Baptists from across North America will convene in Atlanta early next year to emphasize their compassion rather than the racial, theological and social differences that have divided them for decades.
Former presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton — two of the world’s most famous Baptist laymen — announced the Celebration of a New Baptist Covenant, tentatively set for Jan. 30–Feb. 1, 2008. The announcement came Jan. 9, after the ex-presidents had met with about 80 leaders from 40 Baptist organizations in the United States and Canada at The Carter Center in Atlanta.
The 2008 convocation will be "one of the most historic events — at least in the history of Baptists in this country, maybe Christianity," Carter predicted.
Baptist harmony was broken, at least in the United States, in the mid-1800s. That’s when divisions between Northern and Southern Baptists overwhelmed the missionary spirit that previously brought them together, Carter said, lamenting the schism that lasted for generations.
"We hope to recertify our common faith without regard to race, ethnicity, partisanship and geography" in the 2008 meeting, he said.
Last April, about 20 of these leaders announced their intention to find a way to unify Baptists around Christ’s compassion for people He once described as "the least of these" in society.
In two meetings since, they acknowledged they could be divided by their history of racial tension and theological dissension. But they agreed Jesus’ mandate, as well as their shared heritage and core commitments, provides a platform for working together.
The endeavor is the brainchild of Carter and Bill Underwood, president of Baptist-related Mercer University in Atlanta and Macon, Ga.
The organizers said they expect about 20,000 people to attend the convocation.
Conspicuously absent from the gathering were representatives of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), which with 16 million members on its rolls is the largest single Baptist body in the world. Although SBC leaders were not invited to the Atlanta meeting, Carter and Clinton said they are welcome to join.
In recent years, Southern Baptists withdrew from the Baptist World Alliance and its North American Baptist Fellowship because of alleged liberalism — a charge the group and its affiliated Baptist bodies flatly denied.
Underwood said an invitation hadn’t been formally extended to SBC officials because the North American Baptist Fellowship’s membership provided the core of The Carter Center gathering. "But it’s important to say that a number of people here are Southern Baptists," he added.
Morris H. Chapman, president of the SBC Executive Committee, disputed Carter’s and Clinton’s notion that a negative perception of Baptists exists from such a schism.
"Research shows this premise is false," he said. "Zogby International conducted a survey for the SBC that showed adults view Southern Baptists favorably, equally to their views about Catholics and United Methodists.
"Not surprisingly, we fared best in areas where we have a strong presence and the community at large experiences our ministries and is familiar with our beliefs." (ABP, BP)
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