Email This StoryBaptist denominations unite at Covenant
Jan. 30, 2008
By Shannon Daily
Staff writer
Baptists from all corners of North America will meet from today until Friday to kick off the New Baptist Covenant Celebration at the Georgia World Conference Center in Atlanta.
The event, planned by former President Jimmy Carter and former Baylor President Bill Underwood, will be the first time a Baptist group of this denominational and racial mix will come together.
"The closer it gets, the more cognizant people are of how remarkable a moment this is in American religious history," said Mark Osler, an associate professor at the Baylor Law School.
"Blacks and whites will be worshipping together in equal numbers," Osler said. "It's going to be a lot about racial reconciliation."
Osler, a former federal prosecutor in Detroit, will be speaking on how to approach the criminal justice system from a Christian perspective, a subtopic for one of five areas the covenant will cover.
Two overarching themes of compassion and unity will tie together the five specific topics of discussion: peace with justice, the poor, respecting diversity, welcoming the stranger and setting the captive free.
With the way the covenant schedule is set up, people from different denominations will meet and work on these common issues, said Dr. David Gushee, author of The Future of Faith in American Politics: The Public Witness of the Evangelical Center.
"Some people are wanting to label this as a political meeting, but it's not," Gushee said. "It's not about electing the next president or about denominational politics. It's about finding a positive vision for Baptists."
Dr. Joel Gregory, a professor of preaching at George W. Truett Theological Seminary, said that another goal of the covenant is to impact American culture in a positive way.
"I think it's timely for Baptists in America to speak with a unified voice," Gregory said. "It's an opportunity to bring many Baptist bodies together across whatever lines are drawn."
Dr. Jon Singletary, an assistant professor in the School of Social Work, grew up witnessing first-hand the fights within different Baptist groups.
"From my perspective, I grew up Baptist, and for most of my life, conversations I had and experiences I had were about Baptists fighting -- churches splitting was far too common," Singletary said. "This is finally a chance for these denominations to all come together to say that Baptists really can be united in Christ as a community and to work together to address the needs of our world."
Mission Waco founder Dr. Jimmy Dorrell said he looks forward to the impact the covenant will have on the lives of the needy.
"I'm very encouraged that this kind of a discussion is going to take place," Dorrell said. "The kind of denominational infighting that's been going on took away from those matters. I think it's going to bring people together in unity to focus on these bigger things that are a matter of God's concern."
Gushee also said that some time after Easter, President Carter is planning on pulling together leaders from this convention to talk about what step to take next.
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