Southern Baptists, Evangelicals, and the Future of Denominationalism
On Credo’s “Reviews and Interviews” page, Aaron Menikoff, senior pastor of Mount Vernon Baptist Church, has written an insightful review of Southern Baptists, Evangelicals, and the Future of Denominationalism
I did not grow up Southern Baptist. In fact, I didn’t grow up in a Christian home. At eighteen, I finally learned that there was a difference between Billy Graham and Jim Bakker! Thankfully, the Lord saved me and, at the age of 22, I joined a Southern Baptist church. At 28 I entered a Southern Baptist Seminary. At 38 I received my second Southern Baptist degree and began to pastor a Southern Baptist Church—in the south, no less.
Personal biography matters when discussing denominationalism. It’s been said that you can pick your friends but you can’t pick your family. For millions of Americans, your denomination is your family. Maybe you know the rhyme, “Baptist born, Baptist bred, and when I die I’ll be Baptist dead.”
And yet, these days, denominational loyalty is on life-support. I may be late to the game, but for nearly twenty years I have been heavily invested in Southern Baptist life. Nonetheless, lacking a compelling vision for being Southern Baptist, my generation and the generations to follow are less inclined to participate in, give to, and even affiliate with the Southern Baptist Convention.
This explains why David Dockery of Union University, a Southern Baptist institution, hosted a conference on denominationalism. These talks, now in print, do not speak univocally on the future of the SBC, but they do salvage a measure of hope for readers looking for a reason to become or remain Southern Baptist.
To read the rest of Aaron’s review go here.
Advertisment
