Promoting Fellowship June 7, 2007
Posted by hassell in Uncategorized.trackback
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).
James,
Good words.
Well put!
[...] James Hassell, a young West Texas pastor writes… 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. [...]