Rankin, Parks disagree on why negative reaction followed termination of
missionaries By John Pierce
Negative reaction
to the forced termination of veteran Southern Baptist missionaries that refused
to affirm the controversial 2000 Baptist Faith and Message last May did
not catch International Mission Board President Jerry Rankin by surprise, he
said in an opinion column released by Baptist Press.
"It was not
unexpected that many among our Southern Baptist constituency who do not agree
with the leadership and conservative direction of the SBC as well as those who
are in disagreement with the faith statement itself would disagree with this
initiative," said Rankin.
The mission board
leader, who reversed an earlier commitment not to impose the doctrinal statement
on missionaries after being pressured by unnamed Southern Baptist elected
leaders, blamed the negative response on weak theology and independent thinking.
"(R)eflection
upon the negative response from individuals and the media over the past year has
revealed that an alarming number of Southern Baptists have succumbed to the
subtle influence of postmodern thinking and theological compromise," said
Rankin. "Many are offended that denominational workers would be expected to
adhere to any defined commonality of faith. It is evident the precious doctrine
of individual priesthood of believers is being distorted to justify whatever
arises out of self-centered, independent thought, regardless of explicit
biblical teaching to the contrary."
Not so, said
Keith Parks, Rankinıs predecessor at IMB and the first global missions
coordinator for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, when asked by Trennis
Henderson, editor of Kentucky Baptistsı Western Recorder, to response to
Rankinıs column.
"(Rankin) accuses
those who reject the 2000 BF&M of postmodern theology which he seems to
define as rejection of absolute truth as revealed in Jesus Christ and recorded
in scripture," said Parks. "Let it be understood that liberal, postmodern
theology was never accepted among staff or missionaries of the Foreign Mission
Board (now the IMB)."
Parks said he was
never accused of unsound doctrine during his 38 years with the board but left
because he "would not support the divisive, politically-motivated,
ultra-conservative resurgence."
As board
president, Parks said he personally reviewed rare cases (10 out of 4,000
missionaries) when accusations were made about missionaries holding unacceptable
doctrine. In only two cases, he said, were missionaries dismissed.
Rankin described
Baptists as "a confessional people" who have expressed their positions on
doctrine and social issues for more than 400 years.
"Theological
truth is absolute, so theology does not change," said Rankin, "but as long as
the world and society change it will be necessary for churches and denominations
to express where they stand and what they believe the scripture teaches on
contemporary issues, if they are to maintain their distinctives and be salt and
light in the world."
Critics of the
revised faith statement that omits an earlier affirmation of Jesus as the
criterion for interpreting scripture and limits womenıs roles in both church and
home are incorrect in calling the statement a creed or a significantly altered
document, said Rankin.
"In reality the
2000 BF&M has not changed any beliefs at all," said Rankin. "Recent
revisions have simply spoken to contemporary issues by confessing what the Bible
has always taught and Southern Baptists have always believed and practiced."
Without changes,
Parks said, the compulsory signing of the new document would have been
unnecessary.
"If the 2000 BF&M changes nothing in belief or practices of the past, why
was it mandatory for missionary to sign?" asked Parks. "If it is no different,
why is it the only decision that has resulted in so many missionary resignations
and early retirements?"
Parks enumerated
several "regrettable changes" he saw in the revised statement and its use by
denominational leaders including "the presumption that a select few have
exclusive access to biblical truth" and "the assumption that messengers at the
SBC annual meeting have the prerogative to dictate doctrine to Baptist churches
and individuals."
However, Rankin
said many Baptists who react negatively to the 2000 BF&M and its
imposition on missionaries "proclaim their conviction that the Bible is their
only authority, but then refuse to be accountable for believing and practicing
its specific and explicit teachings."
Parks said that
Rankin has "joined other current (SBC) leadership in seeking not only to rewrite
history but in accusing anyone who rejects a creed of not believing in absolute
truth."
According to
Rankin, creeds are simply statements of belief.
"Perhaps, the
reason creeds are spoken of with such disdain is that so many typical of
postmodern thought really do not believe anything as absolute truth anymore."