Alabama Baptists reaffirmed their historic commitment to the Bible as their sole authority for faith and practice and reaffirmed their basic belief in the Lordship of Jesus Christ during their annual meeting Nov. 14–15 in Montgomery.
The statement on the Bible and Jesus Christ emerged during a time when other state conventions debated whether to affirm the 2000 version of The Baptist Faith and Message approved during the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) in June.
Alabama Baptists chose to commend all versions of The Baptist Faith and Message but not any one version over the other because “the Alabama Baptist State Convention (ABSC) has never written or adopted a confession of faith, and Baptists have consistently honored the Christian faith as a noncreedal people,” said James Bruton, chairman of the ABSC resolutions committee and pastor of Liberty Park Baptist Church, Birmingham, as he read parts of the resolution “On Doctrinal Heritage and Confessions of Faith.”
The resolution explains the historical development of The Baptist Faith and Message and details ways it can be used as a resource, Bruton said during debate over the resolution.
Passed overwhelmingly by the 1,778 registered messengers, the resolution garnered about 15 minutes of debate which resulted in only one attempt to amend it.
Arby Talley, a member of First Baptist Church, Gadsden, proposed deleting the words 1998 and 2000 in the statement about the sequence of revisions to The Baptist Faith and Message. But Bruton explained that those dates were historical facts and would leave the statement inaccurate. The amendment failed.
Others opposed to the resolution were concerned about the 2000 version of The Baptist Faith and Message, even though the resolution did not affirm any version of the document.
“We have never been a creedal people,” said John Sparks, a messenger from Center Baptist Church in Lafayette. “The 1963 document was a unifying document. It pulled people in,” he said. “The controversial changes made (in the 2000 version) have made a way to divide us. … We need something that will unify us, that’s God’s holy Word.”
“Our unity is not based on what we do together but what we believe,” said Roger Willmore, pastor of First Baptist Church, Weaver, who spoke in favor of the resolution.
Steve Gaines, pastor of First Baptist Church, Gardendale, also supported the resolution. A member of the SBC committee that helped rewrite The Baptist Faith and Message, Gaines said the resolution will affirm the Word of God in this convention, but reassured the messengers that approving the resolution would not bring rules or requirements. “It is not binding. We are not going to make anyone sign off on it.” Larry Michael, pastor of First Baptist Church, Clanton, affirmed the resolution as one that sets Alabama apart from other states. “This resolution to me speaks to the best of who we are as Baptists, Alabamians and Southern Baptists,” he said, noting his experience with other state conventions that are caught in political posturing and problems among pastors.
“When we came to Alabama … we felt welcomed by everyone.”
Another resolution garnering debate and much passion among messengers dealt with resources for the poor and encouraging tax reform in the state. (See story, page 3.) Other resolutions approved:
-Called for legislation eliminating video gambling in Alabama as well as the strict enforcement of existing gambling prohibitions;
-Affirmed the Boy Scouts of America for insisting on the right to determine its own membership;
-Commended messengers, the citizens of Montgomery, campus ministers and college students for their efforts and participation in Crossover Montgomery;
-Reaffirmed Alabama Baptist support of the Cooperative Program;
-Expressed appreciation to the people of Montgomery for their hospitality and the convention leaders for their guidance during the 2000 state convention.
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