I recently met with a new friend who asked me why I was Southern Baptist? Good question, especially since I hail from the Northwest. Being Southern Baptist is not the most important thing about Mount Vernon--not by a longshot. But that doesn't make it unimportant.
Here are four reasons why I am a Southern Baptist:
(1) Doctrinal conviction. The Southern Baptist Convention has done what not other major denomination has done: after falling off the cliff of theological liberalism, the SBC turned around. That's amazing.
(2) Great Commission. Churches that cooperate can do more than churches acting individually. This simple statement is being challenged by the mega church/multi-site movement, but it is still true. SBC churches are able to pool resources so that missionaries do not need to spend their time raising support. That's a good thing.
(3) Theological education. I have two degrees from an SBC school. There I learned from some of the finest evangelical scholars around. That education helped to prepare me for pastoral ministry. I value pooling our resources to support training those who work in pastoral ministry.
(4) Disaster relief. If you haven't read this article, you should. The New York Times highlighted Southern Baptists as the third largest disaster relief agency in America behind only the Red Cross and Salvation Army. Sure, bigger isn't always better. But I like the way this massive organization is able to bring resources to bear on such horrific tragedies.
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