by Sandy » Sat Mar 02, 2013 8:57 am
Conferences used as Burroughs suggests, as "forums for discussion of difficult issues" are an informal means of getting Baptist groups to move in a particular direction, and have been for a long, long time. Calling a conference, or getting a "meeting" together about a particular issue, especially when someone with some influence wanted action on it, is a long standing way of either signalling those on the trustee boards that something needs to be done, or convincing enough people that they need to get to the next annual meeting to do something about it. This particular conference was classic in that sense, independently organized, timed to take place just after the issue of CBF's anti-gay hiring policy was being discussed by the moderator and some coordinating council members very openly and publicly, following the announcement that the current exec director, perceived to be one of the strongest supporterrs of the policy, was retiring, and as you observed, Ed, generally more liberal on the subject than most of CBF, as you see it, but with just enough of an opposing view to make it look fair and balanced.
Without rehashing the whole discussion about the conference, of course any discussion of the church and sexuality these days will involve homosexuality. However, the general tone of this particular conference was done from a perspective that, if accepted, would require CBF to change its policy.
Of all of the forums, discussions, dialogues and events Burroughs could have used to illustrate his point, he picked just one, this one. And he dropped it in his discussion of the "insightfulness" of CBF's early leaders in valuing networks and partnerships. I think its pretty clear what he is saying, and that is his hope that CBF's new leader will be bold and insighful and use the networks and partnerships rather than the general assembly and the structure to make a sweeping change in CBF's policy toward persons of homosexual orientation. I think he thinks she's the person. Now, in the obfuscating, "churchy", religious toned lingo that people in denominational and Christian organizational leadership use to avoid saying anything controversial, you might not get a direct statement to that effect. They'll want to wait and see how the kite flies, so to speak.