Raised in what is now Big Twelve country, my football allegiance is to a certain burnt orange team currently rebuilding. However, when Oklahoma wins a football game or Kansas wins a basketball game, it frankly has never occurred to me to start chanting “Big Twelve! Big Twelve! Big Twelve!” Because we are part of the same conference organization, our interests often overlap, but I normally do not celebrate the victories of other teams within the Big Twelve as if their victory had anything to do with mine, at least not in the same way SEC teams often do.
Of course, everyone doesn’t do this. More than a few Auburn fans were rooting for Texas against the Tide in the 2010 National Championship Game. And I did see a lot of Oregon Duck jerseys on Alabama fans last year before Auburn’s National Championship Game. For a few fans, at least, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. But for a strong majority, the SEC is everything, and it really doesn’t matter what anyone else says or thinks or does. The attitudes of those outside the SEC will not interfere with the internal sense of conference pride and loyalty.
I’m thinking that it is good and healthy for an organization to view itself positively, and I wonder why the SBC cannot seem to generate such loyalty. Most of the articles I read only tell part of the story. They focus on the negative, on what’s wrong with our denomination–declining statistics, inflated record keeping, isolated situations in which a specific church or agency makes a questionable decision and so on.
The SBC is like that insecure preteen girl at the party who is constantly checking her hair and makeup, making sure she doesn’t have anything stuck between her teeth, and nervously looking around the room to see if the cool guy in the jeans and t-shirt is going to walk over and start talking with her. Of course, insecurity has never been very attractive. All our hand wringing over perceived weaknesses only makes us seem more desperate and confused.
By way of contrast, we used to be confident in our own skin. However you keep the records, we are the largest Protestant/evangelical/non-Catholic denomination in America. We have the largest theological seminary system in the world. We have the largest religious publishing house in the world. We support a larger full time missionary force than anyone in the world. Maybe it sounded arrogant when we used to mention these things, but at least we held our heads high. Today, we only mention our acne problem and our C+ in Algebra. If we’re down on ourselves, what makes us think Mark and his friends are gonna like us?
We may be getting older. We are not young and cool. But the constant focus on what’s wrong instead of what’s right creates a negatively distorted sense of self-worth that can actually become something of a self-fulfilling prophecy. If we think we have nothing to offer, that we’re so pathetic we require a complete makeover, we may find ourselves making the kind of mid-life changes scorned universally–face lifts, sports cars, gold chain necklaces and changing our last names.
What if our greatest need is not to change everything but to accept who we are with all our attendant strengths and weaknesses?
The SEC is not perfect. I don’t like the tendency to overbook scholarship offers, the nut jobs who poison trees, the money which allegedly flows from rogue boosters and the prevailing attitude that no one else in America ever plays any football. But the SEC has won five straight national championships and is on its way to a sixth. It is indisputably the preeminent college football conference in America.
What I admire most about it, by way of comparison with the Southern Baptist Convention, is that it knows how to celebrate its own success. It’s an organization happy with itself, comfortable in its own skin, confident and popular. One must admit that the SEC is unashamed of its own greatness.
Not so long ago, Southern Baptists demonstrated the same confidence. That half empty glass is still half full. I just wish we could chant “SBC” the way they chant “SEC.” We may have a few problems, but we are definitely not losers. And I’m tired of us acting as though we were.
“By way of contrast, we used to be confident in our own skin.”
Was it confidence or just simply people were busy doing the main things and keeping the main thing the main thing: cooperating on missions? It seems the rise of the cult of personality, mega this, mega that, national platforms, seeking national media etc., have brought a lot of it on. Or perhaps it was always there but just hidden better because there was no internet. I just do not remember there being a time in the past of so many famous/rock star type preachers and leaders. There were just down to earth men who would never have thought to have an entourage following them around. And would have been embarassed if so many young men affected their haircuts and such accroutements.
You’re right, Lydia. The SBC seems more self-absorbed today, with focus groups and surveys detailing our every flaw. Maybe we’re more self-critical because we’re spending too much time dwelling on ourselves instead of focusing on others.
Actually there have always been famous pastors among the SBC ranks. I think probably it used to be more widespread than it is today. In the early 1900’s I’ll guarantee you most Americans, especially in the South, whether they went to church or not knew who George W. Truett and J. Frank Norris were. Today with the advent of internet and other modes of information, quite frankly, the fame of preachers is probably lessened. If you take the average SBC church attender today and ask them who the pastor of FBC Dallas is, most wouldn’t be able to tell you. But a generation or so ago most knew who W.A. Criswell was.
My point is that I don’t think that the cult of personality is the problem with the SBC, or the role of women, or the Calvnist/Non-calvinist debate. The problem with the SBC and indeed all religious organizations is that we are living in an increasingly secular world and we are resorting to the power of the flesh rather than the power of the Spirit in response.
Excellent thoughts, Nick, I mean Rick.
I guess I’ll never live that down, but yes, while wearing a nice tan jacket and slacks, I walked in a Dollar General the other day and an elderly man, at first glance, took me for Nick Saban. We are about the same height, and our hair is styled somewhat the same, although his is darker. What gets me is that he’s 13 years older and I’m not ready to pass for 60 yet!
I have read many, many blog posts. I have read this particular blog post three times.
Therefore, based upon my:
1. Reading many, many blog posts in the past,
2. Being born in the elite center of the SEC,
3. Having read an train car load of Convention Press Study Course books,
4. And finally having spent much time at the BSSB ( That’s LIfeWay for Newbies) in Sunday School growth spiral seminars with the great Andy Anderson and Harry Piland,
I declare this post to be the most perfect and well balanced post in the history of Baptist Blog Posts.
And the miracle of it is that a transplanted Texas fan wrote it. That just proves that if a person has the will to be part of the SBC and live in the SEC greatness will eventually just pour out of him.
I was hoping you’d reserve that honor for the post I’m planning for January 10 after LSU rolls 45-10.
CB,
Thanks for your kind words, and yet another illustration of a positive SEC spirit. Perhaps the same loyalty can spread throughout the SBC as well.
On a personal note, I look forward to attending the Pastors Conference next month with you and John.
Rick Patrick,
I look forward to that conference also. I like Judson. I think my youngest may go to school there.
An idea for helping the SBC renew a positive spirit might be to get the Alabama strength coach, Scott Cochran, to speak at the SBC Pastors’ Conference. 😉
“I think probably it used to be more widespread than it is today.”
Yes, 1000 fold. And they all have a publisher. Some have a PR firm or their very own in house promotional people. Most spend a lot of time doing the conference circuit where they can sell more books. And some even have body guards or entourages :o) John, if we are honest with ourselves….we have become increasingly worldly, too.
“…we have become increasingly worldly, too.”
You hit the nail on the head. I really think we can live with all these minor points of disagreement, but we have got to get back to seeking the power of the Spirit in all that we do. Those down to earth preachers you spoke of were great because they knew their greatness had nothing to do with them.
I don’t like football .. I’ve delegated that responsibility in this household to my submissive wife .. so allow me to comment on the SBC. Seriously.
Perhaps it is that God is not happy with an organization that claims 16 million members but is hard pressed to find 5 million of them. Perhaps the current focus on “our acne problem and our C+ in Algebra” is really God telling us the He finds our current situation displeasing to Him. Perhaps in His grace, He has given us all the time to address discipleship vs evangelism, that He’s going to give us.
Personally, I think that is the case. Plus, I could never top CB in matters of the SEC or Sabanation.
🙂
Bob,
Sorry you don’t like football. That you don’t care for it saves you from investing hours of your time and emotional energy in a team of athletes you will probably never meet.
I suppose God may indeed be displeased with the SBC. On the other hand, there is plenty of evidence to support the claim He has blessed us immeasurably. I don’t really sense that His Hand is smiting us or that we are being disciplined for our rebellion or disobedience. I think our current leaders, in contrast to those who came before them, are selling us an agenda change by creating (and perhaps exaggerating) the problems, so they can offer as solutions the particular direction they would like us to go.
Regardless, I think a bit more school spirit is in order. When set against the backdrop of other real world denominations, I think we still come out as a strong group of Christians working together for the cause of Christ.
Blessings to you and your family this Christmas!
Rick,
Are those Great Commission Christians outside the SBC on the same team as us, or not? Is it a healthy thing for one faction of the team (in the football metaphor, perhaps the defensive backfield) to cheer for itself as over against the rest of the team? If you had to come up with some scripture passages to back up the main idea you are trying to get across here, what would they be?
David Rogers,
I think he addressed your concern right here:
“I don’t like the…prevailing attitude that no one else in America ever plays any football.”
In addition David, you asked, “If you had to come up with some scripture passages to back up the main idea you are trying to get across here, what would they be?”
The way you have couched that question (and the other two also) begs for you to make manifest what you consider his “main idea” to be. You three questions seem to reveal that you have missed his “main idea” completely. Maybe you haven’t. Nonetheless, your questions obviously are based on a presupposed understanding, on your part, that you understand his “main idea.” In reading the way you have asked the questions, I can’t help but wonder if you do, or not? So, David, if you don’t mind, tell us what you believe the “main idea” of this post to be?
David,
Great Commission Christians, such as my Methodist friends and neighbors, are certainly on the same team in the sense of being saved rather than lost. But I would say no, they are not on the same team when it comes to various doctrinal matters, the practical support of missions causes, certain worship practices, the culture and history of our church, and so on.
In my metaphor, the SEC is analogous to the SBC, with the various teams in the conference being different Southern Baptist Churches. The Methodists or other Great Commission Christians might be something like the Big East or Mountain West. They still play football, but they do it quite differently, and often on a much different scale. We are associated with each other, but not really organized in the same conference, much less the same team. I see my teammates every day at practice and spend a lot of time with them. I interact with those on other teams far less often.
Scripture passages abound urging Christians to think positively as they cheer mutual efforts in missions and ministry, encouraging one another rather than picking at every weakness. A small sample might include: 1 Thessalonians 3:2; Ephesians 4:29; Acts 15:32; Romans 15:5; Philippians 4:8.
Perhaps i am being a bit nitpicky on this, but to me the football metaphor suggests not cooperation but rather competition between the different teams, and on another level, between the different conferences. From a biblical perspective, I believe this is an unfortunate image to describe our relationship with other groups of believers. Yes, we should be more about encouraging each other in the work rather than picking each other (or ourselves) apart. But it is not about what we do better or worse than some other teammate. In the Body of Christ, when one member rejoices, all rejoice. When one member suffers, all suffer.
And I do not get, from a biblical perspective, how we as Southern Baptists are on “a different team” in any sense from other bona fide born again brothers and sisters in Christ. Supposed believers, who are really preaching a false gospel that is no gospel at all, yes. But true believers, no.
Paul wrote to “all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons” (Phil. 1:1) about their “partnership (or teamwork together) in the gospel” (Phil. 1:4).
As to the “cooperation versus competition” issue, my primary point was that SEC teams do indeed “cheer” for the whole conference and not merely their own team. I’m promoting cooperation and a healthy sense of “school spirit” for the larger organization of our individual churches.
There are true believers with whom I could not plant a church due to doctrinal differences–women as senior pastors, baptizing infants, etc. We might serve on a soup kitchen line together, but we are not on the same page or team in sharing the gospel.
I think there should be room for denominations to have an identity apart from the universal church.
Fair enough. Yes, I agree, it is good to show solidarity with the aims of our particular joint ministry project (i.e. the CP, and all the ministries funded by the CP).
My only discrepancy would be that it is true, we may not be “on the same page” with this group or that group in this or that, but if they are truly members of the Body of Christ we are ultimately “on the same team.” And from the perspective of eternity, that is what truly matters.
Perhaps, to carry the football analogy, think of it in terms of the NCAA: there is a bare-bones framework that unites all of college football, from the abomination of Tuscaloosa to the glories of Arkadelphia. While there is competition, at the end of the day, no team ought to do anything that undermines either the integrity of the whole lot–whether a D-III school or a D-I school they ought to show that integrity. Nor can a team play softball and call it football:
Likewise, there is a wide array of groups that still fit with being “Christians” and “Churches.” None of us ought to do anything to harm the others. But, we still ought to be doing the same thing.
Because when the whole of “college football” is respectable, everyone benefits. Parents encourage their children to play, even if for small schools. People buy team memorabilia, but they also go buy footballs. They start forming kids groups to play football. And that’s a win all the way around.
You have a good point. As I told the local Methodist pastor: when we run out of lost people in this county, I’ll fight you for churchgoers. Until then we’ll get along fine and try to spread the Gospel in our different ways. I don’t think we’ll run short of lost people any time soon.
Doug,
A Parable:
I am thinking of a hypothetical situation where two pastors in the same town decide to jointly sponsor a Sunday School attendance contest between the two churches. There will be charts in each church to show which one is doing better, and at the end of the 4 weeks (for instance) there will be a ceremony recognizing the church that had the highest SS attendance overall. The objective, in such a case, is to mutually spur each other on in reaching lost people. At the ceremony, there would be no “loser,” as such, just mutual rejoicing for the lost souls that were reached by both churches.
Apart from the usefulness or advisability of such a campaign on another level, I would not be opposed to this type of friendly competition between churches, as long as it never truly turns into an “us” vs. “them” thing. Also, it would probably not be a good thing if the two churches were trying to get members from the other church to attend their church in order to win the SS attendance campaign.
With the way things are going in the SBC right now, and with giving down, it may be that some SB’s are feeling this way:
http://youtu.be/jrFChQUQihE
Maybe? I dont know.
David
When you look at the broader picture of what God is doing around the world and the amazing growth of the Church in places where it didn’t used to be that way, there is much to get excited about. While it is important, as good stewards, to evaluate objectively and honestly how we in our particular group and our particular setting are doing with the part of the task that has been assigned to us, it is also important to not lose sight of the bigger picture. The work of God overall around the world is prospering today like never before in history. It is also true, though, that the devil is more active than ever before, and is winning a lot of “battles” as well. But we have read the final chapter, and the victory in the war belongs to the King of kings, and to all those who accompany Him.
The book “The Church Is Bigger Than You Think” by Patrick Johnstone is very eye-opening with respect to all this. Available for 1 cent used at amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/Church-Bigger-Than-You-Think/dp/1857922697/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323958800&sr=8-1
David,
I was talking about SB’s specifically, and what’s happening in the SBC at this time…..not about the work of the Church around the world. I am thrilled that so much is being done all over this world for the glory of God. I’m thrilled that the Gospel is going out….everywhere.
David
David,
No problem. Not trying to be critical of your comment at all. Just pointing out (in the context of my comments to Rick) that while indeed the current drop in CP giving is legitimate cause for concern, there are also plenty of things to be excited about from the big picture perspective.
I think most of us haven’t given enough thought to “confidence”. The English word has it roots in the Romantic languages and means literally, “with faith”. We have a general sense of what it means to behave confidently, but often give weight to the behavior over the foundation. In other words sports figures are often confident in their own abilities. But Christians are not to be confident in our own abilities. We are to draw our confidence from God over and against our ability to sin against Him.
There is no pride in being a Christian for being a Christian means that we profess our need for a savior. Instead, there is gratitude for our salvation and joy for our Savior.
Likewise, there is no pride in being part of the SBC, one of its churches, or any other denomination. We are to have joy and gratitude for what God does in us and through us wherever He leads us.
I can applaud that sentiment, Jim. I would love for Southern Baptists to show more “joy and gratitude” in lieu of the “doom and gloom” we’ve been dwelling upon lately. I think we’ve become almost unhealthy in our self-analysis.
But I appreciate your words about confidence. It must be rooted in Christ and not in men, in what Christ is doing among us and not what we are doing in our own strength.
I’ve never been a fan of Notre Dame. The real Rudy has just been charged with securities fraud by the appropriate government agency. Altogether now: “SEC! SEC! SEC! SEC!”