SBC First Vice President and President of the National African American Fellowship of the SBC Marshal Ausberry, pastor of Antioch Baptist Church in Fairfax, VA, released the following statement this past Friday. You can also see the statement along with an interview with Baptist Press here.
December 11, 2020
Over the last week and a half I have received much communication related to the Council of Seminary Presidents’ statement and related comments published in the Baptist Press on November 30, 2020.
Let me say that first and foremost I and the National African American Fellowship of the Southern Baptist Convention hold most sacred and dear to our hearts the supremacy of Scripture.
Second, we affirm the Baptist Faith and Message Guide as part of our being Southern Baptists.
Third, we recognize that there are ideologies from a sociological and anthropological perspective when used appropriately, help us to better understand the inner workings of living in a fallen and sinful world.
Fourth, we affirm that all such ideologies do not supplant, by any means, the supremacy of Holy Scripture. And where such ideologies conflict with Scripture, it is Scripture that governs our worldview, our decisions, and our lives.
We affirm that systemic racism exists, and like all Southern Baptists we oppose racism in all its forms. We do realize that there are theories and constructs that help us to see and discover otherwise undetected, systemic racism in institutions and in ourselves.
I have been in conversations with SBC leadership and with the leadership of the Council of Seminary Presidents of the SBC. We will be meeting in the near future to further discuss our concerns that affect all ethnic groups in the SBC about the breadth and depth of their recent statement and published comments. As brothers in Christ, we of all people should be able to dialogue and resolve all of our concerns.
My friends, the world is watching us and I hope and pray that none of us would do anything that degrades our witness and detracts from our focus on the great commission. Our common enemy wants to derail us from reaching the lost.
I urge all Southern Baptists to refrain from condemning each other on social media and other media outlets. We should pray for each other and pray for a better understanding through our mutual love for Jesus Christ and one another.
Dr. Marshal L. Ausberry, Sr.
President of the National African American Fellowship, SBC; First Vice President, SBC
Dr. Ausberry, you will be in my prayers. I will also pray that at this momentous juncture, our eyes and ears will be opened and the light to truth will come in. It’s been a long time coming. Thank you for your loving statement.
Dr. Ausberry,
Thank you for this article and a sense of unity around the gospel and treating others well.
[…] Ausberry said in a statement: “I have been in conversations with SBC leadership and with the leadership of the Council of […]
Dr Ausberry, as brothers in Christ, I am thankful for you, your ministry, and our cooperation as Southern Baptists. I am also very thankful that the Council of Seminary Presidents emphatically stated that Critical Race Theory, Intersectionality and any version of Critical Theory is incompatible with the Baptist Faith & Message. I wholeheartedly agree with them and pray that you and the NAAF will come to agree with them as well. One of the key tenets of Critical Race Theory is the idea of “systemic racism,” which becomes the explanation for every perceived racial inequality. Racism certainly exists, but systemic… Read more »
Ben,
As you pray for them to change their mind and agree with you, would you also commit to pray that if your views of “systemic racism” are flawed, that your heart might be open to repentance? I think it’s a fair ask, no?
Your brother in Christ,
Tim
It’s always worth the reminder that the 1995 resolution includes the concept systemic racism long before anyone thought Critical Race Theory was yielding any influence in SBC life.
Those arguing that the concept of systemic racism are “dubious” or that it “doesn’t exist” are outside of the convention’s adopted statements on the subject.
Those that believe that CRT wasn’t influencing anybody in 1995 are ignorant of the fact that it was developed in the 1970s and promulgated in the 1980s. I think 1995 comes after that.
No one said CRT wasn’t influencing “anybody” in 1995. I said the idea that it was influencing Southern Baptists in 1995 – the near culmination of the conservative resurgence – is ridiculous and absurd.
I think you correctly point out the reason why so many Southern Baptists are opposed to Resolution 9. Accepting the resolution means having to acknowledge that “systemic racism” exists and is an underlying cause of racial inequality. They would prefer to classify most racial inequality as “self-victimization” in spite of evidence to the contrary. Looking at the responses of African American pastors and church leaders in the SBC, along with the resolution itself, it is clearly not an issue of not accepting inerrant, infallible scripture or being out of step with the BFM. Here’s a novel idea for Southern Baptists.… Read more »
Jack, these brothers you mention should be included in the greater discussion. Probably not the seminary president discussion since that’s for seminary presidents, but certainly in the larger discussion.
However, one’s lived experience does not make one an expert in truth. The facts of their experience are valid, but the meaning of the facts of their experience must be interpreted through the lens of the Bible. From a biblical worldview, truth helps us interpret our lived experiences rightly and not the other way around.
So your “lived experience” is properly changed by Scripture rather than the reverse? And our brothers and sisters of color are just being influenced by the secular world and not seeing Scripture clearly even though they also hold to the inerrancy of Scripture. Just want to make sure I’m hearing this correctly.
Tim, the facts of one’s experience aren’t changed, but one’s perspective on and understanding of the facts are changed by Scripture. Of course, our lived experience doesn’t change Scripture.
Scriptural inerrancy is usually not part of the discussion, but scriptural authority and sufficiency are.
No I understand but I just find it odd that you don’t see how they are living out their convictions of Scripture but you are? Like why are their views of scripture being affected by their lived experience as minorities but ours are not somehow? Doesn’t their need to be some humility that our view of Scripture may not be as neutral as we would pretend to be?
Todd Starnes said, “A number of white Southern Baptist leaders and well-known pastors have embraced critical race theory. They also believe that white Christians should repent of the sins of their forefathers. And they also believe that we should apologize for white privilege. So here’s what I propose – all of those white Southern Baptist leaders and pastors who hold to those beliefs should immediately resign from their leadership positions and their pastorates so they can be replaced by people of color. It’s the only way to purge wokeness from the Southern Baptist Convention. So, who’s going to be first?… Read more »