Baptist Press has recently published an article by Trevin Wax entitled, “Being Southern Baptist among & for Evangelicals.”
Southern Baptists are in an identity crisis right now, trying to decide what it means to be a Southern Baptist. At the risk of oversimplifying, there are traditionalists who think that the key is to look back at the cultural, theological and ecclesiological identity that identified Southern Baptists and work to restore that identity. Brad Whitt has articulated the traditionalist viewpoint very well. Then there are the “reformationists” who believe the SBC needs to be reformed, renewed and revitalized to be more relevant to the modern world.
I think it is and will be a lively debate. Hopefully, the more rational and irenic voices will dominate in this debate and we will figure it all out in a godly way.
Trevin Wax’s article is an important contribution to this debate. He writes about the importance of the SBC within the larger evangelical world and warns against SBC exclusivism and isolationism.
Everyone interested in the ongoing debate about the identity of the SBC should read Trevin’s article. One does not, of course, have to agree with his conclusions, but God grant that his grace and spirit would spread among Southern Baptists!
