A discussion of how NSW/ACT Baptists can enforce a policy against same-gender marriage and gay and lesbian ministers rumbles on online. The Baptists adopted a “position statement” against “sexual intimacy outside” a “lifelong faithful union of one man and one woman” in late 2022, but this year their Assembly Council did not bring forward in principle motions requiring affirmation of position statements – that would have forced some churches that affirm same-gender marriage out of the Baptist Association. “We have not yet discerned the mind of Christ,”, the Baptist AssemblyCouncil said, and a motion to bring proposals to a further meeting was passed.
Despite a statement from a Baptist spokesperson saying that the Assembly had been focussed on endorsing strategic priorities and its church planting goal of becoming a Movement of 1000 Healthy Churches in a Generation (GEN1K), the marriage debate continues.
Blogger Stephen McAlpine wrote about an affirming church on Sydney’s Northern Beaches that celebrates “Our church has “a long history and commitment to justice and theological diversity that is grounded in the gospel.” and “We are an affirming church. This refers particularly to marriage.” He called his piece “Make Sure You Don’t Join a Sexular Church”.
McAlpine responded, “In there, among a whole lot of good stuff about gospel and diversity and being led by the Spirit, there’s one thing that’s missing.
“What is it? It’s “the Bible” right? The level of theological diversity in this church is being celebrated, but not curtailed. Now that doesn’t make me a party pooper off the bat, but it does raise the point that the level of diversity in the New Testament letters, especially around theology and certainly around sexual practice, is pretty low.”
Pretty soon, the church was outed as a Baptist Church in a flurry of Facebook comments. One well-known Baptist wrote, “This post feels like a conservative WA Baptist leader dog-whistling conservative NSW Baptists to beat up on a church that’s already been beaten up by recent events in NSW/ACT. It feels off to me and kinda close to bullying and/or “cancel culture.” It may get shares and likes, but is it helpful?
“I’m a conservative on sex and gender. But we should treat those who disagree with us with more grace and respect.”
The Other Cheek won’t identify the actual church in deference to McAlpine, who wanted to concentrate on the issue, not a particular example of an affirming church. McAlpine is part of Providence, a small network of independent chuches in Perth.
In a follow-up blog, McAlpine noted “The shock and dismay at my post, and the concern that I apparently misrepresented the church in question: all these things are a tiny taste of what non-affirming Christians face in the media on a constant basis.”
As far as I can tell, the charge of misrepresentation concerns whether the church is seeing affirming LGBTQIA persons as a way of growing their numbers or simply seeking to be faithful to Christ as they interpret the Bible. It is best to assume the higher motives when we debate these disagreements. (Bishop Peter Jensen’s rule of stating an opponent’s point of view to oneself using their best arguments comes to mind.)
But the motivation of this particular church is not the main issue in the Baptist discussion on whether churches should uphold the position statement of the NSW/ACT Baptists on marriage.
An example of dismay at Mcalpine’s point of view might be a post by Rod Benson, who nefers to the 2021 motions requiring churchs and ministers to affirm doctrines of the assoiation. Benson asks “The rise of such binding agreements among allegedly non-credal churches illustrates the danger of dogma. These recent actions demonstrate that NSW Baptists are credal, reactionary, and socially conservative. The centre of gravity has shifted from core beliefs to core values, from salvation issues to splinter issues, from the primacy of the local congregation to the primacy of the Association and its star chamber.
“One is left wondering: what will they coerce us to affirm next?”
The Baptist debate on same gender marriage is coloured by an emphasis on the denominations tradition of local church autonomy. Those arguing for the continuing inclusion of affirming churches in the Baptist Associaion often say that they are conservatives on marriage, sexuality and gener – like the quotes above from the commenter on McAlpine’s thread.
This is unusual. Often the case for gay inclusion in churches sooner or later is led by gay spokes people.
But the NSW/ACT Baptists are an interesting case study, with something like 94% of voting members of the 2022 Baptst Assembly supporting a traditional biblical view of marriage as being exclusively between a man and a woman.
Here news from Florida – not of Baptists but Episcopalians – is of interest to the local debate.
Over the weekend, there was news that the Diocese of Florida had failed to get their new bishop, Charlie Holt approved by the collective will of the rest of The Episcopal Church (TEC), the progressive of the two main Anglican churches in North America.
The diocese of Florida has a conservative majority but a small but strong LGBTQIA-affirming minority. Anglican Journalist George Conger, has compared it to its neighbour, the Diocese of Central Florida, where he serves as a local minister. That has a smaller affirming group, key ti that diocese managing to mangaged to elect a conservative bishop – and get him confirmed by the rest of the church.
Conger believes some of the noise in the Florida Diocese has been driven by people not being warm to the retiring Bishop, John Howard, with candidate Holt suffering from the backwash. But also that the larger group of LGBQIA has a larger of a platform in that diocese. In Florida, the pro LGBTQIA lobby might be ten percent of the diocese. In Central Florida, by contrast there is only one affirming Church.
The lesson from the Florida dioceses for the NSW/ACT Baptists is that there is a tipping point at which a progressive minority is large enough to exert real influence. What has been described as a handful of churches, may well grow in number, to the point where disclining them becomes very painful for a church body.
The lesson for Anglicans, might be to observe that being offirming is closer to becoming a requirement to minister in TEC. That is not welcome by evangelicals but also by some progressives. Andrew McGowan, an Australian who is McFaddin Professor of Anglican Studies and Pastoral Theology at Yale Divinity School tweeted
LGBTQIA activists began the Episcopal campaign by “Claiming the blessing,” seeking same-sex blessings and positioning it as a compromise. But the “Justice” foundation of campaigns for inclusion logically widens as time goes on.
The story of the evangelical takeover of the Anglican Diocese of Armidale is a reverse image of the progressive takeover of the TEC. A small energetic well orgamised group in a church body can grow, and get to a tipping point.
Another relevant US example the local Baptists might see as relvant is the United Methodist Church (UMC), with 12m members worldwide, 5m in the US. Since shortly after its formation in 1972 the UMC has held that homosexuality is “incompatible with Christian teaching.”
But over time this position was not enforced, with for example over 100 ministers coming out at the UMC 2016 General Conference (the peak meeting of their church parliament.) Many US conservatives, despite winning votes to enforce the rules have now left the church, 20 per cent of US churches have left in the last four years,m taking advantahge of a temporary rule that allows them to leave with pchurch property.
The doctrines of the UMC were not sufficient to hold the line, with rules not enforced by growing numbers of progressives.
The Baptist discussion will continue. Pray for them, in the words of the Baptist Assembly Council that they can see the mind of Christ.
Prayer is indeed needed. Thanks for this report, Obadiah Slope!