Some #BGAV15 Clarifications

I have written a couple of blog posts about this week's meeting of the Baptist General Association of Virginia.  I have also read some other blog and social media posts and comments that have been written.  As I prepare to head to Richmond tomorrow, I thought I would write one more post with a few clarifications.

Unity is not the same as unanimity

The calls for unity have been clear.  I hear those calls, and I agree with them.  That is, as long as we mean the same thing by unity.  Unity is not unanimity.  A commitment to unity means that we commit ourselves to treating one another as brothers and sisters in Christ.  It means that we don't threaten to leave the family when we don't get our way.  It means we recognize that the BGAV is not about us, but the work God is doing in and through us.

We can be united together even if we disagree on some items of business.  If disagreement is not allowed, we'll have to stop boasting about the diversity of Virginia Baptists.  We should not be afraid of having things challenged from the floor.  We should not be afraid of discussion related to very important matters concerning our partnership together.  We certainly should not be afraid of having more than one candidate for the BGAV's top elected officer position.

I'm not Brad Hoffmann's campaign manager

Brad Hoffmann, the pastor of Cool Springs Baptist Church in Mechanicsville, VA, is running for BGAV President.  I have written about his candidacy here.  I am glad he is running.  I will be voting for Brad.  I am bringing members of the church I pastor with me to vote for Brad.  But no one should assume that my concerns are the reason Brad is running for BGAV President.  I had never heard of Brad Hoffmann until his candidacy was announced.  Though I expect this to change tomorrow, I have never met him in person.

Brad has been very clear about the reasons he is running.  He believes that he is the best person on the ticket to lead the BGAV forward.  I agree with him.  He has a vision to see Virginia Baptists move from being mission minded to truly living missionally.  I appreciate what he has written in this regard.  Brad pastors a church that has been very generous in its mission giving both in total dollars and percentage.  He is well-positioned to challenge and encourage churches to do more to financially support our cooperative work together.

I hope some will read what I have written about the reasons why I am glad Brad is running and decide to vote for Brad.  I also hope that my stated reasons for supporting Brad will not cause anyone to assign motives to him that he has not verified himself.  Don't allow your disagreements with me to keep you from voting for a very qualified candidate in Brad Hoffmann for BGAV President.

My SBC/CBF concerns are not political

My concerns are theological.  The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship held a panel at their annual meeting this year addressing the subject of homosexuality.  One pastor who participated in the panel pastors a church that welcomes committed homosexuals into the membership of the church.  The other pastors a church that is more closed toward homosexuality.  These two pastors argued in the panel that homosexuality should not be an issue that divides us.  I could not disagree more.

You do not have to agree with my theology, but it isn't necessary to accuse those who disagree of having political motivations for their concerns.

I don't think homosexuality is the only issue

I believe that homosexuality is a big issue facing the BGAV.  There are churches within the BGAV who believe we should remain committed to one another regardless of what individual congregations decide to do regarding homosexuality.  I disagree very strongly.  Each local church is autonomous.  But so is the BGAV.  The BGAV has the right and responsibility to define the parameters of cooperation.  We are Baptists.  Therefore, Baptist distinctives are non-negotiables in our association of churches.  It is my contention that nothing that is more important than our Baptist distinctives should be negotiable either.  I believe in local church autonomy as much as anyone, but it is not more important than whether something is sinful that the Bible clearly calls sin.

While it is a big issue, homosexuality is not the only issue facing the BGAV.  The $1 million budget reduction is a big one.  I am concerned about it too.  But neither are the two mutually exclusive.  If the BGAV doesn't figure out where it stands now (not 20 years ago) on the issue of homosexuality, the bleeding will continue.

Finally...

I am looking forward to gathering together in Richmond this week.  I am looking forward to the worship times, seeing the new governance structure in action, and even having important discussions about issues that can sometimes be controversial.  I am looking forward to spending time with friends and meeting some new friends as well.  I am looking forward to spending Wednesday with some people from my church.  I am expecting a good meeting.  I am expecting to learn things, and walk away giving thanks to God for the things He is doing among Virginia Baptists.  See you in Richmond!

Resolution for 2015 BGAV Annual Meeting

I have submitted a resolution to the Resolutions Committee of the Baptist General Association of Virginia that addresses the subjects of homosexual behavior and the sanctity of marriage.  I am hoping that this resolution will receive consideration at the annual meeting of the BGAV to be held November 9-11 at Second Baptist Church in Richmond, VA.  In 1993 the BGAV passed a resolution on homosexual behavior that is representative of the Bible's clear teaching on the subject.  In 1998 the BGAV also passed a resolution on the sanctity of marriage that defines marriage as a lifelong commitment between one man and one woman.  My resolution is intended to be a reaffirmation of the BGAV's historic position on these important issues.

The cultural climate in America has changed very much over the last 20 years.  Homosexual unions are now recognized as marriage in all 50 states.  The president has shifted his views on the subject.  Public opinion in America seems to support giving homosexual couples the ability to have their unions solemnized as marriage by the government.  Baptist ethicist David Gushee has shifted his opinion on homosexuality, and undoubtedly many others who claim the name of Christ and the denominational identifier of "Baptist" have as well.  In fact, within our own BGAV, I read a sermon where one pastor endorsed homosexual relationships without explicitly giving his support and the support of the church.  He said that he did not know if he would perform a homosexual marriage in the future.  Part of it would depend on whether the deacons of the church would give their approval to his participation.

In fact, during the floor discussion that took place regarding Ginter Park at the 2012 meeting of the BGAV, one person contended that the BGAV's official position was 20 years old and should be reconsidered.  I agree that the position should be reconsidered.  But it is my contention that it should be reconsidered with a reaffirmation of our historic position.  Passing the resolution I have written would be such a reaffirmation.

I am concerned that a failure by the BGAV to speak clearly on this important issue will cause great harm to our association of churches.  There are some who will argue that we should just agree to disagree on the sinfulness of homosexuality.  The problem is that if we have to agree to disagree about something on which the Bible speaks very clearly, I am not sure what we can agree on.  If we are going to cooperate together for the cause of the gospel, there has to be a certain level of theological agreement for that cooperation to work.  We have in the past decided that there are some theological issues not worth dividing over.  It is my contention that this issue does not fall in that category.  We must be clear about what sin is if we are going to point people to the salvation that is only found in the Lord Jesus Christ.

I have included my resolution below.  You can find links to the 1993 and 1998 resolutions above.

Resolution Reaffirming the 1993 Resolution on Homosexual Behavior and 1998 Resolution on the Sanctity of Marriage:

WHEREAS, the Baptist General Association of Virginia approved a resolution at its annual meeting in 1993 affirming the Bible's teaching on the sinfulness of homosexual behavior; and

WHEREAS, the Baptist General Association of Virginia also approved a resolution at its annual meeting in 1998 affirming the sanctity of marriage as a lifelong commitment between one man and one woman; and

WHEREAS, the cultural climate in our country has changed dramatically since that time as it relates to both homosexual behavior and the definition of marriage; and

WHEREAS, in October 2014 the Commonwealth of Virginia began recognizing same-sex marriage in response to a ruling by a federal judge that Virginia's marriage amendment is unconstitutional; and

WHEREAS, in June 2015 the United States Supreme Court ruled that the United States Constitution grants the right to same-sex marriage, and consequently all fifty states must now recognize same-sex marriage; and

WHEREAS, many state and national government leaders have applauded the Supreme Court's June 2015 decision; and

WHEREAS, various religious leaders—including many Baptists—have now spoken in favor of same-sex marriage, and have begun to officiate same-sex weddings; and

WHEREAS, the Bible's clear teaching on the sinfulness of homosexual behavior and the sanctity of marriage as a lifelong commitment between one man and one woman has not and will not change; and

WHEREAS, there is an increasing need for Christians to speak with moral clarity regarding the issues of our day; therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED that the messengers to the Baptist General Association of Virginia meeting in Richmond, Virginia, November 9–11, 2015, continue to affirm the Bible's clear teaching on the sinfulness of homosexual behavior and the sanctity of marriage as a lifelong commitment between one man and one woman; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we continue to affirm both the 1993 resolution on homosexual behavior and the 1998 resolution on the sanctity of marriage.

Does God Call Us to Do Hard Things?

The failure of the Supreme Court of the United States to hear the case regarding Virginia's marriage amendment has sent shock waves through nearly every sphere of life across the Commonwealth.

We all became immediately aware of the effect that this non-decision would have on clerks of court across Virginia.  They would be forced to make a decision.  Obey God and lose their job, or obey man and acquiesce to the demands of an out-of-control government.  Some clerks have resigned.  Others have determined that their conscience would allow them to hand out the marriage licenses, but not perform "marriage" ceremonies for homosexual couples.  So they have kept their job as clerk, but have relinquished their status as a celebrant.

The struggle became evident in county that neighbors the one in which I live.  The court's non-decision couldn't have come at a more opportune time for those who love a good political battle.  It was election time.  In a month, voters would go to the polls to elect a clerk of court.

Battle lines were drawn.  Neither candidate could choose not to issue "marriage" licenses to homosexual couples and serve as clerk of court.  One candidate was currently serving as clerk of court, had already issued at least one license to a homosexual couple, and also performed the ceremony for that couple.  The other candidate stated that though he would be required to issue the licenses as a part of his job, he would not perform the ceremonies.  This led many evangelicals to throw their support behind the candidate who was "taking a stand for marriage."

The argument on the other side is that if you don't issue the license and perform the ceremony someone else will.  That, of course, is not the point.  The point is that believers ought not to call good what God has called an abomination.

Long story short, the lady who was happy to issue the licenses and perform the ceremonies won the election.

Then yesterday I became aware of a situation where many who work for the Virginia Department of Social Services will soon be forced to sign off on adoptions to homosexual couples or lose their jobs.  It is easy to look at the situation from the outside and think that the answer is obvious.  How can a Christian sign their name to a paper that says this couple is fit to raise a child when everything we know about life and the natural order of things says otherwise?

On the other hand, one cannot help but think of all the good that a Christian can do for the sake of the kingdom working for DSS.  Ministering to the least of these.  Helping place other children in healthy family situations that give the child the best chance of succeeding in life.  Being salt and light in a dark and saltless world as Jesus has called us to be.

What about the families of these social workers?  Won't their own families suffer from them losing their jobs?

It is for these reasons that I want to be slow to say that someone is being a "bad Christian" when they make a decision that is different from the one I would make regarding these issues.  But I do not speak to this as one looking from the outside in.

I think about my own situation.  I don't think I am being an alarmist when I say that there may come a day in this country when pastors will be imprisoned for daring to say that homosexuality is unnatural and sinful.  I don't really fear for myself.  But I fear for my wife.  I fear for my children.  How will they be affected if daddy is in jail?

All of these thoughts came racing to the forefront of my mind recently when several pastors in Houston had their sermons subpoenaed.  Some Christians were calling for all pastors to send in their sermons.  That sounded like a noble thing to do until I thought about it.  Do I really want the real intolerants on the front steps of my church, which is right outside my home, picketing the "bigots" inside?

I decided that it is one thing to face persecution head on when it comes looking for you, and another thing to go looking for it.

Of course I still feel silly using the word persecution to describe anything I may have experienced in the past or may experience in the future.  I don't have any reason to fear having my head cut off as many of my brothers and sisters overseas.  But Jesus' definition of persecution was not so narrow as only to include having your head cut off.  He said, "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account."

The question comes down to whether Jesus calls us to do hard things.  We can choose to justify stepping down in the face of persecution for the sake of the "greater good."  What about the children?  What about MY children?  Or we can choose to obey God rather than man regardless of the cost.

I am convinced that the lost world around us does not take us seriously.  Part of the reason for that is because we are bold and loud when we are a powerful majority, but silent and sheepish when we are an impotent minority.  If anyone desires to follow Jesus he must first count the cost.  Could it be that God is now calling us to bear our cross and follow Him?  Could it be that God is now calling us to do hard things?

It is only a God whom we have created in our own image who never calls us to do hard things.