Alabama Baptists are committed to helping others in times of crisis. Denomination faithful also have a solid record in opposing social concerns such as gambling and pornography.
In both areas, they excel in meeting the Bible’s commands to help others. However some believe Baptists are less active in taking action to change social and economic conditions to conform with principles laid down in the Bible.
Two Alabama pastors – James Evans of Crosscreek Baptist church, Pelham, and Nick Foster of University Baptist Church, Montevallo – said it is the hesitation to become involved in social action that keeps Alabama Baptists from addressing what they believe is a serious inequity in the state’s tax system.
“Churches have not addressed this specifically,” said Foster. “We’re so careful about becoming involved
in political issues, that we’ve stayed away from social issues that need to be addressed.”
Evans said Baptist have an exemplary record in two of three levels of involvement with the social order identified by religious historian Robert d. Linder:
*Social ministries,, which help those affected by adverse social conditions, and
*Social concern, which addresses interest in society’s problems as they relate to biblical commandments dealing with human relations and social issues.
The third level outlined by Linder is social action, a term Evans said refers to “dramatically altering the status quo.”
“Alabama Baptists, while not completely absent in endeavors employing social action, have not been as energetic here as in the other areas of social involvement,” Evans said, noting theological issues make social action a difficult path for Alabama Baptists to travel.
Alabama Baptists’ reluctance to embrace tax reform as a moral cause may come from a tendency to focus on reforming personal behavior rather than trying to fix broken or failing social institutions, Evans said, noting a resolution calling on Baptists to support tax reform never made it out of committee at the 1999 state convention annual meeting.
“It’s hard for them to see that an entity like a government or a tax structure, that a social force can be evil,” he said.
Still, several Baptist leaders believe the problem is deeper in that Baptists and all Alabamians are afraid of tax reform.
“Tax reform sends shivers up the spines of a lot of people,” said Samford University President Thomas Corts, who is lead a group rallying for a new Alabama constitution.
I think they just immediately think their taxes are going up. I don’t think that’s necessarily true, but I think that’s everybody’s first reaction,” Corts said.
Foster believes there is also a hesitation by Alabama Baptists to become involved in an issue like tax reform.
“But Christians must ask ourselves, are we willing to maintain the status quo on the backs of our poorer brothers and sisters,” Foster said. “Surely, none of us would answer that question affirmatively.”
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