Editorial: Baptists shouldn’t lose sight of who we are

We are awash in challenges—political, environmental, medical, financial, cultural, social and more. Some of us tend to see the size, complexity and pervasiveness of the challenges and be overwhelmed by it all, without stopping to realize we don’t meet these challenges alone.

Through the foresight of our forebears, Baptists have an array of organizations not only at the ready, but also bringing their resources and expertise to bear even now on multiple challenges at once. Baptists are active on multiple fronts, and we shouldn’t lose sight of that.

So, let this be an encouragement. Yes, we are in challenging times. We are surrounded by difficulties and dangers, yet to be preachy: “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted [many places in the world], but not abandoned; [maybe even] struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9).

Why are we not overcome? Because of the power of Christ in us.

This is not to make light of the real and serious issues facing not only Baptists, but all Christians and their neighbors. However, it is to remind us we are not helpless or hopeless. And not because Baptists are so great, but because Jesus Christ is. We absolutely must not lose sight of that.

What Baptists are doing

Baptists are responding to Hurricane Helene, providing disaster relief through Texans on Mission and other Baptist disaster relief agencies. These same agencies are preparing to respond to Hurricane Milton. And they’re asking for help.

Baptists are advocating for God-honoring public policy through the Texas Baptists’ Christian Life Commission and similar agencies. Among other policy initiatives, the CLC is asking for our help encouraging Texas state senators to pass legislation to install air conditioning in Texas prisons, where inmates and employees endure unhealthy conditions caused by extreme heat.

Baptists are providing in-person aid to war-torn areas such as Ukraine, Gaza and Lebanon, even as war rages around them. And they’re also asking for our help.

Baptists are working toward better prevention of sexual abuse and better responses when abuse occurs. The work of the Texas Baptists’ Sexual Abuse Task Force is a good step in that direction. One of the task force’s recommendations—a user-friendly web resource—is already up and running in English and Spanish. We need to do our part, also.

Baptist schools, Baptist hospitals, Baptist human welfare organizations and Baptist mission agencies are in full swing right now. And so are tens of thousands of Baptist churches, large and small. They all are giving witness and testimony—in word and deed—of Jesus Christ’s work to redeem and restore all of creation.

We shouldn’t lose sight of all Baptists are doing right now to meet the real and serious challenges of our time.

More than that, we shouldn’t lose sight of why Baptists are doing all of this.

Who Baptists are

The following commitments, spelled out by Bill Pinson and Doris Tinker, are central to Baptist identity—who Baptists are and why Baptists do what good we do:

• the Lordship of Jesus Christ,
• the Bible as the sole written authority for faith and practice, and
• the priesthood of each and every believer in Christ.

Arising from these are Baptists’ commitment to evangelism, missions, Christian education, ministry and social concern.

Notice what comes first on the list—the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Before and above all else, Baptists are who we are and do what good we do because Jesus is Lord. Or at least that’s how it should be.

I will be the first to admit, though, it’s easy to shift the center … ever so slightly … at first. It’s easy to center our identity on things we do or on our name, our legacy or our influence, instead of on Jesus, especially if Jesus is still in the picture.

When Jesus is off-center, our claims to allegiance are really claims of affiliation. That is a significant category error.

We must guard against this subtle shift of identity, a shift that reveals we are shaped more by the world’s values than by Jesus’ lordship.

What Baptist means

One way we might guard against this shift is to keep in front of us the basic meaning of “Baptist.”

At the risk of being obnoxiously obvious, Baptist comes from baptize. Without getting into mode of baptism, the core of baptism is to identify with Jesus in his death, burial and resurrection through being put under water.

Yes, Baptists believe the original word baptizo is properly understood to mean being completely submerged in water—dunked, you might say. That’s why some called us “Dunkers” in our early days.

Hmm. Southern Dunker Convention. Dunker General Convention of Texas. Cooperative Dunker Fellowship. Dunker Standard. It’s for the best we went with “Baptist.” Otherwise, people would confuse us with donuts.

Anyway. See how easy it is to lose focus?

To be Baptist is to have Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection at the center of who we are. It is to submit ourselves to Jesus’ lordship to the degree that we identify—even with our very name—with his death, burial and resurrection.

It’s easy to lose sight of that when “Baptist” appears in such large lighted letters on the side of an office tower or in prominent font on the cover of a slick marketing piece—which is not a dig but a caution.

Baptists have reason to celebrate. We are making a positive difference in the world in multiple places and ways. But what is to be celebrated isn’t a what at all, but a who, and he is Jesus—our identity, our reason for being, our very life. We shouldn’t lose sight of that.

Eric Black is the executive director, publisher and editor of the Baptist Standard. He can be reached at eric.black@baptiststandard.com. The views expressed in this opinion article are those of the author.