The birth of the Southern Baptist Convention in 1845 came about mainly over the issue of abolition. Baptist in other regions of the United States, primarily the North, who were for the abolition movement that had already swept through the United Kingdom in the first part of that century stood opposed to commissioning missionaries who were slave owners. As a result, in May of 1845, at the First Baptist Church of Augusta, Georgia, the Southern Baptist Convention was born.
Since that time, significant discussions have ensued over the proper understanding of the issue of racism. What follows is a list of resolutions to demonstrate the length we Southern Baptist have been carrying on the conversation of race relations and the gospel.
1845, Augusta, Georgia: Resolution on the Colored Population
1849, Charleston, South Carolina: Resolution on Colored People
1886, Montgomery, Alabama: Resolution on the Negro
1937, New Orleans, Louisiana: Resolutions on Race
1939, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Resolution Concerning Lynching and Race Relations
1941, Birmingham, Alabama: Resolution Concerning Race Relations
1944, Atlanta, Georgia: Resolution on Race
1946, Miami Florida: Resolutions on Race
1950, Chicago, Illinois: Social Service Committee Recommendation Concerning Race Relations (Adopted)
1961, St. Louis, Missouri: Resolution on Race Relations
1965, Dallas, Texas: Resolution on Human Relations
1969, New Orleans, Louisiana: Resolution on New Orleans Hospital Integration
1970, Denver, Colorado: Resolution on Race
1978, Atlanta, Georgia: Resolution on Racism
1982, New Orleans, Louisiana: Resolution on the Ku Klux Klan
1983, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania: Resolution on Black and Ethnic Involvement
1989, Las Vegas, Nevada: Resolution on Racism
1993, Houston, Texas: Resolution on Racial and Ethnic Reconciliation
1995, Atlanta, Georgia: Resolution on Racial Reconciliation on the 150th Anniversary of the Southern Baptist Convention
1996, New Orleans, Louisiana: Resolution on the Arson of African American Churches
2007, San Antonio, Texas: On the 150th Anniversary of the Dred Scott Decision
2009, Louisville, Kentucky: On President Barack Hussein Obama
2010, Orlando, Florida: On the Employment Non-Discrimination Act
2015, Columbus, Ohio: On Racial Reconciliation
2016, St. Louis, Missouri: On Sensitivity and Unity Regarding the Confederate Battle Flag
2017, Phoenix, Arizona: On the Anti-Gospel of Alt-Right White Supremacy
2018, Dallas, Texas: On Reaffirming the Full Dignity of Every Human Being
2018, Dallas, Texas: On Renouncing the Doctrine of the “Curse of Ham” as a Justification for Racism
Similarly, and with the same significance, in December of 2018, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Southern Baptist’s first and flagship seminary, released their Report on Slavery and Racism in the History of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
This long trail of resolutions represents the same thing: A culture of racism, fostered by our total depravity, requires an ongoing conversation if we are to align our hearts and actions with the good news of God’s salvation in Christ.
Why have the ongoing conversation?
The first words of Scripture tell us that our God is a God of revelation. God, who is other than us, has determined to reveal himself to us. If not for his disclosure, we would not know him. Because God has decided to reveal himself, there is a perfect balance between transcendence and intimacy; an ideal balance between God’s distance from us and his nearness to us. The chief way that God has revealed himself to us is through the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Scripture confirms this when it says, Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son. (Hebrews 1:1–2) He who is not us has become us so that we who are not like him can become as he is. Such truth does not mean that we become gods; it means that we become God’s - we are his people, his possession.
These gospel truths require constant reflection, an ongoing conversation, a conversation where we take every thought captive to obey Christ. (2 Cor 10:5) The truths of eternity revealed to us through Holy Scripture and confirmed by the Word of God – Jesus Christ demands that we regularly test every thought to place it under the reality that we now know through what God has revealed. Scripture commands we do this by adopting a posture of humble worship. God’s revelation means that truth stands outside of us. We can’t even trust ourselves. Instead, we are told to be transformed by the renewal of our minds, to not be conformed to the patterns of this world (Romans 12:1-2). What this means on a most practical level is that we sift what we think, how we think, through what has been revealed in the Bible.
Since truth has come to us, we must develop a humble disposition of teachableness. We read Scripture and pray daily to move our lives more in line with who God is. We come to Church regularly to be reminded from a source of authority (the preacher or teacher who rightly handles Scripture) who proclaims truth not according to their whims or desires but in reaction to what has been received in God’s Word.
The questions we ask in light of revelation are not, “How do I feel?” or even “What are the current values of our collective society?” The only question in light of revelation that matters is, “What has God said?”
Certain conversations that we initiate in reaction to what he has revealed are not settled by one statement, by one articulation. Some truths are so transforming we need to have them before us regularly. The issue of race relations is one of those topics that require constant conversation. The Emancipation Proclamation came in 1863; the Civil Rights Acts passed in 1964; the Southern Baptist Convention resolution repudiating its roots in racism came in 1995, but the conversation must continue because the roots of racism lie deep in the heart of each person. Each person must do what God commands and take every thought captive to obey Christ.
Why so much reflection on racism?
The common reality of consistent racism across generations is inconsistent with what has been revealed in the gospel of Jesus Christ. What has been revealed is, first, that every person has been created in the image of God and thereby has the capacity of relating to God. Second, the blood that Jesus shed on the cross is for whosoever. We are assured that his bloodshed was effective as we read Revelation where we see all nations gathered around the throne of God for all eternity. Finally, we have been taught to pray “Thy Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.” We are commanded to preach the gospel to whosoever wherever. We can’t pray or share with effect if we harbor racism in our hearts.
I am dedicated to entering the ongoing conversation seeking to honor God and love our neighbor. I desire to pastor a fellowship that is a faithful representation of what we know through revelation. Christian congregations, as much as possible, are to be a picture of what heaven will be. Racism, like other battles, must be fought in each generation. Each generation has the responsibility of doing their diligence to ask first, “What has God said?” and then, “How now shall we live?”