In a news release announcing his candidacy for first vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention this year, evangelist Keith Fordham of Fayetteville, Ga., proclaimed: “Of all the denominations on earth, none has a greater opportunity of fulfilling the Great Commission than Southern Baptists. It is in our grasp.”

His words are common parlance for those who wear their denominational badge with pride and confidence. I grew up thoroughly convinced that our brand of Baptists had both the corner on truth and the best system of distribution.

In fact, I felt sorrow for the wayward souls in other faith traditions that didn’t speak the right church language and promote the right denominational programs. Any related smugness, surely noticed by others, was oblivious to me.

Evangelist Fordham’s beaming affirmation is reminiscent of Levi Elder Barton’s 1948 proclamation: “I am more tremendously convinced than ever that the last hope, the fairest hope, the only hope for evangelizing this world on New Testament principles is the Southern Baptist people represented in that Convention.”

Historian Bill Leonard pulled from that quotation the title, God’s Last and Only Hope, for his 1990 account of the Southern Baptist Convention controversy.

To build support and to keep things going requires a strong commitment to the tasks at hand. Without such confidence and allegiance, churches and other ministry efforts often languish. But how much is too much?

A couple of the young Southern Baptist Internet bloggers — now shaking up the SBC’s old-guard dominance — didn’t let Fordham’s seemingly harmless words go unnoticed.

While many would consider the evangelist’s statement as nothing more than showing confidence in and commitment to the denomination he proudly serves, these fellow Southern Baptist ministers saw something else.

Regarding Fordham’s affirmation that of all denominations, Southern Baptists have the greatest opportunity to fulfill the Great Commission, Oklahoma pastor Paul Littleton responded with apparent sarcasm at www.sbcoutpost.com : “Poor God, what would he do without us?”

Georgia pastor and website owner Marty Duren added: “That is the exact meaning of ‘triumphalism’ as was meant in the ‘Memphis Declaration.’”

Duren was referring to a statement of confession he and about 30 others drafted and signed in May. The first of eight confessions offered was: “We publicly repent of triumphalism about Southern Baptist causes and narcissism about Southern Baptist ministries which have corrupted our integrity in assessing our denomination bureaucracy, our churches, and our personal witness in light of the sobering exhortations of Scripture.”

If still aligned with my former Southern Baptist family, my signature would need to be added. In college I considered our Baptist ministries to be highly superior to any other denominational, inter-denominational or non-denominational effort. I often looked for their shortcomings while ignoring ours.

A young woman known for her athleticism and academic achievement sat by me at graduation — due to alphabetical arrangement. She testified about her Christian faith. My mental response was: “How could that be? She was not a part of ‘our group.’”

Great care must be taken not to reduce the Kingdom of God to our limited interpretations and involvement.

Moving from a stimulating campus ministry setting to an office in “Baptist headquarters” during my denominational employee years was quite revealing.

I heard one aging leader equate Southern Baptists work in our state with the Kingdom of God. Another denominational leader spoke regularly of areas lacking “a Christian witness” — meaning that our own denomination had no clear presence there.

That Baptist enclave was a radically different environment than the Georgia Tech campus where I had ministered. While overseeing a comprehensive Baptist program of ministry, my daily contact with campus ministers, students and faculty from varied faith streams was a reminder that the Great Commission was not assigned to us alone — and that we had no insider track to divine direction.

It is one thing to believe that our best efforts to advance God’s kingdom are needed and have a lasting spiritual impact on individual lives and communities of people. It is another to think God favors us over others or that we can meet all kingdom needs on our own.

Whether Southern, American, Fellowship, Alliance or any other kind of Baptist — or kind of Christian — God is not lucky to have us. We are fortunate — make that, graced — to have a part in what God is doing in this world.