The Baptist Faith Message, Research Paper Example

Introduction

The Baptist Faith and Message (BF&M) is the statement of faith of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC).¹ The Baptist Faith Message is described as the key areas of the Bible that should be followed such as evangelism, nature of God with the Trinity, the spiritual state of man, Gods plan of grace and salvation, impact on society, religious independence, and family. [1]The Baptist Faith and Message can be  summarize as the key components of the Southern Baptist Convention that believed in the Bible and its authority which means all Baptist followers must believe in the Bible for guidance, faith and divine understanding. The Trinity is a belief by the Christians of the concept that the Father is God, Jesus is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. The BF&M believes in the divine understanding and belief in the healthy spirit of man meaning the message is corruption in man can lead to a lost soul. The Baptist Faith Message preamble includes the purpose of the local church, ordinances, evangelism, Christian education, and interaction with society. The Baptist Faith Message has 21 sections that guide the Baptist believers. [2]

However, there are two sections that are historically influence the Baptist Faith Message, which are the Evangelisms and Mission and The Christian and the Social Order adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention. The Evangelism and Mission is critical to the Baptist Faith Message because it defined how the Baptist faith was to deliver the messages as disciples. The Christian and the Social Order relates to the social responsibility of the Christian followers to be involved with social change while spreading the Baptist Faith Message. The paper will discuss the influences of Evangelism and Mission and Christian and the Social Order in 1925, 1963 and 2000.

Evangelism and Missions-1925

The Baptist Faith Message (BFM) has historically changed the application of Evangelism in 1925, 1963, and 2000 respectively. On May 1925, the Southern Baptist Convention adopted the first version of the Baptist Faith Message preamble (The Reformed Reader, 1999).[3] The preamble advocates that Christians just preach the gospel making themselves an evangelical conduit for God message that there will be mercy to the sinners. The most faithful Baptist worshippers are expected to travel from homes to meeting halls, to pulpits to cities to states and nations to ensure they have been evangelized. The evangelical Baptist Faith Message was to spread divine message-teaching sinners to put their faith in Christ.[4]

 The evangelism and mission statements are the staple of the BF& M in 1925, which taught the followers to practice delivering the BF& M, while relaying the divine message with direct intent to convert them to Christianity. The message of Evangelism change from the individual spreading the word of god to only those that came to the church for worship. The Evangelism and Mission statement has been revised in 1925 stating that the Baptist Christians must be evangelist that spreads Gods word globally.

The historical change in 1925 was based on several areas such reaffirmation of Christian fundamentals. The Baptist Faith Message committee wanted to make sure that the Christians followed the sole authority of the Old and New Testament. The primary change in the Evangelism and Mission was that all Christians should leave their comfort zones and reach out to sinners beyond their own jurisdiction or neighborhood. At this point, in history the Baptist Faith & Message believed that they should only bring the word of God to their communities, non-believers, friends, and fellow worshippers. The affirmation of Baptist faith dictated that as Christian it is a privilege as a follower of Christ to engage in evangelical activities and missionary efforts to spread the teachings of Christ. The evangelical responsibility to the Lord Jesus Christ demands Baptist followers to preach the word to all nations  In 1925 Evangelism was defined as the spreading the gospel message including warning the world of the consequences while travel the planet explain about sin.

Evangelism and Missions-1963

The Baptist Faith Message is reflective of the both The Evangelism and Mission and The Christian and Social Order, which prompted the Southern Baptist to make changes to the 1963 preamble. As historical significance, the Supreme Courts of 1962 shifting to determining whether prayer was unconstitutional by case Engel V. Gitale. In the same year, it was discussion about reaching and brings the gospel to all nations.[5] The primary legislation that favored non-religion over religion influence the Baptist Faith Message to respond to social changes and judicial changes. The government was making laws and decisions that were taking prayer out of the schools. In the past, the government has been natural concerning religion and state.

The Baptist Faith Message committee felt that the conservative responses to such incident were not in the spirit of the intended Baptist Faith Message. Historically, in 1963, the Baptist Faith Message constituents and committees had a paradigm shift that wanted the preamble to address the separation of church and state.[6] The Evangelism and Mission statement revision was the prelude to addressing the separation of church and state. The Evangelism and Mission state changed to reflect the social changes as well as Baptist members learning to become evangelical reaching outside of their own neighbors. It was now their social responsibility to preach the gospel even though the state was taking an opposite position.

At this time in history, the Baptist Faith Message committee became concerned with the 1960s societal changes that need an updated and revision of the preamble, which did not set well with the conservative member base. The primary change was revision of the analysis of the Baptist Faith Message, which message was geared towards the Southern Baptist followers. The Evangelical and Mission preamble change based on the changing attitudes of government concerning church and state.[7]

Evangelism and Missions-2000

The primary change in the Evangelism and Missions in 2000 was reflective of the new millennium societal problems. The Baptist followers using the evangelical platform to fight against greed, poor morality, adultery, and racism. The message for the Evangelism and Mission change to a social responsibility to help the community with starvation, orphaned, the abused and those that are sick. The preamble change its mission to spreading the word with Evangelism to the government that even the unborn should be protected from the societal problems that plague the nation.[8]

The era could have been named the Social Movement because the Evangelism mission to improve the quality of life for all in human race fighting against any racism. The historical change in 2000 revised the Baptist Faith Message preamble to stipulate that both baptism and church are the prerequisites of belief of Christians as interpreted by the Bible. This was a significant change because many members would join the Baptist Church regardless of previous domination through membership but did not have to be baptize as a mandatory condition. ^[9]Historically, this was a major change because in 2000 it was mandatory that the person joining the church be baptized in the church. It was a rule of the Baptist Church but with many interpretations but nothing definitive in writing until the change of 2000 preamble. The original thoughts concerning Evangelism that the members could testify to others and lead by example for those had not receive the word of Jesus Christ. In addition, it was affirmed that Baptist Faith Message must be a “verbal witness” which was changed in the 2000 statements.[10] It was written and changed to “It is the responsibility as an Evangelist to strive to gain back the souls that have been lost and in the name of Christ. These disciplines need to verbally witness to be in line with the Christian evangelistic message. This change to verbal witness made it mandatory that Christians in the Baptist Church has to change from the participation in the church to preaching the word to the people in their homes or in the neighborhood.

The Christian and the Social Order-1925

The 1925 Christian and Social Order were called Social Service. In history, this was a time of social reform, which included government, and politics to bring the word of salvation to the world. This was a time of World War I that caused the nation to be in social despair and increasing taxes and the poor continuing to struggle and starve in the United States. The was a time of the President Woodrow Wilson that was trying to bring nation out of war but it was 1920 elected President Warren G. Harding tried to return society back to normalcy.[11]The Baptist message was a response to the World War I because the society was suffering because of a lack of social programs because funds were being spent on the war. The 1925 preamble was rightly called Social Service because the primary goal was to address social ills such as bootlegging that was a major problem in the 1925 communities.

It was Warren G. Harding that attempted guide the country concentrating on social issues, however, it was the BF & Message to the Christian followers that crated this social movement that set the foundation for the 1963 and 2000 changes to the preamble. The 2000 preamble celebrate the flexibility to address subjects that have never been addressed or even acknowledgment. This is historical because the Baptist Faith put these issues in the preamble to start the discussions. The contributions of the 2000 and 1963 editions of the Baptist Faith and Message, however, the 1925, preamble open the door to discuss social issues without problems with church and state. History has shown that some social issues have always been the responsibility of the state to feed the hungry, provide social programs, and help the needy. Nevertheless, the 1925 preamble puts that responsibility on Christians.

The Baptist Christian and Social Order preamble change to reflect the needs of the society in 1925, which is why the mission changed to helping the orphaned, the aged, the helpless, and the sick. The preamble for Social Order concentrated on the Baptist church being involved with the social ills along with providing support to families. The 1925 Baptist Faith Message leaned towards helping your follow man regardless of circumstances such as children that have no food to eat at home or school. The Christian Social Movement of 1925 made the following changes to adapt to the current social atmosphere at that time. They adopted the opinion from the Baptist Faith Message committee that the strict guidance of the Christian faith must provide a message that is clear, consistent to the followers. They are not to add other interpretations of the Bible to replace clear and precise preamble. Secondly, the revision in 1925 indicated that the Christian and Social responsibility is to ensure that the needs of the poor and downtrodden.

The social issues of the era are the responsibility of every Christian to revise the statement of faith based on the changes with the current social conditions of our era. The Christian and Social Order must not be dominated by the majority to prevent the small voices to be heard thus creating a Christine and Social Order among the faithful followers of the Baptist Faith Messages. Another important historical change to the Christian and Social Order doctrines is addressing social issues based on the scriptures of the Old and New Testament. Finally, the historical change to the preamble that is important is the statement of religious convictions. In layman terms, the scriptures should not be used to hide behind to stifle freedom of questions, investigation, and other opinions outside our beliefs. The was a significant change in history because the leaders were responding to the need of social order but it could not be accomplished unless the Baptist Faith & Message openly agreed to listen to others beliefs. This small change allowed the Baptist Faith & Message to address social issues while reaching out to other religions to work together in addressing the social ills of 1925.

This was an era of prohibition, war, and changing of social policy that affected millions of Americans. The Christian and Social Order specifically change the preamble to reflect the social needs as a part of the message for all Baptist followers. The 1925 preamble encourage the followers to reach out to other nations with the mission of delivering the message of Jesus Christ. The Christian and Social Order Every Christian preamble was changed to reflect and address the social issues in 1925; it states that Christians that follow the lead of Jesus Christ can address the society problems. The Social movement by the Baptist should bring to the government the words of Christ spread throughout the human society. The Baptist Christian will oppose any social issues that degrade all human beings and fight against greed, and selflessness.

In order to encourage the Christian message that all Christians should be prepared to come to aide to address social conditions bringing the loving spirit, love, and faith.

The Christian and the Social Order-1963

The 1960 was an era of civil unrest with racism, poverty, and immoral acts on the rise. The Christian and the Social Order-1963 was historical turning point in the Baptist Faith and Message concerning the obligations to address social conditions. The Christian and The Social Order preamble was not just a statement but the entire Baptist Congregations nationwide responded to preamble that they must participate in social issues. The social unrest began in 1957, because the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLS) decided to address the social issues in the United States. The Baptist Faith Message reached millions of Baptist followers that believed in the new preamble that demanded participation in any social issues. The preamble was change to reflect to social times of 1960s: The preamble stated that all Baptist Christian has the moral responsibility to present truth, social rights, righteousness, and brotherly love. The Christian and Social Order preamble 1963 reflected the society ills by stating specifically ‘brotherly love”. This was reflective of the nation’s primary problem with racism in the United States. The Christian and Social Order preamble was aligned with these events such as fighting for social rights. This was a time in history that the SCLS in Alabama was fighting for voting rights for African Americans. The national attention and the racism problem was televised that led to the arrest of Martin Luther King. These social events were the reason that the BF&M preamble was revised. The BF & M influence thousands of people to peacefully boycott which was a historical moment when over 250,000 people gathered in Washington DC.¹¹ The preamble of 1963 was in response to Freedom Riders, boycotts and other protest around the county that need moral support from the Baptist churches. The BF&M affect the society response to Jim Crow laws by creating a new preamble that mandates Christians black and white fight the racism.

The Christian and the Social Order preamble influence followers to utilize Gods guidance in dealing with social issues: The preamble states that all Baptist Christians have a divine obligation to seek God will as we try to improve society as a whole. The evangelist that works towards improve the society by bringing the truth and righteousness to the forefront, the message will grow roots resulting in the changing the society ills through the grace of God. The preamble was change to remind all Christians to oppose all immoral acts including greed and selfishness while providing direct support to orphaned, aged and the sick. The 1963 preamble address bringing change to the government and society while promoting social responsibility for all races not those that are parishioners.

The Christian and the Social Order-2000

The Christian and the Social Order of 2000 was the new message for the Baptist Faith and Message forum. This was historical because this was the first time in the history of the preambles that addressed new issues instead of dodging the realistic society issues such as the same sex marriage. The preamble is addressing all the society issues that have remained in the closet never to be discussed in public. The society has such a privacy protection of the individual that the thought of discussing personal choice was not acceptable. The Christian and The Social Order preamble clearly states that is the Christians duty to honor God by striking down all immoral acts regardless of race, creed, or color.

In past history, no religion as addressed such controversial issues such as homosexuality in such a way that the Christians are broadening their definitions to stay within the bounds of the preamble. The Christian and The Social Order does oppose racism, pornography and homosexuality however, they open the door to discuss these issues. The preamble states that all Christians have the obligation to improve society by depending on the grace of God to help in difficult divine messages to society.  There is specific emphasis on not only addressing the social issues among the parishioners but to expand the message of Christians and the Social Order to the outside of immediate community. One of the primary changes is Christians addressing the government concerning any immoral acts against humanity. These meeting concerning social issues in 2000 broke new ground in addressing whether the Baptist Church should allow someone to join the church married to the same sex. The 2000 preamble has made history because the preamble invites others to discuss such different issues as adultery however, the Baptist may be open to the conversation, but adultery is not accepted.

Baptist Faith Message Prior to 1925

The Southern Baptists have always believed in evangelistic and mission driven beliefs since its inception of the Southern Baptist Convention in 1845.[12] However, there was no formal group until Baptist Theologian Edgar Y Mullins adopted the Baptist Faith Message in 1925. Edgar Y Mullins was a Baptist minister who was the fourth president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He served as the president from 1899 to 1928.[13] In 1877, Edgar moved the Theological Seminary to the east side of Louisville, Kentucky. He taught the Baptist Faith Message while serving as president. As a result, he published a historical book called” The Christian Religion in Its Doctrinal Expression which was published in 1917. Edgar Y. Mullins is the grandfather of the Baptist Faith Message.

Conclusion

The Evangelism and Mission and The Christian and the Social Order is two of the most important sections in the Baptist Faith & Message. The changes were significant in 1925, 1963 and 2000. The evangelism and mission statements were the critical to the changes in the way BF& M delivered the Baptist gospel. The 1925 Baptist preamble adopted some the first ideas about social issues and evangelism however; because each generation has different social issues, the BF & M must be updated to address those specific issues of that era. The initial responses by the BF&M were in defense of critics that assaulted the preambles while attempting to bring the family back into the focus of the Baptist church. The Evangelism and Mission and The Christian and the Social Order help the followers renew their faith with a new mission that address their biblical issues of today. The preambles made it clear that the scriptures are not to be used by man to push their own agendas to prevent members from religious freedom within the Baptist Church. The Baptist religion cherishes the right to question and research any scripture they do not understand while the leader must be open to those ideas.

Bibliography

Corith Baptist Church. (2014).Baptist Faith Message (BFM).Last Revised 2014. Accessed January 24, 2015 http://corinthbaptist.com/

Encyclopedia of Alabama. Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Last modified July 2013. Accessed January 25, 2015. Web Jan 2015 http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1909

Gaskins, Mark “Cracks in the wall? Changing attitudes toward the separation of church and state among Southern Baptists.” Baptist History and Heritage 43.3 (2008): 96+. General OneFile. Web. 28 Jan. 2015

Glen Jonas. “The Making of the 1963 Baptist Faith and Message.” Baptist History and Heritage 45.1 (2010): 95+. General OneFile. Web. 28 Jan. 2015.

Great Bible Study.John the Baptist (Prepare the Way for the Lord. Last Revised 2008. Accessed January 25, 2015 http://www.greatbiblestudy.com/john_the_baptist.php

History Bits. (2014).1960 Civil Rights Movement. Last Revised 2014. Accessed January 24, 2015 Web 24, Jan. 2015 http://www.historybits.com/civilrights.htm

Johnston, Robert. (2008). Johnston’s Archive  Baptist Resources. Last modified 14 November 2008 Accessed January 25, 2015. Web 25 Jan. 2015  http://johnstonsarchive.net/baptist/index.html

Mano, Tony. “What Is Biblical Evangelism?” CARM. January 1, 2014. Accessed January 25, 2015 https://carm.org/biblical-evangelism

Southern Baptists Break Rank on Communion. Christianity Today. 56.10 (Nov. 2012): p14. Accessed January 24, 2015 http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA307917349&v=2.1&u=mont33863&it=r&inPS=true&prodId=EAIM&userGroupName=mont33863&p=EAIM&digest=809313f7aa9ea218c7e3431a9699aaa6&rssr=rss

Southern Baptist Convention: Reaching the World for Christ. Accessed January 24, 2015. Web 24, Jan. 2015 http://www.baptist2baptist.net/b2barticle.asp?ID=286

The Reformed Reader: Committed to Historic Baptist & Reformed Beliefs. Accessed January 24, 2015 http://www.reformedreader.org/

Wax, Trevor. (2012). The Enigmatic Edgar: Why E.Y. Mullins Is Essential To Understanding Southern Baptists. Accessed January 24, 2015, Web 24, Jan 2015 http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevinwax/2012/09/10/the-enigmatic-edgar-whye-y-mullins-is-essential-to-understanding-southern-baptists/

[1]  Great Bible Study.John the Baptist (Prepare the Way for the Lord. Last Revised 2008. Accessed January 25, 2015 http://www.greatbiblestudy.com/john_the_baptist.php

[2] Corith Baptist Church. (2014).Baptist Faith Message (BFM).Last Revised 2014. Accessed January 24, 2015 http://corinthbaptist.com/

[3] The Reformed Reader: Committed to Historic Baptist & Reformed Beliefs. Accessed January 24, 2015 http://www.reformedreader.org/

[4] 4. Tony Mano. “What Is Biblical Evangelism?” CARM. January 1, 2014. Accessed January 25, 2015.

[5] 5. Southern Baptists Break Rank on Communion. Christianity Today. 56.10 (Nov. 2012): p14. Accessed January 24, 2015.

[6] Mark Gaskins “Cracks in the wall? Changing attitudes toward the separation of church and state among Southern Baptists.” Baptist History and Heritage 43.3 (2008): 96+. General OneFile. Web. 28 Jan. 2015.

[7] Glen Jonas. “The Making of the 1963 Baptist Faith and Message.” Baptist History and Heritage 45.1 (2010): 95+. General OneFile. Web. 28 Jan. 2015

[8] Southern Baptist Convention: Reaching the World for Christ. Accessed January 24, 2015. Web 24, Jan. 2015

[9] Robert Johnston. (2008). Johnston’s Archive  Baptist Resources. Last modified 14 November 2008.Accessed January 25, 2015. Web 25 Jan. 2015

[10] Encyclopedia of Alabama. Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Last modified July 2013. Accessed January 25, 2015. Web Jan 2015

[11] History Bits. (2014).1960 Civil Rights Movement. Last Revised 2014. Accessed January 24,

2015. Web 24, Jan. 2015 http://www.historybits.com/civilrights.htm

[12] Southern Baptist Convention: Reaching the World for Christ. Accessed January 24, 2015. Web 24, Jan. 2015

[13] Wax, Trevor. (2012). The Enigmatic Edgar: Why E.Y. Mullins Is Essential To Understanding Southern Baptists. Accessed January 24, 2015, Web 24, Jan 2015