A singles group from a nearby congregation was selling used books outside Wal-Mart. Fifty cents seemed like a good investment in my own copy of The Baptist Faith, H.W. Tribble’s 1935 adaptation of E.Y. Mullins’ classic, The Axioms of Religion.

This was no one-owner model only taken to church on Sunday. It looked to be well worn and well read. Its early life had obviously been in a library.

Boldly stamped on the inside cover was the single word “DISCARDED.” Even on a Saturday morning, I could not miss the symbolism in “The Baptist Faith” being “discarded.”

Tossing aside an aging book is rather insignificant. Discarding or eroding significant Baptist principles in favor of self-serving political ideologies is a big deal.

Tribble, who taught theology at Southern Seminary, arranged the book so Baptists could explore their heritage and distinctions in 10 weekly “training course” sessions. Today most Baptists in the pew — and many in the pulpit — could benefit from such instruction and exploration.

Those who carved out our once-treasured principles would be aghast at the way so many leaders bearing the name Baptist show total disregard if not distain for the concepts that previously defined the Baptist movement.

Here are just a couple of them:

Religious liberty — Is anyone else getting tired of hearing Baptists — of all people — bad-mouth the very principle that allowed Baptists to emerge from a disrespected struggling sect into a powerful denomination?

Georgia’s governor, in a recent interview with the state Baptist newspaper, said: “I don’t think the framers of our Constitution ever intended to protect the state from the church, but to protect the church from the state. In fact, the separation of church and state is not even mentioned in the Constitution …”

Of course, the framers of the U.S. Constitution intended to protect the state from the church. Otherwise the powerful Church of England would have continued its forced dominance in all aspects of American life.

It is inconceivable that a high-ranking government official, especially one who is an active Baptist layman and Sunday school teacher, could be so short-sighted. And to denigrate the concept of separation of church and state is nothing short of downplaying the value of religious freedom for all persons according to their conscience.

Sure, some people have wrongly interpreted the separation of church and state concept to imply that religious faith has no role in governmental affairs. But that was not Mr. Jefferson’s intent when using the phrase in a letter to Baptists in Virginia.

But neither did he intend for the church with the most political muscle to strong-arm the government for its own sectarian benefits.

Our religious freedom is at high risk if either the state seeks to control church affairs, or if the church seeks the assistance of government in carrying out its religious agenda.

Ask a few Baptists who were imprisoned for preaching our brand of the gospel and see how they feel about the concept of full religious liberty for all persons.

Church autonomy

Baptists do church structure upside down — which is really right side up. That is, Baptists consider the local congregation to be the apex of church life.

Affiliations with associations, conventions, alliances and fellowships provide many benefits for training, fellowship and mission. But those connections do not — or should not — come with any authority over the local church.

Those more familiar with hierarchal or connectional churches may consider such radical autonomy to be upside down. To Baptists, however, local church autonomy is a long-held treasure.

Baptist theologian Fisher Humphreys, in his excellent book, Thinking about God, notes that the New Testament refers to only one church council meeting. Otherwise, all references to church apply exclusively to fellowships of faith in particular settings.

Sometimes Baptist denominational leaders — who should know better — need a reminder that the role of conventions, associations, fellowships and alliances is one of service to related congregations. The church is at the top of the organizational chart, not the bottom.

Anyone who makes a statement like, “From convention headquarters down to the local church …” needs to be flipped back around. They have inverted an important Baptist perspective.

Autonomy does not mean that churches cannot benefit from cooperative efforts. It is not a call to isolation or an acknowledgement of self-sufficiency in all matters.

Autonomy, however, means that important decisions — such as calling a minister, partnering with various mission groups, prioritizing the budget — is none of the business of those in denominational leadership.