Featured Should I Leave the Southern Baptist Convention?

Well I mean you have had an experience with one church and somehow the entire Sbc is now the same.

The Sbc is a cooperative not a denomination.

The convention was not founded Calvinistic . There have always been both general and particular baptists in the convention.

 

What does that have to do with false teachers?

 

You are in the Southern Baptist Convention by virtue of being a member of a church that cooperates with the Southern Baptist Convention. Any "leaving the Convention" is a matter of joining a church that is not in the Convention. "Leaving the Convention" should not be your primary consideration. Being in a sound Bible-believing local church should be the primary consideration, and let the other take care of itself.

 

Steven,

In the days of my Christian youth I was nurtured in a KJVO, Independent Fundamental Baptist church so am understanding of your desire.

I would still prefer the independent part but am presently in a local church affiliated with the GARBC but still I don't like any connection to any organization.

I can't find an independent Baptist church that earnestly contends for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints in my area.
I still retain some of the personal qualities of my youthful christian days (not KJVO though).
My wife and I have been members here for 22 years and have served in different capacities so we are rooted and it would take quite an upheaval to uproot us.

consider these factors - your church membership should be for a lifetime or for as long
as you are settled into one place if you are a nomad (or nomads)

Church hopping is not the best. my advice: if you can, wait until you have matured in the faith and resolved your "red lines" to make your move.

HankD

 

As an individual, you are apparently a member of a Southern Baptist church. In the Southern Baptist scheme of things, only churches can be a member of the Convention. So the real question is whether or not you should be a member of your church - factoring in their association with the SBC.

You listed quite a few things - some of which I have seen in the Convention and some which may be more an expression of your church or region of the country. Because each church is independent, your experience in individual SBC church will be a local expression of the faith. Something else you need to consider is that you do not have to get your identity from the SBC. They do not control your beliefs, convictions or practice. The focus of earthly spiritual authority over you is in your church.

Don't let our Calvinistic brothers and sisters push this point too hard. The SBC has always had a mixture of hardcore Calvinists along with a modest number of "Arminians" (although perseverance of the saints has been quite consistent). Most SBC folks are 3- to 4-point Calvinists - if there is a theology developed in that area.

The recent resurgence of Calvinism began in the 1980s with a heavy emphasis on selected and influential members of the early SBC. You will find major leaders on both sides of the issue.

The SBC has its roots in the Radical Reformation, not in Calvin. Only in the last 50 or so years has the SBC cozied up to Evangelicalism (evangelicals are fundamentalist Christians from mainline denominations who have found an identity together). Historically, Baptists are not evangelicals.

Sounds like you are a historic Baptist. As such, you may well not fit among the most common types of SBC churches, but I encourage you to stop looking at the SBC for guidance and look at your local church and see if you, by God's grace, belong there. If not, don't get too hung up on labels when looking for a historic Baptist congregation.

 

Nothing about your lazy habit of dismissing posts is helpful.

 

When the prez of the SBC came out against the General Forrest statue, It put my resolve to see our church pull out of the SBC in high gear.

 

this big tent claim is not actual truth. The convention cannot dictate to churches what to hold to. The tongues in the prayer closet is a debatable issue and not a hill on which to die. People are going to have different view. This is not an issue about a false gospel. I believe the tongues thing is pure gibberish. But It is not a deal breaker for me. What the convention does in the way of missions is unmatched in the world.

 

You need to go out in the country and find you a rural, small church. They will agree with you on everything except birth control. After you have enough kids, you will change your mind on it as well.

 

To be honest, there are no southern baptists in my area, so I can't help you here.

 

Him a Calvinist? You must be joking.