Voices: Why I remain a confessionally orthodox Texas Baptist

In recent days, there have been several articles published and many social media posts regarding the Baptist General Convention of Texas. I have found them to be intriguing and thought-provoking. Consequently, I have felt led to add my thoughts to the conversation.

I write from the perspective of someone who is deeply committed to Texas Baptists, and I pastor a solidly Texas Baptist church. Without question, I and my church have found a home in the BGCT.

What do I love about Texas Baptists? Let me count the ways.

Theological orthodoxy

The BGCT remains committed to theological orthodoxy.

For many years, we have embraced the Baptist Faith and Message (1963) as our representative, but not required, confession of faith. It is a comprehensive and conservative doctrinal confession. It has been and continues to be good enough for us.

While some Baptist bodies have drifted away from historically orthodox views of the Bible and other Baptist bodies have moved to adopt statements more restrictive in interpretive matters, we have remained constant in our commitment to what we believe to be a sufficient expression of our Baptist faith.

Further, remaining true to our heritage, our theological agreements are confessional in nature.

Some people have expressed a concern that Texas Baptists are becoming more “centrist” in theology. I find this to be interesting. While I have no issue with the term “centrist,” it seems to be troubling to some.

In fact, it has been pointed out that some of us are involved with the new Ascent movement, and it is centrist in its theological identity.

I currently serve as the chair of the Ascent Leadership Council. We have adopted the Cape Town Commitment of the Lausanne Movement as our confessional statement. There is absolutely no ambiguity of the theological boundaries of this movement, and it should signal no concerns for any Texas Baptist.

Generous spirit

Texas Baptists demonstrate a generous spirit in our fellowship.

The BGCT is a “big tent” organization. It provides a space for orthodox Baptists from across the conservative spectrum to work alongside each other in sharing the gospel with the people of our state.

While some denominational bodies like the Southern Baptist Convention seemingly have chosen to place more limitations and enforce doctrinal uniformity on its members, Texas Baptists continue to forge a path that honors the autonomy of the local church without compromising our commitment to the authority of Scripture.

Anthropology and human sexuality

The BGCT is on record regarding its views on human sexuality. Messengers to our convention have consistently supported the historically orthodox view of human sexuality. In fact, if a church officially embraces a view that differs, they are not eligible for membership in our convention.

Regarding the topic of anthropology, the BGCT has left that up to the local churches. Some churches are complementarian, while others are egalitarian. Obviously, there is a spectrum, and many lie somewhere between the poles. As far as I know, all of them hold to a high view of Scripture.

It is interesting how some complementarians associate any trend toward egalitarianism as adopting a lower view of Scripture. I often hear some say, “The Bible is clear on this issue.” I would respectfully disagree.

Competent evangelical scholars who hold to a high view of Scripture also have egalitarian interpretations of anthropology. Craig Keener, Gordon Fee, N.T. Wright, and John Stackhouse are all regarded as evangelical scholars who are egalitarian in their leanings but are also strongly committed to the authority of God’s word.

So, this is clearly an interpretive issue and not a litmus test for how one views the inerrancy, infallibility, or authority of the Bible. Consequently, and fortunately, the BGCT is a space where both complementarians and egalitarians can work alongside each other in evangelistic and missional endeavors across our state. That kind of space is becoming increasingly rare in our day.

Next generation

One of the strongest ministries in Texas Baptist life is our investment in the next generation.

The BGCT supports over 200 staff members, and some volunteers, on over 130 college and university campuses across Texas. No other Baptist state convention is so invested in such strategic evangelistic and discipleship efforts on this scale.

The impact of Texas Baptists Student Ministry is incredible and unprecedented. Our BSMs are transforming the lives of thousands of college students each year. Praise God!

Institutional partnerships

The BGCT is vitally connected to 15 colleges, universities, and seminaries. Again, no other Baptist state convention has these strategic connections on this scale. Each year, thousands of students are being educated and trained in all types of vocational and academic disciplines by dedicated Christian professors and teachers.

All these institutions of higher learning hold to a high view of Scripture and have official policies and faith statements that agree with the BGCT’s views on human sexuality.

The impact of these partnerships for the advancement of God’s kingdom will only be measured in eternity.

Strategic ministry partners

Texas Baptists also work with various ministry partners across the world. We do not control them, nor do we demand they function as creedal entities.

Ministries like Texans on Mission allow us to participate in massive humanitarian efforts in the midst of some of the worst natural disasters in our nation and world.

Further, the only global Baptist family in existence is the Baptist World Alliance. Our partnership with the BWA connects us to over 50 million Baptists worldwide. BWA General Secretary Elijah Brown is one of the most influential Baptists on the planet.

Through the BWA, we are collectively responding to all manner of human crises, advancing the cause of religious freedom for all humans, and we are a part of the global effort of taking the gospel to the whole world by 2033.

Confessional vs. creedal

To say this is a challenging time for confessional denominations would be an understatement. Our society favors polarization and mic-drop, truncated summarizations of positions on any issue. I get that. However, the complexity of a broad confessional denominational convention is way too complicated and diverse to be reduced to simplified creedal formulas.

I would contend our commitment to our confessional heritage is one reason we have been able to resist extremism. Over the past 40 years, Texas Baptists have been able to reject both fundamentalism and liberalism in our convention. Our devotion to confessional orthodoxy is the secret sauce that has enabled us to demonstrate such theological dexterity. It has kept us out of the proverbial ditch on either side of the road.

Creedalism tends to migrate toward the extremes in the American denominational context. To its credit, creedalism is one path to maintain theological orthodoxy, and it is the preferred path for many of our brothers and sisters in Christ. It certainly has merit.

However, creedalism, with its imposed restrictions and authoritative applications, has just not been the preferred choice of the BGCT since our inception.

With that said, some would argue this approach is too murky, too unwieldy, too ambiguous, or that we lack clarity in the articulation of theological beliefs. To those who share that perspective, I would point them to our confession of faith. It is clear enough for those of us who believe it.

And we have learned how to navigate complex issues like those of human sexuality, human anthropology, church governance, eschatology, theories of atonement, soteriology—all while maintaining both fellowship and cooperation in seeking to fulfill the Great Commission.

I would also add that Baptists who feel the need for more creedal approaches to denominational connections have options available to them. The BGCT is just not one of those.

Effective

So, where does that all leave us as Texas Baptists? Are we “centrists,” “moderates,” “conservatives?” The answer to that question may depend upon which Texas Baptist answers it. I am old enough to remember when a prominent Southern Baptist pastor surmised, “The only thing in the middle of the road is a yellow stripe and a dead skunk!”

I know that line was meant to be both pejorative and humorous. With all due respect, I have spent a ministry lifetime on the center of the proverbial pavement. And I’ve not been alone. Not at all.

In fact, I have journeyed with thousands of fellow Texas Baptists over these years. I have found them to be godly, gracious, committed, Christ-like, diverse, Bible-believing people devoted to both the Great Commandment and the Great Commission.

All in all, I believe we are a confessionally orthodox convention of churches. If I may choose one word to capture the essence of the BGCT, I would choose “effective.”

Dennis Wiles is the senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Arlington and chair of the Ascent Leadership Council. The views expressed in this opinion article are those of the author.