State Emphasis

The most recent Alabama State Convention, held in Huntsville, at which I represented my church as a messenger, was the first I ever attended.

Since that convention, I have thought quite a lot about the slogan which the convention officials in charge of the program repeated over and over and over: “Only one commission, the Great Commission; and only one program, the Cooperative Program.”

The Cooperative Program of the Baptists was instituted many years ago by men who, in my opinion, were great men, and their idea proved to be very fruitful. But even so, the slogan quoted above seems to be, to state it mildly, quite presumptuous. The Great Commission was given by Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Savior of the world, while the Cooperative Program was instituted by men who — although I look up to them — were sinful human beings as are all human beings who ever lived, except only Christ Himself. The slogan seems to put the man-made Cooperative Program on a level with Christ’s Great Commission — again, presumptuous seems a mild word.

Also, many non-Baptist Christians carry out a variety of programs intended to further the cause of Christ. Do we Baptists, in quoting “only one program, the Cooperative Program, mean to imply that their programs are simply nothing?

Finally, even many Baptists contribute to programs — carried on in the name of Christ — other than the Cooperative Program. Is the slogan meant to imply that these programs also are simply nothing? And does it imply that any Baptist who gives to any program other than the Cooperative Program, even in the name of Christ, is not really worthy of the name Baptist — or even, perhaps of the name Christian? If the implication of the slogan is any of these things, can anyone believe that Christ would agree?

Perry Morton
Birmingham, Ala.