Can Anyone Enlighten Me?

Here we read the story of Xu Shuangfu being executed in China. Here we read that the charge against him had to do with murders committed by one Chinese Christian group against another. Allegedly, the "competition" for Christian converts in China led to murder. The second link in this story is from a web site decidedly biased against Christian groups. The allegations were made originally by the Communist Chinese government. But, here is a Christian site that seems to regard the claim as at least plausible.

So, if the allegations against Xu Shuangfu and the "Three Grades of Servant" church are true, then I guess our SBC internecine squabbles are comparatively healthy and civil.

On the other hand, if this is all an execution based upon trumped up charges, then another martyr has joined the already rather large group beneath the altar.

Does any of our rather astute readership have any idea which is the case?

Marriage, the Ten Commandments, and Roger Williams

Mormon polygamist Warren Jeffs claims that the proceedings against him for forcing a fourteen-year-old girl into marriage with her first cousin amount to a violation of his freedom to practice his chosen religion (see here).

I believe in religious liberty for everyone, including Warren Jeffs, atheists, Satanist, Branch Davidians, and whomever else you might stipulate. But I think that Jeffs's religious liberty defense is bogus. The underlying principle by which I make that distinction is an important one: It is called "The Two Tables of the Law" and I'll give credit for the principle to Roger Williams.

The Two Tables of the Law

Here's the principle: Government has no right to govern the vertical relationship between people and God, but it does have the right to govern the horizontal relationship among people. The two categories are not perfectly discrete (for example, see here), but the overlap does not prevent these two categories from being very helpful in determining the rightful disposition of cases like that of Warren Jeffs.

Williams used the idea of the Ten Commandments to teach this distinctive principle. The first four commandments treat the vertical relationship. The last six treat the horizontal relationship. So, according to Williams and to me the first four commandments illustrate the kind of thing that the government ought to leave alone, while the last six illustrate the kind of thing that government may regulate as it sees fit.

This test has nothing to do with the source of ideas. Rather, it deals with the subject matter of laws and the scope of governmental authority. On the one hand, it is inappropriate for government to regulate someone's prayer, praise, beliefs, or confessions no matter what the reason. Even if the source of the concern is, for example, national security, the government may not properly condemn or commend a particular approach to man's relationship with God. On the other hand, as it pertains to interhuman conduct, I believe that a law can draw upon any source of wisdom it likes—legal precedent, religious doctrine, public opinion...whatever thinking is relevant and persuasive—so long as effect of the law does not extend governmental regulation beyond the bounds of its authority.

The Principle Applied

The argument against gay marriage is a religious argument. The argument against polygamy is a religious argument. The argument against bestiality is a religious argument. The argument against pedophilia has religious components. If "a wall of separation between church and state" means (as many seem to believe) that religious ideas may not appropriately influence law, then gay marriage ought to be legal, Warren Jeffs ought to go free, and we owe a grave national apology to David Koresh. On the other hand, if Williams's principle is a valid one, then the government has every right to regulate marriage as a part of the second table, whether those regulations conflict with Mr. Jeffs's sincerely held religious beliefs or not. Furthermore, if this principle is a valid one, then the government has every right to outlaw gay marriage and to regulate a broad array of issues that are not strictly matters of conscience.

The Best Thing About the SBTC…

…was that I had to come home to find out what had happened at the BGCT annual meeting.

Our church knew several years ago that we were very unhappy with the BGCT. But we were very slow about joining the SBTC for several reasons.

1. We wanted to be careful of the whole "rebound relationship" phenomenon. Being unhappy with BGCT is different from being happy with SBTC. You know, you can be a strong, healthy Baptist church without being affiliated at all. We prefer to be in cooperative relationship, but although this is needful, it is not a necessity. So, we resolved that we would consider a relationship with the SBTC to be a separate issue from our deteriorating relationship with the BGCT.
2. My interaction with one prominent member of the "opposition party" in the BGCT (before the SBTC organized) had left me with an unfavorable impression of the whole thing.
3. We had no intention of joining a "government in exile." If the purpose of the SBTC was nothing more than to snipe at the BGCT, rebuild a shadow copy of the BGCT, etc., then we weren't interested.

After dipping our collective toes into the water a few times, the only eventual question that we had left was, "Why didn't we do this [join the SBTC] a long time ago?"

It is the third point in particular that I have in view with this post. I just never hear much about the BGCT at SBTC events. I can count on one hand the number of times I have heard any reference to the BGCT at an SBTC event. I'm not just talking about from the platform—I'm talking about in the hallways and parking lots and in restaurants and hotel lobbies. The only reference to the BGCT that I heard this year was from a non-SBTC speaker.

The SBTC has moved on. FBC Farmersville is moving on, too. I have stopped reading the Baptist Standard. I almost never employ the words "Charles Wade" in a sentence any more. It's delightful. I enjoy state convention meetings again. Ten years ago, who could have thought that was possible?

Someone wise once told me, "Don't spend all of your time worrying about what people think of you; they don't think of you as much as you suspect!" I can honestly say that is my experience of the SBTC's relationship with the BGCT. The past is behind us. The future is before us. May God enable both conventions to do something worthwhile for the Lord in the future.

"Traditional" Baptists ???

I have stated that I would not use "Valleygate" as "an occasion to slap at one another." (see here)

I have stated my personal reservations about Daniel David Montoya, including my own doubts about some of his farther-flung allegations. (see all the way back here)

But after reading this, I must side with Montoya and vehemently protest what was done at this year's BGCT annual meeting. To suggest that these matters are beyond the scope of the messengers' authority is tyranny, pure and simple. There is nothing Baptist about this. The self-adopted label of "traditional Baptists" has never rung true, but it has never rung more untrue than now.

SBTC's Glossolalia Resolution

Art Rogers has taken notice (see here) of the SBTC's resolution "On Glossolalia and Private Prayer Languages" that passed overwhelmingly last night. I would like to offer a few thoughts about the resolution:

1. The article over at Twelve Witnesses suggests that "we should not divide ourselves on such an issue" and the comment stream goes on to mention that "Ken Hemphill has come out against making PPL an issue to divide over." Perhaps those involved will be glad to add to the names of those who do not regard this as an issue to divide over—jot down Bart Barber, Malcolm Yarnell, and the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention:

   RESOLVED, That we encourage all Southern Baptists to be patient, kind, and loving toward one another (1 Cor. 13:4-8) regarding this ancillary theological issue, which ought not to constitute a test of fellowship...

2. Note: Art has revised his article to remove the verbage that led to this second rebuttal. Thank you, Art. The article also suggested that this was "a resoution opposing 'toungues' [sic] in any form." That's odd...the resolution I remember said:

   WHEREAS, Some conservative Texas Southern Baptists affirm that certain spiritual gifts have ceased to be necessary, because the apostolic witness is now canonized in the New Testament (Heb. 2:3-4); and
   
   WHEREAS, Other conservative Texas Southern Baptists are cautiously open to the continuation of spiritual gifts, but are extremely wary of sanctioning modern practices as biblical; now, therefore, be it
   
   RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention meeting in Austin, Texas, November 13-14, 2006, declare that Southern Baptists in Texas typically believe that the modern practice of private prayer languages lacks a tangible foundation in Scripture; and be it further
   
   RESOLVED, That we are opposed to unscriptural teaching relating to speaking in tongues, whether such speech be done in private or public...(emphasis mine)

   Obviously, this resolution acknowledges both the cessationist and the "open but cautious" positions and opposes only "unscriptural teaching" relating to speaking in tongues. The resolution also specifies that the typical Southern Baptist in Texas believes that "the modern practice of private prayer languages lacks a tangible foundation in Scripture." Thus, the resolution opposes any teaching regarding these practices that is unscriptural, and it further proffers the opinion that private prayer languages fall within that category. This is far different from "a resolution opposing tongues in any form."
3. This is a resolution, not a motion. A motion sets policy or takes an action for the convention. Because this was not a motion, it did not set any SBTC policy or take any sort of action. I have no reason to believe that anyone on the Resolutions Committee or in the messenger body at large had any desire to add this topic to our confession of faith or to be a "PPL exclusionist." Every SBTC messenger surely knows that we have at least one church within the SBTC that holds a different view, yet no action was even attempted against that church. Resolutions cannot do that sort of thing, anyway.
   
   Nevertheless, resolutions are important. They exist to answer questions regarding what the churches of our convention believe or would opine on some topic or another. Some have posed the question as to whether the majority of Southern Baptists are not actually (contrary to all indicators for the past hundred years) harboring some furtive endorsement of Pentecostalism/the Charismatic movement/the Third Wave. When we are uncertain what Southern Baptists believe about something-or-other, resolutions are a great way to get the pulse of the churches. They are not perfectly representative, but certainly they are more representative than my blog or anyone else's.

So, why pass a resoution on glossolalia? To run people out of town on a rail? No. To give SBTC churches an opportunity to clear up any misunderstanding about what the majority of us believe.

The Best Resolution from SBTC

On the Sufficiency of the Word of God for the Entire Christian Life

WHEREAS, the Word of God is the divinely inspired revelation of God (2 Tim. 3:16), holy men having been moved by the Holy Spirit to speak the Word of God and write the Bible (2 Pet. 1:19-21); and

WHEREAS, the Word of God accomplishes the purposes for which the all-wise God sends it (Isa. 55:8-11), being a living, active, searching, and judging instrument of God (Heb. 4:11-13); and

WHEREAS, the Word of God converts souls, makes wise, rejoices hearts, and enlightens eyes (Ps. 19:7-8); moreover, it endures forever, is altogether true and righteous, and is to be desired above all things (Ps. 19:9-10); and

WHEREAS, the Word of God brings warning against human sin and reveals eternal reward (Ps. 19:11-12), having the ability to make one wise unto salvation (2 Tim. 3:15), through the instrument of preaching and its reception by faith (Rom. 10:14, 17); and the Word approaches the human heart and mouth through preaching and must itself be internally believed and externally confessed for human salvation (Rom. 10:8-10); and

WHEREAS, the Word of God is the only source of wisdom and knowledge that is eternal (Isa. 40:6-8), that is profitable for teaching, reproving, correcting, and instructing in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16), and that is able to bring completion to pious people, thoroughly equipping them for every work that is good (2 Tim. 3:17); and

WHEREAS, all human forms of wisdom and knowledge are temporary and thus ultimately lack relevance (Isa. 40:6-7), are corrupted by sin and thus utterly lack righteousness (Isa. 55:6-7), and are severely limited and thus are unable to redeem (Isa.55:8-9); now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention meeting in Austin, Texas, November 13-14, 2006, call upon Southern Baptists to remember that the Word of God alone is relevant, and that the Word of God establishes the standards by which all forms of human wisdom and knowledge and all aspects of human culture and activity must be judged; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the we call upon Southern Baptists to remember that the Word of God alone is righteous, and that fallen human beings lack righteousness; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we encourage Southern Baptists to remember that the Word of God alone is able to redeem sinful human beings, and that they may look nowhere else than to the Bible for the source of redemption; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we encourage every Christian home to place the Word of God at the center of its life through daily family worship, private devotions, and personal memorization; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we encourage every church, every pastor, every Sunday School teacher, and other church leaders to keep the Word of God central in worship, proclamation, discipleship, evangelism, and in any and all methodologies adopted for these ends; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we encourage every missionary and every missionary board to keep the Word of God central in worship, proclamation, discipleship, and evangelism, and in any and all methodologies adopted for these ends; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we encourage every Southern Baptist educational institution, including home schools, schools, colleges, universities, and seminaries, to make the Word of God central to their educational goals, entire educational curriculum, and every course’s content; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we encourage every Southern Baptist engaged in secular education, including public elementary schools, high schools, technical schools, colleges, and universities to present the Word of God constantly, consistently, and compellingly to the lost people with whom they are engaged; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we encourage every Southern Baptist engaged in secular commerce, whether as an employer or employee or as a seller or buyer of goods or as a provider or recipient of services, to present the Word of God constantly, consistently, and compellingly to the lost people with whom they are engaged; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we encourage every Christian voter and every Christian magistrate to make their decisions with regard to the making, execution, and judgment of laws based upon and under the authority of the Word of God, and therefore with the highest regard for universal religious liberty; and be it finally

RESOLVED, In summary, that the totality of the Christian life, corporately and individually, in the family, in the church, and in the broader society, must be based upon, focused upon, and have as its goal the proclamation of, the Word of God.

On the Road Again, SBTC Annual Meeting

Starting today, Tracy and I are in Austin at the 2007 2006 Annual Meeting of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. If you're going, too, I look forward to seeing you.