God has privileged me to be affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention for more than 40 years as a pastor. I attended a Southern Baptist Church before I was born. After God called me to the ministry I furthered my education in preparation for the ministry at a Baptist college and a Southern Baptist seminary. During those years and the years since, I have never tried to pin labels nor do I wear them well. I am simple enough to take God’s Word at face value. I simply believe that God inspired the Bible and that it is sufficient for our faith and practice. Am also acutely aware of the fact that Southern Baptists are not always right and at time some of us may not conduct ourselves in right manners. I probably have seen us at our best and our worst.
I thank God that the churches that He has privileged me to pastor have cooperated with their associations, the state convention and the Southern Baptist Convention. Most have given liberally through the Cooperative Program and to other missions causes.
Having somewhat established my background, I feel that I can safely share the following. I really thought that we had passed through the waters of slurs, name-calling, label-pinning and finger-pointing. Now I find myself wondering. I subscribe to and read carefully and prayerfully our Alabama Baptist newspaper. I also receive and read cautiously other publications. I am becoming puzzled. I read men who say that they have to apologize for the name “Baptist” and resort to saying, “I’m not that kind of Baptist.” I am sorry, but I do not find the name “Baptist” to be perceived as being pejorative, caustic or inflammatory.
Again I am puzzled. If in fact I find the name so repulsive and am moderate, Mainstream and moving away from Alabama Baptist and the SBC, why am I so concerned with getting more than 400 Mainstreams to go to a convention and vote against a presidential candidate with whom I do not agree.
In a recent newsletter I read the word fundamental or fundamentalist over five times on eight pages and did not find the word “liberal” one time. If we do not wear labels well, it might be in our best interest to not pin them so quickly.
Seems that if one can find nothing good about the SBC, other alternatives are available. I am still proud to be a Southern Baptist and an Alabama Baptist, and I use the word “Baptist” in love as I try to minister, preach and witness for our precious Lord.
J. Ralph Jones
Enterprise, Ala.
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