WASHINGTON — A 150-year-old church in downtown Washington voted July 25 to disassociate from the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC).
The vote by Calvary Baptist Church followed a letter last February sent to the SBC president at the time, Bryant Wright, about concerns with the recent direction of the nation’s second-largest faith group behind Roman Catholics.
“We believe the Southern Baptist Convention has departed from the historic principles of separation of church and state and autonomy of the local church to such a degree that seriously calls into question our continued affiliation with the convention,” said a portion of the letter quoted in a press release.
“Throughout our history Calvary Baptist Church has affirmed the vibrant role faith can play in the public sphere and (the) call of the church to be a prophetic voice in our policy decisions, but always in a manner that is in keeping with the Baptist distinctives of soul freedom and separation of church and state,” said deacon chair Rachel Johnson.
Calvary will continue to affiliate with American Baptist Churches USA, the Alliance of Baptists, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and the District of Columbia Baptist Convention.
“I applaud the Calvary congregation for continuing to define a mission and vision for life as a gospel community on the corner of 8th and H, NW,” said Amy Butler, pastor of the church since 2003.
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