BAPTIST PRINCIPLES VS. INTER-DENOMINATIONALISM

by Ernest D. Pickering, Th.D

INTRODUCTION: The Basic Issue.

For hundreds of years, Baptists had no problem regarding their relationship to other denominations. They were a persecuted, hunted people, fleeing from the power of tyrannical religion. Ancient Baptists carried the banner of Gospel truth even through the period of the Dark Ages, meeting secretly, but evangelizing with remarkable success. Since the rise of post-Reformation denominationalism, Baptists have been faced with the problem of their relationship to other denominational groups. In the last fifty to seventy- five years the problem of interdenominational movements has been accentuated for fundamental Baptist in the United States. The growth of fundamental inter-denominationalism has been notable during this period and has produced a flood of mission boards, radio programs, schools, and other agencies. Its influence has extended into Baptist churches and affected the thinking of Baptist people. The spirit of the day of togetherness, a spirit which declares, "Let us forget our differences so that we may all work together."

The spirit of inter-denominationalism is a pervasive one. It must be viewed in the light of Scriptural principles, those to which Biblical Baptists adhere.

To deny the great good which some interdenominational organizations have accomplished would be to deny obvious facts. Neither would anyone question the personal godliness of many inter-denominationalists. But these matters are beside the point. THE BASIC ISSUE IS THIS: Are the concepts, principles, and methods of contemporary fundamental inter-denominationalism true to the teachings of the Word of God? Are they compatible with the Baptist position which rests upon their teachings? A comparison of Inter-denominationalism with historic Baptist principles will serve to answer this question.

I. BIBLICAL BAPTISTS AFFIRM THE LOCAL CHURCH TO BE THE CENTER OF GOD’S WORK..

The majority of times in which the word ecclesia (church) is used in the New Testament it is used of a particular, local, church. One of the chief principles of Baptists through the ages has been the primacy of the "gathered church," the local congregation composed of believers only. Our Baptist forefathers steadfastly maintained (in the face of dungeon, sword, and death) that the true church on earth is found in congregations of regenerated and baptized persons, and that these churches are God's appointed centers for His work.

The New Testament is very clear at this point. The local church is the center of worship (Acts 2:42), Evangelism (Acts 2:47), Prayer (Acts 2:42), (Acts 12:5), Missions (Acts 13:1-4), and Service (Romans l6:l). Only one deduction can be made after an examination of Scripture. The individual church is primary in God's program for this age.

The teaching of evangelical inter-denominationalism in the area of ecclesiology is of necessity somewhat nebulous. A philosophy is prevalent today which is often hard to crystallize in a definition. It seems apparent that the tendency to deny certain Biblical truths is inherent within inter-denominationalism.

A. A Denial of Local Church Primacy.

Inter-denominationalists tend to emphasize the invisible church. Christians are taught to glory in their relation to this universal or invisible church while their membership in a local congregation is minimized. For this reason many persons of interdenominational persuasion can retain their membership in churches within apostate denominations with little disturbance of conscience for it makes little difference as long as they are members of the "true" church (the invisible one). By emphasizing the invisible church, the visible local church is denied its rightful place as the primary agency of God in this age. This is a serious defection from the truth.

B. A Denial of Local Church Authority.

An unscriptural individualism is prompted by inter-denominationalism. Individual responsibility to God is stressed, apart from, and often in opposition to, responsibility to the local church.

The author knows of several instances where individuals who were completely unreliable and inept in the world of their own churches have been placed in positions of responsibility within inter-denominational organizations with no question ever asked of their Pastor or church. It is the local church's prerogative to recognize the fitness of its members for Christian service. Inter-denominational organizations who fail to recognize this are sadly unbiblical.

C. A Denial of Local Church Responsibility.

A Pastor recently stated that he had two men in his church who would make excellent Sunday School teachers. They were unwilling to join the church or to become Sunday School teachers, however, because it would "tie them down" and prevent them from taking speaking engagements on Sundays in behalf of inter-denominational men's group with which they were associated. It should be emphatically stated that loyalty to any religious organization which conflicts with a person's duty to his local church is an unscriptural loyalty. Thousands of Christians give abundance of their time, energy, and money to inter-denominational causes and do very little for the work of their own church.

D. A Denial of Local Church Policy.

Questions of proper church order do not engage the thinking of inter-denominationalists. This is evidenced by the fact that many Pastors and Layman can move their membership freely between various kinds of churches, Baptists, Presbyterian, Independent and others. The nature of the church to which they belong or in which they minister does not seem to be an issue at all, provided the church, in their estimation, is evangelical.

Baptists believe that the New Testament not only prescribes the message but also the organization, the policy of local churches. We must obey God in this matter as much as in any other.

II. BIBLICAL BAPTISTS BELIEVE THAT TRUE MISSIONARY WORK IS THE REPRODUCTION OF NEW TESTAMENT CHURCHES IN UN-EVANGELIZED AREAS

Missionary work is church-building work. The book of Acts is a blue-print for all missionary work. Missionaries were sent forth from churches (Acts 13:1-4). They built churches (Acts 14:21-23). They reported back to the supporting churches (Acts 14:27). In apostolic times nothing was known of the "independent" missionary who labored outside the bounds of established churches. Missionary work is church work.

Important also is the fact that all the churches founded by the apostles were the same in doctrine and practice. Concerning his ministry to the churches, Paul reminds the Corinthians that the doctrines he taught them are the same that he taught "everywhere- in every church" (1Corinthians 4:17), also 7:17; 11:16; 16:1).

For this reason Baptists have maintained their own mission boards. Baptists believe that their churches are New Testament churches. They believe that missionary work is the extension of these New Testament Baptist churches to all parts of the world. It is not enough to build some kind of church. It must be a New Testament church.

Interdenominational mission boards appeal to a wide and varied constituency. They try to conduct their work so as to avoid offending this mixed clientele. They hold, therefore, that certain doctrines are nonessentials to their missionary organization "without denominational lines, limits, or methods of procedure. Inherent in the thinking of many or these boards is the notion that the Great Commission was given to the "universal church" rather than to specific local churches. This of course is contrary to Baptist convictions.

With this feeling inherent, if not always fully expressed, inter-denominational mission boards believe that patterns of church order may differ with individual missionaries. The constitution of one such mission board reads that a missionary "is at liberty to adopt that form of church government which to be most scriptural. But a Church having been organized, the form of church government instituted must not be changed." In other words, a missionary may organize a Baptist, Presbyterian, independent or other type of church. Once it is organized other missionaries, regardless of their convictions, may not change it. In one case a Baptist missionary serving under an interdenominational board refused to pastor a mission church until it was reorganized according to the Word of God. The mission refused to allow him to do it and he resigned from the mission.

Baptists have Baptist mission boards because Scripture indicates that missionary work is the reproduction of churches of like faith and practice. While they are strongly criticized by some for their "narrowness" and "sectarianism," their opponents have yet to produce evidence which proves them wrong. They are reproducing Scriptural churches. This is true missionary work.

III. BIBLICAL BAPTISTS PROMOTE AN EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM WHICH TEACHES BAPTIST PRINCIPLES:

The influence of interdenominational literature among present-day Baptist churches is alarming. The use of interdenominational Sunday School and Training Union material unconsciously says to the members of a congregation, "Our church really isn't too different from all the other churches. We can use the same material as the evangelical Presbyterians, Methodists, Lutheran and independents." Interdenominational literature which does not present the great Biblical truths regarding Baptism, the Lord's Supper, local church autonomy, the place of pastors and deacons and many other essential Baptist distinctives, is not worthy of use in Baptist churches. Why have a Baptist church if your people do not know what it means to be a Baptist? How can they learn if there is no consistent educational program within the church to teach them?

For this reason Baptist churches should utilize Baptist Sunday School and Training Union literature. Of paramount importance also is the training of young people who come from Baptist churches. While there is just cause to praise God for the fine interdenominational schools who remain loyal to the Word of God, it must be candidly admitted that these schools are not imparting strong Baptist convictions to the students whom they train. Obviously they cannot and will not, because they have such diversified student bodies.

The Bible College and the theological seminary have a vital role in the training of ministers of the Gospel. It is here in particular that young men must be instructed in the New Testament convictions of Baptists if they are to pastor churches effectively. "And the things which thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also" (2 Timothy 2:2). One thing is certain, you cannot perpetuate a position without adequately trained personnel. Strong Baptist convictions will never be produced by an inter-denomlnational educational program.

IV. BIBLICAL BAPTISTS BELIEVE IN CHURCH CENTERED EVANGELISM WITH A NEW TESTAMENT MESSAGE AND METHOD:

Evangelism must be conducted within the scope of the total revealed will of God. It must be rightly related to all the program of God.

Paul declared that from the church of Thessalonica "sounded out the word of the Lord"

(1 Thessalonians 1:8). By this statement the apostle reveals that the local church is God's appointed center of evangelism. The ideal proposed by inter-denominationalists is that evangelism can be conducted more effectively by "rising above" denominational "barriers" to a larger, "nonsectarian," and denominational effort. Such a thought is never condoned in Scripture. Evangelism is committed to New Testament churches.

The method of New Testament evangelism is illustrated in the story of the miraculous catch of fish as told in Luke chapter five. The purpose of the miracle is given in verse ten, "From henceforth thou shalt catch men," The disciples caught fish that morning because they followed explicitly the directions of Christ in contradiction to their natural reasoning. No better principle for fishers of men could be found than Peter's utterance "nevertheless at thy Word, I will let down the net." The spiritual fisherman must let it down at the time, at the place and in the way prescribed by Jesus Christ.

Baptists who are true to Scripture must support the evangelism which honors the Word of God, and seek to conserve converts in Scriptural churches. To cooperate with infidels in the world of evangelism is to repudiate all that Scripture teaches regarding God honoring evangelism.

V. BIBLICAL BAPTISTS BELIEVE IN THE PROCLAMATION OF THE WHOLE COUNSEL OF GOD:

Paul enunciated the determination of Bible-believing Baptists when he said to the Ephesian pastors, "I have not shunned to declare unto you the whole counsel of God" (Acts 20:27). Baptists are not satisfied to simply find a minimal basis or fellowship. They want to believe and practice all that the New Testament teaches. In doing just this, Baptists have often been persecuted severely and many have lost their lives as martyrs to the truth. Our Baptist forefathers would not limit their message in order to find fellowship with others, even regenerate people, who did not follow the Bible fully.

Interdenominationalism asks Baptists to do the very thing their forefathers refused to do and because of their refusal they met fierce persecution. Inter-denominationalism by its very nature is built upon compromise and mediation. Baptists, on the other hand, have prospered most when they have refused to compromise their convictions.

This does not mean that they engage in religious bigotry or that they deny religious liberty. History abundantly proves that they have been champions of the rights of all men to worship as they will.

But Biblical Baptists have principles. They believe these principles to be Scriptural principles. These principles cannot-- must not-- be sacrificed for a false ecumenicity,