I've Been Provoked, Part I

I received an email from a friend who feels that my recent posts haven't been incendiary enough. He tries to push several of my buttons - most successfully, I must admit - and it will take more than one entry to address every piece of bird shot that came from his single shotgun blast. :)

...in your blog, you state that you are comfortable with being slightly out of place 69.3% of the time. I assume, and maybe incorrectly, that this is compared to the
religious community in which we were raised. Even if this is not the case, it sounds as if you have many differences with the current mode of operation for most Baptist churches. Why fight the status quo? Generally speaking, if Baptist don't want to change, why put yourself through the agony of a battle which cannot be won?

For the sake of background:

The religious community in which I was raised (we were raised, in the case of my friend) is the circle of churches that refer to themselves as independent fundamental Baptist churches. Though there is no official federation or governing body over these churches, there seems to be a propensity for organizing these churches into loose confederations, depending on all manner of various criteria. (These loose confederations are often officially referred to as associations, or fellowships, or some such title.)

Once these loose confederations are established, a sort of unspoken peer pressure is put in place. Since many of these association/fellowship groupings are in direct response to what is perceived as the wrong direction of a previous association/fellowship, a typical mantra might amount to not standing for the things that they stand for. A church is considered to be "on the right track" if they have certain guest preachers in, or use certain lingo that is understood by others within the confederation, yada, yada, yada.

The end result of all this is that, even though our churches are, in point of fact, independent of each other, our leaders - and, from their example, our people - are as a general rule always comparing our churches/stands on issues/methods of ministry to each other. And when some leader or church doesn't match up, they are preached against and warned about in the gatherings of the various associations/fellowships.

At some point, we have to find something better to do.

I'm out of place in the type of environment I just described. I believe that the end result of these conditions has been that churches have focused on their standing within their social circles, and have addressed issues of importance within said social circles. This has resulted in members who either are completely in their element inside their church social circle and clueless outside of it, or who have been rendered marginal in both their church social circle and in their world.

These conditions are present in most of the churches that make up this circle of independent Baptist churches. It's not the rule, but it certainly isn't the exception, that's for sure.

But, theological arguments aside, the great thing about being independent is that, theoretically, the church and its leadership is responsible to God alone for its conduct in every area - doctrines, modes of operation, anything. As a pastor, I can respect someone else's opinion, and listen to it, and everything else, but it is not supposed to bear on my decisionmaking or the direction of the church one whit.

So, at this point in my journey, I don't believe that I have to leave anything to do the kinds of things that God has placed in my heart to do. I'll just be independent, in its real sense. The group of believers that God gives me to lead will be independent, in its real sense.

Will I be shot down at association meetings? Maybe. But I guess there's are bigger, more personal reasons that I will continue to challenge the status quo.

- Rhoda (not real name) had been sexually abused for at least five years by the only father figure in her life. When she went to the authorities, various members of her family (who are not believers) sided with him, and treated her as if she was the biggest part of the problem. She struggles with the emotional implications of being abused: blaming herself, hating him and her family members, suicide as a possible answer to her problems. As a member of an independent Baptist church, she has no outlet for her struggles, no place to even admit she needs help.

- Tim (not real name) has dreamed for as long as he's followed Jesus to work in ministry and have a family. His relationships with the women in his life have so scarred him that he's unconvinced that a marital relationship could be any different. Meanwhile, as a member of a Baptist church, he is constantly reminded of all the ways in which he can't serve God because he's not married.

- Ernie (not real name) came to Christ through friends involved in a youth group at a Baptist church. His relationship with his stepfather is strained, and his relationship with his mother has often been shallow. Through all his life, he found acceptance and belonging through being a "crying shoulder" for girls to go to. As he has come to grips with the way of Christ in his life, he has given up these relationships, only to find an incredible void because guys in the youth group often don't understand him. He fights the pull of wanting girlfriends, but it's often a losing battle. He believes God has called him to preach, but he often feels alone. Just flat alone.

These people are in our churches. I know they're there, because I know them, and this is just my world. God's allowed me to affect these lives, and I know there are others. I've been - and continue to be - mentor, surrogate father, and more to a precious circle of fellow Christ-followers who are on this journey with me. I can't leave them, and I know there are more like them in our churches, some of whom know what they're missing, some of whom just experience the gnawings of a hole in their souls.

For many of these, their journey of faith will not take them beyond their current experience. If they can be given hope, they can change their worlds, and the kingdom of heaven will advance.

If I had to pin down a reason for fighting the status quo, this would be it.

I just can't leave them.


For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.
For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's.
For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.
But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. 13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.
- The Bible, Romans 14:7-13