Baptists Told to Focus on Religious Liberty

Baptists in America have a long tradition of defending religious liberty - not simply for Christians, but for all faiths. This puts many Baptist organizations at odds with the Southern Baptist Convention, a group which has rejected the heritage of "soul liberty" and has moved towards a more authoritarian idea of religion.

John Pierce writes for America Baptist Press about the third annual convocation of the Mainstream Baptist Network:

Speakers during the two-day meeting frequently referenced the historic role of Baptists who insisted that the religious freedom of all citizens be respected. During the nation's formative years, "Baptists were one of the small, annoying minorities," said Carolyn Blevins, longtime religion professor at Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, Tenn. That same lack of power was indicative of the Christian church in its early history, said former Southern Baptist Convention president Jimmy Allen of Big Canoe, Ga. "There's nothing in the Bible about separation of church and state," said Allen, "because the disciples and the early church didn't have any power."

However, said Allen, the Baptist principle of soul freedom -- "the opportunity for people to make decisions for themselves" -- is a definite biblical concept. Soul freedom, he said, is the "mechanism" for religious liberty. Allen warned of a "gravitational pull" away from traditional Baptist commitments to soul freedom and religious liberty. He said it is imperative for Baptists to pass these concepts along to the next generation. "If we slip away from our soul freedom," said Allen, "we will have another kind of Dark Ages." Federal funding for churches is a sign of weakness rather than the strength of religious groups, warned Allen, noting that government funding can lead to an altered message. He called faith-based initiatives an oxymoron. "If it is faith-based," said Allen, "then it would be paid for by faith groups."

When we see Christian groups agitating for federal funding or arguing for breaking down the wall between the separation of church and state, it's important to remember that these groups definitely don't represent all Christians. Quite often, it is Christians who are at the forefront of battles over the separation of church and state. Christians have as much to lose as anyone else when church and state become intermingled, although there are many who don't seem to recognize this.

Read More:

• Secularism 101
• Separation of Church and State 101