AIBN April 2003 #3

Australian Independent Baptist Newsletter

APRIL 2003 Issue #3

Dr. David C. Bennett, Editor (DCB)

PO Box 1241 - Dubbo - NSW 2830

Phone/Fax 02-6884-2846

Email: Bennett@BibleForToday.org

Permission is given to forward material contained in the AIB Newsletter.

Purpose: To inform and warn God's people of religious, social, and political events in today's world.

Editorial: This issue of the AIB Newsletter is centered on the softening of Independent Baptist Churches and organizations toward the Southern Baptist Convention and therefore more directed to my USA readers.

The Southern Baptist Convention does have its conservatives but it also has its rank out and out liberals. There are various reasons why an Independent Baptist should not affiliate with the SBC but the liberals within is one of the main reasons. The two articles in this issue are concerning Thomas Road Baptist Church, Lynchburg, VA and Cedarville University, Cedarville, Ohio and their affiliation with the SBC.

Now, Dr. Jerry Falwell is an intelligent, articulate and accomplished man. He has pastored Thomas Road Baptist Church for forty one years and has led it from 35 members to over twenty thousand. He has fearlessly spoken out against abortion, homosexuality, immorality in high places and many other subjects. I have appreciated and applaud many of the issues he has confronted head on and most of the time he has done so without apology. Dr. Falwell has never been a strong ecclesiastical separatist but during these forty one years he has softened even more his already weak position on ecclesiastical Bible separation.

In the Baptist Press 5 April 2000 was an article entitled THOMAS ROAD AMONG LARGE CHURCHES PARTNERING WITH NAMB TO REACH CITIES and included the following paragraph: "In a 1998 interview about joining the SBC, Falwell noted Thomas Road's emphasis on starting new churches. ‘We're training 1,000 pastors right now,’ Falwell said. ‘Church planting is a major priority with me and has been all of my ministry. It is with Paige Patterson [president of the SBC and North Carolina's Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary], and we plan to coalesce with our graduates in planting a lot of new Southern Baptist churches.’" So one goal is that out of Liberty University future Southern Baptist preachers will come!

In the 12 June, 1998 Baptist Press Dr. Falwell said "we fully intend to take our permanent stand with the national and Virginia Bible-believing conservatives who have rescued the Southern Baptist Convention from theological liberalism." Have the conservatives "rescued" the SBC? I think not. The very reason the Southern Baptist Conservative’s of Virginia was formed was due to the liberalism in the Baptist General Association of Virginia.

What seems inconsistent is these SBC "conservatives" separated from the liberal Baptist General Association of Virginia but by uniting with the National SBC body they are again in fellowship with those from whom they separated! Why one would separate from liberals and then affiliate with the same liberal group through the National body of the SBC I do not understand. However, there are a lot of things going on today I do not understand!

Now what does all this have to do with Independent Baptist Churches? You will see in the following article THOMAS ROAD BAPTIST CHURCH, LYNCHBYRG, VA WEB SITE: MISSIONARY INFORMATION.

THOMAS ROAD BAPTIST CHURCH, LYNCHBYRG, VA WEB SITE: MISSIONARY INFORMATION THOMAS ROAD VA. (Edited by DCB) (These are agencies with missionaries that Thomas Road supports.)

Agency: Trinity Theological Seminary

Agency: UFM International

Agency: Camp Bahamas,Youth

Agency: BBF (Baptist Bible Fellowship International)

Agency: Liberty Baptist Missions

Agency: Training Pastors International

Agency: Blue Ridge Pregnancy Center

Agency: Word of Life

Agency: InterServ/USA-Elam Ministries

Agency: Central Missionary Clearinghouse

Agency: Baptist International Missions

Agency: Wycliffe Bible Translators

Agency: New Life Foundation Christian

Agency: Network of Christian Schools I

Agency: Cleveland Community Church

Agency: Lake Pointe Church

Agency: Zion Ministries, Mt Abarim

Agency: Treasure Paths

Agency: Evangelical Baptist Missions

Agency: NICS

Agency: One Another Min. Inter

Agency: Pioneers

Agency: Fellowship of Chrtn Athletes

Agency: Fellowship International Missi

Agency: Liberty Baptist Fellowship

Agency: ACMC

Agency: Inter-National Needs Network

Agency: Northern Canada Evangelical Mi

Agency: Hope Aglow Prison Ministries

Agency: MCM

Agency: Network for Women in Crisis

Agency: SonRise Community Church

Agency: Christian Education and Life

Agency: Child Evangelism Fellowship

Agency: Greater Europe Mission

Agency: AWANA Clubs, Intl.

Agency: Shepherds Home & School

Agency: International Teams

Agency: Southern Baptist Conservatives

Agency: Life Action Ministries

Agency: World Baptist Fellowship

Agency: Global Outreach Mission

Agency: Baptist Mid-Missions

Agency: Deaf Opportunity Out Reach, In

Agency: Bible Baptist Church, Seoul, K

Editor’s Comment: The list above is a mixed bag of new evangelicals, non-denominationalists and Independent Baptist agencies. At least four of those supported by Thomas Road Baptist Church would claim to be fundamental separated independent Baptist Mission agencies, Baptist Mid-Missions, Baptist Bible Fellowship, Baptist International Missions and Evangelical Baptist Missions. I emailed BMM, BIMI and EBM asking what their policy was concerning missionary support and the Southern Baptist Convention. So far only Baptist Mid-Missions has responded. Their reply is given in its entirety.

Subj: Re: Southern Baptist Convention

Date: 4/2/2003 6:42:16 AM AUS Eastern Standard Time

From: wsmallman@bmm.org

To: Bennettdubbo@aol.com

Sent from the Internet ()

Dear Brother Bennett,

Thanks so much for your email inquiry in regard to BMM & SBC. I am just back from a road trip which did not allow time for a response to your first email or a zillion others. Thanks for your patience.

Baptist Mid-Missions is opposed to the ecumenical movement, especially as embodied in the World Council of Churches. Our definition of the kinds of churches from which we can receive candidates describes independent Baptist churches which are not in the World Council of Churches or its local

affiliates such as the NCC, nor the Baptist World Alliance (which is dominated by the Southern Baptist Convention with a variety of other Baptist groups - conservative and liberal - around the world), nor the World Evangelical Alliance (formerly World Evangelical Fellowship) or any

of its national affiliates such as the NAE here in the States (with its many Baptist denominations). Since we cannot accept candidates from any such churches, we do not expect or solicit financial support from any such churches. There are occasional instances when evangelical churches wish to

support fundamentalist missionaries, especially when there are family members who promote such possible support from within the church. There are baptistic Bible churches (with a variety of names) from which we cannot receive candidates but which desire to support Baptist missionaries as

those who perpetuate the convictions of the church.

In the case of Thomas Road Baptist Church, it is only rather recently that the church has moved into the Convention after many years as an independent Baptist church. It is not a church we would now approach for meetings or any expectation of support. I suspect that whomever of Baptist Mid-Missions they do support is from past years when it was a properly independent church, and that they have simply continued the support they had provided for years. After such a change in a church on that or even lesser issues, some of our missionaries feel constrained to decline further support, while others feel free to let the support continue as long as the church is willing to continue. Our deputation guidelines would not allow our missionaries to approach such a church for support, but do not define

responses to churches which undergo changes in various issues after such a relationship is established. The mission does not establish policies on every imaginable contingency in its complex relationships, but will do so in response to real problems that arise repeatedly so they are resolved consistently before new instances arise. I imagine that is true of your own organization as well.

God's best to you as we serve Him together,

Dr. Bill Smallman

1st V.P., Candidate Administrator

Baptist Mid-Missions

www.bmm.org (Emphasis in the above email was added by DCB)

P.S. If you intend to publish my response in your newsletter, we would appreciate quoting the entire response (or the two main paragraphs) to establish the context of specific statements. Thanks for your integrity in this matter.

From: Bennettdubbo@aol.com

Date: Sat, 29 Mar 2003 23:57:22 EST

Subject: Southern Baptist Convention

To: info@bmm.org

I emailed the other day concerning the matter of the Southern Baptist Convention and yet have not received word back from you. I am the editor of an Independent Baptist Newsletter and was on the Thomas Road Baptist, Lynchburg, VA web site. I noted a Baptist Mid-Missions missionary listed as

one of Thomas Road's missionaries. Thomas Road is a member of the Southern Baptist Conservatives of VA which is affiliated with the SBC. Does BMM have a policy as to what churches a missionary receives support?

Thank you.

In Christ,

David C. Bennett, Titus 2:13

Is there a problem here? There are several and one is that the only reason the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia came into existence is the practice of ecclesiastical Bible separation from the liberal Baptist General Association of Virginia! This separation was Biblical but sadly they then turn around and align themselves again through the National SBC body with the same liberals from whom they separated! If these Conservatives were obedient to the Lord in separating from the liberals (which they were) they are now being disobedient in their affiliation with the liberals in the National Southern Baptist Convention. It would seem the Southern Baptist Convention is more important than obedience to God!

Now we have once independent Thomas Road Baptist Church aligning itself with the "conservative" SBCV. But in doing so Thomas Road is also in cooperation with the "liberal" Baptist General Association of Virginia through the National SBC body. This compromise does not just affect Thomas Road Baptist Church but has now brought Independent Baptist Missionaries and their agencies into this compromise. Ecclesiastical compromise always affects others "For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself." Romans 14:7.

Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary 19 February 2003 PATTERSON NAMED TO CEDARVILLE UNIVERSITY BOARD (Edited by DCB) "CEDARVILLE, Ohio -- Dr. Paige Patterson, president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, has been named to the board of trustees of Cedarville University (Ohio). Patterson will serve a three-year term.

"Our Lord has blessed Cedarville University by enabling us to add Paige Patterson to our board of trustees,’ said Dr. Paul Dixon, Cedarville University President. ‘Paige Patterson is one of the most respected leaders in the Southern Baptist Convention. He is a strong proponent for Cedarville University, stating that 'it is the finest Christian liberal arts university in America.' We rejoice that he has joined our board of trustees.’"

"Patterson has been president of Southeastern, located in Wake Forest, N.C., since 1992." He also held the presidency of the Southern Baptist Convention from 1998 to 2000.

"The naming of Patterson to the board follows the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio's recent endorsement of Cedarville University. During the 2002 annual session of the State Convention meeting, representatives from Southern Baptist churches across the state overwhelmingly passed a resolution to recommend Cedarville to all ‘Southern Baptists as an accredited, quality, four-year university that embraces Southern Baptists.’"

Editor’s Comment: Cedarville was an approved school of the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches until the approval system was dropped for what is called the "partnering" system. Cedarville continues as a GARBC partner. Paul Dixon is a graduate of Tennessee Temple Schools, Chattanooga, TN.

Why are Independent Baptists so enamoured with the Southern Baptist Convention? In A HISTORY OF FUNDAMENTALISM IN AMERICA, 1973 George W. Dollar says on page 244 that "constant alertness and sensitivity to compromise will be the price that pastors must pay if they are to avoid a softening of their stand by their opposition and an apathy aiding the enemies of the Faith." On page 279 of the same book we read "What should be the Fundamentalists attitude toward those who cooperate with Campus Crusade and the Graham movements? Should Fundamentalists cooperate with those who cooperate in inclusivist ministries and meetings?" Dollar then calls those who do not take a militant stand on separation the SSS (Silence, Sympathy, and Support). On page 280 Dollar asks "shall we see softer and softer attitudes toward those who are soft in their approach?" Dollar asks a very pertinent question on page 289; "How much compromise can be allowed before non-cooperation is a Biblical demand?" Amos 3: 3 "Can two walk together, except they be agreed?"

Yours against apostasy and for Biblical Truth,

David C. Bennet, Titus 2:13