayers. Keep em comin.’  What a great anniversary present to hear this news.

The following remarks are my response to a recent invitation to post on the New Baptist Covenant blogspot. These words hopefully indicate a certain healthy skepticism on my part while also allowing for the promotion of an evangelistic Baptist heritage.   

            As a young West Texas pastor, I’m heavily influenced by those magnificent Baptist leaders who have gone before us. In fact, this morning I continue my journey through T.B. Maston’s The Bible and Race. Maston penned this wonderful work in 1959, yet his words find a unique place in our contemporary era. One sentence particularly caught my attention today. In reference to Jesus’ profound commentary concerning love of neighbor (Matthew 22:39), Maston wrote, “One of the most adequate and accurate ways to measure our kinship to God is the breadth, depth, and genuineness of our love” (Maston, 75).

            The time is right, then, for Baptists to influence those who will come after us. In other words, let’s allow ourselves to be shaken up a bit. Perhaps the New Baptist Covenant will promote the shaking process—in which Baptist pastors and congregations can think through some aspects of the “breadth, depth, and genuineness” of our evangelical commitment to love of God and neighbor in holistic worship (Romans 12:1-2).

Although (and I must admit this!), I’m skeptical of some politically charged personalities involved on both “red” and “blue” sides of the aisle, I sense a strong thirst among many Baptists to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8). It is, indeed, the pattern of Christ for all of us to be both salt and light in the world. In fact, I agree with Herschel Hobbs when he indicated that one of our greatest evangelistic efforts as Baptists is to “believe in a spiritual gospel which has social implications”* In other words, the proof will be in the pudding as we cooperate to the extent that our consciences dictate.

*Hobbs, Herschel H. The Baptist Faith and Message. Nashville: Convention

Press, 1971. Revised edition, 1996. Page 112).

I don’t know if many of you are aware of the New Baptist Covenant which will be meeting next year in Atlanta. I’ve been asked by a good friend to write a post on Friday with my perspective on this new endeavor for many Baptists. At the outset, I would say that I appreciate the missional and cooperative fervor associated with the formation of this entity, which is characteristic of many historical/traditional Baptists.