We would like very much to have our leaders cease slapping down any Baptist who happens to love their country or have a political point of view that doesn’t comport with Critical Race Theory—that’s a small thing to ask, I want the Baptist in the pew to feel represented. I want him to not be talked down. I want a former president of the SBC to quit referring to the Baptist in the pew as the Little People.1 I want some respect for our folks. The folks who get it done. The folks who witness at the grocery store, who write their tithe check every week.
—Rod D. Martin, a Southern Baptist layman and a member of the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention—
Key points: The Southern Baptist Convention is in trouble, but it is worth saving. To salvage it, concerned Southern Baptists must come together, be discerning, and uphold biblical truth. In our day, this involves swimming upstream, even against rhetoric that sounds right but that is misleading, and in many instances is propped up by good intentions.
On Friday, February 14, 2020, an important public announcement heralded the formation of a new network in Southern Baptist life. The organization is called the Conservative Baptist Network (CBN). It has been formed to counter ominous trends evident in the Southern Baptist Convention. You can hear CBN spokesman Brad Jurkovich, who also is pastor of First Baptist Church in Bossier City, Louisiana, introduce the network on video here, and on audio accompanied by the text of his remarks here. Please take just four-and-a-half minutes to hear the entire presentation.
On this page, I’d like to present in two separate audio clips (totaling just under three minutes) what I consider to be the seminal portion of Pastor Jurkovich’s introduction to the Conservative Baptist Network. Dr. Jurkovich speaks with passion and urgency, yet also with great excitement and optimism. All of these elements are both refreshing and necessary, given the perils our denomination now faces.
Pastor Brad Jurkovich
clip one:
clip two:
conservativebaptistnetwork.com
Strong Responses from SBC Leaders—and from Southern Baptists at Large
Pastor Jurkovich’s statement and the launch of the Conservative Baptist Network immediately hit a nerve. From Southern Baptist elites, there was a decisively negative response (also go here and here). Significantly, on February 15, Southern Baptist Seminary president Al Mohler tweeted, “The real network of Southern Baptists is called the Southern Baptist Convention. It’s going to meet June 9-10 in Orlando. I look forward to joining you there.” Two days later he tweeted these statements from an article he’d written: “Southern Baptists have lost our ability to talk respectfully and convictionally. We had better recover that ability fast, or we will destroy the very foundation of cooperation that has brought us to this moment.” Go here to hear Conversations That Matter podcaster Jon Harris discuss, not only Al Mohler’s response, but also the responses of numerous other SBC leaders and pastors who can be considered part of the establishment.
On the other hand, rank-and-file Southern Baptists welcomed the new organization. Brad Jurkovich appeared on the Todd Starnes radio show the day of the announcement. That program is available here. Starnes interviews Jurkovich beginning at approximately the 1.01.38 mark. On Tuesday, February 18, Dr. Jurkovich appeared on another radio show, Janet Mefford Today. That program is available here.
On the day the announcement was made, 1,600 contacted the CBN to join. As of Monday, February 17, morre than 3,200 had joined the CBN.
Conservative Baptist Network / Facebook
Why the Southern Baptist Convention Needs the Conservative Baptist Network
I want to highlight just a few things Pastor Brad said in his initial statement introducing the CBN, and then I’d like to share my concerns for the SBC. Although I’ll be speaking for myself, I do believe my concerns are shared by a very large number of Southern Baptists. This is why the responses of SBC leaders are as they have been, and why grassroots Southern Baptists have been so pleased over the formation of the CBN. Accountability is important, even if it makes some folks feel uncomfortable!
First, Pastor Jurkovich affirms the benefit of coming together to take a stand. We see this in Scripture. Proverbs 27:17 declares, “As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. Ecclesiastes 4:12 tells us, “Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” The Bible is describing perfectly what often happens in human relationships. It’s much easier to stand against or even challenge the crowd if a friend, or several friends, are standing with you. The CBN is tapping into both a felt and a real need among concerned Southern Baptists.
Lorine Spratt, a strong supporter of the Conservative Baptist Network
Second, note some of the critical issues the CBN is being formed to address. Dr. Jurkovich indicates grave concern exists about the road the SBC is traveling with regard to issues like “human sexuality” and “biblical racial reconciliation.” In a scenario where “everybody’s a victim,” can biblical racial reconciliation really occur? Moreover, the road the SBC now is traveling “is twisting what justice really means” and “turning it into socialist justice. That’s a very dangerous thing.” Another issue that has arisen relates to the pushback against American patriotism. Can Christians also be American patriots as well as believers in Christ?” It’s quite apparent the answer many of our current SBC leaders would give would be no, but I believe the vast majority of Southern Baptists believe Christianity and American patriotism are quite compatible. Not equal, but compatible.
Some months ago, I complied a list of articles I have written that highlight these concerns. These issues have been brewing for quite some time. Also, the fact that there is so much overlap speaks volumes! The leaders of the CBN, along with many, many other Southern Baptists—myself included—are observing and identifying the same problems! Thus, the five concerns I’ve listed below are among those that have made the formation of the Conservative Baptist Network necessary. In other words, these are reasons the Conservative Baptist Network is needed “for such a time as this.”
Share this information with others! Join the Conservative Baptist Network! Speak up!
Stand, but don’t stand alone!
Southern Baptists: Danger Ahead
Southern Baptist are experiencing an unbiblical makeover that, ironically, is being orchestrated by some of its very own leaders. These articles seek to inform and warn rank-and-file Southern Baptists. Be informed. Inform others. Demand accountability.
Concern #1 — J. D. Greear and His Perspective on Homosexuality
Six Ways J. D. Greear Goes Wrong in His Recent Blogpost on the Church’s Discussion About Homosexuality
J. D. Greear / You Tube
Concern #2 — SBC Leaders and the Broadening of What It Means to Be Pro-Life
A Course Change that Always Will Lead to Disaster, Part 2
May 31, 2019
Don’t be misled by what numerous leaders within evangelical circles are trying to do with regard to the issue of abortion. You can’t be pro-life and support abortion, or support those who support and promote abortion or infanticide.
Concern #3 — Resolution 9 on Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality
Two Underlying Things About Resolution 9 that Are Affronts to Scripture, Despite the Resolution’s Declarations to the Contrary
June 23, 2019
Resolution 9 at the 2019 meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention in Birmingham, Alabama authorizes the use of critical race theory and intersectionality (two social justice ideologies) as long as they are used under the authority of Scripture. Here’s the rub. Critical race theory and intersectionality contradict Scripture. Inherently, the resolution itself contradicts Scripture!
Concern #4 — Efforts Among SBC Leaders, Including Russell Moore, to Divide the Church Over the Issue of Race, All Under the Noble-Sounding Banner of Social Justice
Dr. Russell Moore
The Hypocrisy of the Left, Part 2
High Sounding, Emotional Rhetoric that Lacks Sufficient Biblical Grounding
Groundwork for Resolution 9 has been underway for some time in the offices of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, which is led by Dr. Russell Moore. This article examines the social justice movement within the Southern Baptist Convention, especially as it relates to Dr. Moore’s leadership.
Concern #5 — Covert, but Undeniable Efforts Among SBC Leaders, Including J. D. Greear, to Make Southern Baptists Feel OK About Supporting Democrats, Even as the Democrats Have Increasingly Distanced Themselves from God and Policies Aligning with Biblical Truth. The Democrats Even Have Supported Infanticide.
Elusive Neutrality: The Myth of Avoiding Being Perceived as Political
March 4, 2019
In what is, in part, an apparent effort to be perceived as politically neutral, Pastor J. D. Greear and other evangelical leaders are distancing themselves and their ministries, including the SBC, from what they see as a connection to the Republican Party. The Democrat Party, however, stands for abortion through all nine months of pregnancy, and Democrats are repeatedly refusing to make infanticide illegal. Do these leaders really want to send the message that it’s OK for Christians to support the Democrats? They haven’t denied it. Still, “No political party or candidate that supports infanticide (or in my view, abortion, for that matter) is deserving of any Christian’s support or vote—no matter how much “good” might be perceived, advocated, or even accomplished in other areas of public policy.”
Additional Helpful Articles and Series of Articles
The social justice movement is antithetical to Christianity.
Five Ways Social Justice Stands in Opposition to Authentic, Biblical Justice
Socialism is antithetical to biblical teachings, and the free enterprise economic model is compatible with them.
Return to the Founders’ Perspective on Rights
Heed the Pilgrims!
Interestingly, the Pilgrims have a lot to teach us about socialism, racism, and critical race theory. The lessons they teach may surprise you; they don’t fit the social justice narrative at all!
Even more articles on the infiltration of the social justice movement within the church are available. Go here.
You can access the above list of articles on one page here.
Copyright © 2019 by B. Nathaniel Sullivan. All rights reserved.
Note:
1Go here to view the tweet to which Mr. Martin is referring.
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