Unity Through Purity

Restoration to doctrinal purity and a renewed sense of unity in the churches of our Association were our goals. Unity must always be one of our highest priorities; but it must never eclipse the priority of doctrinal purity.

The two sentences above come from the document described as “Article Concerning SBA Messengers' Decision Regarding Flat Rock Baptist Church which is found on the Surry Baptist Association website here. The authors are Dr. Joel Stephens, pastor of Westfield Baptist Church and Vice-Moderator of the SBA, and Rev. Jim Richland, associate pastor of Westfield Baptist Church and chairman of the Membership Committee of the SBA.

It's a pretty standard conservative treatment of the matter of women as senior pastors. I wouldn't quibble too much about it - standard, sterile, boilerplate seminary classroom stuff.

Unity through purity.  Work with me here, brethren: An antidote to doctrinal miscegenation?

I know the intent. There are things we must share in order to be grouped together in associations, state conventions, and the SBC. I don't argue that Surry can draw their lines anywhere they doggone well please. I just wouldn't vote to draw it as they have.

Of the list of requirements for overseer in 1 Timothy 3, referenced in the document linked above, at least half a dozen are always, always, violated by some pastors of some churches in every association I have ever been around. There's not an association in the SBC, anywhere, that this very day does not have at least one "quarrelsome" pastor in it. So, they get a pass? And you wouldn't have to look hard to find a pastor who is a "lover of money." Greedy with impunity?  Guess so.

Which doctrinaire associational officer, which membership committee in pursuit of purity will lead the charge to excise quarrelsome and greedy pastors from among us? Sixteen days, the length of time it took to get rid of the church which called a pastor with long blonde hair and lipstick along with her seminary degree, is too long for any quarrelsome pastor in an association.

Consider the thinking here: The association claims grave harm by one of its churches which called a female pastor. The offending church has damaged the unity in the association. The happy Baptist ship of Surry has been rocked.

The association as victim.

Plodder is not there yet. I can't see the poor pastors in the association and the unfortunate DOM wrapping themselves in the mantle of victimhood - the Woefully Beleaguered Majority.

One might reasonably conclude that the more damaged party is the church and their new pastor. Bailey Edwards Nelson shows up for her first Sunday at Flat Rock Baptist Church and that very week the church is notified that associational expulsion action is pending. There's your victim.

Consider more of the thinking here, words of the Dr. and Rev. named above:

Sadly, those in leadership at Flat Rock Baptist Church have chosen a different path. As you may have heard, the Surry Baptist Association‟s Membership Committee invited the leadership of Flat Rock to meet to discuss this situation. Flat Rock refused their invitation and thereby closed the door on any reconciliation with the Association. For that reason, a motion was presented to the messengers of the Surry Baptist Association last Monday to withdraw the SBA‟s affiliation with Flat Rock Baptist Church. The motion passed by a very large majority.

‘We-hate-it-but-they-forced-us-to-do-it’ Got it. “We hate it…we didn’t want to do it…they made us do it.” What’s next, “This is going to hurt me more than it hurts you.”

What’s that hollow ring I’m hearing?

Nonetheless, the deed is done, done badly perhaps, but done.

So, when can we hear from the estimated 20% from that associational meeting who voted against the expulsion of the church?