Imagine sitting in the pew on a warm Sunday in the mid-1800s listening to the proclamation of a respected Christian statesman and hearing hearty “Amens” from those around you.

“Nowhere does the Bible condemn slavery,” he thunders. “Either believe the Bible and support slavery, or oppose slavery and throw out the Bible as God’s authoritative word” (Willard M. Swartley, Slavery, Sabbath, War and Women: Case Issues in Biblical Interpretation, p. 33).

How could you argue? You don’t want to be considered weak in your Christian commitment or biblical fidelity. The preacher has pointed to the verse or verses that clearly solidify his interpretation as the only true biblical position.

How eerily similar are those words to ones voiced today by some Baptist leaders regarding the role of women in church and society — as well as other issues?

Danny Akin, president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C., urged a gathering of “Conservative Carolina Baptists” in May to be more evangelistic. Specifically, he said they should become “rabid dogs for evangelism.” (See news report on page 12.)

Being in such friendly confines, he also took a swipe at fellow Baptists who identify with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship rather than the fundamentalist-controlled SBC.

He said he didn’t understand what CBF meant by “being the presence of Christ in the world.” He called it “a bunch of doubletalk.”

Southern Baptists should be more committed to evangelism than other Baptists, he said, “because we believe more.”

On one point, I want to agree with Dr. Akin, who is trying to fill the boots of SBC Rough Rider Paige Patterson at my alma mater. Among other things, Patterson has told his followers in recent years that every boy needs a gun and that only men — with female assistants — should serve as youth ministers.

Indeed, many of us believe less than Akin, Patterson and other SBC leaders who have codified many of their beliefs in the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message and are diligently dividing themselves from anyone who will not align with that extra-biblical document.

I must confess to believing less. For example, I don’t believe the Bible teaches inequality in marriage and church leadership anymore than it mandates slavery. Southern Baptist leaders say the Bible is crystal clear on this matter. Yet they cannot agree on the actual limitations the Bible prescribes for women.

Ignoring a longtime emphasis on local church autonomy, the 2000 BF&M states the office of pastor is limited to men. Yet the North American Mission Board has used that document to refuse endorsement to ordained female chaplains.

The Southern Baptist missions agency has also approved a guideline for starting churches that states a true “New Testament church” cannot have women deacons. If the Bible is so doggone clear on this issue, why are there so many inconsistencies in its application?

The advantages of believing less first dawned on me about 30 years ago when Hal Lindsay’s sure-fire interpretations of the Book of Revelation and other apocalyptic literature didn’t pan out as promised. We wasted a lot of good spiritual energy in the ‘70s pondering how Gog and Magog related to modern-day Russia.

As a college student, believing less made sense to me when my co-workers from an independent Baptist school assured me the Bible clearly teaches the superiority of Caucasians over African-Americans. They had proof-texts on flash cards they memorized between sales of leisure suits.

Believing less means admitting that we ALL see through cultural lens — or dark glass, as Paul told the Corinthians. Believing less requires putting more trust in God than in our own abilities to ascertain divine perspectives on all matters.

It also makes one less likely to ridicule those who hold differing views as being unbiblical, under-committed or guilty of doubletalk.

Dr. Timothy Johnson, longtime medical reporter for ABC, is an ordained minister as well and the author of Finding God in the Questions, released by InterVarsity Press last year. He opens the 10th chapter with this profound statement:

“In my experience, finding God in the questions does not mean finding complete answers. In fact, you may discover that along the path of faith, you pick up more questions than you started with. But you might also discover that you need fewer answers, and those you do find are enough to live on.”

For me, the essence of the Gospel — centered on God’s love and grace revealed in Jesus Christ — has grown stronger through the years. Those essential beliefs are held more firmly than ever before. Yet the peripheral issues seem better held with a looser grip and given continuous exposure to the Light.

There is no shame in believing less than others. Just read what Jesus said about the Pharisees — who out-believed everyone they met. In fact, believing less may require more faith in that God is in control.

So is it possible to believe too little? Absolutely! But there are some apparent dangers in believing too much as well.