The Role of the BF&M

Thank you, everyone, for your prayers and support. Consider this little post the firstfruits of a larger harvest later.

There's a line-of-argumentation suggesting that the BF&M should be the be-all-end-all of theological qualifications in the Southern Baptist Convention and her agencies.

Might I suggest that humanity is not capable of drafting a single document to represent our theological expectations of everyone from a copy editor for the Scroll (the internal press organ of SWBTS) to the president of NAMB. The president of NAMB ought to be pretty theologically astute, IMHO. To draft a document detailing every theological stricture for such a person would be quite an undertaking. And then, if SWBTS had to apply the same standard to the blueshirt putting out zinnias in front of Barnard Hall—I ask you, does that make sense?

That's why each board of trustees has the governing authority over their respective entities. The BF&M did not become the governing document of any of these entities until each board adopted it. The trustees decide how to apply it. The trustees can set other theological guidelines. If the SBC doesn't like it, the SBC can choose to replace those trustees with other trustees who hold a different view.